GRAUCALUS AXIL LARI Ss, Salvad.

Bruijn’s Cuckoo Shrike.

Graucalus axillaris, Salvad., Ann. Mus. Civ. Genova, vii. p- 925 (1875).—Sharpe, Mittheil. Zool. Mus. Dresden,
1. p. 366 (1878),--Id. Cat. B. Brit. Mus. iv. p. 27 (1879).

 

Tuere is not much to record respecting this interesting species of Cuckoo Shrike, which, at the time
we write, has been too recently discovered for us to know any thing of its habits and economy.

Although the male is to all appearance uniform in coloration, it has the axillaries and under wing-
coverts barred with black and white; and this at once distinguishes it from any of the allied species of
Graucalus. The female is quite different, and belongs to the section of G. Jineatus and G. maforensis.

Originally discovered by Mr. Bruijn at Mansema in the Arfak Mountains, it has lately been sent by Mr.
Goldie from the Taburi district, at the back of the Astrolabe range, in South-eastern New Guinea. He gives
the native name as Shorara.

The following descriptions, taken from the typical specimens, are reproduced from Mr. Sharpe’s Catalogue
of Birds :—

“* Adult male. General colour above slaty grey, with a cast of lighter and more bluish grey; lesser wing-
coverts like the back, the median and greater series rather darker than the back; quills black, externally
edged with dark slaty grey ; the secondaries outwardly entirely dark grey like the greater wing-coverts ; tail
black, with a slight ashy shade on the centre feathers ; a narrow frontal line, lores, and feathers in front of
the eye black ; ear-coverts darker grey than the head; under surface of body slaty grey, the under wing-
coverts and axillaries barred across with white ; quills ashy-black below, grey on the inner web, which is
edged internally with white. Total length 8:7 inches, culmen 0-75, wing 5:4, tail 4:4, tarsus 0°85 (Mus.
Civ. Genov.).

“ Adult female. Differs from the male in having the throat and fore neck alone slaty grey; the rest of the
under surface barred with black and white, the black bars always the broadest, but especially so on the sides
of the body and on the under tail-coverts. The general tone of the grey upper surface is darker, the quills
being blackish and the secondaries narrowly edged with white like the primaries. Total length 9 inches,
culmen 0°8, wing 5:65, tail 4-4, tarsus 0°85 (Mus. Cio. Genov.).

‘Young male. Like the old female, but with some of the uniform grey breast-feathers of the adult male
plumage appearing below ; upper tail-coverts tipped with white, of which there are scarcely any traces in the
adult female. Wing 5:4 inches; tail black, the middle feathers dark slaty grey with a black tip (Mus. Civ.
Genov.).”

The pair of birds represented in the accompanying illustration are drawn from specimens collected by Mr.
Goldie in South-eastern New Guinea, and now form part of the national collection. The birds are shown
of about the size of life.

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