Crown of the head, neck, throat and chest grey, passing into sooty grey on the abdomen; space between the bill and the eye, the forepart of the cheek, the chin, the upper and under tail-coverts jet-black; two middle tail-feathers black; the remainder black, largely tipped with white, with the exception of the outer feather on each side, in which the black colouring extends on the outer web nearly to the tip; wings deep grey; primaries bluish grey; under surface of the shoulder white, passing into grey on the under side of the primaries; irides dark blackish brown; bill light greyish blue at the base, black at the tip; legs and feet greenish grey.
The figures are those of a male and a female of the natural size.
ARTAMUS ALBIVENTRIS: Gould.
J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith. Hullmandel & Walton Imp.
ARTAMUS ALBIVENTRIS, Gould.
White-vented Wood Swallow.
Artamus albiventris, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., March 23, 1847.
Two examples of this species are all that have come under my notice; one of these was killed on the Darling Downs in New South Wales, and the other some distance to the northward of that locality, it being one of the birds procured during Dr. Leichardt’s expedition to Port Essington. Its nearest ally is the Artamus cinereus, a species inhabiting the opposite side of the continent; but it is somewhat smaller, and may moreover be distinguished from that bird by the white under tail-coverts, and the lighter colour of the lower part of the abdomen. I regret that I have no information to communicate respecting its habits and economy; they are doubtless very similar to those of its representative above alluded to.
Lores, space beneath the eye and the chin deep black; head, neck and upper part of the back brownish grey; lower part of the back and the wings dark grey, becoming gradually deeper towards the tips of the feathers; primaries and secondaries narrowly edged with white at the tip; under surface of the wing white; ear-coverts, chest and abdomen pale grey, passing into white on the under tail-coverts; upper tail-coverts and tail black; the apical third of all but the two middle ones white; irides dark brown; bill yellowish horn-colour, becoming black at the tip; feet blackish brown.
The figures are of the natural size.
