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I took colours, brushes pencils, and gun, and went to the spot. I there made the sketch which
S; D9 e

While I was there neither bost nor :
when they watched their movements to shoot them. I could

is ine
eee blisl hostess was at home. I could not wait for them.
I now publish.
My hunters saw them entering and going out,
not ascertain whether this bower was occupl!
-s— whether
, that such a nest lasts for several seasons.

ed by one pair or by several pairs of birds, or whether the

> male « vas the builder, or whether the wife
‘el al or unequal number the male alone 5 .

sexes were in equal or unequal 1

assisted in the construction. I believe, however

lects a flat even place around the trunk of

It begins by constructing at the base of the tree a kind of cone, chiefly of

; 2 aa a c

, a sm ‘ee that is as thick and as high as
«The Amblyornis se a small tree that is as t : gh
a walking-stick of middle size.
moss, of the size of a man’s hand.
is supported by it. On the top of the ce
resting on the ground, leaving an aperture for the entrance.
te many other branches are placed transversely in various ways, to
A circular gallery is left between the walls and the central

The trunk of the tree becomes the central pillar; and the whole building
ntral_ pillar twigs are then methodically placed in a radiating

Thus is obtained a conical and very
manner,

regular hut. When the work is comple
make the whole quite firm and impermeable.
cone. The whole is nearly 3 feet in diameter.
of an orchid (Dendrobium), an epiphyte forming large tufts on the mossy branches of great trees, easily bent
like straw, and generally about 20 inches long.
m—which leads me to conclude that this plant was selected by the bird to prevent

All the stems used by the Amblyornis are the thin stems

The stalks had the leaves, which are small and straight,

still fresh and living on the
rotting and mould in the building, since it keeps alive for a long time, as is so often the case with epiphy-
tical orchids.

“The refined sense of the bird is not satisfied with building a hut. It is wonderful to find that it has
the same ideas as a man; that is to say, what pleases the one gratifies the other. The passion for
flowers and gardens is a sign of good taste and refinement. I discovered, however, that the inhabitants
of Arfak did not follow the example of the Amblyornis. Their houses are quite inaccessible from dirt.

“ The Garden.—Now let me describe the garden of the Amdb/yornis. Before the cottage there is a meadow
of moss. This is brought to the spot and kept free from grass, stones, or anything which would offend the
eye. On this green tuft flowers and fruits of pretty colour are placed so as to form an elegant little garden.
The greater part of the decoration is collected round the entrance to the nest ; and it would appear that the
husband offers there his daily gifts to his wife. The objects are very various, but always of vivid colour.
There were some fruits of a Garcinia like a small-sized apple. Others were the fruits of Gardenias of a
deep yellow colour in the interior. I saw also small rosy fruits, probably of a Scitamineous plant, and
beautiful rosy flowers of a splendid new Vaccinium (Agapetes amblyornithis). There were also fungi and
mottled insects placed on the turf. As soon as the objects are faded they are moved to the back of the hut.

“The good taste of the Amblyornis is not only proved by the nice home it builds. It is a clever bird,
called by the inhabitants ‘ Buruk Gurea’ (master bird), since it imitates the songs and screamings of nume-
rous birds so well that it brought my hunters to despair, who were but too often misled by the 4méblyornis.
Another name of the bird is ‘Tukan Kobon,’ which means a gardener.”

When Mr. D. G. Elliot founded the genus Amblyornis, he separated it on account of the more exposed
nostrils and from its having ten tail-feathers instead of twelve. When he wrote, only one specimen
was known, and it has since turned out that Amblyornis has really twelve tail-feathers, two being deficient in
the original specimen. The difference in the feathering over the nostrils is only one of degree, but, as Count
Salvadori has pointed out, there are other good characters, such as the shape of the bill, with its smooth
tomium, and the want of scutellations on the tarsus, which distinguish Amblyornis. One of the most striking
of the characters in the genus is the similarity in colour of the sexes.

Adult. General colour above brown, rather more reddish on the head and mantle; wing-coverts like the
back ; quills and tail dusky brown, externally like the back ; lores and sides of face dull brown ; throat and
under surface of body orange-brown, rather lighter on the abdomen; sides of breast washed with the same
. as the back ; wallaries and under wing-coyerts brighter orange-buff; quills light brown below, pale
er aes noes oy the inner web: bill blacks feet pale lead-eoloue ivi chestnut” (D'Alertis), ‘Tota

5 ve , wing 9°05, tail 3-4, tarsus 1-4,

The female is similar to the male in colour.

The description and figure are taken from

Goleta hen ; a specimen in the British Museum, formerly in the Gould
Z . 1e bower ’ \

is drawn from the materials published by Dr. Beccari.