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twigs are always presented
The interest of this curious bower 1s much enhanced by the manner in which

gaily-coloured articles that ean be collected, such as the blue tail-feathers

outwards, by which arrangement not the slightest obstruction is offered to the

passage of the birds.
it is decorated with the most
of the Rose-hill and Pennantian Parrakeets, bleached bones, the shells of snails, &c.; some of the feathers
are inserted among the twigs,
The propensity of these birds to fly o
small missing article that may have been accidentally dropped in the

while others with the bones and shells are strewed about near the entrances
ff with any attractive object is so well known to the natives, that they
always search the runs for any
brush, I myself once found at the entrance of one of them a sinall neatly-worked stone tomahawk, of
an inch and a half in
picked up at a deserted encampment of the natives.

“It has been clearly ascertained that these curious bowers are merely sporting-places in which the sexes

length, together with some slips of blue cotton rags, which the birds had doubtless

meet, and the males display their finery, and exhibit many remarkable actions; and so inherent is
this habit, that the living examples, which have from time to time been sent to this country, continue
it even in captivity. Those belonging to the Zoological Society have constructed their bowers, decorated
and kept them in repair, for several successive years.

“Ina letter received from the late F. Strange, he says—‘ My aviary is now tenanted by a pair of
Satin-birds, which for the last two months have been constantly engaged in constructing bowers. Both
sexes assist in their erection, but the male is the principal workman, At times the make will chase
the female all over the aviary, then go to the bower, pick up a gay feather or a large leaf, utter a curious
kind of note, set all his feathers erect, run round the bower, and become so excited that his eyes appear
ready to start from his head, and he continues opening first one wing and then the othe uttering
a low whistling note, and, like the domestic Cock, seems to be picking up something from the ground
until at last the female goes gently towards him, when, after two turns round her, te suddenly nee
dash, and the scene ends,’ ”

Mr. A. J. North writes to me:—‘‘I forward you a photograph that may be of use to you in the
preparation of your ‘Monograph of the Ptilonorhynchide, &c.’ It is that of a perfect bower of Ptilono-
rhynchus violaceus in the possession of the Trustees of the Australian Museum. It was found on the ground
in the scrub near the Jerulan Caves, N. S. Wales, in December last, by Mr. J. C. Wiburd, and is built ona

 

 

 

 

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platform of sticks and twies .
S gs about three inches i pee . :
5 e inches in thickness, and is composed entirely of thin twigs slightly

arched, some of whi

Br ich 2t Or cross eac

bower, is a tail-feather ie cross each other at the top. Near the tront of it, on the right side of. the
atycercus elegans, Jt measures over all 2 feet in length, 1 foot in height, and

10 inches in bre i
‘ oreadth ; internally 8 inches j : .
3 ernally 8 inches in height by 4 inches in breadth. Scattered about the entrance are