324 



MENURID.E. 



ill-defined zone. Three specimens measure as follows: — Length (A) 2-52 x r6 inches; (B) 

 2-52 X 177 inches; (C) 2-47 x 17 inches. The egg referred to by Mr. Savidge, taken from 

 the former figured nest, in situ, and presented by him to the Trustees of the Australian Museum, 

 is the most remarkable shaped Lyre-bird's egg I have seen, being almost as round and about 

 the size of a tennis ball. It is of a pale purplish-grey ground colour, flecked, streaked, and 

 blotched nearly uniformly all over, with darker shades of the ground colour, intermingled with 

 a few markings of a greyish-brown hue. Length 2-22 x i-g6 inches. 



Young birds, when about a fortnight old, are covered with down, smoky-brown above, 

 including the head, pale-brown on the breast, passing into dull greyish-white on the centre of the 

 abdomen ; bare skin on the sides of the head, throat and neck dark leaden-grey ; bill blackish ; 

 legs and feet leaden-grey with a fleshy shade ; iris brown. 



This bird breeds during the depth of winter. It usually commences to build late in May, 

 or early in June, laying in July, and the young one leaves the nest about the end of September. 

 While sitting the tail of the female is laid over the back. The male does not assist in the task 

 of incubation. 



Menura victoriae. 



QUEEN VICTORIA'S LYRE- HIED. 

 Menura victoria; Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1862, p. 23; id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. .302 

 (186.?); Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. XIIL, p. 662 (1890) ; id. Hand-1. Bds., Vol. III., 

 p. 3 (1901). 

 Adult male — Similar to that 0/ Menura superba, but maybe distinguished by the white inner 

 web of the outer tail-feather when held horizontally atoay from the light, and the broad notches of 

 darker cliestnul, which extend across it nearly to the shaft. 



Adult female — ?7te webs of the outer tail-feather of the female are broader than in M. superba, 

 and the chestnut notcha on the inner tveb darker and more ivell defined. 



Distribution — South-eastern New South Wales, Eastern Victoria. 

 T^^RECISELY similar in habits, and closely allied to the preceding species, is Queen 

 J- \'ictoria's Lyre-bird. From Western Port, in \'ictoria, its range extends in a north- 



easterly direction across the border into South-eastern New South Wales. In Mctoria it is 

 abundantly dispersed throughout the humid mountain ranges of Gippsland, and nearer Melbourne 

 is not uncommon in the Dandenong Ranges, Fernshaw, and the Black Spur. 



I first met with this species in the Strzelecki Ranges, where for many years during my visits 

 it was very common. It has now sadly diminished in numbers owing to the clearing and burning 

 of the undergrowth, and the merciless warfare waged against both male and female by persons 

 in the district. Through being constantly hunted whenever they commence to call, some of the 

 males of this species get e.xceedingly shy and wary. One, I well remember, frequented the 

 thick scrub in a steep and almost inaccessible part of a creek, a short distance from the house. It 

 was evidently a wary old bird, for it successfully evaded the efforts of many a skilful hunter to 

 secure it. I am pleased to add that it remained to enliven us with its song and wonderful 

 powers of mimicry, until the surrounding scrub was cut. The females are always more easy to 

 approach than the males. I have on several occasions known them to remain in a tree for a 

 quarter of an hour at a time, their attention being rivetted to a small rough-haired terrier beneath, 

 who was barking furiously and making frantic efiforts to reach them. This terrier used also to 

 go hunting Lyre-birds on his own account, and one could tell by the length of time he was 

 barking whether he had flushed a male or female, as the male seldom remained more than a few 

 seconds in a tree when disturbed, ere they sought refuge in flight. Previous to this species in 



