INSESSORES. ^^07 



Sp. 181. MENURA ALBERTI, Gould 



Prince Albert's Lyre-bird. 

 Menura alberti, Gould in Proc. of Linn. See, February 5, 1850. 



Henura alberti, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, Supplement, 

 pi. 



The dense, luxuriant, and almost impenetrable brushes 

 which skirt the eastern coast of Australia from Sydney to 

 Moreton Bay are, as might be supposed, tenanted by many 

 forms both of mammalia and birds peculiarly their own ; 

 many of these districts are very partially known, and some of 

 them may be said to be as yet untrodden ; hence it is not sur- 

 prising that an additional species of this extraordinary form 

 should have been there discovered. I must fairly admit, 

 however, that I was not prepared for the acquisition of so 

 remarkable a bird within the limits of the colony of New 

 South Wales. 



The specific differences between the present bird and the 

 M. superha are very apparent ; they consist in the rufous 

 colouring of the plumage, and in the total absence of the 

 brown barrings of the outer tail-feathers, which, moreover, 

 are much shorter than the others, while in M. superba they 

 are the longest. 



The first specimens that came under my notice were sent 

 to me by the late F. Strange ; my friend Dr. Bennett also 

 forwarded to me almost simultaneously a fine example be- 

 longing to the Sydney Museum, which the Directors had at 

 his request permitted to be sent to England for illustration. 

 With reference to the latter. Dr. Stephenson, residing at 

 York Station, Richmond River, wrote to Dr. Bennett, " You 

 will perceive a very close affinity between it and the M. su- 

 perha, except in the tail, which is very different. Since the 

 idea of its being distinct occurred to me and to my friend 

 Augustus A. Leycester, Esq., I have made every possible in- 



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