OF SOUTHERN AUSTRALIA. 189 



for the first time, is whether this is a mocking-bird in the true 

 sense — vocally, not anatomically ? I give the substance of 

 a letter to me by Mr. T. W. De Lany :— " The Lyre-bird is 

 generally thought to be a mocking-bird, but after quite 

 twenty years amongst them I am of the opposite opinion, as 

 I never heard them imitate anything whatever beyond the 

 ordinary round that they all have, and every one exactly alike. 

 The notes of the birds that they use, in my opinion, have been 

 acquired many ages ago, when their ancestors were imitators, 

 and have now become set and hereditary. A friend of mine 

 years ago had a young cock bird, and although it was taken 

 from the nest, and never had an opportunity of hearing other 

 birds, it whistled the same as those in the scrub. At the 

 time I did not quite beheve it, but since I do. Only yesterday 

 I was out looking for Wonga Pigeons, when I shot a yearling 

 Lyre-bird, with a tail the same as a hen, and it was whistling 

 just as any old bird does on his dancing heap." On this 

 matter I should be glad to have expressions of opinion. My 

 own is, the male inherits a series of notes and quickly learns 

 more with the opportunity. The Buln-Buln, as it is sometimes 

 called, is protected from damage by Act of Parliament, and 

 rightly so, because of its insectivorous habits and natural 

 unique structure. The food varies between insects and very 

 lowly organisms ; snails and crustaceans help to support it. 

 Although not a frequenter of the gardens of pioneer settlers 

 in our wilds of heavy rainfall, it is closely associated with the 

 surroundings. Maize, potato, and other crops that flourish in 

 moist lands all benefit indirectly by the services of this bird. 

 The nesting is peculiar to the bird. A heavy dom.e-shaped 

 mass of strong twigs is placed on the ground, on a stump, or 

 15 feet up in the fork of a tree in the quiet of a glen. The 

 inner part of the nest is made of fibres. The entrance over- 

 looks a small expanse of air, so that the sitting hen may 

 easily soar away from it. If the single egg in the nest is 



