v^'i'g?!^'] XUHIJXG, The SatUi Boi.'cr Bird. li 



The Satin Bower Bird Some Observations 



i;y E. XL'iUJXC. R.A.O.L'., Sydney. 



In October. i(;20, in the Xational I'ark. suulh of Sydne}. i 

 heard tlie notes of Lyre-birds, and. from a sheltered j^lace. fov 

 half an honr observed some live or six L\ re-Birds, amongst them 

 a }-oung one. and two males that were engaged in an impa>sioned 

 fight. When abont to leave. 1 heard something dropping in tiie 

 thick creeper- festooned foliage of a tree opi)osite. Looking u[> 

 1 recognised a green Satin 15o\ver-L)ird { Ptiloiiorlixiicluis viol- 

 acciis), which had let itself fall a foot or two in the vines; it 

 riew on to the branch of a neighbouring tree, where it showed 

 itself clearly, and finally disap]^eared in the brush. I was pleased 

 to meet the Satin r)Ower-l')ird in its natural haunts, which had 

 long been my wi>h. 1 had gone only a short distance when 1 

 saw several more of these birds, uttering a peculiar "chrra, 

 clirrar', chrit"' (the ch throaty, as in the Scotch word "loch"), 

 sometimes accompanied by a hissing sound, or followed Ijy tho 

 imitation of some other bird's notes. 



On the following day, Avith Mr. J. Potter. R.A.O.L'., two or 

 three green Satins were encountered on Waterfall Creek, and 

 several more at two or three places. an-;ong them a blue-black 

 male, with a twig in his bill, apparently intended for bower- 

 building. 



( )n the loth of ( )ctober, we saw a blue-black Satin fiy over 

 the road. It alighted first in a tree, and then dropped to the 

 ground in a small patch of bracken ferns, near the water's edge. 

 When the bird fiew we found the bower ( Xo. i). It was built 

 at the edge of the bracken, some of the fronds bending over it. 

 The platform on which it stood was 3ft. 3in. in diameter, and 

 constructed neatly of long, dry she-oak (Casiiarimi) needles. 

 Avith a few thin sticks between them, looking almost like a carpet. 

 On tne platform, more on the sides than in front, we found 

 man}' dry leaves of Baiiksia scrrata, and also a few. kindly inden- 

 tified by ]\Ir. LL J. ]^Iaiden, F.R.S., Director of the Botanical 

 riardens in Sydney, as Schizomeria oi'ata. Besides there were 

 snail shells of two kinds, a piece of string, pieces of blue pajier, 

 two small bags of washing blue, and some blue glass. The 

 measurements of the bower were: length of the walls, 12 and 9Vj 

 inche* respectively; average height, 12 inches; external width, 

 ii/'j inches; internal width, at the ends 3-3^ inches, in the 

 centre 5 inches, the latter slightly concave at the bottom. The 

 walls were but little arched on the top, and the passage wider at 

 the top than at the bottom, where the sticks curved in towards 

 the centre. Looking at the walls sideways many sticks 



were laid diagonally towards the centre from near the 

 bottom ends of the wall, so that they overlapped in the 



