14 XUBI.IXG, The Satin Bower Bird. ["^sfS" 



more distant place their method seems \.o be to ascend a more 

 or less high tree, according to the distance they want to cover, 

 and then to plane down. They mostly ascend a tree by hop- 

 ping from branch to branch. 



At 3 o'clock I was at Ixnver Xo. 2. and met .Mr. i 'otter there, 

 with a younger brother, who had come by the first morning train, 

 and reported three visits of the Satin to the b«)wer. Th? l)ird 

 (lid not return to the bower until after 4 o'clock, when he ar- 

 rived with some blue flowers. Repeatedly green Satins were 

 Iieard calling. it was already 5. when the Satin appeared again 

 with some half-dozen Billardicra blossoms in his bill. ( )n hear- 

 ing the click of the camera lie slipped into the tussocks, wiih the 

 blossoms still in his bill. and. having deposited them somewhere 

 in the scrub. Hew into the Ijlack wattle without them. When 

 first coming down lo the ground to hop to the bower, a tine Cat- 

 I'lird alighted simultaneouslx with him. Tiie Cat-1'.ird hopped then 

 on to a tree-stum]), and. Hying uj) into a turpentine, ascended it in 

 a similar hopping fashion to that of the Satin- Uirds. The attitude 

 of the Satin in the bower, or about it. is to have his legs wA 

 feet set well ajmrt and s])read outward, thus securing the body a 

 strong support. It is interesting to see him working at the 

 walls, lifting a stick out at the end of a wall, turn Ins head 

 round, raise it and give it a twist, and then with his bill ram the 

 stick down in another place, if necessary hopping along r. tew 

 inches. Ml this is done in a thoughtful manner without IvAste. 



Before leaving, four green Satin- liirds were t1\ing aliout the 

 high eucaKptus tops, calling; others were heard, and a bluc- 

 black and a green one were noted on the return tri-). 



( )n Saturday, ,^oth f )ctober. bower Xo. 1 was as before, but 

 f(ir an extra ^-ui'ply <>f many pieces 01 blue glass and fresh BU- 

 lardicra lilossoms. We also .saw the owner, but did not sto]) 

 there. At bower Xo. 2 our winged friend was soon heard and 

 detected. A jiiece of blue velvet was the only novelt\ in his 

 collection. The night was s])ent under a rock^helf on the 

 hillside. Al 4.15 next morning 1 was n\> listening to the mani- 

 fold voices of tiie birds in the gully from early dawn to sunris", 

 starting tme after the other with their song. .\bout an hour 

 later we could, from above, see the Satin about his bower. Siip- 

 ])ing to the bower during our early breakfast. 1 noticed the Satin 

 nipdff a '-talk of \'hw' Dianclla blossoms and dei^osit it on tiie 

 platform. Something on the ])latform had evidently roused his 

 anger. It was thrown out. and in doing so. he emitted for^he 

 first time on the playground a note, a buzzing "churr." When 

 climbing a tree-trunk, he did so somewhat in the manner of a 

 Trce-creeiKT. .\fter 7 he brought two puflf balls, some tlowers 

 having previously been deposited. Mis last morning visit was 

 after (). when the bower was becoming sunny. (^nce he re- 

 moved two pulT-balls. i)Ut there by us. from the front entrance, 

 uttering again :i buzzing sound. He was also seen hojiping 



