^'°u.?i^'J XIT.LIXG, The Satin Botccr Bird. 19 



Later in tlie jungle \vc saw two Catbirds, evidently a mated 

 pan-, chasing and then perching in different trees at the foot of 

 the hillside. One of them would call "ffit," the (jther answer 

 with "ffae," the latter note exactly almost as heard from the 

 Satins. The Ijill, when the bird called, was slightly (opened, and 

 the tail vibrated. I followed one up the steep hillside, when it 

 ])laiied down in one fine long, swooping curve, wings spread 

 and motionless, similar to ihe Satin, and disappeared in a 

 creeper- festooned tree. 



Uefore 3 o'clock I ])ui an apple core on the platform. Sud- 

 denly the Satin emerged from the tusst)cks, and began lo eat 

 the core, then carried it behind a tussock. Till 4 o'clock he 

 paid three more visits to the playground, bringing BiUardicra 

 hlossoms. of which he seems ver}' fond. A green Satin was also 

 .>;een in a eucalyptus over the road. At 4. Mr. Potter changed 

 position with me, whilst 1 went a little u]) the creek. 



ShortI\- after I left the owner of the bower was observed by 

 Mr. Potter sitting some yards away on a fallen tree, when to 

 Mr. Potter's surprise a second, slightly smaller, blue-black Satin 

 ap|)roached the bower in a sneaking, cautious fashion, and began 

 to ]n\\\ viciously at the walls, cheating some disorder, lie dis- 

 appeared then in the same stealthy manner. 



On 20th Xovember, saw the blue-black Satin in a tree close 

 to bower Xo. i with something in his bill, but, observing me. he 

 Avent off immediately, and. hearing a few minutes later his call 

 from the hillside, I moved on. At bower Xo. 2 I left two small 

 strings of light blue beads, and noticed the Satin near by. 1 may 

 mention here that I never found any article inside the bower, 

 and if anything was ])ut there, he ])romptly removed it. As I 

 had noticed on several occasions the female Hying up the creek 

 gully after her meetings with the male. I thought it possible that 

 she might have her nest up there. 1 searched carefully, but 

 found no nest. 



At half-past six I saw the Satiii leaving the bower, and heard 

 the wheezing ""ffae" notes, which seemed to originate from two 

 green Satins. In my absence several fresh BiUardicra blossoms. 

 a piece of dark green glass (an exception to the colour rule), a 

 ])uffball. and a Cicada larval shell had been deposited on the 

 playground, so he must have been busy. It looked like a pre- 

 ]:)aration for some special occasion. Xot long after 4 next 

 morning the male was obser\-ed at the bower, lifting up one of 

 the strings of blue beads, and dropping it again, as he is wont 

 to do with his treasures. The beads had apparently found favour 

 with him. When it had become fairly light, three green P>ower- 

 I)irds were detected high in a eucalypt, two sitting motionless, 

 the third feeding on some insects in the bark at which it picked. 

 Suddenly three qiore birds flew away from another high tree 

 top, and the whole company of six went off" together. Presum- 

 ablv thev had roosted in ihe gums. 



