^'°'i9^i^^] XUBLIXG, The Satin Boxccr Bird. 25 



Next morning we rose al)OUt 4 o'clock. Two j^reen Satin- 

 Bird? were close by in bushy trees, and in the scrub along another 

 creek were two Catbirds. About 9 a. in. we repaired to bower 

 No. 3- 



I climbed up to examine the lower of the two nests discovered 

 a fortnight ago. as most likely to be that of a Satin Bower- Bird. 

 It was placed between the upright twigs of a clump of mistletoe, 

 growing on a thin branch standing sidewards from the trunk, at 

 a height of about 40 feet, and was about 6 feet out from the 

 trunk. It was a Bower-Iiird's nest, saucer-shaped, constructed 

 of thin twigs, and rather well made, lined inside with dry eucalyj^ 

 tus leaves. It measured approximately 8 inches in external dia- 

 meter, and about 4 inches deep externally, 2 inches or so mter- 

 nally. There were no eggs, but a young bird, comfortably 

 snuggled up, with closed eyes. It made no sound, nor showed 

 any concern whatever. Xo parents were seen alx)ut. The 

 body was of a dark brown colour, with young feather sheaths, 

 about half an inch long, and of greyish colour, bill very dark, 

 almost blackish-brown, with a small notch close to the tip of the 

 upper mandible. In the jungle we saw Catbirds repeatedly, and 

 Mr. Potter, watching a pair of them closely, discovered their 

 nest, containing 2 beautiful biscuit-coloured eggs. It was placed 

 at a height of about 22 feet clo^e in the fork formed by the trunk 

 and a broken-otf branch, and was oval-bowl-shaped, of 9 by 7^2 

 inches external width. 6)^ inches deep outside, made of twigs 

 and creeper stems, into which on the outside large dry leaves 

 ■were woven. 



Xo bird was seen about bower Xo. 3 in the afternoon, though 

 Ave were about for some time ; only once the male's call was 

 heard. Xothing had been added since yesterday, not even a 

 single blossom, but an Achras plum, left there for him. had been 

 eaten, and he had thrown out several red articles Dr. D'Ombrain 

 had placed on the playground. Evidently he does not fancy 

 this colour. Probably his inditit'erence to the bower may be ex- 

 plained by the arrival of the young bird, presuming the mother of 

 the latter to be his mate, as the nest is no great distance from the 

 bower. 



I should like here to lay emphasis on the remarkable tolerance 

 of our presence by the Satin at bower Xo. 2. which alone enabled 

 us to study his habits at such close range, the u>ual experience 

 being. I believe, rather to the contrary. 



1 8th December, proceeded from Waterfall to Garie, or (iera, 

 in the extreme south-east corner of the X'ational Park, and 8 

 miles distant from Waterfall. The rich brush gullies of the 

 Illawarra district lind here their northernmost limit. On de- 

 scending from the uplands to Garie in the evening, I oljserved 

 several Catbirds and heard the call of a male Satin-Bird. I 

 spent the night at the creek mouth close to the beach, and next 

 morning went to the gully, where I had heard the Satin the pre- 



