268 Jackson, Discoveyy of the Female Rufous Scrub-Bird. [,^t '\prii 



We came across one bower or playground of this Bower-Bird ; 

 it was well hidden under a mass of green vines {Vitis, sp.) on the 

 side of a large heap of fallen trees. The bower was only half 

 the size of that built by the Satin Bower-Bird, and contained very 

 few ornaments of decoration when compared with the bowers of 

 the last-named birds. Their eyes are golden-yellow, and the 

 articles in the decorations included mostly yellow objects, consist- 

 ing of berries, seeds, a few yellow leaves, scrub snail shells, and 

 fresh yellow 5-petal flowers from a scrub creeper belonging to the 

 Hihbertia genus. The birds were observed playing at this bower 

 several times. 



A series was also obtained of the Satin Bower-Bird {Piiloiw- 

 rhynchus violaceiis) showing the black feathers appearing on the 

 young greyish-green male, and probably only a year or two old. 

 The birds were plentiful, and two nests were found built in the 

 tops of tree ferns (see accompanying Plate LI.) at the base of 

 the stems of the long leaves. They were constructed of thin 

 dry twigs and sticks, and lined with dead leaves. One nest con- 

 tained two eggs, the other the birds abandoned for some unknown 

 reason. Several of their bowers or play-grounds were met with. 

 They were highly decorated with 5-petal blue flowers from a 

 shrub,* known as Kangaroo Apple [Solannm aviculare), which 

 was very common in damp gullies in the scrub, and these were 

 renewed every morning ; many dead scrub snail-shells of several 

 species were frequently used among the decorations. In one 

 bower near our camp the following scrub-snail shells, &c., were 

 found : — Helix confnsa, Helix strangei, Helix nchmondiana. Helix 

 porteri, Helix pudibiinda, Panda falconari (young), &c., also pieces 

 of cast snake-skin, blue flowers, empty locust or Cicada cases, 

 fungi, seeds, empty cartridge cases (from my gun), parrots' blue 

 feathers, &c. We cut up some pieces of blue cardboard, and 

 threw them about in the scrub, and placed' bits on logs some 

 distance from one of the play-grounds ; next day nearly all the 

 pieces had been picked up by the birds and placed in one bower. 

 Their eyes are of a rich blue or violet, and they have a great 

 love for blue objects; often "blue-bags" from the wash-houses 

 in the bush find their way to these play-grounds ; instances of this 

 came under my notice in the Dorrigo scrub of New South Wales. 



Among the other birds secured, and made into specimens for 

 the collection, were : — Grey Goshawk {Astur clams). King Parrot 

 {Aprosmictus cyanopygins) ,B\diCk-ia.ccd Flycatcher [Monarcha incla- 

 nupsis), Thickhead {Pachyccphala pcctoralis), Coachwhip-Bird {Psu- 

 phodes crepitans), Pied Crow-Shrike {Strepera gracidina), Noisy 

 Pitta {Pitta strepitans), Variegated Wren {Mahirus lamberti), Cat- 

 Bird {Ailnroedus viridis), Lewin's Honey-eater {Ptilotis lewinii), 

 Yellow-rumped Shrike-Robin {Eopsaltria chrysorrhoa), &c. A 

 Fan-tailed Cuckoo {Cacomantis nihricatus) procured is of much 

 interest on account of the fact that Mr. OT^eilly and I found it 



* Specimens collected lor identilicatioii. 



