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fresh young leaves in the bower at the time, and on visiting the

locality the following afternoon, these were seen to be thrown

out and four fresh ones placed in their stead.’” Although there

does not seem to have been any special receptacle in the centre

of this bower, yet the bird is stated to have gone into the centre

of the bower for its shell, just where my Regent had a specially

prepared Partridge-nest-like receptacle for his treasures. No

pen can describe the antics of the bird when courting in the

vicinity of his bower ; they are wonderful beyond description,

much more so than are those of the Satin-bird, which are more

ridiculous than any clown’s foolery. But the writer of the

foregoing account of the wild Regents and their bower is silent

on a very interesting point ; perhaps he was too far off to hear.

All my Regent’s antics are accompanied by indescribable notes

and noises, not loud, but all expressive and quite in keeping with

the general weirdness of the performance. It is to a female

Pied Rock-Thrush that my Regent pays homage, to the intense

disgust of her own long-suffering mate. Talking of notes and

noises, the Satin Bower-bird has a goodly collection, but the

Regent has more, for it has a pleasing song. Hiding away in a

sheltered corner, he will warble away by the hour, not loudly but

softly and sweetly, rather like the Pied Rock-Thrush, but more

varied. To what extent his notes are borrowed, I do not know.

I notice that, a year ago, I likened the song to the suppressed

voices of a very large flock of Starlings, all in their full spring

song.


Concerning the plumage of this species, Mr. A. J.

Campbell writes :—“ The youthful male resembles the female ;

the second year the bill is yellowish ; the third or fourth year the

plumage is complete.” My present bird, when received on the

4th August, 1899, had just a little yellow on the wings. During

the moult of that autumn, he put on a trifle more yellow but no

black. In July, 1900, he commenced growing a few yellow and

black flights ; and during the autumn his bill became yellower,

and the head assumed a faint wash of the same colour. Judging

by my earlier specimens and this bird, and others I have seen, I

think that the Regent either takes a longer period to come into

full colour than Air. Campbell supposes, or else that the due

development of the colour is greatly retarded by the coldness of

our climate, or the adverse influences of a life in captivity.


THE PALACE SHOW.—My reference to the Regent-

bird at the Palace brings another thought to my mind. I think

it is not unfair to suggest that if Exhibitors would be more



