22 DESCRIPTIONS OF OUR NATIVE BIRDS. 



SPOTTED BOWER BIRD. 

 (Chlamydodera maculata.) 



OTHER SPECIES i 



IN ^ GuTTATED Bower Bird. 



SOUTH AUSTRALIA. ) 



(Size. — In size the bower bird is a little smaller than a pigeon, but larger than a 

 dove. A full-grown bird is between lOin. and 12in. long. 



Bill. — Its bill is dark brown or black, with a pink shade in the skin at the corners 

 of the mouth. 



Feet and Legs. — The feet and legs are dark brown to black. 



Plumage. — The plumage is mottled brown, relieved by a rose-pink to lilac colored 

 band across the back of the neck. The top, back, and sides of the head 

 are rich brown, each feather being margined with a still darker shade. 

 The back and wings are dark brown, but each feather is marked at the 

 tip with a light spot, which produces a mottled effect. The throat, 

 breast, and underneath tail feathers, which are tipped with buf?, are 

 mottled with dark brown. Crossing the back of the neck is a bar of 

 rose-pink to lilac colored feathers, Avhich readily distinguishes it from 

 other birds. 



Habitat. — The habitat of the bower bird is the scrubby and well-timbered dry 

 localities inland. The spotted bower bird has been recorded from the 

 Murray. 



Food. — Its food consists chiefly of seeds and berries of native plants. 



The Bower. — The pair of bower birds build a bower or avenue of sticks and grass. 

 This bower is not the nest, but the playground of the birds. They collect 

 pieces of bleached bone, pieces of bright stone, and bits of pearly shell, 

 which they scatter immediately about the entrance of their bower. 



Nest. — The nest, which is saucer shaped, is loosely built of twigs and lined with 

 grass. It is usually placed in a thick pine or melaleuca. Nesting opera- 

 tions extend over the months of October, November, and December. 



Eggs. — The usual number in a clutch is two. It is, however, not uncommon to 

 find three in a nest. The eggs vary very much in shape and size, but 

 average measurements are about 1 Jin. x lin. The eggs are light yellowish 

 green, beautifully marbled with reddish brown and dark umber. Bluish 

 grey blotches appear below the surface. The markings often resemble 

 zig-zag brusli marks. 



