524 LYRE-BIRD 
~ 
systematizers who had to judge merely from its superficial 
characters. ‘The first to describe any portion of its anatomy was 
Eyton, who in 1841 (4nn. & Mag. Nat. Hist. vii. pp. 49-53) per- 
ceived that it was truly a member of the Order then called Jnsessores, 
and that it presented some points of affinity to the South American 
genus Pteroptochus ;} but still there were many who could not take 
advantage of this step in the right direction. In 1867 Prof. 
Huxley stated that he was disposed to divide his very natural 
assemblage the Coracomorphe (essentially identical with Eyton’s 
Insessores) into two groups, “one containing Menura, and the other 
all the other genera which have yet been examined” (Proc. Zool. 
Soc. 1867, p. 472)—a still further step in advance.2_ In 1875 the 
present writer put forth the opinion (Encycl. Brit. ed. 9, iii. p. 741) 
that Menura had an ally in another Australian form, Aiérichia 
or Atrichornis (SCRUB-BIRD), which presented peculiarities hitherto 
unsuspected, and accordingly regarded them as standing by them- 
selves, though each constituting a distinct Family. This opinion 
was partially adopted in the following year by Garrod, who (Proc. 
Zool. Soc. 1876, p. 518) formally placed these two genera together 
in his group of Abnormal Acromyodian Oscines under the name of 
Menurinz ; but the author sees no reason to change his mind, and 
herein he is corroborated by Mr. Sclater, who at once recognized 
(Ibis, 1880, p. 345) the alliance and distinctness of the Families 
Menuride and Airichiidx, forming of them a group which he un- 
luckily called PSEUDOSCINES. 
Since the appearance in 1865 of Gould’s Handbook to the Birds 
of Australia, little if any fresh information has been published con- 
cerning the habits of this form, and the account therein given must 
be drawn upon for what here follows. Of all birds, says that 
author, the Menura is the most shy and hard to procure. He has 
been among the rocky and thick ‘ brushes ”—its usual haunts— 
hearing its loud and liquid call-notes for days together without 
getting sight of one. Those who wish to see it must advance only 
while it is occupied in singing or scratching up the earth and 
leaves ; and to watch its actions they must keep perfectly still— 
though where roads have been made through the bush it may 
be more often observed and even approached on horseback. “The 
best way of procuring an example seems to be by hunting it with 
dogs, when it will spring upon a branch to the height of ten feet 
and afford an easy shot ere it has time to ascend further or escape 
1 He subsequently (Osteol. Avium, pp. 97, 98, pl. 3, F and pl. 14) described 
and figured the skeleton. 
2 Owing to the imperfection of the specimen at his disposal, Prof. Huxley’s 
brief description of the bones of the head in Menura is not absolutely correct. 
A full description of them, with elaborate figures, is given by Parker in the same 
Society’s Transaciions (ix. pp. 806-309, pl. lvi. figs. 1-5). 
