Nests, Eggs, and PI ay -grounds of Aitstralian Bovver-Birds. 27 



or two birds which, at certain seasons, regularly, between 

 10 o'clock in the morning and 2 in the afternoon, used to 

 visit the pepper trees in the garden, where the birds were 

 heard imitating the calls of the noisy Miner (Myzantha) ; 

 Magpie (Gymnorhina) ; the Crow, but not quite so hoarsely ; 

 and Chatterers {Pomatostomus) ; while the screech of the 

 Whistling Eagle was so realistic as to cause a domestic 

 hen and chickens to fly for cover, although no bird of 

 prey was nigh. The Bower-Bird also reproduces well 

 the sound of a maul striking the splitter's wedge, and 

 other familiar sounds, such as the mewing of cats, barking 

 of dogs, etc. 



Mr G. H. Morton, of Benjeroop, relates an amusing ex- 

 perience regarding the mimicry of the Spotted Bower-Bird. 

 His neighbour had been driving cattle to a given place, and 

 on his way back discovered a nest in a prickly needle-bush 

 or Hakea tree. In "threading" the needle branches after 

 the nest, he thought he heard cattle breaking through the 

 scrub, and the barking of dogs in the distance, and at once 

 fancied his cattle had broken away, but could see no signs 

 of anything wrong. He heard other peculiar noises, and 

 glancing at his dog, as much as to say, '* What does 

 it mean ? " he saw the sagacious animal, with head 

 partly upturned, eyeing a Bower- Bird perched in the next 

 tree. 



Although Gould has cleverly described the bower of this 

 species, and, moreover, succeeded in taking one to England, 

 which is now in the British Museum, and other authors have 

 mentioned these wonderful structures, without unnecessarily 

 extending the present observations, I may state that during 

 our memorable "flood" trip through Pdverina, September 

 1893, Mr J. Gabriel and I embraced the opportunity of 

 examining on the Pine Eidges six of the avenues or playing- 

 grounds — all apparently in use — of the Spotted Bower-Bird. 

 Some of these singular structures we successfully photo- 

 graphed. They were under bushes, usually the Prickly 

 Bursaria, and consisted of a pair of parallel walls of sticks, 

 grass, etc., stuck into the ground and erected on end, and 

 heaped about with bones, chiefly placed about either entrance, 



