132 Wonders of the Bird World 



of moss, a spray of Acacia blossom, some small seed-cone's 

 of an Eucalyptus, the egg-bag of a spider, six specimens of 

 a land-shell, which Mr. Charles Hedley informs me is an 

 unnamed and remarkably keeled and depressed variety of 

 Thersites gulosa of Gould, and one specimen of Helicarion 

 verreauxi" Gould also mentions the partiality for bright 

 Parrots' feathers which the Satin-birds evince ; and their 



Double-arched Bower of the Spotted Bower-bird (Chlamydodera ,,mculata). 

 (From a sketch by Mr. A. J. North.) 



propensity for appropriating any small article is so well 

 known to the natives that they at once search the bowers 

 in the neighbourhood for anything that is missing. 



All the species of Spotted Bower-birds (Chlamydodera) 

 are expert architects, but instead of making a platform of 

 sticks, they make a trench on either side, and plant their 

 sticks in it so as to make an arched bower. Large numbers 

 of shells are used in their decoration, and the late Sir 

 George Grey narrates that he found some of the arbours of 



