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AUSTRALIAN PICTURES. 



tribe, and in the occurrence of peculiar species of the feathered race. She 

 possesses the birds of Paradise, the king parrot, the blue mountain-parrot, 

 the lories, parroquets and love-birds. The plumage of other birds is often 

 of the gayest type. Thus, the blue wren is common about Nutbourne ; and 

 this bird, says Gould, is hardly surpassed by any of the feathered tribe, 

 certainly by none but the humming-birds of America. The cockatoo, with 

 white, black, or rosy crest, flies in flocks, and few sights in the world are 

 prettier than one of these flights. When they finally settle on a tree, they 

 cover it as with a snow-drift. Noisy they are, and clever, never feeding in 

 the settled districts without posting sentinels to warn the rest of the approach 

 of the human enemy. 



The Platypus. 



One of the most interesting birds of Australia is the so-called lyre-bird, 

 the Menura Victoria of the naturalist, the ' pheasant ' of the settler, and the 

 * bullard-bullard ' of the aborigines, the two words somewhat resembling the 

 native note of the graceful creature. Gould was strongly of opinion that the 

 lyre-bird, and not the emu, should be selected as the emblem of Australia, 

 since it is very beautiful, strictly peculiar to the country, and ' an object of 

 the highest interest.' 



The lyre-bird is about the size of the pheasant, and is valued because 

 of the magnificent tail of the male bird. The tail is about three feet lon^. 

 The outer feathers are beautifully marked, and form the lyre from which the 

 bird takes its name. There are also curious narrow centre feathers crossing 



