152 LEAVES FRO.AI THE 



The bower-like structures from which the birds take 

 their name first came under the notice of Mr. Gould at 

 Sydney. Mr. Charles Coxen had presented an example 

 to the museum there as the work of the satin bower-bird. 

 With his usual cnerg}'-, Mr. Gould at once determined to 

 leave no means untried for ascertaining every particular 

 relating to this peculiar feature in the economy of the 

 bird ; and on visiting the cedar-brushes of the Liverpool \ 

 range, he discovered several of these bowers or playing- 

 places. He found them usually under the shelter of an 

 overhanging tree in the most retired part of the forest, dif- 

 fering considerably in size, some being a third larger than 

 that represented in Mr. Gould's admirable picture (for the 

 illustrations in this, as well as in many of his other works, 

 are not mere figures — they are pictures), whilst others 

 were much smaller. He shall now speak for himself : — 



The base consists of an extensive and rather convex platform 

 of sticks firmly interwoven, on the centre of which the bower itself 

 is bnilt ; this, like the platform on which it is jilaced and with 

 which it is interwoven, is formed of sticks and twigs, but of a 

 more slender and flexible description, the tips of the twigs being 

 so arranged as to curve inwards and nearly meet at the top. In 

 the interior of the bower the materials are so placed that the forks 

 of the twigs ai-e always presented outwards, by which arrangement 

 not the slightest obstruction is offered to the passage of the birds. 

 The interest of this curious bower is much enhanced l)y the man- 

 ner in which it is decorated at and near the entrance w ith the most 

 gaily-coloured articles that can be collected, such as the blue tail- 

 feathers of the Rose-hill and Pennautian parrots, bleached bones, 

 and shells of snails, &c. ; some of the feathers are stuck in among 

 the twigs, while others, with the bones and shells, are strewed 

 about near the entrances. The proi)eusity of these birds to pick up 

 and fly off" with any attractive object is so well known to the 

 natives, that they always search the runs for any small missing 

 article, as the bowl of a pipe, &c. that may have been acci- 

 dentally dropped in the brush. I myself found at the entrance 

 of one of them a small neatly-worked stone tomahawk, of an iuch 

 and a-half in length, together with some slips of blue cotton rags, 

 which the birds had doubtless picked up at a deserted encamp- 

 ment of the natives. 



