148 SEXUAL DIMORPHISM 



by it. In C. penduliger, 1 the caruncle is very long and cylin- 

 drical, having a length of 10 inches, the bird being only 

 17 J inches in total length, and there is no bare patch. In 

 C. glabricollis, 2 on the other hand, around the base of the 

 caruncle there is a large area of skin which is entirely naked, 

 and of a reddish-orange colour, while the caruncle itself is 

 small and slender, and bears only a few feathers towards its 

 extremity. 



As in the case of Chasmorhynchus, the species of Cephalo- 

 pterics are geographically separated, C. ornatus being found 

 to the east of the Andes, C. penduliger to the west, C. glabri- 

 collis in Central America. 



The Lyre-bird of Australia, Menura, belongs to the Order 

 Passeriformes, of which it forms a family by itself, although in 

 habits it rather resembles the Phasianidse. The male has a loud 

 and peculiar voice in addition to its beautiful, greatly developed 

 tail. The tail of the female is much elongated, but is simply 

 brown in colour, and composed of similar straight feathers, 

 whereas that of the male is of various rich colours, and con- 

 sists of three kinds of feathers, of which the most conspicuous 

 are one on each side gracefully curved in shape. The relation 

 between the special development of the tail in the male, and 

 its erection and movement in courtship, is as well established 

 in the Lyre-bird as in many other cases. According to 

 Gould's description, one of the habits of the male is to form 

 small round hillocks, which are constantly visited during the 

 day, and upon which the male is continually tramping, at the 

 same time erecting and spreading out its tail in the most 

 graceful manner, and uttering its various cries, sometimes 

 pouring forth its natural notes, at others imitating those of 

 other birds. Mr. Gould never saw more than two specimens 

 of M. superba together, and these only in a single instance, 

 when he saw two males chasing one another round and round, 



1 Proc. Zool. Soc, 1859, p. 143. 2 Ibid., 1850, p. 92. 





