THE PLAY OF ANIMALS. 161 



Moreover, these bowers are elaborately decorated, and 

 the manner of decoration differs in the three varieties 

 of birds. " The satin bower bird collects gaily coloured 

 articles, such as the blue tail feathers of parrakeets, 

 bleached bones, and shells, which it sticks between the 

 twigs or arranges at the entrance. Mr. Gould found in 

 one bower a neatly worked stone tomahawk and a slip 

 of blue cotton, evidently procured from a native en- 

 campment. These objects are continually rearranged 

 and carried about by the birds while at play. The 

 bower of the spotted bower bird ' is beautifully lined 

 with tall grasses, so disposed that the heads nearly meet, 

 and the decorations are very profuse.' Eound stones 

 are used to keep the grass stems in their proper places 

 and to make divergent paths leading to the bower. The 

 stones and shells are often brought from a great dis- 

 tance. The regent bird, as described by Mr. Ramsay, 

 ornamented its short bower with bleached land shells 

 belonging to five or six species and with berries of vari- 

 ous colours — blue, red, and black — which give it when 

 fresh a very pretty appearance. Besides these there 

 were several newly picked leaves and young shoots of 

 a pinkish colour, the whole showing a decided taste for 

 the beautiful. Well may Mr. Gould say, ^ These highly 

 decorated halls of assembly must be regarded as the 

 most wonderful instances of bird architecture yet dis- 

 covered,' and the taste, as we see of several species, cer- 

 tainly differs." * 



In reviewing these strange practices of birds found 

 in such various parts of the earth, we find that, though 

 here and there an explanation like that of Hudson for 

 the viscachas may be hazarded, in the main no better 



* Descent of Man, vol. ii, p. 124. 



