Tun BRUSH WATTLE-BIRD. BIRDS. THE POE-BIBD. 



315 



and sociable iu its habits, forty or fifty being sometimes 

 seen on a single tree. Its flight is short, and much 

 resembles that of the common magpie. Its note is a 

 harsh and disagreeable scream. The nest is cup-shaped, 

 and composed of fine twigs, grass, and wool. 



THE SHORT-EARED WATTLE -BIRD (Anthocheera 

 caruncitlata), a nearly allied species, has been met with 

 in all the southern parts of Australia, but not in Van 

 Diemen's Land. Its general colour is greyish-brown, 

 varied with pale grey; the tail is wedge-shaped, but 

 troader than in the preceding species ; underneath the 

 eye is a large white patch, and from the posterior part 

 of the lower margin of this depends a small bright red 

 appendage about half an inch long. The whole length 

 of the bird is about fourteen inches. In its habits, 

 food, and note it resembles the preceding species. 



THE BRUSH WATTLE-BIRD (Anthocheera mellivora) 

 called Goo-gwar-ruck, in imitation of its singular cry, 

 by the natives of New South Wales is an abundant 

 and well-known species, not only in that, colony, but 

 also in South Australia and Van Diemen's Land. It 



is a smaller species than either of the preceding, mea- 

 suring only about a foot in length ; its general colour 

 is dark browir, variously streaked and spotted with 

 white. Both sexes are destitute of the curious wrttles 

 with which the preceding species are adorned. The 

 Brush Wattle-bird is peculiarly attached to the Sank- 

 sias, the flowers of which it explores as they open, in 

 search of honey and insects. Mr. Gould remarks that 

 as these trees are always indicative of barren land, the 

 harsh note of this garrulous bird may generally be taken 

 by the settler as a warning that the soil in the neigh- 

 bourhood is not very fertile. It is a bold, animated, 

 and pugnacious bird. The nest is rather small, placed 

 upon a forked branch not far from the ground, and 

 composed of fine twigs and fibres. The eggs are of a 

 salmon colour, blotched with chestnut-brown, especiallv 

 at the larger end ; the nest usually contains two, some- 

 times three of them. This species is represented in 

 Western Australia by the LUNULATED WATTLE-BIRD 

 (Anthocheera lunulatd). 



THE POE-BIRD (Prosthemadera Novce Zelandice} 



Fig. 107. 



The Poe-bird (Prosthemadera Novas Zelandise). 



fig. 107 one of the most abundant birds of New 

 Zealand, is about the size of a thrush, and of a black 

 colour, with a curious tuft of white feathers on each 

 side of the neck, whence the name of the " Parson 

 bird" has been given to it by the European settlers. 

 Its native name is Tui. It possesses a wonderful 

 talent for imitation, exactly mimicking the notes of all 

 the other feathered inhabitants of the woods ; hence 

 it is some times called the Mocking Bird. In con- 

 finement it will also learn to imitate other sounds, such 

 as the noises of dogs, cats, poultry, &c., and will soon 

 speak long sentences with great correctness. The food 

 of this bird consists principally of insects, in search of 

 which it exhibits an incessant restless activity ; it also 



feeds upon berries and earthworms. Its flesh is con- 

 sidered delicious. 



THE FRIAR-BIRD (Tropidorhynchuc ^orniculatus). 

 The singular bird to which this name is given, has the 

 head covered with a naked black skin, and the base 

 of the bill adorned with a remarkable knob; the 

 plumage of the upper surface is greyish-brown ; 

 that of the lower surface greyish, except the chin, 

 throat, and chest, which are covered with lanceolate 

 silver-white feathers. The length of the bird is 

 about a foot. It is an exceedingly abundant and 

 well-known bird in New South Wales, where its 

 singular appearance, and no less singular notes, have 

 obtained for it from the colonists a great variety of 



