THE LYRE-BIRD 11 



Intelligence, I think, is always less marked in birds than it 

 is in the higher class of vertebrates ; but there seem to 

 be some noticeable exceptions, which may be described 

 further on in these pages. 



This loriquet is found on all parts of the east side of 

 Australia, especially on the Blue Mountains, and the hills 

 which form continuations of that range north and south. 

 I have not seen it in the interior, west of these mountains ; 

 but the large flocks mentioned above would sometimes, 

 after much wheeling around and ascending to a great 

 height, fly rapidly in the direction of the centre of the 

 continent. 



As many persons believe that snow is almost unknown 

 in Australia, I may mention that falls of snow are of 

 tolerably common occurrence in many parts of the Blue 

 Mountains, though it never lies long on the ground. These 

 snow storms seem to be more numerous periodically — at 

 intervals of seven or eight years. 



By far the most curious and interesting bird found in 

 the Blue Mountains is the lyre-bird, of which two species 

 are to be found on that part of the range which is nearest 

 to Picton — the Menura superba and the M. alberti. 

 There is a third species found in the colony, but my 

 remarks concern the M. superba only. The other two 

 species are scarce, and all three are naturally, or have 

 become through incessant persecution, extremely shy. 



The lyre-bird is essentially a mountain-forest bird, and 

 is solitary in its habits. It never assembles in flocks or 

 parties, and in all my experience I have never seen more 

 than a pair, or a pair and a young one, together ; generally 

 solitary birds only are met with. Possibly the hen is 

 never far away from the male bird, for they pair for life. 

 But except at the breeding season they are not often seen 

 actually together. 



A general description of the bird's plumage is scarcely 

 necessary ; but in one particular all descriptions that I 

 have read quite fail. And that is the peculiar tone^ so to 

 speak, of the bird's appearance. Were one of these birds 

 produced with the assertion that it was an old-world spccios 



