76 Zoological Society :— 
intervals, open and flutter their wings, erect the long shoulder fea- 
thers, and expand the elegant shields on each side of the breast. 
Like the other Birds of Paradise, the females and young males far 
outnumber the fully plumaged birds, which renders it probable that 
the extraordinary accessory plumes are uot fully developed until the 
second or third year. The bird seems to feed principally upon fruit, 
but it probably takes insects occasionally. 
“The iris is of a deep olive; the bill horny-olive; the feet orange, 
and the claws horny. 
*T have now obtained a few examples of apparently the same 
bird from Gilolo; but in these the crown is of a more decided violet 
hue, and the plumes of the breast are much larger.’ 
NotTes ON THE YOUNG OF MENURA SUPERBA. By LupwiG 
Becker, Esa., 1n A LETTER TO JOHN GouLp, Esa., F.R.S., 
ETC., DATED MELBOURNE, VicTorIA, Sept. 24, 1859. 
“In the month of October 1858 the nest of a Lyre-bird was found 
in the densely wooded ranges near the sources of the river Yarra- 
Yarra. It contained a bird, which seemed at first to be an old one 
in asickly condition, as it did not attempt to escape; but it was soon 
discovered to be a young bird of very large size as compared with its 
helplessness. When taken out of the nest it screamed loudly ; the 
note being high and sounding like ‘ tching-tching.’ Ina short time 
the mother bird, attracted by the call, arrived, and, notwithstanding 
the proverbial shyness of the species, flew within a few feet of its 
young, and tried in vain to deliver it from captivity by flapping her 
wings and making various rapid motions in different directions 
towards the captor. A shot brought down the poor bird, and with 
its mother near it the young Menura was soon silent and quiet. It 
was taken away and kept at a ‘mia-mia’ erected in the midst of the 
surrounding forest. The following is as correct a description of the 
bird as I can give you:— 
“Its height was 16 inches; the body was covered with a brown 
down, but the wings and tail were already furnished with feathers 
of a dark brown colour. The head was thickly covered with a 
greyish-white down of from 1 to 2 inches-in length; the eyes were 
hazel-brown ; the beak blackish and soft; the legs nearly as large 
as those of a full-grown specimen, but it walked most awkwardly, 
with the legs bent inwards. It rose with difficulty, the wings as- 
sisting, and when on its legs, occasionally ran for a short distance, 
but often fell, apparently from want of strength to move the large 
and heavy bones of its legs properly. It constantly endeavoured to 
approach the camp fire, and it was a matter of some difficulty to 
keep it from a dangerous proximity to it. Its ery of ‘ tching- 
tching’ was often uttered during the day time, as if recalling 
the parent bird; and when this call was answered by its keeper, 
feigning the note ‘ bul/en-bullen,’ the native name for the Lyre bird, 
and which is an imitation of the old birds’ ery, it followed the voice 
at once, and was easily led away by it. It soon became very tame, 
