280 ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE. 



that some animals exhibit emotions of the beautifiiL 

 The following is Mr. Grould's description, in extensOy of 

 the habits of the bird in question : — 



The extraordinary bower-like structure, alluded to in my 

 remarks on the genus, first came under my notice in the Sydney 

 Museum, to which an example had been presented by Charles 

 Cox, Esq. . . . On visiting the cedar bushes of the Liverpool 

 range, I discovered several of these bowers or playing-houses on 

 the ground, imder the shelter of the branches of the overhang- 

 ing trees, in the most retired part of the forest ; they differed 

 considerably in size, some being a third larger than others. The 

 base consists of an extensive and rather convex platform of 

 sticks firmly interwoven, on the centre of which the bower itself 

 is built. This, like the platform on which it is placed, and with 

 which it is interwoven, is formed of sticks and twigs, but of a 

 more slender and flexible description, the tips of the twigs being 

 so arranged as to curve inwards and nearly meet at the top ; in 

 the interior the materials are so placed that the forks of the 

 twigs are always presented outwards, by which arrangement 

 not the shghtest obstruction is offered to the passage of the 

 birds. The interest of tliis curious bower is much enhanced by 

 the manner in which it is decorated with the most gaily coloured 

 articles that can be collected, such as the blue tail-feathers of 

 the Rose-hill and Pennantian parakeets, bleached bones and 

 shells of snails, &c.; some of the feathers are inserted among 

 the twigs, while others with the bones and shells are strewed 

 near the entrances. The propensity of these birds to fly off with 

 any attractive object is so well known to the natives that they 

 always search the runs for any small missing article that may 

 have been accidentally dropped in the bush . I myself found at the 

 entrance of one of them a small neatly worked stone tomahawk of 

 an inch and a half in length, together with some slips of blue 

 cotton rag, which the birds had doubtless picked up at a deserted 

 encampment of the natives. 



It has now been clearly ascertained that these curious 

 bowers are merely sporting-places in which the sexes 

 meet, when the males display their finery, and exhibit 

 many remarkable actions ; and so inherent is this habit, 

 that the living examples, which have been from time to 

 time sent to this country, continue it even in captivity.* 

 Those belonging to the Zoological Society have constructed 

 » See Darwin, Descent of Man, pp. 92, 381, 406, 413. 



