L YRE-BIRDS. 543 



only intervals of a few seconds. The nest is placed in a low thorn bush, sometimes 

 only two or three feet above the ground, and is an oblong structure of sticks twelve 

 or fourteen inches in depth, with the entrance near the top, and reached by a tubular 

 passage made of slender sticks six or seven inches long. From the top of the nest 

 a crooked passage leads to the cavity near the bottom ; this is lined \vith a little 

 fine grass, and nine eggs are laid, pear-shaped in form and bluish white in colour. 

 The nests are often entered through a long tube, built at a point about halfway up 

 the side, and formed by the interlocking of thorny twigs ; and although the 

 diameter of the passage is only large enough to admit the old birds one at a time, 

 yet they pass out with ease and rapidity. In Colombia this spine-tail varies the 

 form of its nest, making it as large as that of an English magpie, and roofing the 

 top with a mass of large leaves to protect it from the heavy rains. The adult bird 

 has the forehead grey ; the crown of the head pale chestnut ; the sides of the head, 

 neck, back, and tail, pale earthy brown; the upper wing-coverts pale chestnut; 

 the primaries olive-brown ; and the lower-parts white tinged with brown. 



THE LYRE-BIRDS. 

 Family MENURID^E. 



The last representatives of the order that can be mentioned here are the 

 aberrant lyre-birds of Australia, where they are represented by three species, all 

 included in the genus JMenura, of which the typical and best known form is the 

 common lyre-bird (M. superba) of New South Wales. Altogether abnormal in 

 their structure, these remarkable and highly specialised birds can scarcely be 

 assigned to either of the two great groups into which the Passerines are divided, and 

 they must accordingly be regarded as standing to a great extent by themselves. 

 Of very large size, the lyre-birds are especially characterised by the great develop- 

 ment of the tail-feathers of the male, which assume a lyrate form, the majority 

 being devoid of booklets, and thus having the webs formed of separate plumules. 

 The general colour of the plumage is brown ; but while in the typical species the 

 large pair of outer tail-feathers have reddish brown transverse bars on a light ground, 

 in Prince Albert's lyre-bird (M. alberti) these feathers are uniformly coloured. 

 The lyre-birds are remarkable for their power of imitating the cries and songs 

 of other birds, this faculty being most developed in the species last mentioned; and 

 they are also peculiar in making playing-grounds somewhat similar to those of 

 some of the bower-birds. After remarking that he had never seen more than a 

 single pair together, Gould observes, of Prince Albert's lyre-bird, that each bird 

 appears to have its own walk or boundary, and never to infringe on the others' 

 ground : for they may be heard day after day in the same place, and seldom nearer 

 than a quarter of a mile to each other. Whilst singing, they spread their tails 

 over their heads like a peacock, and droop their wings to the ground, and at the 

 same time scratch and peck up the earth. They sing mornings and evenings, and 

 more so in winter than at any other time. The young cocks do not sing until 

 they get their full tails, which apparently is not until the fourth year; the 

 two central curved feathers being the last to appear. Feeding upon small insects, 



