640 The Sparrow-like Birds 



bird within hearing hops up into a thick thorn bush. When approached they 

 all scuttle away, masked by the bushes, with amazing swiftness, to take refuge 

 at a distance, when the loud protest is again resumed; but when the pursuer 

 gives up the pursuit in disgust and turns away, they immediately follow him, 

 so that he is perpetually encircled with the same ring of angry sound, moving 

 with him, coming no nearer, and never allowing its cause to be seen." These 

 birds build a round, dome-shaped nest entirely of fine, dry grass, which is placed 

 in the center of a thorny bush only two or three feet from the ground. The 

 entrance is on one side, and the eggs are usually four in number and pure white. 

 Our illustration is that of an allied species (Hylactes megapodius} of central 

 and northern Chile. 



THE FALSE SONG BIRDS 



(Superfamily Pseudoscines) 



This is an especially inappropriate and misleading designation for the mem- 

 bers of this group, for they possess musical ability of no mean order and greatly 

 superior to that of many of the so-called true Song Birds. They are confined 

 entirely to Australia and embrace but two families, the first of which includes 



THE LYRE-BIRDS 



(Family Menuridce) 



Gould, the celebrated author of the' "Birds of Australia," states that if called 

 upon to select an emblem for Australia from among the birds, he would without 

 hesitation designate the Lyre-bird as the most appropriate, and it could hardly 

 be denied that the choice would be a wise one, for of the many interesting avian 

 forms peculiar to the island continent perhaps none is more* eminently char- 

 acteristic or generally attractive. Three 'species are known, all belonging to 

 the genus Menura and all confined to South Australia. They are large birds, 

 about two and a half or three feet long, with a rather long neck and large head, 

 the bill being elongated, conical, and sharp-pointed. The wings are rather 

 short and rounded and contain twenty-one quills, while the legs and feet are 

 very strong, with long and nearly straight claws. In the female and immature 

 male the tail, although long, presents no very peculiar features, but in the adult 

 male of two of the species it has an extraordinary development and shape. It 

 consists of sixteen feathers, the two outer feathers being first slightly curved 

 outward, then inward, and again outward abruptly near the tips, thus produc- 

 ing a lyre-like form, and further each of these feathers has the outer web very 

 narrow and the inner web very broad. The inner pair of feathers is nearly as 

 peculiar, being without a web on the outside and with a very narrow one on the 

 inside, while they cross each other near the base and bend forward near the tips. 

 The remaining tail-feathers are beset with long, flowing, hair-like barbs about 

 a fourth of an inch apart, these being without barbules. In the other species, 

 known as Prince Albert's Lyre-bird (M. alberti}, the tail is very different, not 



