QA Jackson, Haunts of the Spotted Bower-Bird. [ist^'oct 



ii8 degrees cit 2.20 p.m. Wild Turkey (Eupodotis australi'f) on a 

 plain. Strong wind to-day destroyed some of the bigger nests of 

 various species, and disarranged some of the play-grounds of Bower- 

 Birds. 



13//; December. — Bower-Bird in front of my tent at 4.10 a.m., and 

 again imitating the sound of sheep or Emus getting through wire 

 fence. The reproduction of the metallic sound is wonderful 



i^th December. — Walked to Goondoobluie bore drain, passing over 

 two big plains. Saw a Bower-Bird drink at this drain ; followed it 

 up to its bower (No. 7) under a native red currant bush {Exocarpus 

 aphylla, R. Br.), and near a place where Chinese ring-barkers had 

 been camped, as evidenced by the litter of various jars, cuttle-fish 

 shells, old tins and boxes, rice bags, &c. The bower was small, and 

 measured — length over all, 14 inches; width inside walls, 6 inches; 

 height of grass walls, 10 inches. This play-ground, which was not 

 decorated as neatly as the others found by me here, was just 76 vards 

 (measured) from the bore drain, and ran east and west. Amongst 

 the decorations of this bower were a few small pieces of the shell of 

 the cuttle-fish {Sepiida;) of the sea, and I also found this in other 

 bowers here, and at first was puzzled to know how the birds got hold 

 of this marine object. However, later on I found several pieces of 

 the shell about places where Chinese had once camped. I understand, 

 on good authority, that they import the cuttle-fish in a preserved 

 state for food purposes. About this part, and a few hundred yards 

 from this play-ground (No. 7), no less than seven old nests of the 

 Bower-Birds were observed, nearly all built in white-wood trees. 

 The goannas must rob many neste, and the birds just move on and 

 build again, hence the reason for so many old nests. Each pair of 

 Bower-Birds seems to have its own particular kind of tree to build 

 in, and the birds belonging to No. 7 bower have apparently selected 

 the white-wood. The outside construction of one of the old nests 

 consisted of the dry prickly sticks or stems of the roly-poly weed 

 (Bassia) Altogether, 12 old nests of Bower-Birds were examined 

 to-day, and notes taken. Saw many Emus on a plain. Drank water 

 from the bore drain, which tasted as if baking soda had been put into 

 it. Saw flock of 20 Corcorax. Found nest of Crested Bell-Bird 

 containing two eggs, flushing bird off the nest In the bottom of the 

 nest were several brown, hairy caterpillars (li'.ing). about i^ inches 

 long ; I often saw these in the new nests of this bird, and no doubt 

 they have some reason for putting them theie.* After a long tramp, 

 arrived back at camp at 7.30 p.m To date I had not noticed 

 more than three Bower-Birds at the same bower at one time. 



I 5^/i December. — Many Crimson-winged Lories feeding on ripe seed- 

 pods of the leopard- woods, the ground beneath being strewn with the 

 broken pods. Visited nest of Bower-Bird in green wilga north of 

 camp, which the birds had half-built on the 4th inst To my surprise 

 the nest was empty and the two beautiful eggs lying freshly broken 

 on the ground undex-neath We both saw a large goanna in another 

 tree close by. This was another great disappointment ; the nest 

 belonged to the pair of birds at No. 4 bower, and was a large one, rather 

 firmly built. It was the most compact of those taken here of this 

 species. Both the birds were seen by us only about 60 yards away, 

 and one of them was making a peculiar " Chucker-chucker-chucker " 



* Same thing quoted in Emu, 1912, p. ly. — S. W.J. 



