106 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



coast ; but not further westward than the Plenty Ranges. Their 

 food consists principally of beetles, centipedes, scorpions, worms, 

 land-crabs and snails, and occasionally something more solid, in the 

 shape of bush mice. 



Lyre-birds pair and build their nests about the middle of June or 

 the beginning of July. Their single eggs are generally laid about 

 the end of that month, but certainly not later than the first week in 

 August. I knew of two instances of eggs taken in June. In three 

 nests taken myself, the eggs were deposited about the beginning, 

 middle, and end of Jul}' respectively, therefore, as far as the taking 

 of eggs is concerned, one may drive the metaphorical " coach and 

 four" through our " Game Act," which only protecis these birds from 

 the first of August. 



The birds lay one egg a season. Twice I heard of two eggs in 

 one nest. 



As before mentioned, the pairing season is about June. At that 

 period the males sing more than at any other time, and like human 

 beings tiiey don tiieir best frills for courting, their sombre plumage 

 appearing very sleek, and their graceful tails are at their prime. 

 When the female commences to incubate ami throughout that term, 

 her mate ceases to sing so lustily, in fact, is almost silent. I believe 

 both aid in the construction of the nest, but the female alone incu- 

 bates. I possess no facts respecting the duration of that period, but 

 should judge about twenty-one to twenty-eight days. 



l^ests are usually placed near the ground in thick scrubs in valleys, 

 or gullies, as well as on ridges and more level country, but generally 

 in the neighbourhood of ferns and fern trees. A favourite position 

 is at a butt or in a fork or elbow of a convenient tree, or on leaning 

 fern-tree trunks, or not un frequently in the hollow stump of a high 

 gum-tree that has been snapped off by some gale. 



The inner or proper nest is constructed of the dark-brown wiry 

 and fibrous material of tree-fern trunks and other fern rootlets closely 

 matted together and interwoven with stringy leaves, moss, sand, &c., 

 the inside bottom being lined with the bird's own breast feathers. It 

 is oval, about twice the size and same shape as a modern football, 

 with an end lopped off which serves for a rounded side entrance. 

 This inner nest is embedded in an anterior or outer nest composed 

 of large sticks and twigs, resembling that of an eagle's, with spouted 

 platform of landing place at the entrance. The roof of the inner 

 nest is also protected with sticks, and over the whole structure are 

 often artfully thrown a few dead or green fronds and other vegetation. 



The dimensions of different nests do not vary much. The following 

 are sizes of one which I took on the spot. It was situated in a 

 gully on a slight eminence, consisting of a fallen tree-fern trunk with 

 other debris. So cunningly was it hid, that it was undiscoverable 

 trom behind to a person not two paces off; but the front, which 



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