on the Regent Bird. 61


called run, in which they placed their treasures. Of late years

the}^ have not often reproduced this form—little b) 7, little but very

surely birds lose many of their natural habits in captivity, they

seem to get lazy ; but my birds pretty regularly keep up the old

custom in a very inconvenient manner. Many of the food dishes

are round garden saucers ; and these, especially in cold weather

or when the bowers have been spoilt by rain, are accepted as ex¬

cellent substitutes and are occasionally more or less filled up

with stones or otherwise adorned. Smooth round stones about

the size of a small marble are the favourites, and these may be

seen in the birds’ bills as they fly in a bee-line from garden to

birdroom. Green leaves, but never any but those which have

just been plucked, are likewise occasionally made use of.


The ordinary bowers are used more frequently by the

males, not as “runs,” but for the purpose of showing off before

one or several females perched close by and above them. In this

again we see how fully birds understand and set due value ou the

position and nature of the colours of their own feathers. Viewed

from below, only dense black is exposed to the sight, so they

perch high when desiring to conceal themselves. Viewed from

above, rich orange and brilliant yellow meet the eye, and

so, when the male wants to display before his females, down to

the ground he goes and there disports himself. If displaying

elsewhere the rule holds good, for he bows his head to the level

of the perch, so as to show off the orange and yellow of head

and back. As they go through their extraordinary dances and

performances, they constantly look back over their shoulder,

backwards and upwards, as if appealing to their ladyloves with a

“ Wasn’t that fine? ” kind of air ; and all the time be it remem¬

bered they are clattering and chattering in an idiotic manner in

low and subdued tones.


The bowers of the females are different. Last year, if I

remember rightly, in private letters I referred to these as a new

kind of bower constructed by the males. I gladly avail myself

of this opportunity of correcting myself:—the individuals which

I at the time thought must be males have turned out to be

females. That this form of bower should never have been con¬

structed before I can account for only by supposing that my two



