on the Spotted Grou?id-bird.



153



rarest bird class at the Palace with him. The plumage is not


gaudy but very fine. He is as large as a Turtle-Dove.


When feeding, the tail is carried open like a fan and erected in

the same manner as that of a Peacock.” From what I noticed of

the defenceless nature of the species, I feel that it is doomed to

extinction. The only hope of its being saved rests on the large

extent of country over which it is spread—“ Tasmania and South

Australia, as well as the whole of the eastern portion of the

continent as far as the Wide-Bay district” (Mus. Cat.); “ S. and

E. Australia, Tasmania.” (Hand-list, IV.) ; “ It inhabits the

forest country, heavy and open alike, from South Queensland to

South Australia and including Tasmania.” (Campbell). Such a

wide range gives the bird a chance, at any rate for the present,

though its habits as described by Wood are against its pre¬

servation. It will be observed that Mr. Peir also calls it a

“ Rock-Thrush,” a name not mentioned by Mr. Campbell, and

which should not be accepted any more than those of Ground

Thrush and Ground Dove.


Wood says—“ The spaces between fallen trees are also a

favourite haunt of this bird.” I think he is mistaken. The

bird is timid and watchful in the extreme, detects the approach

of man long before the man is in sight of the bird, and at

once dashes off to fallen tree, log, large stone or rock, or other

raised thing on the ground, behind which it stoops for the

purpose of concealment, becoming the wooden Noah’s Ark bird

already mentioned. Being itself so low on the ground, it seems

to think that if it can only get behind something it will not be

seen. When running to shelter also it seeks to follow every

depression in the ground, and to take advantage of every slight

mound or rise in the ground behind which to steer its course.

Many a time, on peeping through a window into the garden

aviary, I have seen my bird feeding in the open, whither from

preference it would always resort; but no matter how cautiously

I might attempt to open the door, the bird would have

disappeaied, and would invariably be found behind something

lying casually on the ground. It would never go on to the top

of anything of the kind, nor rest on a stone as figured by Wood

or on a mound.



