SERICULUS CHKYSOCEPHALUS. 



(Regent Bird.) 



Male. — Head and back of the neck, rich yellow, widened into a collar adjoining the back; the forehead finely tinged with orange; 

 secondaries, deep yellow, narrowly edged along the inner webs with black ; primaries, more or less black on the tips and edges of the outer 

 webs, the remaining portion of them (except the first feather, which is entirely black) being bright yellow ; lores, a stripe over the eye, throat, 

 cheeks, and the remainder of the plumage, deep black ; bill, orange ; irides, lemon color ; feet, black. 



Female. — Head and cheeks, brown ; a large patch of blackish brown on the crown ; back, wings, and tail, olive brown ; breast, 

 light greyish brown, with lunate markings of olive brown ; irides, hazel ; bill and feet, black. 



Length, 11-| inches ; wing, 5^ ; tail, 4| ; bill, 1^ ; tarsus, 1^. 



Among the many beautiful forms belonging to the avifauna of Australia, the Eegent Bird takes the first rank. The richness 

 and beauty of its coloring has always rendered it an object of attraction, and to be desired as an ornament for the glass case. It is found in 

 all the eastern portions of Australia, from the Hunter Eiver on the south to the district of Port Curtis at the north, being most plentiful in 

 the scrubs of south Queensland and the northern portions of New South Wales, frequenting the fig and other trees for the purpose of feeding, 

 which it does in company with many other birds of similar habits. I have seen it in company with G-raucalus Swainsonii, and, though rarely, 

 with Pitta Strepitans ; and Mr. Grould states he has also seen it feeding on the same tree as the Satin Bird, Cat Bird, and the green Oriole. 

 Though shy, it is not difiicult to procure ; all that is necessary is to remain quiet with gun in hand under the tree to which it resorts. The 

 females are much less shy, as if conscious that their plain livery was a security. The young males, also, being similar in appearance, are by 

 no means hard to be obtained ; it seldom occurs, however, that it is found in the intermediate state of plumage. It is only very recently 

 known that this beautiful bird builds a bower, very similar in character to that of the Satin Bird, but much smaller in size and not arched. 

 The representation in the plate will give a better idea of its form than any description. It is open at both ends and built on a strong 

 platform of sticks, and, in the specimen from which the drawing was taken, further strengthened by being attached to two growing saplings. 



This interesting discovery was made about the middle of 1863, by Mr. Waller, of Brisbane, when shooting in the scrub at 

 Eagle Parm, on the Eiver Brisbane. His attention was called to it by seeing what to him was a circumstance of most unusual occurrence : 

 a male Eegent Bird descending to the ground, jumping about, and acting altogether in a very strange and singular manner. He shot the 

 bird, but only succeeded in wounding it, and on going to the spot where he expected to find it dead, he came upon the bower, which was in a 

 thick and entangled portion of the scrub. He at once saw the nature of the structure, and that it could not be that of any bower bird known 

 before, and justly concluded that it must have been formed by the Eegent Bird which he had just shot. Immediately afterwards the female 

 came and alighted close to the bower. The ground around the bower was clean as if swept, and close to the structure were scattered a few 

 specimens of a common species of helix. More fully to satisfy himself that his suspicions were correct, Mr. Waller visited the spot the next 

 day, and several days following, and was fully satisfied that his conjectures were well founded, as he saw the female again in the immediate 

 vicinity, of the bower, and uttering her call as if in search of her lost mate. Impressed with the importance of his discovery, Mr. Waller 

 determined to have the fact confirmed by Mr. Charles Coxen, an ornithologist of acknowledged experience and known to science. That 

 gentleman accompanied him to the spot, and was fully satisfied as to the correctness of the opinion entertained by Mr. Waller of its being 

 none other than the bower of the Eegent Bird. With some considerable trouble it was removed, and is now in Mr. Coxen's possession, 

 having been kindly presented to him by Mr. Waller. The Sericulus is stated by the late Mr. Strange to build its nest during the month of 

 November, the same being rudely constructed of sticks, but he did not succeed in obtaining the eggs. 



