256 THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 



wings when closed buflf crossed by rufous bars with black margins; the 

 back dusky brown; the under parts buff. In the breeding season the 

 head, neck, and entire under parts are black glossed with green and with 

 glossy shaft stripes; the wings chestnut barred with black and buff; the 

 back brownish-black glossed with green; bill horny black; feet slate 

 colour; iris golden yellow. Total length 23.3 inches, eulmen 1.6, wing 10.4, 

 tail 14.5, tarsus 2. 



Inhabits swampy places abounding in tall grasses and reeds, 

 amongst which the bird runs with great facility. The nest is 

 usually placed in the midst of a tuft of grass, sometimes on a 

 Pandanus; is large and composed of dried grasses, of a dome- 

 shaped form with two openings, through one of which the head 

 of the sitting bird protrudes and the long tail through the other. 

 Eggs three to five, nearly round, of a dirty white, stained some- 

 times with brown, and rather rough on the surface. They 

 measure 1.3 x 1.2 inch. These birds have a curious note, like 

 coop-coop-coop, &c., in a descending scale, and quickly repeated. 



Order Menuriformes. 

 Furcula complete, sternum with rounded posterior margin. 

 Tail feathers produced to. an extraordinary length, and many of 

 them devoid of booklets. Comprises only the single family 

 Menuridse, Lyre-birds, which is developed only in South-east 

 Australia. 



Key to the Species. 



1. Outer tail feather white or ashy white on the inner web, 



with rufous notches and tipped with black ; under 

 tail-coverts ashy; back ashy-brown. 



a. Outer tail-feather ashy white below, the bars being 



reddish-brown. New South Wales. 38 inches. 



The Lyre-bird, M. superba. 



b. Outer tail-feather white below, the bars being chestnut. 



Victoria. 36 inches. The Victoria Lyre-bird, M. victorise. 



2. Outer tail feather not barred; under tail-coverts chestnut; 



upper surface also rufous brown or dull chestnut. 

 Southern Queensland and Northern Rivers of New 

 South Wales. 31 inches. The Albert Lyre-bird, M. alberti. 



The Lyre-bird. 



Menura superba. 

 Male: Head and neck dark slaty-brown, as also the sides of the face, 

 ear-coverts and cheeks; mantle slaty-brown; rump washed with grey, 

 upper tail-coverts reddish -brown; wings dark slaty-brown. "The two 



