144. THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD 
The nesting habits of the Chatterers 
vary greatly, —some building nests of mud 
and twigs, which they fasten on projections 
of rock in damp caves; others simply lining 
holes in trees with dry grass. Some build 
a cup-shaped nest of lichens, others a simple 
platform of sticks, whilst some of the THICK- 
BILLED CHATTERERS hang large nests of 
leaves, plant-stalks, and wool from low 
branches, the entrance to the nest being 
from a hole in the side. The eggs vary 
in number among the different species 
from two to four, and in colour may be 
white, chocolate, pale salmon-coloured, or 
greenish blue, and are for the most part 
spotted. 
Closely allied to the Cocks-of-the-rock 
are the MANAKINS, for the most part small 
and thick-set birds, and in many instances 
brilliantly coloured — at least in the case of 
the males. Some seventy species are known, 
Y ” 
Phote by D. Le Souef } i (pittaaens 
VICTORIAN LYRE-BIRD 
Lyre-birds, which are also known to the colonists as ** Pheasants,’” are 
great mimics 
rs 
ae 
Nee 
all of which are confined to South America. They 
must be sought for, as a rule, in the forests or 
thick undergrowth of marshy places. 
The Manakin Family contains several species 
of considerable interest, on account of the peculiar 
modifications which certain of the quill-feathers 
of the males have undergone. In some species 
what are known as the secondary quill-feathers 
are peculiarly twisted, and have the shafts much 
thickened. With these modified feathers the 
birds are enabled, probably by clapping the 
wings and bringing the thickened feathers 
violently together, to make a sharp sound, which 
has been likened to the crack of a whip. Other 
species have the quill-feathers of the hand — the 
primaries, as they are called —similarly thickened, 
and they probably are also used to produce 
A 
4 
iy 
es 
Ss 
sounds. 
One species is known as the BAILADOR, or ; 
DANCER, on account of a very remarkable habit Phote by W, Saville-Kent, F.Z.S. 
which the males have of dancing. Two males, TAIL OF AUSTRALIAN LYRE-BIRD 
choosing some secluded spot, select a bare twig, This ornamental tail 1s worn only by the male 
