126 Wonders of the Bird World 



remembered that these are designed only for amusement, 

 and in no way have anything to do with the nesting of the 

 species. The Austrahan Region certainly presents us with 

 some of the most extraordinary birds in the world, forms 

 which occur there and nowhere else, and one can well 

 understand the enthusiasm of John Gould when he under- 

 took his celebrated expedition to Australia in 1837, to 

 study for himself the birds and mammals of that wonderful 

 Continent. If only for its Mound-builders and Bower- 

 builders the country would be remarkable, but in every 

 group of birds Australia possesses some extraordinary 

 forms which differ from those of other districts of the globe, 

 although some of them extend to the Papuan sub-region. 

 Thus we have the great Frog-mouths {Podargi), representa- 

 tives of our Nightjars, but differing from the latter in their 

 nesting-habits, as they construct a nest of sticks on the 

 branches of trees, instead of laying their eggs on the bare 

 ground. The Giant Kingfishers {Dacelo) likewise belong to 

 the Australian Region, and among Passerine birds we find 

 Diamond-birds [Pardalotus), Crow-shrikes {Strepera), Robin- 

 Flycatchers (Petrceca), Lyre-birds (J^Ienurd), Superb 

 Warblers (Malurus), Striped Warblers [Amytis), Emu- 

 tailed Warblers {Stipiturus), Bristle-Birds {Spketiura), Scrub 

 Birds {Atrichornis), Australian Leaf-Warblers {Sericornis 

 and Acajithizd), and many other peculiar genera of Grass- 

 Birds too numerous to mention in a little work like the 

 present. An abundance of Honey-suckers {Meliphagida) 

 is another feature of the Australian Region, and the 

 Weaver-Finches (Ploceidce) are plentifully represented, but 

 none of its inhabitants are more remarkable than the 

 Bower-birds. 



Of these there are several genera, the members of which 

 erect playing-grounds, excepting the Cat-birds (yALlurcedus), 

 which, as yet, have not been found to do so. The nest of 

 one of these species, the Queensland Cat-bird {Ailurccdus 



