MENUEA. 119 



the thicker end, a few specks of the same colour are sprinkled 

 over the rest of the surface ; the ground colour is white in No. 1 ; 

 it is sprinkled with. reddish dots all over the surface, but forming 

 a zone at the thicker end." {Eamsay, P.L.S., N.S.W., Vol. vii., 

 p. 408.) 



Sah. Port Darwin and Port Essington, Gulf of Carpentaria, 

 Cape York, Kockingham Bay, Port Denison. (Eamsay.) 



Family MENURID-ffil. 



Genus MENUEA, Davies. 



^ MENURA SUPERBA, Davies. 



Lyre-bird. 



Gould, Randbh. Bds. Aust, Vol. i., sp. 179, p. 298. 



" The nest of this species differs according to the locality 

 frequented by the birds : — some being constructed of rough 

 material, such as large sticks, stringy bark (Ev^aVyptus ohliqua) 

 and dead ferns (Pteris aquilina); others of very fine rootlets and 

 pieces of Hymenophyllum tunhridgense, which makes a remarkably 

 neat nest. Braisher, the most successful of my collectors, who also 

 procured the young birds, called upon me a few days ago with 

 some of the eggs, when I took the opportunity of getting all the 

 particulars respecting the nidification. I find that in no instance 

 did he meet with more than one egg or one young bird in the same 

 nest. The birds commence to build in May, and lay their eggs 

 in June and July. The female is not fed by the male while she 

 is sitting, nor has the male bird ever been observed near the 

 place after she has laid her egg. The female frequently leaves 

 her egg during the middle of the day to search for food. This 

 may account for the length of time taken in the hatching, which 

 sometimes extends over a month. The young do not leave the 

 nest until they are eight or ten weeks old. When one is standing 



