EXPLANATION OP PLATES. 199 



XXII. A group of "Parasitic Birds'' whicli place their eggs in the nests of other 

 species and leave their young to be brought up by the foster-parents. 

 Fig. 1. A pair of the Common Cuckoo (C'ttcii/iis ccmorim). 

 Fiff. 2. A pair of Cow-birds {Molothnis honuviensis). 

 My. 3. A pair of Bobolinks {Dolichony.v oryzivorus). 



The two latter belong to the American family of Ilang-nests {IHeriihe). 



XXIII. Fiy, 1. A pair of the Australian Lyre-bird (Menura svpci-ba) shewing the 



extraordinary development of the tail in the male. 

 Fig. 2. A pair of the Gardener Bower-Bird {Ainblyvrnis inornata) from Xew 

 Guinea. These birds are remarkable for their architectural sliill and the 

 Eesthetic taste they display in preparing their playing grounds. They build 

 a miniature cabin made of different mosses, surrounded by a perfectl3'-kept 

 meadow of moss and studded with brilliantly coloured flowers, fruits and 

 insects, which as they become faded are constantly replaced. 



XXIV. A skeleton of the Iceland Falcon (Hierofuko islandus) to show the various 



bones referred to in the Appendix on the Structure of Birds. 



