The Australian Lyre Bird. 15 



A previous night's camp near the spot would, in most 

 cases, bring a man into the vicinity of the birds sufficiently 

 early for his purpose of watching them at play. The first 

 intimation of this would probably be a rather loud, though 

 melodious warble, from some old cock on a neighbouring 

 tree, for he generally salutes the rising sun from his roosting 

 place. With its earliest ray, however, he descends from his 

 perch, and you will then hear the monotonous ' ' bulla bulla" 

 of the hen bird as she calls to her mate, and together they go 

 scratching about the bush for their breakfast. Soon an old 

 cock will scratch his way to one of these mounds, which are, 

 doubtless, feeding places as well as arenas for their morning 

 concerts, and then, with a running fire of his own sweet notes, 

 which he keeps up throughout the whole performance, the fun 

 begins. Now, if you are clever enough to creep within good 

 earshot of that little magic circle without disturbing the bird, 

 you will find that from thence proceed in rotation the note 

 of nearly every bird indigenous to the scrubs. First, perhaps, 

 you will hear, not one, but a whole mob of King parrots, or 

 lories, in full corroboree, the noise of their wings in flight being 

 at the same moment imitated with the greatest exactness; 

 then probably comes the smack of the whip bird, then the harsh 

 cry of the black cockatoo, together with the grating sound 

 he makes with his bill in excoriating the bark of the tree in 

 search after grubs. All this, together with many another cry 

 of bird or beast, even to the howling of the wild dog, I have 

 heard proceed from one and the same lyre bird in a very short 

 space of time. Should there be wood cutting, or any other 

 extraneous noise going on in his neighbourhood, he quickly 

 makes himself master of the sound, and adds it to his budget. 

 I have frequently heard the beating of the blacks' corroboree 

 sticks imitated to perfection. This the blacks themselves 

 maintain is done with the tail of the bird. During the greater 

 part of the time that the bird is thus engaged the tail is spread 

 out, peacock fashion, at right angles, but sometimes laid so 

 low as to form a very acute angle with his back, the bird him- 

 self slowly revolving on his little orbit, and every now and then 

 regarding his fairy appendage with looks of gratified vanity. 

 It is only while thus occupied that he can be approached with 

 any chance of success. In such situations, however, he falls 

 an easy prey to the noiseless and panther- like approach of the 

 blackfellow ; but the attempt of the white man is generally 

 foiled, either by the brightness of his apparel or his over 

 anxiety to reach his quarry, which induces him to move when 

 the bird is not in full song — a fatal error, quickly made known 

 to him by a serpent-like hiss, which tells in a language 

 plainer than words that his presence is detected. It must not, 



