From "Birds of Australia," by John Gould 

 A BIRD THAT BUILDS A PLAYHOUSE AND GARDEN — TILL AUSTRALIAN BOWLR BIRD 



There are several species of bower birds, chief among them the Satin and the Newton. 

 The Satin bower bird is the best known. Wben the bowers were first discovered it was. 

 supposed that they were playhouses built by the native children ; but, as a matter of fact, they- 

 are the dance halls of bird land. The nests are built in the trees and have no connectioni 

 with the playhouses. The male birds build these latter and gather every bright and shining; 

 object they can find to adorn the entrance to the bower. When it is completed, according" 

 to one who has watched them, little "at homes" are given daily, at which the males meet and 

 pay their court to their lady loves, now bowing and scraping, now playing hide and seek 

 through the bower, and now doing an absurdly dignified dance for their edification. Newton's 

 bower bird decorates its bower with fresh flowers every day, and if a visiting male bird 

 wants a fight all he has to do is to disturb one of these flowers. The master of the bower 

 proceeds with the painful duty of teaching him how to behave in company, while the re- 

 mainder of the party raise a great racket, but never interfere. A naturalist studying them 

 disarranged one of their flowers, but each time he did it the bower master rearranged it 

 with great care. 



negro, the Malay, the Mongolian, and the 

 American Indian in physique and facial 

 expression. His range in height is about 

 that of Europeans. Some individuals are 

 strongly built, but in general only the 

 upper part of the body is well developed. 

 The legs are usually thin and long, with 

 inconspicuous calves, the great toe is 

 "loose," and the foot is about as useful 

 as the small, delicately formed hands in 

 picking up objects. A long skull, with a 

 low, flat forehead and brows overhanging 

 deep-set, intelligent eyes, a heavy lower 

 jaw, strong teeth, and a nose broad and 

 very flat, with wide nostrils, are conspicu- 



ous features. His cranial capacity is 75, 

 as compared with 83 for the African 

 negro. Wavy or curly hair, not woolly 

 or frizzy, of auburn or black tones, is 

 abundant not only on the head and face, 

 but in some cases covers the body, and 

 many new-born children are coated with 

 long downy hair. 



LITTLE USE FOR CLOTHING 



With the arts the native is little ac- 

 quainted. He has no permanent build- 

 ings. His shelter is a cave or overhang- 

 ing rock, sometimes a piece of bark to 

 ward off rain or branches to shield him- 



507 



