twelve pieces of bone of a small Wallaby (consisting of portions of the skull, ear-bones, lumbar vertebrae, 
and small bones of the feet), three pieces of moss, a spray of Acacia blossom, some small seed-cones of a 
Eucalyptus, an egg-bag of a spider, six specimens of a land-shell (which my colleague Mr. Charles Hedley 
informs me is an unnamed and remarkably keeled and depressed variety of Ther sites gulosa, 
Could), and one specimen of Helicarion verreauxi . The photograph shows the front view of the 
bower only. 
“These birds are at the present time committing great havoc in the orchards in the south coastal districts 
of the colony — probably from a scarcity of their normal food, owing to the late hush-fires and exceedingly 
dry season.” 
I have also received from Mr. Dudley Le Souef the accompanying beautiful photograph of a bower 
of the present species found by him near Melbourne. 
Dr. E. P. Ramsay describes the eggs of the Satin Bower-bird as follows : — 
“ The eggs vary in proportionate length, but are usually long ovals, seldom even slightly swollen towards 
the thicker end ; the ground-colour is of a rich cream or light stone-colour, spotted and blotched with 
irregular patchy markings, and a few dots of amber and sienna-brown of different tints, in some almost 
approaching blackish-brown, in others of a yellowish colour ; the larger markings are, as usual, on the 
thicker end, hut a few appear with the small dots on the thin end. In this, the usual form, the irregular 
short wavy lines previously mentioned seldom appear except where the larger spots or blotches are 
confluent ; as if beneath the surface of the shell are a few irregularly shaped faint markings of slaty- 
grey or pale lilac. The eggs above described were taken from open nests composed of sticks and twigs, 
and lined with grass, by Mr. Ralph Hargrave, at Wattamolla, New South Wales.” 
The following descriptions are taken from my ‘ Catalogue of Birds ’ : — 
Adult male. General colour above and below purplish black, the feathers having concealed greyish 
bases ; upper tail-coverts black, broadly bordered and tipped with purple ; quills and tail black, the 
feathers edged with purple: “ bill bluish horn, passing into yellow at the tip; legs and feet yellowish white; 
iris beautiful light blue, with a circle of red round the pupil” {Gould'). Total length 125 inches, culmen T4, 
wing 6*6, tail 4-5, tarsus 2T5. 
Adult female. Different from the male. General colour above greyish green, with a shade of bluish 
on the edges of the feathers, the rump and upper tail-coverts greener than the back ; lesser and median 
wing-coverts like the back, the latter edged with whity brown along the tips ; greater and primary wing- 
coverts reddish brown, the innermost secondaries shaded with bluish and tipped with a bar of whity brown 
like the secondaries ; tail-feathers golden brown, with a slight shade of bluish ashy on the centre feathers ; 
lores and feathers round the eye a little browner than the head ; ear-coverts and cheeks ashy brown, thickly 
streaked tvith yellowish-buff 1 shaft-stripes ; throat ashy brown, with a tinge of greenish grey, and slightly 
mottled with dusky greenish margins to the feathers ; remainder of the under surface pale yellowish, 
the feathers all mottled with bars of blackish brown, tinged with bluish green, these bars less pronounced 
