The following account of the habits of the species is given by Mr. Meston in the ‘ Report of the Government 
Scientific Expedition to Bellenden-Ker Range.’ It will be noticed that he speaks of the species as Meston’s 
Bower-bird; but the bird is named as a compliment to Professor Alfred Newton ; and without detracting from 
the merit of Mr. Meston s having shot the first adult male, it is obvious that the English name of this species 
must follow the Latin designation and be associated with the celebrated naturalist in whose honour the name 
of newtoniana was given. 
“ Most remarkable of all the birds named by De Vis is Prionodura newtoniana, or ‘ Meston’s Bower-bird.’ 
The name requires some explanation. On my first ascent of the mountain I shot a full-plumaged male specimen 
at 4800 feet. This was regarded by De Vis as one of an entirely new species and named Conjmbicola mestoni. 
Subsequently it appeared that a young uncoloured male had been previously shot by Broadbent on the head 
of the Tully, and received from De Vis the name of Prionodura newtoniana. To me, therefore, belonged 
simply the honour of having shot the first full-plumaged male and observed the habits of this extraordinary 
bird, and the final name, to be known hereafter to science, is Prionodura newtoniana, or Meston’s Bower-bird. 
Since the first male was found by me, several males and females have been shot by Broadbent on the Herberton 
Ranges at 3500 feet. The blacks on the Mulurave and Russell call this bird ‘ Wararandilla.’ So far it is 
unknown south of the Tully or north of the Barron. During the expedition we obtained seven males in 
perfect plumage and several females. This is one of the three handsomest birds in Australia, the other two 
it is one of the most eccentric birds in the world. The lowest descent was 1500 feet, between the summit 
of Barnard’s Spur and the Whelanian Pools, Usually it is found from 4000 feet to 5000 feet. The note of 
the female— a bird of common grey plumage — is that of the ordinary green Cat-bird, in a sharper and shriller 
key. The male appears to possess the marvellous imitative powers of the Australian Lyre-bird. First you 
hear him croaking like a Tree-Frog, and this note is followed by a low, soft, musical, pathetic whistle, succeeded 
in a rapid succession by an astonishing imitation of apparently all the birds in the scrub. The bower varies 
in size and shape, but in all cases differs from that of the other Australian Bower-birds. Both Broadbent 
and myself have seen bowers up to a height of 8 feet. As a rule, they are made between two small trees 
about 4 feet or 5 feet apart. Short dead sticks and twigs are piled up against each tree in a gently contracting- 
pyramid, and. across from base to base extends an arch-shaped causeway, occasionally spanned by a connecting- 
vine, decorated with green mosses and tufts of tiny ferns. In and out and over and under and around this 
erratic structure both male and female birds disport themselves in frequent playful festivities, like the Lyre- 
bird, Regent-bird, and Satin- and other Bower-birds remarkable for similar customs and proclivities. So 
far only one nest has been discovered — the one found by me on the summit of the Little Mulgrave Range. 
It was a round cup-shaped nest, decorated outwardly with the mosses and ferns used in ornamenting the bowers. 
It contained only one egg, quite fresh ; so we have yet to learn if the bird lays one or more.” 
The following descriptions are taken from a pair of birds in the British Museum, collected by Mr. Kendal 
Broadbent on the Bellenden-Ker mountains : — 
Adult male. General colour above golden-olive, slightly brighter on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; wing- 
coverts and quills golden-olive, the inner webs dingy brown, with a broad margin of pale yellow on the inner 
web; the innermost secondaries dusky olive on the inner web ; the centre tail-feathers olive-brown, with a 
golden wash, the extreme base of the feathers bright yellow; the next two feathers bright yellow, with a 
broad tip of olive-brown ; the succeeding feather with a narrower tip of olive-brown, and the three outer tail- 
feathers entirely bright yellow; crown of head olive-brown with a golden wash, the entire sides of the face 
of this same colour ; the crown with a broad median crest of golden-yellow ; the nape and hind neck also 
golden-yellow, this colour overspreading the upper mantle ; cheeks and chin olive-brown like the ear-coverts ; 
the whole of the remainder of the under surface bright golden-yellow, with a slight wash of golden-olive on 
the flanks ; thigh-feathers ashy, tipped with yellow ; under tail-coverts deep golden-yellow like the under surface 
of the tail ; axillaries and under wing-coverts golden-yellow ; quill-lining also yellow, as well as the shafts of 
the feathers underneath. Total length 9'5 inches, culmen 09, wing 4 - 85, tail 4*2, tarsus l - 2. 
Adult female. Different from the male. Entirely olive-brown above, with ashy shaft-streaks to the feathers 
of the head and neck ; wing-coverts like the back ; the bastard-wing, greater coverts, and outer aspect 
of quills a little browner than the back ; tail-feathers brown, washed slightly with olive near the base of the 
outer webs ; lores ashy grey ; ear-coverts and cheeks ashy grey, washed with olive-brown ; under surface of 
body pale ashy grey, becoming lighter on the abdomen and under tail-coverts, the feathers on the lower throat 
and breast with whitish shaft-lines ; axillaries and under wing-coverts ashy grey, the lower ones edged with 
yellowish ; the quills dusky brown below, yellow along the basal two-thirds of the inner web. Total length 
9 inches, culmen 085, wing 4’5, tail 3'35, tarsus 1*2. 
The Plate represents the male and female of the size of life ; the figures being drawn from the pair of birds 
described above. 
