not wishing to lose the opportunity of procuring a specimen he fired, but only succeeded in wounding it ; 
and on searching the spot, he found a bower, formed between, and supported by, two small brush-plants, 
and surrounded by small shrubs, so much so, that he had to creep on his hands to get to it. While doing 
so, the female bird came down from a lofty tree, uttered her peculiar note, and lit on a branch immediately 
over the bower, apparently with the intention of alighting in front of it, but was scared away by seeing 
Mr. Waller so close to her. She continued flitting over the place and calling for her mate so long as he 
was in the neighbourhood The ground around the bower was clear of leaves for some twelve or 
eighteen inches, and had the appearance of having been sw'ept, the only objects in its immediate vicinity 
being a small species of Helix. The structure was alike at both ends, but the part designated as the front 
was more easy of approach, and had the principal decorations, the approach to the back being more closed 
by scrub.” 
Dr. E. P. Ramsay has given the following account of his discovery of a bower of the Regent Bird : — 
“ On the 2nd of October, 1866, when returning to our camp, some twenty miles from the township, 
I stopped to look for an Atrichia , which three days before I had beard calling at a certain log; and while 
standing, gun in hand, ready to fire as soon as the bird — which was at that moment in a remarkably 
mocking humour — should show itself, I was somewhat surprised at seeing a male Regent Bird fly down 
and sit within a yard of me. Between the two I hardly knew which choice to take— the Atrichia, which 
was singing close in front of me, or the chance of finding the long-wished-for bower. I decided on the 
former, and remained motionless for full five minutes, while the Regent Bird hopped round me, and 
finally on to the ground at my feet, when, looking down I saw the bower scarcely a yard from where 
I was standing ; had I stepped down off the log I must have crushed it. The bird, after bopping about and 
rearranging some of the shells ( Helices ) and berries, with which its centre was filled, took its departure, 
much to my relief, for I was beginning to feel uncomfortable with standing so long in the same position. 
Further research was not very successful ; we met with only one other bower. Wishing to obtain a living 
specimen of so beautiful a bird as the adult male of this species, I determined to leave the structure until 
the last thing on my final return to Lismore, which was on the 3rd of November following. We then 
stopped on our way, and setting eight snares round the bower, anxiously awaited the result. It was not 
long before we heard a harsh scolding cry of the old bird, and knew that he had ‘ put his foot into it.’ 
Having taken him out and transferred him to a temporary cage, we carefully pushed a board, brought for 
the purpose, underneath the bower, and removed it without injury. It is now before me, and is placed 
upon and supported by, a platform of sticks, which, crossing each other in various directions, form a solid 
foundation, into which the upright twigs are stuck. This platform is about fourteen inches long by 
ten broad, the upright twigs are some ten or twelve inches high, and the entrances four inches wide. 
The middle measures four inches across, and is filled with land-shells of five or six species, and several 
kinds of berries of various colours, blue, red, and black, which gave it when fresh a very pretty appearance. 
Besides these there were several newly-picked leaves and young shoots of a pinkish tint, the whole 
showing a decided ‘ taste for the beautiful ’ on the part of this species.” 
The egg was unknown to Mr. Gould, but a specimen taken from the oviduct of a female is thus described 
by Mr. North : — “ The only egg known of this species at present, which was taken from the oviduct, is in 
the Museum collection, and is of a long oval, slightly swollen at one end, the ground-colour being of a pale 
lavender; upon the larger end and beneath the surface of the shell is a zone of nearly round and oval-shaped 
spots of a uniform pale lilac colour, which in some places are confluent ; on the outer surface, all over the 
larger end to the lower edge of the zone, are irregularly shaped but well-defined linear markings of sienna, 
assuming strange shapes; two prominent markings being a double loop and a scroll, others less conspicuous 
are in the shape of the letter Z and the figure 6, while several of the markings stand at right angles to one 
another ; from the lower edge of the zone, and dispersed over the rest of the surface, are a few bold dashes 
of the same colour, several lines being straight, but marked obliquely across the egg, others are like 
the letter V, with one side lengthened at a right angle, and the figure 7, while upon the lower apex is a 
single mark in the shape of the letter M. The peculiarity of the markings of this egg is that the spots 
appear to be on the under surface, and the linear markings on the outer surface of the shell. Length 
T35 inch x 0‘9 inch.” 
I am indebted to Mr. A. J. Campbell, of Victoria, for the following account of the eggs and bower of the 
present species. He writes : — 
“ The Regent Bird, especially the adult male with glorious black and yellow plumage, as Gould has well said, 
