.84 
The Queensland Naturalist. 
April, 1922 
tion of small sticks, loosely put together, resembles very 
much a Butcher-bird’s nest in the making, with the cup 
itself only very little deeper than that of the Bronze wing 
Pigeon. And so far as ventilation for the occupants is 
concerned, nothing better could be designed. 
Young Bower-birds seem to be cunning almost from 
the day they are hatched. Try to lift one from the nest 
and it hangs on to its home tenaciously, but when freed it 
will lie in the hand in whatever position it may be placed, 
shamming death. But that little open corner of one eye 
exposes the trickiness. As these young birds grew they 
became wild and suspicious, and in the partly feathered 
stage would crouch and- make the best of the poor protec- 
tion provided by their shallow nest as I moved around; 
but my back being turned they would stealthily move out 
to a thicker portion of the tangled boughs and only return 
when all was quiet. 
From pepperinas and Moreton Bay fig-trees near 
homesteads, and also from the common gidyea tree tops 
above camps, I have heard Bower-birds mimicking almost 
•every note and call familiar to the bush. But for energy 
and persistence in this direction I have heard nothing .to 
equal that mother Bower-bird during my first few visits 
to her home. I could without the slightest difficulty 
recognize every call she made, with the exception of one 
which was a distinct sound like “Woggy,” repeated some- 
times twice and at others four times in succession. Being 
deep, this note gave one the feeling that she was endeavour- 
ing to imitate some blackfellow s ‘ ‘lingo ,’ 7 or else was 
u ‘ taking off” an isolated boundary-rider calling to his 
only dog. 
Besides the variety of this particular bird’s mimicry, 
there were the quick changes she made from one subject to 
another. One could easily imagine at one moment that 
some interfering Willy Wagtail was in that tree, whilst in 
the next breath the guttural ‘ ‘ Thump, thump” of the Emu 
was easily recognizable. Without, as it were, changing 
breath, the Storm-bird would then get a turn, and in quick 
succession Magpies, Crows, Butcher-birds, Soldier-birds 
(Miners), Babblers, and hosts of others would come in for 
attention. 
Occasionally, as if these displays were not interesting 
me to her satisfaction, she would suddenly almost fali to 
the ground, and with neck stretched out, feathers ruffled, 
and wings spread, she would creep through the grass, 
pretending helplessness. I have seen many other birds 
making a somewhat similar ‘‘stunt” when their young 
