23 
the fork of a tree, or between the loose bark of tlie tree trunk, Tho 
scarlet-bi*eastcd species ia only seen in the southern plains-land of 
Queensland. Its place is taken upon the farms of the scrub lands 
and of tho river banks by tho Yellow-breasted Robin, which, how¬ 
ever, is a more retiring bird. Other species are the red-capped, the 
pied, the bTO^vn, Ihe white eye-browed, &c. 
The Lyre-biud (menum) is one of tho curiosities of Australia, 
but unless the immigi’ant settles in tho densely-wooded mountain 
districts of the southern part of Queensland, he is not likely ever to 
see it in a state of nature. The bii\l is about the size of a game fowl, 
but it is liigber on the logs, which are especially formed for running ; 
its colour is a dark-bro^vn. Its peculiarity consists in the tail, which 
is identical in sba]io to that old fashioned musical instrument, the 
lyre. There are three species; tho one that is found in Queens¬ 
land being called Prince Albert’s Lyre-bird, in distinction to one 
common to the Southern Australian Colonies which is called 
Queen Victoria’s L}'Tc-bii'd, but the diiforence between it and the 
New South Wales bird is problematical. The birds are most 
wonderful vocalists, they are indeed the mocking bird of Australia, 
imitating accurately.every sound of tho bush. 
Tho Wkkns (Maluri) are numerous individually, and of many 
species. Unlike the sombre-coloured Jenny-wren of Europe 
the Queensland birds are marvellous little gems of beauty. They 
are excelled only by the liuclies in the lovely conti*asting of 
their brilliant colouiing. Among them is to be seen deep cerulian 
blue contrasted with jet velvety black; rod with black; blue 
with white, and in olhors a blending of the whole of these 
colours. They go iu families of six or eight, flitting about fi-ora bush 
to bush; every now and again tlio gorgeous-coloured male,—the 
father of the group,—mounts on to some topmost twig and utters his 
lively, shrill little song, as if anxious to draw attention to his beauty. 
The females and young males aro invariably a sombre brown in 
colour. Tho whole of the species construct domed nests placed in 
tussocks of grass, 
ThelUNCiiES (LringillidcQ^ of Australia number as many species 
as do the wrens, and indiv'idually, are far more numerous. Tho settler 
will come across many A-urieties. It is with regret that I shall have 
to curtail my writing concerning those lovely birds into a paragraph, 
for there aro several genera, all showing distinct peculiarities and 
containing several species each, and yet they all are finches. All 
tlio species build large, loosely-constiucted domed nests of grasses, 
and some of Avhich have a spout-like enti'ance projecting from the 
top; all the eggs aro Avhito and barely distinguishable one species 
from another. In colour tlieso birds show in some species the same 
contrasts of bright scarlet, against black, or brown, or white as do the 
robins ; some, again, are beautifully spotted white on black and others 
with black on white ; a fiery-red over the tail shows conspicuously in 
some species, and tliero is another wliich is wholly of a blood-crimson 
colour. Some are uniform oHve-bi*own, and some bi-own and white; a 
