horse-hair; the whole 
structure being roofed 
in, and entered by an 
aperture on one side. 
But one egg is laid, 
and this is of a very dark colour, looking almost as though it had been smeared 
over with ink ; the young bird, which is coated with down for the first month, 
remains in the nest for a period of about six weeks. 
544 PERCHING BIRDS. 
and more especially beetles, they commence nesting in May; the eggs being laid 
in June, and the young hatched in the following month. The nest is constructed 
of small sticks, interwoven with moss and fibres of roots; while internally it is 
lined with the skeleton leaf of the parasitical tree-fern, which in texture resembles 
THE LYRE-BIRD. 
H. A. MACPHERSOK 
