SATIN BOWER-BIRD. 
over the whole under-surface, especially on the chest; under-surface of the wings 
brownish-olive, widely margined on the inner web with golden-yellow. Collected 
Cambewan’a, New South Wales, in June, 1870. 
Changing into the black stage. Feathers of the head, back, rump, upper tail-coverts, 
wing-coverts and entire under-surface black at the base and strongly glossed with 
vioIet-piu*ple ; mantle and a few’ of the shorter scapulars light brown, shaded with 
greenish-blue; the tw’O outermost primaries blackish-brown on the inner webs 
and olive-brown on the outer web; innermost secondaries olive-brown, basally 
margined on the inner web with pale yellow; remainder of the w’ing black; 
tail black with the outer webs and tips glossed with purple, entire surface black, 
margined and tipped with violet-purple, one or two feathers scattered over the 
lower surface yellowish-white, marked with concentric bands of black. Collected 
at Long Long, Victoria, on the 14th of February, 1906. 
Eggs. Tw’O to three eggs form the clutch, usually tw’o, rarely three. A clutch of two 
eggs taken at TtTingham, near Grafton, Clarence River, New South Wales, on 
the 4th of November, 1898, is of a dark cream ground-colour, spotted and blotched 
(particularly towards the larger end) with dark olive-brown, cinnamon-brown, 
and slaty-grey. Ovals in shape. Surface of shell fine and smooth and rather 
glossy. 44—45 b}* 29-30 mm. 
Nest, An open and rather shallow structxire, composed of thin sticks and twigs, usually 
lined with Eucalyptus leaves, those of the Bloodwood Eucalyptus frequently being 
used for the purpose. Dimensions over all: 8 to 10 inches across by 4 to 5 inches 
in depth. Egg cavity, 1 to IJ inches deep by 5| to 6| inches across. Sometimes 
the nest is nearly 2 inches deep inside ; a great deal depends upon the position 
in which it is built as regards the depth of the egg cavity, as well as the size of 
the nest. It is generally situated in a bushy portion of a tree, or tall bush, and 
often built in a tluck clump of Mistletoe (Loranthns) growing in a tree, situated at 
heights varying from 16 to 50 feet or more. 
Breeding-monihs. October to end December. 
This beautiful bird was first described by Vieillot as a species of Pyrrhocw'ax, 
and then by Kuhl, who proposed for it a new generic as well as specific nanae. 
Vigors and Horsfield then catalogued the specimens in the collection of 
the Linnean Society, which had been described by Latham as the Satin 
Grakle, and wrote : “Mr. Caley says that ‘ the male of tliis species is 
reckoned a very scarce bird, and is liighly valued. The natives call it ‘ 
Cowry^ the colonists Satin Bird. I have now and then met with a solitary 
bird of this species ; but I once saw large flocks of them on some newly- 
sown wheat, from whence they fled, on being scared, into a neighbouring 
brush; when aU was again quiet, they soon returned to the wheat. 
They did not leave the brush above a few yards. There were no black 
ones among them, nor can I affirm that they were feeding on the wheat.’ 
It is singular that this beautiful and well-known bird should never have as 
yet received a specific name. Although it has been made the type of a genus 
by M. Kuhl, and published as such by M. Temminck in his ^ Manuel,’ we nowhere 
have met with a scientific name for the species. We are happy to have the 
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