THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
The female is much quieter, preferring to hop quietly about or sit in 
a bush.” 
Kilgour wrote from the Ord River, North-west Australia: “ The Great 
Bower-Bird was to be seen close to the (Six Mile) hotel, and also several bowers. 
One, newly made, was beautifully constructed. The actual bower was about 
2 feet through, of small twigs, closely woven; height 16 inches. Stones 
shells, and glass were laid to a distance of 2 feet from each end of the bower 
and some were also placed in a depression in the centre. This model is always 
followed. I have never seen any brilliant objects, such as feathers, used, and 
the stones are always water-worn, generally limestone. The birds nest during 
the wet season, in common with the majority of birds in the district. The 
nest is placed in the forks of a bauhinia—sometimes, though rarely, in a river 
gum; it is placed at a height of about 10 or 12 feet, roughly constructed of 
twigs, with a few eucalyptus leaves for lining, and adjacent to water. One 
egg is laid, very seldom two.” 
Whitlock writing from the Fitzroy River, North-west Australia, says: 
“ I found them rather shy, less noisy and not such good mimics as guttata. 
On the Fitzroy their favourite food seems to be the fruit of the wild fig which 
grows abundantly, apparently all the year round, on the main arms of these 
fine trees {Ficiis globerosa). They also feed on the fruit of the wild plmn, in 
company with the Crimson-winged Lory. At Leopold Downs, in passing 
the meat-house, I surprised five Bower-Birds which had found their way 
inside through a hole in the netting. They were feeding on fragments of meat 
on the chopping-block. They were a bit of a nuisance in the hotel garden at 
times, they carried oft’ both ripe and green chillies and also damaged the 
tomatoes ... it was very rare to see a male showing the pink feathers 
on the nape. I only saw^ a single bird possessing this beautiful feather, despite 
the fact that I examined all I came near with the aid of a small field-glass. 
“ The play-groimds w^ere nearly ahvays near water, and though the creek 
was dry, the double play-ground I found w'as on its banks. They were 
substantial structures of dry twigs, firmly fixed in the foundation below. . . 
The finished structure in some cases formed a complete arch, and I found 
the walls differed in thickness to a considerable extent in the different play¬ 
grounds. 
“ Mr. Edw'ard Delaney missed his spectacles. They were eventually found 
close to the jjlay-ground. I w'as curious to estimate the number of objects 
at the above play-ground. The result exceeded 700 stones, etc., and these 
were being constantly added to, until there were quite a thousand present. 
“ The Great Bower-Bird was one of the few species that bred during the 
rainy season of 1924—1925. I found four more or less accessible nests. They 
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