THE LIVING WORLD. 
360 
covered, but for the cultivated taste it displays in constructing a bower for 
lodgment, and the decoration of its surroundings. The bird is believed to 
nest upon the ground, but because" of the superstitious fears of the natives, 
who hold it in very great awe, they have not discovered or revealed its nesting 
habits. The bower which this bird constructs is admirably shown in the 
illustration on page 292, but for a description I am indebted to Mr. Gould, 
who writes as follows: 
“ On visiting the Cedar Brushes of the Liverpool range, I discovered 
several of these bowers or playing-places; they are usually placed under the 
shelter of the branches of some overhanging tree in the most retired part of 
the forest; they differ considerably in size, some being larger, while others 
are much smaller. The base consists of an exterior and rather convex plat¬ 
form of sticks, firmly interwoven, on the centre of which the bower itself is 
built. This, like the platform on which it is placed and with which it is 
interwoven, is formed of sticks and twigs, but of a more slender and flexible 
description, the tips of the twigs being so arranged as to curve inward and 
nearly meet at the top; in the interior of the bower, the materials are so 
placed that the forks of the twigs are always presented outward, by which 
arrangement not the slighest obstruction is offered to the passage of the birds. 
“For what purpose these curious bowers are made is not yet, perhaps, 
fully understood; they are certainly not used as a nest, but as a place of 
resort for many individuals of both sexes, who, when there assembled, run 
through and round the bower in a sportive and playful manner, and that so 
frequently that it is seldom entirely deserted. 
“ The interest of this curious bower is much enhanced by the manner in 
which it is decorated, at and near the entrance, with the most gayly colored 
articles that can be collected, such as the blue tail feathers of the Rose Hill 
and Lory Parrots, bleached bones, the shells of snails, etc. Some of the feathers 
are stuck in among the twigs, while others, with the bones and shells, are 
strewed about near the entrance. The propensity of these birds to fly off with 
any attractive object is so well known that the blacks always search the runs 
fqr any missing article. 
“So persevering are these birds in carrying off anything that may strike their 
fancy that they have been known to steal a stone tomahawk, some blue cotton 
rags, and an old tobacco-pipe. Two of these bowers are now in the nest room 
of the British Museum, and at the Zoological Gardens the bower bird may be 
seen hard at work at its surface, fastening the twigs or adorning the entrances, 
and ever and anon running through the edifice with a curious loud full cry 
that always attracts the attention of a passer-by. The satin bower bird bears 
confinement well, and although it will not breed in captivity, it is very indus¬ 
trious in building bowers for recreation.” 
From reports made by visitors to the land where this singular bird is 
found, it would appear that only a few exercise the singular propensity of 
bower-building, since, though these birds are rather plentiful, the discovery 
of their strange structures is an uncommon event. From this fact many 
persons well-informed have concluded that the bird occasionally exhibits a 
theatrical ambition, which it gratifies by constructing these bowers as houses of 
entertainment, to which are invited, at times, such of its neighbors as may be 
agreeable, though host and guests alike turn players. 
