126 
THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 
Notes . — Usually in pairs or small flocks, frequenting the scrub-lands 
of the inland districts. In habits it closely resembles the Satin Bower-bird, 
but is of a shyer disposition. Often, however, birds that take up quarters 
near homesteads soon become very tame and make nuisances of them¬ 
selves in the orchards. It has a harsh, grating call, somewhat like the calls 
of the Satin and Regent Bower-birds. It is an excellent mimic, imitating 
perfectly the calls of other birds and bush sounds generally. It builds 
playgrounds or bowers, like other Bower-birds, but much larger, averaging 
about 3 feet in length, and decorated with an assortment of bleached 
bones, pieces of glass, and other bright objects. The bowers are usually 
built in a patch of scrub and are often pulled down and rebuilt time and 
again. Food: insects, seeds, and native fruits and berries. 
Nest .—A rather flat and shallow saucer-shaped structure, composed 
of thin dead sticks and twigs; lined with fine twigs, and sometimes with 
dried grasses. Generally placed in a leafy tree, at heights up to 30 feet 
from the ground. Usually the nest is a frail structure through which the 
eggs may be seen from beneath. 
Eggs .—Usually two, pale greenish-yellow, well marked with numer¬ 
ous lines of light to dark umber and blackish-brown, with others nearly 
black, and underlying lines of pale purplish-grey. Many eggs are beauti¬ 
fully marked, the tangled tracery of lines forming strange designs. 
Breeding-season: usually October to December. 
10. Western Bower-bird Chlamydera guttata Gould 
gut-ta-ta —L., guttatus, spotted. 
Distribution. —Mid-western, north-western, and central Australia. 
Dotes. Usually in pairs or small flocks, inhabiting the scrub-lands. 
It similar in habits to the Spotted Bower-bird, though the bowers are 
smaller and less substantial structures ; the decorations include pieces of 
white or grey limestone, with the usual collection of bleached bones. Food: 
insects (chiefly beetles), seeds, and native fruits and berries. 
A est. A fiail, saucer-shaped structure, similar in construction to that 
o the Spotted Bower-bird, and usually placed in a small or large tree, 
at heights up to 20 feet or more from the ground. 
£ 5 ^.—Usuaily two, pale greenish-grey, similarly marked with a 
tangled network of lines like those of the Spotted Bower-bird. Breeding- 
season: September or October to December, sometimes as late as 
February. 
11. Fawn-breasted Bower-bird Chlamydera ccrviniventris Gould 
cer-vi-m-ven'-tris L., centimes, coloured like a stag; L„ venter, belly. 
eastefn' y S^ // f”;r NOrthe , rn Queensland (Cape York Peninsula, on the 
LoSsTade ArchipX” ‘ a ' S ° ° CCUrS ™ ^ Gui " ea “ d 
fore 5 f^,iYY,; , :i“' ly “ I £ ir . s or ; ,na11 tata, frequenting the scrub, open 
s, ves. It is a shy species, more often heard than seen. 
