File:Bird lore (1900) (14755235202).jpg

Identifier: birdlore21900nati (find matches)
Title: Bird lore
Year: 1899 (1890s)
Authors: National Committee of the Audubon Societies of America National Association of Audubon Societies for the Protection of Wild Birds and Animals National Audubon Society
Subjects: Birds Birds Ornithology
Publisher: New York City : Macmillan Co.
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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. It is somewhat remarkable that notwithstanding these birds areplentiful in parts, their eggs are rare in collections — the eggs of allBower-birds are rare —in fact, the eggs of two species have not yetbeen discovered. The eggs (usually two, occasionally three) of the Satin-bird areof a rich cream color blotched irregularly with brown, and measurenearly i3^ inches in length. The nest, which is usually situated 136 Bird-Lore about twelve feet from the ground, in a shrubby tree or bush, isloosely constructed of twigs, leaves, etc. The curious play house, or lovers arbor, is built upon the ground.It has apparently no connection with the nests, which may be anydistance away. One of these bowers I collected in Gippsland,Christmas-tide, 1884. It was situated amongst brackens in openforest. There was a cleared circular space about twenty-six inchesacross, in the ferns, floored with twigs well trodden down. In thecenter were erected two parallel walls of pliable twigs, tapering and arch-
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BOWER OF THE SATIN-BIRDPhotographed from nature by D, Le Souei ing towards the top, which was twelve inches in height. The walls wereten inches long and six inches apart. In the avenue and roundaboutwere placed gay feathers of Parrots. It is strange that the buildersof so neat a structure should construct a slovenly made nest. It hasbeen ascertained that more than one pair of birds frequent the samebower, which is really a lovers bower—a rendezvous for match-making. The illustration of a Satin-birds bower in situ is from a photo-graph by my friend Mr. D Le Souef. The Spotted Bower-bird (^Chlaniydodera maculata) is a fine speciesinhabiting the arid and dry interior provinces, being especially at home The Bower-birds of Australia 137 on sandy pine ridges or when the myall and brigalow (species ofacacias) flourish. This bird derives its name from the beautiful spotted markings ofits plumage, which is of various shades of brown. The male wears onthe back of the neck a band, or frill, of

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