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

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
. 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 a most exquisite shade ofrose-pink — a rare color in birds and only occurring in one otherspecies (not a Bower-bird) in Australia. The Spotted Bower-bird hasa harsh, scolding note, but it is not generally known that it is anaccomplished mocking bird and can mimic the vocality of many birdsof the bush, barking of dogs, etc.
Text Appearing After Image:
NEST AND EGGS OF THE REGENT-BIRD A farmer friend related to me an amusing story regarding themimicry of a Spotted Bower-bird. His neighbor had been drivingcattle to a given place and on his way back discovered a nest in aprickly needle-brush (hakea). In threading the needle-like branchesafter the nest he thought he heard cattle breaking through the scruband the barking of dogs in the distance, and at once fancied his cattlehad broken away, but could see no signs of anything wrong. Heheard other peculiar noises, and glancing at his dog as much as tosay, What does that mean? he saw the sagacious animal withhead partly upturned, eyeing a Bower-bird perched in the next tree. The nest is somewhat loosely constructed of twigs, and is usuallyplaced in a thick bush or amongst the forked branches of a small tree. 13^ Bird-Lore The eggs (two or three) are beautifully and wonderfully marked,^greatly resembling those of the Regent-bird shown in the illus-tration. During a trip towards the interio

Note About Images