tion, the tips of the twigs being so arranged as to curve inwards 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 outwards, by which
arrangement not the slightest obstruction is offered to the passage o f the birds. The interest o f this curious
bower is much enhanced by the manner in which it is decorated at and near the entrance with the most
gaily-coloured articles that can be collected, such as the blue tail-feathers .of the Rose-liill and Pennantian
Parrots, bleached bones, the shells o f snails, &c.; some o f the feathers are stuck in among the twigs, while
others with the bones and shells are strewed about near the entrances. The propensity o f these birds to
pick up and fly off with any attractive object, is so well known to tbe natives, that they always search the runs
for any small missing article, as the bowl o f a pipe, &c., that may have been accidentally dropped in the
brush. I myself found at the entrance o f one o f them a small neatly-worked stone tomahawk, of an inch
and a half in length, together with some slips of blue cotton rags, which the birds had doubtless picked up
at a deserted encampment of the natives.
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 o f resort for many individuals o f both sexes, which, when there assembled
run through and around the bower in a sportive and playful manner, and that so frequently that it is seldom
entirely deserted.
The proceedings o f these birds have not been sufficiently watched, to render it certain whether the runs
are frequented throughout the whole year or n o t;. but it is highly probable that they are merely resorted to
as a rendezvous, or playing-ground, at the pairing time and during the period o f incubation. It was at this
season, as I judged from the state of the plumage and from the internal indications o f those I dissected that
I visited these localities; the bowers I found had been recently renewed; it was however evident from
the appearance of a portion of the accumulated mass o f sticks, &c., that the same spot had been used as a
place of resort for many years. Mr. Charles Coxen informed me, that, after having destroyed one o f these
bowers and secreted himself, he had the satisfaction of seeing it partially reconstructed; the birds engaged
in this task, he added, were females. With much care and trouble I succeeded in bringing to England two
fine specimens of these bowers, one o f which I presented to the British Museum, and the other to the collection
at Leyden, where they may be seen by all those who take an interest in the subject.
It will be observed, that the two following nearly allied species, Chlamydera maculata and Chlam. nuchalis
also build similar erections, and that in them the decorative propensity^ is carried to a much greater
extent than in the Satin Bower-bird.
The adult male has the whole o f the plumage of a deep shining blue-black, closely resembling satin, with
the exception of the primary wing-feathers, which are of a deep velvety black, and tbe wing-coverts secondaries
and tail-feathers, which are also of a velvety black, tipped with the shining blue-black lustre; irides
beautiful light blue with a circle o f red round the pupil; bill bluish horn, passing into yellow at the tip ; legs
and feet yellowish white.
The female has the head and all the upper surface greyish green; wings and tail dark sulphur-brown,
the inner webs of the primaries being the darkest; under surface containing the same tints as the upper, but
very much lighter, and with a wash o f yellow; each feather o f the under surface also has a crescent-shaped
mark o f dark brown near the extremity, giving tbe whole a scaly appearance; irides o f a deeper blue than
in the male, and with only an indication o f the red ring; bill dark horn-colour; feet yellowish white tinged
with olive.
Young males closely resemble the females, but differ in having the under surface of a more greenish
yellow hue, and the crescent-shaped markings more numerous; irides dark blue; feet olive brown- bill
blackish olive.
The Plate represents the bower, an old male, female, and two young males ; one in the green dress and
the other in a state of change, all about a fifth less than the natural size.