iL' • j f 1
rit
iiDt wisliiiii'to lose tlic ojiportiinity of procuring a specimen he fired, but only succeeded in wounding it;
iinil on sciircliing the spol, he tbunil a howcr, formed between, and supported by, two small brnsb-plants,
and surrounded i>y small shr(d)s, so much so, that he bad to creep on bis bands to get to it. While doing
so, Ibe female bird came down from a lofiy tree, uttered her peculiar note, and lit on a branch immediately
over the hower, apparently with tlie intciition of alighting in frojit of it, but was scared away by seeing
Mr. \Valk'r so close to ber. She continued flitting over the place and calling for her mate so long as he
was in the neigld)Ourboo(l Th e ground around the bower was clear of leaves for some twelve or
eighteen inches, and had the appearance of having been swept, the only olijects in its immediate vicinity
being a small species of Iklhv. The structure was alike at both ends, but the part designated as the front
was more easy of approach, and had the principal decorations, the approach to the back being more closed
by scrub."
])r. H. K Hamsay lias given the following account of bis discovery of a bower of the Regent Bird :—
" On the 2nd of October, 18G(), when returning to our cam]), some twenty miles from the township,
I stopped to look for an Atrkhitt, which three days before I bad heard calling at a certain log; and while
standing, gun in hand, ready to fire as soon as the bird—which was at that moment in a remarkably
mocking humour—should show itself, I was somewhat surprised at seeing a male Regent Bird fly down
and sit ivitbin a yard of me. ]5ctween the two I hardly knew which choice to take—the Atrichia, which
was singing close in front of me, or the chance of finding tlie long-wisbed-for bower. I decided on the
former, and remained motionless for full five minutes, while the Regent Bird bopped round me, and
finally on to the ground at my feet, when, looking down I saw the bower scarcely a yard from where
I was standing ; had I stepped down olf the log I must have crushed it. The bird, after hopping about and
rearranging some of the shells [llelices) and berries, with which its centre was filled, took its departure,
much to my relief, for I was beginning to feel uncomfortable with standing so lung in the same |)osition.
Further research \vas not very successful; we met with only one other bower. Wishing to obtain a living
specimen of so lieantiful a bird as the adnit male of this species, I deterjnined to leave the structure until
the last thing on my final return to Lismore, which was on the 3rd of November following. We then
stopped on onr way, and setting eight snares round tlie bower, anxiously awaited the result. It was not
long before we heard a harsh scolding cry of the old bird, and knew that he bad 'put bis foot into it.'
Having taken him out and transferred him to a temporary cage, we carefully pushed a board, brought for
the purpose, underneath the bower, and removed it witliout injury. It is now before me, and is placed
ujmLi and supported by, a platform of sticks, which, crossing each other in various directions, form a solid
foundation, into which the npriglit twigs are stuck. This platform is about fourteen inches long by
ten broad, the upright twigs are some ten or twelve inches high, and the entrances four inches wide.
The middle measures four inches across, and is filled with land-shells of five or six species, and several
kinds of berries of various colours, blue, red, antl black, which gave it when fresh a very pretty appearance.
Ik'sides these there were several newly-[)icked leaves and young shoots of a pinkish tint, the whole
show ing a decided ' taste for the beautifid ' on the part of this species."
The egg was unknown to Mr. Gould, but a specimen taken from the oviduct of a female is thus described
by Mr. North :—" The only egg known of this species at present, which was taken from the oviduct, is in
the Museum collection, and is of a long oval, slightly swollen at one end, the ground-colour being of a pale
lavender; nj)on the larger end and beneath the surface of the shell is a zone of nearly round and oval-shaped
spots of a uniform pale lilac colour, which in sotiie jilaces are confluent; on the outer surface, all over the
larger end to the IOWXM- edge of the zone, are irregularly shaped but well-defined linear markings of sienna,
assuming strange shapes; two |)rominent markings being a double loop and a scroll, others less conspicuous
are in the shape of the letter Z and the figure 6, while several of the markings stand at right angles to one
anolher ; from the lower edge of the zone, and dispersed over the rest of the surface, are a few bold dashes
of the same colour, several lines being straight, but marked obliquely across the egg, others are like
the letter V, with one side lengthened at a right angle, and the figure 7, while upon the lower apex is a
single mark in the shape of the letter M. The peculiarity of the markings of this egg is that the sj)Ots
ai)pear to be on the under surface, and the linear markings on the outer surface of the shell. Length
1-35 inch X "'9 inch."
I am indebted to Mr. A. J. Campbell, of Victoria, for the following account of the eggs and bower of the
])resent sjjecies. He writes :—
" The Regent Bird, especially the adult male with glorious black and yellow plumage, as Gould has well said.
is one of the finest species of the Auslralian fauna. Last November I undertook an excursion to the Richmond
River district, N. S. Wales, with a vieiv of obtaining, amongst other items, the eggs of the Regent Bird. I
found the luxurimit scrubs abounding with the birds; in fact they were as plentiful there as Ibe Wattle-birds
about tbe Banksia groves of our southern coast. We experienced no difficulty in procuring onr few
specimen skins. All that was necessary was to select a balmy day and recline under a Cunthhim tree, where
the birds, males ii] various stages of plumage and females, came to regale themselves on tbe bunches of
liard yellow berries. Nevertheless, although well aided by a hardy companion, 1 prosecuted a vigorous and
toilsome search through dense labyrinths of hot scrub and thorny brakes of prodigal growth, where the
thick foliage of the trees caused a perpetual twilight underneath, I retm-ned without the eggs. It was
an e.vperience akin to seeking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. From evidence gained by dissection
and otherwise it appeared that November was too early for the Luajority of the birds. However, just prior
to leaving on the 19tb we detected a female carrying a stick, and afler LIIUCII laborious work we succeeded
in tracing ber through an entanglement of wild raspberries and stinging trees, and were satisfied that she
was building in a certain busby Buoyong (ZV/meiM) tree, as we saw her return there several times, each
time with a twig in her bill. Marking the tree we ])ointed it out to two young farmers, directing them to
•send the eggs after us. Some weeks afterwards I receive<l a doleful letter stating they were unable to climb
the tree. However, tbe next monib another farmer, whose scrub-paddock I had scoured, followed up my
iiistruclions, and found therein a Regent Bird's nest containing a pair of fresli eggs, which I now have
pleasure in describing.
" Specimen A. A beautiful well-sbapcd specimen, with a fine texture of shell of a light yellowish stone
colour, with a faint greenish tinge, and marked with blotches and sjHits of sienna, but principally with
hair-like markings of tbe same colour in fanciful shapes and figures, as if a person bad painted them on
with a fine brush. Intermingled are a few greyish streaks, dull, as if the shell's surface. All tlie
markings are fairly distributed, but are more abundant around the upper quarter of tbe egg. The
dimensions are 4 cm. long by a breadth of 2-8 cm., somewhat large compared with the size of the
parent. The markings much resemble those of tbe egg of its close ally the Spotted Bower-bird
(CUmmjdodera macidata), which I found near Wentworth, River Darling, October 1887, with the
difference that tbe ground-colour of the Regent is more yellowish and not of tbe greenish shade of ibe
Bower-bird.
"Specimen B. Similar to ibe oilier specimen, but markings less ]ironounced and finer in character, with
a greater proportion of tbe dull greyish hair-like streaks; also a little smaller—length S i)o cm. by breadlh
2'75 cm.
"The nest was di,scovcred during tbe last week in December, was placed about 15 feet from the ground,
and was observed by tbe bird sitting on it. Tbe structure was of such a loose nature—merely a few twigs
forming a flat shelf about five inches across—that it fell to pieces on removal from the tree. It was
accounted remarkable bow the eggs could retain their position in it. The description of tbe nest verifies the
statement found in Gould that ' it is rudely constructed of sticks, no other materiid being employed, not
even a few roots as a lining,' but is at variance with Mr. North's statement, which precedes bis descriiitimi
of tbe egg taken from the oviduct of a bird by Mr. Cockerell, the collector, the only other egg at iiresent
known."
Adult male. Head, neck, and iqiper mantle of a velvety texture, and of a brilliant orange-yellow,
deepening on the crown into reddish orange; remainder of mantle and entire back, as well as tbe tail,
black; wing-coverts black, as also tbe primary-coverts ; first two ])rimaries black; rcmainiler of tbe
primaries orange-yellow, e.xcept along the outer webs and at the tip, encroaching down the inner web ;
secondaries orange-yellow, tipped with black, excepting tbe innermost; lores, eyebrow, sides of face and
neck, as well as the entire under surface of the body and under tail-coverts, black ; under wing-coverts
black, the greater series golden yellow, like tbe lining of tbe quills: "bill yellow; legs and feet black;
iris pale yellow " (J. Gould). Total length O'o inches, culnien M o , wing 5'], tail 4-75, tarsus 1-45.
AauU female. Different from the male. General colour above brown, mottled with white centres to
the feathers, edged with black ; scapulars like the back ; wing-coverts and quills ]ilain brown, the latter
dusky brown on the inner vvehs, the innermost secondaries with an irregular white spot at the tip; upper
tail-coverts brown, tbe longer ones with a mesial streak of whitish ; tail-feathers brown, more dusky
on Ibe inner web; forehead light brown, motlled with minute dusky tips to tbe fealliers ; hinder crown and
occiput black ; sides of bead, eyebrow, and najie reddish brown, mottled with dusky edges to the feathers ;