THE SATIN BOWER-BIRD AND ITS BOWER.
The “Bowers” of the “Bower-builders” are the most remarkable variants on “Secondary Sexual Characters” yet brought to light.
Photo by L. Medland.
THE “BOWER” OF THE BOWER-BIRD.
The “Bower” must not be confused with the nest, which is placed in a tree and bears no sort of likeness to the bower.
[Face page 156.
The Spotted Bower-birds (Chlamydodera maculata and C. nuchalis) are quite dull-coloured species save for a vivid semicircular crest of pink and mauve feathers which arise from the nape of the neck. Their bowers differ from those just described in having a longer run and for the immense quantities of shells which are deposited at each end of the run. Some of them are brought from long distances, as is shown by the large number of sea shells which are to be found in the collections made by birds living far from the sea.
By far the most remarkable of all are the bowers of Newton’s Bower-bird (Prionodura newtoni) and the Gardener Bower-bird (Amblyornis inornata). The first of these, a native of the Mountains of Queensland, is somewhat strikingly coloured, at any rate so far as the male is concerned, for he is of an oil green above and has a small yellow crest, while his breast is of a bright yellow; the female, on the other hand, is brown above and grey below.
The Gardener Bower-bird, on the other hand, is of a sombre olive-brown, but the male boasts an enormous crest of a flaming orange yellow. Yet, widely dissimilar as are these two species, in the matter of their bowers they display much in common.