EIGHT YEARS' TRAVEL IN AUSTRALIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2250, 15 April 1897, Page 51

EIGHT YEARS' TRAVEL IN AUSTRALIA.

BY COMPAGKON, WAIKAYVA)

(Wkittesforthe Witness Ltttle Folks

xv. I To particularise, or eveu briefly notice, all the ! birds indigenous to Australia would far exceedthe limit of these sketches, and my youog readers must be content with reference to a few of the most interesting by reason of their matchless beauty and peculiarity of existence.

Few countries can vie with Australia in the varied and lovely splendour of its birds.

Sitting by a river side afc evening, you are enchanted with the aurpa sing be*utifulness of the innumerab'e brightly-plumaged birds that come fco drink.

Every hue, every tint of the rainbow, is depicted in these beauteous wings thab dish in the r*ys ot the stttiDg sun witb, ever-changiog splendour.

High on a gnarled limb a giant eagle sits lazily blinking at the auu, its bodr a deep sombre brown, its neck clothed in shining gold ; while circling round sweep the tiny, swift-winged paroquet?, gathered in little groups, wheeling aud counter-wheeling among the trees with lightning Fpsed. tbeir many coloured, plumes flashing )ike emeraldi set in rnbiec.

Ever and avon cockatoos ot dazzling whiteness tmerge from bbc d*rk grreoery of tho lofty gums, and drop silently tt wards tho ground like snow fl.*keb, while from afar you hear the noble turkey c lining fiom the Arid plains to quench its thirs-t, the measured be\N ing of its wings sounding in the *>tiUues3 or <he. evt-ning a'r like an iipproaching locomotive.

While you are Is afc m admirAcou at the lovely plumage of there many-coloured birds, ono of a beauty less pretentious .".lights at the water's edge, and instantly t'aera in a, greY; commotion. It is a bower bird, and sll the others 'simultaneously attack ifc ; but, lo ! the piercicg scream of a sparrow hawk i« heard, and the bower bird's enemies fly speedily away and leave ifc unmolested.

It is a little bird, less than the smallest kind of pigeon, and it seems surprising thab ifc also doe» no 1 ; peek safety in fli. hi; but no, ifc quittly dtinkc, then rising to a bough near by ifc plumes its feathers unconcernedly, and if you notice ifc with cara you soon will learn thab ;b had no Ciuee for fear.

It is a. mocker, and mimics every bird and animal <hafc is iiear, and when its eneojies> molest ifc the bower biid emits the cry of n pparrow hawk to frighten its tormoiitora. But ihis *s : .ni-,»reaiiug and attracts your notice ; you desire to luarn ajore of thi6 curious bird, and follow it rowardß its nest, and lo ! ycur interest is deepened. Beneath a waupur (willow) tree, low ou the ground, this cunning little mocker has madp a lovely bower. Twigs and reeds are bent so ao to form the roof, dried lewts or moss are B'rewn to form the floor. Here a lktle heap of boCe?, there a pi!e of guondong s'ones, pieces of pottery ware, spent bullefce, pebbles, or white quartz are raved iv perfect harmony and symmetry to ornament the bower, and proudly the pretty architect struts about its fanciful home, uttering its quninb and cuiicus m'micry.

Cco-ee ' You start and look arouud, expeefcing to fee somecne approach, and as if the bower bird enjoyed tbe trick ifc played, ifc laughs aloud, Ho ! ho ! ha !ha' ha ! wo ! ha !ha ! ha ! and then to make atonement for its mockery, you will bs enchanted with the clear sweei. notes cf a mavis or a magpie. Its laughter i 3in mimicry of anothpr curious bird — tha laughing jackass or snake drstroyer. If you look afc tho common kingfisher which frequents the rivers or lagoons of this colony, jou will see in ifc an exacb prototype in form of the Ausbralian jackass. Tae latter is larger, of brighter plumage, but; in the formation of the bill, body, and tail they are very similar. They are the earliest mere of the birds of the forest, and as soon as day dawns their loud laughter resounds through the woods. As a destroyer of snakes this bird is invaluable, and a severe penalty is inflicted on any person found shoot'ng them. Silently perched on the limb of a tree, the laughing jackass scans the ground beneath, and on noticing any reptile crawling ifc will dart from its perch, seize the snake by the nape of the neck iv its strong bill, then, flying high up in the air, ifc -will drop the reptile to the ground.

This is repeated several times until its prey is killed, when the jackass will devour ifc. Even the larger snakes which ifc may nob eafc this valuable bird kills in the same way, as if ifc were aware thafc thete are dangerous aud deadly enemies fit only to ba destroyed. Scorpions, adders, centipedes, and tarantulas ifc preys upon and destroys continually. Bub f» v grace and mafccbleßS beauty the lyre bird of Australia stands pre-eminently graceful and lovely. This bird ii, bo far as I can ascertain, unknown in any other country, and is the

only species o£ tho genus to which ifc belongs. Ifc derives its name from the tail feathers of the male bird being arranged io the form of a lyre — that is, a musical instrument somewhat resembling a barp which was used many, many years ago by the ancients.

So inexoressibiy handsome in this lovely bird that on iirst seeing one I was so struck with its wondrous beauty thafc ifc was not in me lo shoot it, and when ifc fell fco the guv of my companion my heart bled for the poor lyre bird so beautiful to look upon. Ifc abounds mostly in Giopslaud. Ifc is shy and retiring, and very difficult to capture. To shoot; them a dog is needed to rou-e them from the undergrowth, when they will fly up on to a trea and can (hen bo shob. But it there exists a bird deserving of protection ib is this lovely creature — a very symbol of grace and symmetry, a marvel of the feathered tribe.

Aud vefc with all their gorgeous plumage the birds of Australia cannot sing. Their notes are as a rule harsh and discordant. They screech, scream, laugh, and ulter noises, bub all are inharmonious excepting perhaps tho magpie ; but. nearly all of them are easily taught fco talk, and very plainly.

There is a libtla psrrofc, grey of colour wibh a top-knot, which can be taught to say a good many words within a fortnight, and ib can be taught to repeat with tmrprising clearness almost any short sentence after a few months.

Cockatoo*, galas, paroquets, and magpies make excellent pets, and tbe litter, by its cunning and knowing ways, is especially interesting and amusing.

I remember one- of them whose cage was hanging at a shop door near Flinders street wharf backing a horee and dray into thg river. It had been listening to the draymen calliug " Whoa back ! " to their horses, and oue day a dray was standing near the water, when the magpie called " Whoa buck ! whoa back.! " till the horse went backwards until ifc and the dray to which it was attached wenb over the wha:f and into the Yana.