ruff towards any bright object, so that, in the Ionian Islands, it
will dart down to a bright-coloured handkerchief, regardless of
repeated shots. The common lark is drawn down from the sky, and is
caught in large numbers, by a small mirror made to move and glitter in
the sun. Is it admiration or curiosity which leads the magpie, raven,
and some other birds to steal and secrete bright objects, such as
silver articles or jewels?
Mr. Gould states that certain humming-birds decorate the outsides of
their nests with the utmost taste; they instinctively fasten thereon
beautiful pieces of flat lichen, the larger pieces in the middle, and
the smaller on the part attached to the branch. Now and then a pretty
feather is intertwined or fastened to the outer sides, the stem being
always so placed that the feather stands out beyond the surface. The
best evidence, however, of a taste for the beautiful is afforded by the
three genera of Australian bower-birds already mentioned. Their bowers
(Fig. 46), where the sexes congregate and play strange antics, are
variously constructed, but what most concerns us is, that they are
decorated by the several species in a different manner. The Satin
bower-bird collects gaily-coloured articles, such as the blue
tail-feathers of parrakeets, bleached bones and shells, which it sticks
between the twigs or arranges at the entrance. Mr. Gould found in one
bower a neatly-worked stone tomahawk and a slip of blue cotton,
evidently procured from a native encampment. These objects are
continually re-arranged, and carried about by the birds whilst at play.
The bower of the Spotted bower-bird is beautifully lined with tall
grasses, so disposed that the heads nearly meet, and the decorations
are very profuse. Round stones are used to keep the grass-stems in
their proper places, and to make divergent paths leading to the bower.
The stones and shells are often brought from a great distance. The
Regent bird, as described by Mr. Ramsay, ornaments its short bower with
bleached land-shells belonging to five or six species, and with
berries of various colours, blue, red, and black, which give it when
fresh a very pretty appearance. Besides these there were several
newly-picked leaves and young shoots of a pinkish colour, the whole
showing a decided taste for the beautiful. Well may Mr. Gould say that
these highly decorated halls of assembly must be regarded as the most
wonderful instances of bird-architecture yet discovered; and the
taste, as we see, of the several species certainly differs. (16. On the
ornamented nests of humming-birds, Gould, Introduction to the
435