. The birds of Australia. Birds. THE LYEE-BIKD 261 crustaceans, beetles, and snails on which they feed. The. Lyre- bird is our most wonderful songster. Its own notes are peculiarly liquid and melodious, but not content with these it delights to reproduce the notes and calls of its neighbours and to mimic any sounds it may hear in the bush. When singing the bird can be approached with more ease, as it becomes less on the alert as it pours forth its soul in song. Then you may listen to a pro- gramme of many items, and did you not know that the solitary performer was before you, you would marvel


. The birds of Australia. Birds. THE LYEE-BIKD 261 crustaceans, beetles, and snails on which they feed. The. Lyre- bird is our most wonderful songster. Its own notes are peculiarly liquid and melodious, but not content with these it delights to reproduce the notes and calls of its neighbours and to mimic any sounds it may hear in the bush. When singing the bird can be approached with more ease, as it becomes less on the alert as it pours forth its soul in song. Then you may listen to a pro- gramme of many items, and did you not know that the solitary performer was before you, you would marvel at the number of. .% Victoria Lyre-bird: Menura victoriae. « Jb. ' V *% A-v- '"'^ 1 ⢠â¢^â -i > J. S: i X fe-'C^^-vt D. Le Bouef. diiferent birds taking part in the concert. The laugh of the Great Brown Kingfisher, the Kookaburra, is imitated to perfec- tion ; then may follow the feeding call or the scream of a Parrot; then the full rich notes of the Thrush; and so on one after another you will hear all the local birds. Thrown in, perhaps as comic items, the bird will give you the rap of the hammer as the settler is driving in his nails, or the hum and buzz of a circular saw, or the steam whistle for knocking off work; or even the bark of a dog, the howl of the Dingo and the crow of a Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Lucas, Arthur Henry Shakspere; Le SoueÌf, W. H. Dudley. Melbourne, London [etc. ] Whitcombe and Tombs Limited


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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1911