. The bird, its form and function . Fig. -Useful tail of PeacockPheasant. 420 The Bird and then to feed when she calls them, then hurryingback to their snug shelter. Thus when she walks fromplace to place, the tiny feet of the chicks may be seenscurrying along beneath the beautiful tail-feathers, all. Fig. 336.—Tail of Lyre-bird. but their legs concealed from view, giving a most re-markable appearance to the mother bird. Among ornamental tails assumed for show during thebreeding season, that of the Lyre-bird of Australia isunequalled. The name is well given, since the outertail-feathers
. The bird, its form and function . Fig. -Useful tail of PeacockPheasant. 420 The Bird and then to feed when she calls them, then hurryingback to their snug shelter. Thus when she walks fromplace to place, the tiny feet of the chicks may be seenscurrying along beneath the beautiful tail-feathers, all. Fig. 336.—Tail of Lyre-bird. but their legs concealed from view, giving a most re-markable appearance to the mother bird. Among ornamental tails assumed for show during thebreeding season, that of the Lyre-bird of Australia isunequalled. The name is well given, since the outertail-feathers carry out the graceful, curving outline of Tails 421 the classic form of a lyre; while twelve of the centralfeathers, so scantily barbed that their sterns are plainlyvisible, hold positions corresponding to the strings ofthat ancient instrument. The two elongated middlefeathers cross each other and curve outward, adding stillmore to the decorative effect ofthis strangel} beautiful we find that thesebirds are better runners thanfliers. The females lack the or-namental tail. If we judge from analogywith the human race, when aninordinate amount of ostenta-tious show is noticeable amongbirds, we occasionally find thatit is, in a sense, a sham display;although the analogy ceases whenwe
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Keywords: ., bookauthorbeebewil, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookyear1906
