This month I had the gratification of seeing the Satin Bower Birds playing about a perfect bower within one chain of a country school, and within one yard of a busy roadside. The birds have quite made friends with the school children. They have helped themselves to the blue flowers from the school garden, pieces of blue paper, and even a blue hair ribbon, besides blue parrot's feathers. These are used to decorate this very interesting playhouse. Unfortunately, Satin Bower Birds are mainly fruit-eaters, and so will possibly do some damage, but they are amongst the wonders of the world, and it is hoped all will hesitate to shoot them, "for their highly-decorated halls of assembly must be regarded as the most wonderful instances of bird-architecture yet discovered." The male gets his beautiful blue-black coat after he is seven years old. Many of the schools of South Gippsland can show Satin Bower-Birds regularly in attendance at lunch-time to gather the crusts. We have destroyed their native fruits, and should submit to some slight loss to enable young Australians to become familiar with the "most interesting group of birds" in the world. (continued below) ==== [Page 187b] F. 163. PTILONORHYNCHIDAE (11), BOWER-BIRDS, Regent-Bird, Cat (Gardener) Bird, 37 sp. A. 1 1 =385* Satin Bower-Bird=, Satin Bird, _Ptilonorhynchus violaceus_, E.A. Stat. r. _coast-scrubs_, _mt.-gullies_ 12.5 Lustrous blue-black, with black centres to feathers; f.,* upper grayish-green; quills dark-brown; tail golden-brown; under yellow, washed bluish-green, marked blackish-brown; young male up to 3 years sim. to f. Gets fully adult blue-black after 7 years of age. Fruits, berries, insects. Many notes, mimics. [Page 188a] [Illustration: [386] [387] [388] [389] [390]] 5 6 =386* Spotted Bower-Bird=, Cabbage-Bird, _Chlamydera maculata_, E.A, S.A. (inland). Stat. v.r. _dry scrubs_ 12 Upper dark-brown spotted buff; rose-lilac opalescent plumes on nape; tail tipped buff, white; abdomen pale creamy-buff, flanks barred dusky brown; f., no rose-lilac plumes. Varied, harsh, plaintive notes, mimics. ==== Order XXI. (continued) The members of the Crow Family--the _Corvidae_--were considered the most highly-developed of birds--the most highly organized, so far as structure was concerned, and the most intelligent. However, Sharpe has erected the seven Australian Bell-Magpies (_Streperas_) into a family which, in his _Hand-List of Birds_ is placed at the top of the bird tree. In the Crow Family many well-known birds are placed. The Jays, Magpie, Daws, Rooks, and Nutcrackers of Europe are not represented in Australia. The Crows and the Raven, however, are represented by closely-related birds. It is important to tell the difference between the Australian Crow and the Australian Raven, for, we are told, the Crow is all that is good, while the Raven is the reverse.