BOWER, Frederick Orpen, English botan ist: b. Ripon, 4 Nov. 1855. He was educated at Repton and Trinity College, Cambridge, and has been regius professor of botany at Glasgow University since 1885. His works include
of Practical Instruction in Botany' (3d ed., 1891) ;
Botany for Be ginners> (1894) ;
a group of birds dwell ing in Australia and the neighboring islands, remarkable for the construction of bowers or in addition to their ordinary breeding-nests. They were formerly con sidered as members of the family of the birds of-paradise, but now the numerous genera and species are placed in the family of Ptilonor hynchider. There are 14 genera, embracing about 37 species. All are moderate size, of dark and plain plumage, having few ornaments of color and none of feather characteristic of other birds-of-paradise, although, like them, they are of arboreal habits, feed mainly upon fruits, and construct rather rude nests for their eggs in branches of trees. The birds were first described by Dr. John Gould, the orni thological explorer of Australia, in 1840. In addition to the nest proper, the males of all the bower-birds build upon the ground bowers or shelters of various forms, which serve as places for assembling and holding the series of antics or dances, in rivalry with each other, and as a display of their respective attractions to the females, in which these birds indulge during the season of courtship. These build ings always occupy a little space in the forest which is first carefully cleared of every ob struction, so that they look like small cultivated lawns. A few species are content with such a lawn, but most erect buildings which vary in form according to the species. The satin-bird (Ptilorynchus violaceus) of southern Australia, the most familiar of these, is about the size and somewhat the shape of a jackdaw, but the sexes are dissimilar, the males having a plumage of satiny black, while the females and young are grayish green. It forms of twigs, a few inches in length, an oblong, dome-shaped hut, open at each end and floored with twigs. The sides of this hut are formed of slender twigs, planted upright, and leaning inward to form a roof. Its floor, and the ground all about it, are strewn with highly colored feathers and bright ob jects of all sorts, which the bird brings, day by day, sometimes from a great distance, to add to his store, replacing dull or faded pieces with something better as he finds them. The people of the region are accustomed to search these collections for such lost articles as bits of bright jewelry, which the birds frequently seize and take there. The spotted bower-birds, of the genus Chlamydera, form "runs" or avenues about three feet long, formed of a dense plat form of sticks fenced in on each side by a hedge of upright twigs, and place near it hun dreds of white pebbles, pieces of bleached bone, shells and bright objects, which they rearrange with incessant activity. The regent bird, Seri culus chrysocephalus, which has • a rather limited range in the region north of Sydney, and breeds along the Brisbane River, gathers snail-shells exclusively. Another species make
several little huts—a miniature of a village of the black fellows. The most remarkable of these structures, however, is that of a New Guinea species (Amblyornis inornatus) which is called "gardener-bird" in the books. This bird clears a space around the base of a small tree, and then piles up around its base a cone of moss, about 18 inches in height. Outside of this, and at a distance of four or five inches, it plants a circle•of twigs, some of which are two feet in length, so that they form a conical hut, covering and enclosing the inner cone. Two doors are left in this outer hut at opposite sides. The twigs of which this "wigwam' is composed are always the thin stems of an epiphytal orchid, which retain their leaves and remain alive and blooming for a long time; and it is believed by Dr. Beccari, who first described this bird, that the orchids are chosen because they will remain alive. He says, how ever, that this apparent attempt to provide flowers is not restricted to the cabin. Directly in front of the entrance is made a miniature meadow of soft moss, which is kept smooth and clean, and upon which are scattered flowers and fruit of different colors, bright fungi and brilliantly colored insects, so that the place reminds one of an elegant little garden. More over, when these objects have been exposed so long as to become wilted they are taken away and replaced by others, so that it seems impossible to believe that the birds do not take a real delight in the freshness of their flowers, and the brightness and color of their orna ments. The activity and curiosity of all these bower-birds are strong characteristics, and they seem to derive great amusement, not only from their architectural arrangements, but in gather ing, placing and rearranging their treasures, and in keeping the premises in the neatest and prettiest condition possible. It is difficult to understand how any other purpose is served by these structures than simply that of providing a convenient place for the lively movements by which they display themselves to the females, as has been alluded to above, and for the duels which frequently take place between rival males, sometimes with fatal results; but to this must be added the gratification of an inherited instinct of acquisitiveness, and a real delight in beautiful things. The species of another genus (Prionadura) make similar "bowers* four to six feet high.
Detailed descriptions of these and several other similar birds and their works will be found in the books relating to the ornithology of Australia and New Guinea, and especially in the writings of the Italian naturalists, Beccari and Salvatori. An excellent résumé may be read in Lydekker's