The Australian Lyre Bird is a most beautiful creature, said to be a
variety of the Bird of Paradise. It runs very quickly, and springs
very high, and calls very loudly. It lays but one egg a year and,
consequently, only has one baby per annum. It is a great mimic. Mr.
Metcalfe in his "Australian Zoology", describing it, says: "It is a
consummate mimic and ventriloquist. It imitates to perfection the
notes of all other birds, the united voices of a flock of parrakeets,
the barking of dogs, the sawing of timber and the clink of the
woodman's axe. This it has earned for itself the title of the
Australian Mocking Bird."