252 Whitlock, Birds Breeding in Dumpier Archipelago . r,^f April 



I wished to photograph the nest in situ if practicable. To do this 

 necessitated opening out the top of the clump to enable a view to be 

 obtained of the nest. This, in the long run, proved too much for 

 the female, and she deserted the nest, which I removed a day or two 

 later. 



Nests of the Spinifex-Bird will always be most difficult to find, 

 owing to the dense nature of the haunts it inhabits. A few hints, 

 based on my own experiences, may be useful to some future field 

 naturalist who may attempt the task. In the first place, provide 

 gauntlets to cover the hands and wrists. I have torn the spinifex 

 to pieces with bare hands, but this entails some suffering from the 

 many minvite punctures to the skin. The points of the spines are 

 apt to break off and remain in the wounds, which become quite 

 painful in consequence. To attack the large, harsh clumps, I think 

 the best weapon of all would be a light pair of gardener's shears, kept 

 very sharp. One could work rapidly with these and without the 

 fear of accidentally damaging a nest, as might happen with an ill- 

 directed blow from a light axe or billhook. A tomahawk is of no 

 use. Having located a male, watch him and listen in an unobtrusive 

 way for the presence of his mate. The male always calls at daybreak, 

 and, unless it is very windy, at intervals during the day, and again 

 in the evening till after sunset. He is not timid, and will call from 

 any point of vantage. If the female is there she frequently adds 

 to his call of " Je suis " three harsh grating notes like the syllables 

 " Jut-jut-jut," the interval between the second and third notes 

 being shorter than that between the first and second. The female 

 is much more secretive than the male until the young are being fed. 

 Having located a pair, note, especially during the middle of the day, 

 what particular part of the spinifex the male calls from the most 

 frequently. I am of opinion the female does all the nest-building, 

 and that the male calls from any point of vantage near to the nest. 

 So far I have no evidence that the species builds in anything but the 

 harsh, prickly spinifex (Triodia) ; but it occasionally happens that 

 small bushes are surrounded by this grass, and a fork of such a bush 

 might be used as a nesting-site, provided it was well hidden by the 

 surrounding growth. In all, I have found but four nests, from three 

 of which the young had flown. One was in a very large clump, two 

 in rather smaller, and one in quite a small clump surrounding a 

 slender bush. I must state that pairs are only found where the 

 spinifex is of luxuriant growth, and not where a wide area presents 

 a view of innumerable small clumps. 



When one has formed a general idea as to the locality of the nest, 

 commence the search by examining each clump for any opening 

 sufficient to allow the entry of a small bird, and not too den.sc to 

 furnish a cavity sufhcient to contain the somewhat large and sub- 

 stantial nest. Avoid those matted clumps that will bear the weight 

 of a lo-stone man. The rest is a matter of patient watching and 

 persevering work with the shears. The nests I found were all 

 higher than the centre of the clump. The base of the spinifex is 

 usually too dense and matted to afford a nesting-site. The eggs 

 of the Spinifex-Bird have been described by Mr. H. L. White. They 

 show an affinity with those of Megahtrus and also with those of the 

 European Grasshopper-Warbler {Locustella ncevia). The nest, too. 

 though it differs from that of Megalurus striatus, is not unlike that 

 of the Grasshopper-Warbler, being entirely composed of fine grasses, 

 without any lining of fur or feather. The three species of birds, 



