Voi.xviii.j Edwards, The Nesting of Lyre-Btrds. 299 



for its large and conspicuous nest. I have found it among ferns 

 and undergrowth on tlie margins of mountain creeks, on logs 

 and low rocks in open forest country, destitute of any cover ; on 

 the top of wild vines ; at the foot of large tree-ferns, and in the 

 crown of tall ones ; while in one instance the nest was discovered 

 in the fork of a tree over 18 feet above ground. 



The female exhibits no shyness when there is a chick in the 

 nest. While examining a young bird I have seen the female 

 scratching about contentedly not four yards away. Indeed, when 

 the young bird, on being handled, uttered its piercing call, the 

 watchful parent, moved by that " mother-love which is stronger 

 than the fear of death," came fussing distressedly around my 

 feet. The male, however, kept at a safe distance, merely 

 exhibiting himself occasionally on a low tree-branch or log, with 

 his fine tail spread. In one instance I found a grub, probably 

 the larva of a sarcophaga, or carnivorous fly, attached to the 

 beak of a young Lyre-Bird, near the root. This parasite, however, 

 disappeared before the chick left the nest. 



As the Lyre-Bird is most at home about gullies in dense scrubs 

 and remote mountain ranges, it should be in no danger of ex- 

 tinction. Its chief enemies are the " tail hunter " and the fox. 

 The latter, I think, often disposes of the Lyre-Bird chick while 

 in the nest. 



The Kookaburra. 



By J. T. Ryan, Parkville (Vic.) 



(Communicated by Mr. D. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S.) 



During the last few months I have seen several articles appearing 

 in the Argii^s condemning this bird as an outlaw. Mr. Tom Fisher, 

 of Ercildoune, says he creates a lot of havoc by eating our small 

 insectivorous birds and robbing their nests. Well, I have spent 

 most of my life in the bush — that is, about 30 years — and I have 

 never seen the Kookaburra kill a small bird or interfere with 

 their nests. I have always been a keen observer of nature and 

 studied the habits of most of our native birds, and always looked 

 upon the Kookaburra as one of the best birds we have in 

 Australia. I have seen him killing snakes up to 3 feet long 

 on several occasions. His method of doing so was to pounce on 

 the snake and secure a good hold of it just behind the head, about 

 2 inches back from its fangs ; then it would get up on the branch 

 of a tree and beat the life out of it on one of the limbs, but never 

 for a moment relaxing its hold on the snake. Sometimes another 

 Kookaburra would get hold of the snake's tail and also drive his 

 strong bill into the l)()dy of the snake — in fact, I have seen as 

 many as four Kookaburras at the one snake, but the one tliat 

 had the snake by the head never let go his hold until the snake 

 was dead. Sometimes the snake would coil around the neck 



