340 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA. 



the surface, enabling it easily to elude pursuit, and amply 

 com[)ensating for the paucity of its powers of flight. The 

 tail is carried in an erect position, and is even occasionally 

 retroverted over the back. 



The nest, which is a small ball-shaped structure, with 

 rather a large opening on one side, is composed of grasses 

 lined with feathers, and artfully concealed in a tuft of grass 

 or low shrub. One that I found in Recherche Bay contained 

 three newly-hatched young : this being the only nest I ever 

 met with, I am unable to give any description of its eggs 

 from my own observation ; but this want is supplied in the 

 following account of this species from the pen of Mr. E. P. 

 Ramsay, published in the ' Ibis ' for 1865 : — 



"I had for many days visited the swamps upon Long 

 Island, where these birds are very plentiful, in the hope of 

 finding them breeding; but it was not until the 25th of 

 September that I succeeded in discovering a nest, although I 

 had watched them for hours together for several days. While 

 walking along the edge of the swamp on that day, a female 

 flew from my feet out of an overhanging tuft of grass growing 

 only a few yards from the water's edge. Upon lifting up the 

 leaves of the grass which had been bent down by the wind, 

 I found its nest carefully concealed near the roots, and 

 containing three eggs. They were quite warm, and within a 

 few days of being hatched, which may account for the bird 

 being unwilling to leave the spot; for upon my returning 

 about five minutes afterwards, the female was perched upon 

 the same tuft of grass, and within a few inches of whence I 

 had taken the nest. The nest is of an oval form (but that 

 part which might be termed the true nest is perfectly round), 

 placed upon its side ; the mouth very large, taking up the 

 whole of the under part of the front. It is very shallow, 

 so much so that, if tilted slightly, the eggs would roll out, 

 being almost upon a level with the edge. It is outwardly 

 composed of grass and the young dry shoots of the reeds 



