BIRDS OF OUR BUSH 



down-hill again as silently as it had arrived. The adults 

 made several subsequent visits while we waited at the spot, 

 and appeared to take not the slightest notice of our presence. 



When we arrived back at the boarding-house, Dr. 

 Leach's "Australian Bird Book" was consulted, and our 

 find was identified. The word "very rare," which appeared 

 opposite the species in the publication referred to, whetted 

 our appetite for pictures, and next morning's breakfast 

 of ham and eggs was scantily appreciated. As soon as we 

 felt able, with due respect to the etiquette required on such 

 occasions, we left the table and collected our kits which in- 

 cluded, moreover, a very substantial lunch and a billy of tea. 



We found the trustfulness of the parents unaltered dur- 

 ing the night. If our feet happened to be across the path 

 they wished to pursue, they hopped on to and over these 

 rather prominent appendages apparently unconcerned. As 

 a, matter of fact, we have invariably found the species to be 

 as trustful of the human being as is the barn-door fowl. 

 While we ate our lunch the Pilot Birds picked up the 

 crumbs, especially the buttery bits, with apparent relish. 

 The young birds were also treated by their parents to this 

 unusual diet. Sometimes a crumb would fall on a boot, and 

 our subjects essayed its removal therefrom even while the 

 foot was swung to and fro. The diflficulties in the way 

 of successful photography, which were many and serious, 

 were certainly no fault of the birds. They came and went 

 just as if such things as human beings and cameras with 

 large staring eyes never existed. In the depth of the hill- 

 side scrub, however, the diflficulty of obtaining a sufficiency 

 of strong light for short exposures was almost insurmount- 

 able. It was quite useless to attempt to remove the 

 branches and leaves which stood in the way ; it would have 

 taken a week's work to do it, and we had but three days. 

 Now and again, however, a little patch of light admitted 

 from some rent in the leafy roof above advanced ever so 

 slowly towards the nest, hung there a while and departed 

 ever so quickly. The usual diflJiculties of the bird photo- 

 grapher were in attendance. When the light was ready the 

 birds were not, and vice versa. By blocking up the entrance 

 of the nest and persisting in other little unkindnesses, oflf 

 and on throughout the day, we were able to expose about 

 twenty plates, and expected some sort of result from ten of 

 them. All were absolute failures except two, which 



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