Barnard, Field Notes from Cape Yovk. 31 



about 30 yards from that of Cvacticiis qunyi. The Manucodes 

 finished building first, and I secured a pair of eggs from their 

 nest. One egg was laid in the Butcher-Bird's nest, and some wild 

 creature took it, and the birds left the locality. Some time after- 

 wards I located another nest of Craolicus quoyi, containing one 

 egg, and here also was a pair of Manucodes. After watching 

 them for some time I found that they were building in a small 

 tree, about 50 yards distant from the tree in which the Butcher- 

 Birds' nest was built. Both nests were about 50 yards from the 

 scrub, in forest country. Five days later I returned and secured 

 the eggs of the Butcher-Bird, the Manucodes' nest being almost 

 completed at the time. The same day, about half a mile away, 

 I found another nest of C. quoyi., containing four eggs, which 

 I took. On descending the tree I noticed a pair of Manucodes a 

 short distance away, and, as they seemed uneasy, I decided to watch 

 them. After about an hour had passed, one of the birds flew into the 

 top of a tall tree, between 30 and 40 yards distant from the tree 

 from which I had recently taken the eggs of C. quoyi, and, on 

 investigation, I found an almost completed nest. I returned to 

 camp well satisfied, and a week later visited the nests, only to find, 

 to my intense disgust, that both were deserted, and that there were 

 no signs of the birds about. Even then I did not grasp the idea 

 that the birds had forsaken their nests because the Butcher-Birds had 

 left the locality. 



In a week's time I found another nest of C. quoyi, containing eggs, 

 and a Manucode's nest building in a tree about 50 yards away. I 

 took the eggs of the former species, and returned in 7 days to find 

 that history had repeated itself — the birds were gone. Then I 

 realized that the Manucodes built near C. quoyi for protection, and 

 that if C. qtioyi were disturbed they left too. I now deter- 

 mined to hunt up all the nests of C. quoyi that I could, but, though 

 I located several, I did not find the Manucodes also. Finally I found 

 a pair of Butcher-Birds, and with them a pair of Manucodes. For 

 several days I watched the birds without result, then gave up, but 

 returned after 10 days. The Butcher-Birds were quiet, but the 

 Manucodes were very restless when they saw me. As it was forest 

 country, and near the edge of the scrub, I retired some distance and 

 hid. After waiting some time, a White Cockatoo (Cacatua galenta) 

 came slowly along and perched on the top of a bushy tree about 50 

 yards from the scrub. Instantly both the Butcher-Birds arrived, 

 and a lively time ensued, which ended in all three birds landing on 

 the ground at the foot of a tree. After putting up a good fight for 

 a while, the Cockatoo left hurriedly, with both Butcher-Birds in hot 

 pursuit. They returned, and one flew directly into the top of the 

 tree where the intruder had been, and remained there. " Nest No. i," 

 I thought. Tliis time the Manucodes remained in the tree in which 

 I had first seen them. One of them, however, flew into a thick clump 

 of leaves in a thin bloodwood {Eucalyptus). I waited some time, 

 and, as the bird did not reappear, I knew that I had located " nest 

 No. 2." The Manucodes' nest contained two fresh eggs, that of 

 the Butcher-Bird a small young one. 



I had now disturbed both the C. quoyi and Manucodes for a con- 

 siderable distance round. A few days later I heard, in a different 

 locality, the warbling note of C. quoyi in forest country, about 200 

 yards from a scrub. I instantly made towards the sound, and while 

 I was doing so a Manucode flew directly over my head and made for 



