VoK^xi.j WLexn, Biish-Biyds of New Zealand. 75 



July, but I saw a little of it as early as 21st May, in 1006. The 

 trill, too, became common about the end of August, and later on 

 had ])ractically taken the place of the winter notes. As spring 

 advanced the males wandered, in the most restless manner, all 

 over the country, in search of rivals : and their little beaks snai)ped 

 in anger when they mrt and chased each other, with peevish 

 twitter, wiiile conflicts in the air, usually ending on the ground, 

 were of daily occurrence. All day long, at this season, for some 

 weeks, they could be seen and heard trilling, often at an unusual 

 height, in the larger trees, but ever in that state of seemingly 

 nervous anxiety to reach some one of the many defiant rivals 

 trilling furtlicr off. This trill, which had now become so general, 

 was very rarel\- indeed heard in winter, and then only on some 

 unusually tine day ; and it seemed to the writer as if, at this later 

 period, it was the song, used rather as the serenade to the female, 

 busy with domestic cares in the vicinity, than as the challenge of 

 the earlier part of the season. 



I telt sure the Pied Tits were breeding in the early spring ; l)ut 

 the wandering male and his unassuming mate made it as difficult 

 as they could for me to locate the nest, and only one was found. 

 A male was frequently singing about our camp in October ; and his 

 favourite ])erch was the grindstone, from which he used to fly, 

 at intervals, to a large rata {\fetrosideros robtista), about 100 yards 

 away across the creek. I used to watch him, and lie in wait at 

 the rata, but could never make anything of him. However, on 

 Qth October I saw a male fly from a stump some distance up the 

 face, and on looking found the nest, which both birds were 

 building, and which was almost completed. It turned out to be 

 our friend of the camp who was a partner, but I must say that, 

 as far as I could see, he spent more time down at the tents than he 

 did with his mate. Still, although the nest was almost finished, 

 I did see him giving some help that afternoon, and also next 

 day, when I purposely watched the pair. As Httle was required, 

 they did not do a great deal, and when the male did come he 

 passed the material over to the female, who was always within 

 call of the site. On 12th October the nest was complete, but 

 contained no eggs : and as I was leaving the bush next day I took 

 a couple of photographs of it. I have seen the nest elsewhere, 

 and this one was fairly typical as regards the site, but the open 

 character of the cavity in which it was placed did not allow of so 

 much concealment as usual. However, it was placed about four 

 feet up in the hollow side of a decaying stump in a steep face 

 of open tawhera. It was composed wholly of fine greenish moss, 

 well packed, with just a patch here and there of web and leaf- 

 skeletons. Inside was a single leaf-skeleton pressed well down 

 amid the moss of one side. The nest measured about 5 inches 

 across, and the cavity, 2^ inches wide, was about an inch in 

 depth. At its back a small accumulation of moss and leaves 

 gave it a slightly domed appearance, but this. I fancy, was not 

 intentional, but simply meant to fill up a crevice. 



