Vol. XI. 

 1912 



] M'Lean, Bush-Birds of New Zealand. 227 



pair, of the presence of which in the vicinity I had, until then, 

 been ignorant. They came within 3 feet of me. The male, in the 

 advance, was very angry, and scolded with the faint rattled note, 

 while the female backed him up on the same log, both drooping 

 their little wings in great excitement. On one occasion I was 

 resting in the bush and observing a party of Whiteheads above, 

 when a pair of Riflemen came near. I kept perfectly still, and 

 had the satisfaction of seeing the male first settle on my boot and 

 thence run uj) the legging to my knee. There he paused for a 

 moment's survey ere he flitted off to join his mate. In this no 

 curiosity or fear was shown, but he was wide awake. It seems 

 well able to take care of itself, and in the daily visits to our camp 

 this alertness always saved it from the cat, who was sorely 

 tempted, and I have seen the male boldly face and rate the Falcon 

 sitting in too close proximity to his haunt. 



From what had been read about the bird's nesting habits in 

 other parts, it was thought that the Rifleman would be found 

 breeding early in the spring ; but, although no other species was 

 more carefully watched, it was not until the last few days of my 

 stay in igo6 that a nest was obtained. From observations made 

 at this nest, it was evident that the birds are far too circumspect 

 to reveal the nesting site. This is somewhat strange of a bird 

 which at other times pays little regard to the presence of man ; 

 but it was noticeable to the writer that some other species which, 

 in the more open country, are more in touch with human beings, 

 and are not there so tame as when met with in the virgin forest, 

 do not display so much caution when nesting in the former as they 

 do when building in the bush. 



On 8th October a glimpse was obtained of a bird carrying some- 

 thing into a steep face of felled bush in the Mangamaia Creek. 

 Some considerable time was spent on the loth in an endeavour 

 to locate the nest by watching from the opposite bank, but the 

 birds could not be seen. However, on the following day a more 

 careful approach was made, and from my hiding-place the female 

 was seen flitting in the felling on the face, and soon disappeared 

 under a small felled tawhera limb which hung a foot outwards 

 from the mass of exposed rootlets that fringed the top of a steep 

 stone face about 18 feet from the water. After about a minute 

 the bird emerged and flew quickly off, but returned in a few 

 moments and again enteredj. She stayed inside for a second or 

 so only, and on coming out evidently saw me, for she flew over 

 the creek and started explorations about the bole of a large birch. 

 There the male soon joined her, and, although watched for fifty-five 

 minutes, they never approached nearer than 50 feet to their nest, 

 and then only as if in the usual course of their hunting. During 

 this time no difference in their behaviour from that usually observed 

 could be detected ; and, as I had known and watched this par- 

 ticular pair for some months, I came to the conclusion that there 

 is little or nothing in the actions of the nesting Rifleman to betray 

 the fact. At the end of the hour, the female, who had worked 



