228 M'Lean, Bush-Birds of New Zealand. [,.rA"rii 



up unobserved through the felled timber, paid a momentary visit 

 of inspection, just slipping in and out and away like a flash. Before 

 proceeding to examine the nest, which my impending departure 

 made necessary, on 12th October I again carefully approached and 

 watched for the birds, as on the previous day. Both male and 

 female were seen to enter on several occasions. They generally 

 came unseen through the felled stuff, rested a moment on the 

 overhanging limb, and invariably flew directly out, disappearing 

 in the felled scrub again. On one occasion the female was in at 

 the nest when the male brought something. He went in too, 

 but came out almost immediately, having handed over his supply 

 of material to his mate inside. It was afterwards found that the 

 nest was practically finished, and this would account for the 

 infrequent visits, and for so little time being spent inside. The 

 material, too, was so fine that it rarely could be seen whether the 

 birds were carrying anything at all. Being now satisfied that 

 both birds worked at building, a move was made to photograph 

 the site before going up to the nest. This caused the birds to 

 cease their operations, and they disappeared ; but while taking 

 the nest the male sounded his rattling note in the timber near, 

 but was never visible. From the above it may be seen how careful 

 the birds are when they know that danger threatens their home. 

 The position of the nest did not admit of its being photographed 

 in situ, and, even had it been possible to rig a camera up in such 

 an insecure spot, the nest was absolutely hidden in the mass of 

 rootlets ; so, after removal, it was carefully photographed in the 

 bed of the creek below, simply resting on the stones at the foot of 

 the bank (Plate XXIII.) Amid these roots, with its base in touch 

 with the more or less distributed mould, the nest was hidden, its 

 entrance being about 8 inches from the outside ; and although it 

 was, in a way, supported by the rootlets, none was incorporated 

 with the material of which it was composed. Other nests have, 

 I believe, been observed in holes and cavities of tree-trunks, 

 so this may have been a somewhat unusual position. Some 

 readers may possibly know the style of architecture employed 

 by the family PittidcB in Australia, to which Acanthidositta 

 {Xenicida) is considered akin — dwarf Pittas, in fact ; and so, 

 although a full description of this nest has already been published 

 in The Ibis, it may be of interest for comparison if repeated 

 here. As will be seen from the illustration, it is a work of con- 

 siderable labour and skill on the part of so small a bird, and on 

 the day of removal, although dry and somewhat lighter, it 

 weighed iif ozs. It is a compact, oval ball, with one end slightly 

 flattened. In height it measures 5 inches, in breadth 5.1 inches, 

 and in length 5.5 inches. It is composed principally of very fine 

 rootlets, much interwoven, a little moss, a few leaf skeletons, and 

 one or two pieces of bleached ribbon-like bark are intermixed. 

 The flattened end is wholly composed of very lightly interwoven 

 rootlets, through which the entrance, .85 inch in diameter, tunnels 

 for 1.8 inches to the circular egg-chamber, about 2.5 inches in 



