^°\i^^] TREGELLAS, \otes on the Lyre-Bird. 97 



An hour later I had a splencUd view of a male on his mound. 

 He was not ]0 yards from me, and for a quarter of an hour 

 rej^aled me with an assortment of mimicry which I have never 

 heard equalled; nor did he once elevate his tail. Not till he 

 moved off did he alter its position, and then it was spread fan- 

 wise behind, straight out, parallel with the ground; the wide 

 feathers at the outside. Many new mounds were built in this 

 locality, one of them nearly 10 feet in diameter, and several 

 inches in height. 



On August 1st, I took two visitors to the nest containing the 

 egg. We found the egg cold, and apparently deserted. The 

 mounds in the vicinity had a neglected look, but whilst searching 

 round about we had the good fortune to find a nest we had 

 passed close by on two previous visits. This nest was close 

 to where we picked up the dead bird previously. When we 

 almost stumbled over the nest, the hen flew out with a piercing- 

 scream, which told us that the nest contained a well-mcubated 

 egg. Investigation proved the truth of our theory, as the egg 

 was shiny, hot and dry. The nest was away from the creek 

 in a position which no one but a Lyre-Bird would have chosen. 

 This partictilar nest was destined to be much in our thoughts 

 during the next few weeks, as the hen bird was the most docile 

 and tractable of all we interviewed, the nest w^as in a good 

 position in regard to light and surroundings, and the young one 

 of a most lovable and trusting disposition. 



At dawn on August 8th we were out, as it was a day of 

 great expectations. The Lyre-Birds were calling well down 

 the gully, and when we neared the site of the first nest we re- 

 ceived a pleasant surprise when, stalking a calling male, we 

 walked right on to another nest containing a cold egg, making 

 the third in the gully. This nest was a hundred yards from 

 the creek, well up the hill, in a position where we had pre- 

 viously searched. 



The morning of August 22nd broke with a howling gale, but 

 we shouldered our cameras. At No. 1 nest we found a chick 

 about a week old and the mother close at hand. The baby 

 was a fluffy mass of soft grey down, soft and smooth and warm. 

 Taking his photo, we moved on to nest No. 2. Nearing this, 

 the hen flew out with a rush, and we found the egg very hot. 

 This was luck, as we thought the nest deserted on account of 

 •our frequent visits. Then on to No. 3 nest, in which the egg 

 was cold. Photographing the nest, we conducted a strenuous 

 search in the u])per reaches of the gully, and were delighted 

 when, passing the nest on our return, the hen flew out, showing 

 that she intended to sit. 



We went back to the nest that contained the downy cliick. 

 The little fellow on being touched emitted a shriek that brought 

 his mother post haste, and she gave us a most interesting half- 

 hour. We took several snaps of the birds, and had a most 



