98 TREGELLAS, Xotes on the Lyre-Bird. ^f^cT 



enjoyable time. This was a memorable day in our annals of 

 Lyre-Birding, and will remain with us through the coming 

 years. 



August 29lh found us again in company, and the birds by 

 now were beginning to know us at sight. At nest Xo. 1 the 

 young one was doing well. After exposing all our plates and 

 films, we spent two hours adding to our knowledge of the lives 

 and habits of this charming l)ird of the solitudes, and left re- 

 gretfully at the end of the ])rogramme. At the second nest, 

 we found the c^^g hatched and a dear little chick of three days. 

 We regretted that we had no plates remaining. The third nest 

 still held a warm egg, which was hopeful, as on more than 

 one occasion we had found it cold. 



I might here mention that // appears unnecessary for the 

 hen bird to sit continuously. We have found the egg inter- 

 mittently hot and cold, yet the young bird has safely emerged. 

 Another item worth mentioning is that, after the egg is laid, 

 the hen bird often leaves it for a week or two before beginning 

 the duties of incubation. This, I feel sure, has led many 

 observers to say that the j)eriod of incubation covers eight 

 weeks. We have found 40 days to be the a\erage time of 

 sitting. 



On September 5th the first nest (with the three weeks' old 

 chick) was worked for a while. We took many photographs, 

 but the old bird gave much trouble. At No. 2 nest (10 days' 

 chick) we photographed the chick, but the adult, in spite of 

 the clamour of the young, refrained from coming near. No. 3 

 nest contained a bird about three days old. It was very quiet. 

 emitting at times a faint whistle, and no amount of calling 

 would bring the mother in sight. 



On September 12th, with the weather very bad, we took 1(> 

 snaps of the young and old birds at No. 1 nest. This young 

 bird was then one month old, and getting his (juills well out. 

 The light was bad, rain fell steadily, and leeches were very 

 troublesome. At Xo. 2 nest (3 weeks' chick) the mother was 

 flying and jumping from log and fern in a disconcerting maimer, 

 cannoning from fern trunk to fern trunk at all conceivable 

 angles, even alighting for a moment on the camera. As it 

 rained hard no i)ictures were taken. .\t No. 3 nest ( 10 days' 

 young) everything was (|uiet. The young one scarcely spoke, 

 but the mother walked about the nest, saying what she thought 

 of us. 



A (juiet night and steady .soaking rain made the going bad on 

 September 19. We found the five weeks' chick tame and 

 docile, allowing us to handle him. and preening his feathers 

 whilst being caressed. He had long wing feathers, but only a 

 stump of a tail, which he kei)t elevating and depressing for 

 practice. Mud on his feet showed that he had already been 

 out of the nest. On taking him from the nest he seemed well 

 pleased, and ran around to show his paces. He always came 



