VoK^xi.j TREGELLAvS, Notes on the Lyre-Bird. 99 



back and sat amongst us as if he liked company, and his mother 

 was just as companionable. We took 24 photos between us. 

 At No. .2 nest (four weeks' young) the mother, as usual, was 

 most active, and the chick almost unapproachable. At No. 3 

 nest (2i weeks' young) the mother scratched around us, and 

 demonstrated how food is obtained, and the method in which 

 it is con\eyed to the young. The throat of the female is soft 

 and pliant, as is the throat of a cormorant. After collecting 

 beetles, worms, crustaceans and other materials until her gidar 

 pouch was full, she put her head in the nest and fed the young. 

 Sometimes she collected so much that she was unable to articu- 

 late properly and emitted only a gurgling note. Her scratching 

 for food was a revelation. In these mountain gullies much for- 

 aging and turning over of rubbish is necessary in the daily quest 

 for food. In doing this both legs are used. Standing on one 

 leg, she would scratch all around right and left, using each foot 

 as occasion demanded. Anything dainty was at once snapped 

 up and conveyed to the gular pouch, which when fully distended 

 hung down like that of the musk duck. 



An amusing instance of why the Pilot-Bird is so called was 

 seen. While we were watching her she was accompanied by a 

 Pilot-Bird, which snapped up unconsidered trifles unearthed in 

 the scratching. At times the Lyre-Bird scolded her in no 

 measured terms. Several times the Pilot-Bird had to dodge 

 the vigorous peck from the Lyre-Bird. I had previously seen the 

 Pilot-Bird in the company of the Lyre-Bird, but never in such 

 close attendance. 



The legs and feet of the Lyre-Bird are tremendously strong. 

 As if to demonstrate their power one day, she easily cast behind 

 her a water-soddened and moss-covered piece of wood three 

 feet long and as thick as my arm. She frequently clutched 

 masses of bark and sticks in her strong claws and put them 

 aside without efifort. She stripped sections of moss and debris 

 from fallen logs, cleaned out crevices with the long central claw 

 (which has a nail 1| inches in length and as sharp as a needle), 

 and showed us how wonderfully adapted it is for the life she 

 leads. The young in the nest also uses its feet in defence, 

 striking out vigorously when a hand is inserted, and on more 

 than one occasion sinking its claws into the flesh. 



On September 26th, at No. 1 nest, we found, as we ex- 

 pected, that the young one, five weeks old, had left. At No. 2 

 nest, however, the young bird, also five weeks old, was still in 

 possession. The mother of this chick was as restless as ever, 

 and we could do nothing with her. When we attempted to 

 remove the young bird from the nest, he fought like a demon. 

 At No. 3 nest, the young bird of 3i weeks was as quiet as ever, 

 and the mother exceedingly so. Here we took many snaps, 

 as we knew our time was now brief. 



When sitting on a wet log near the nest changing plates, the 

 mother stood alongside, and from a distance of three feet used 



