184 WHITLOCK, Notes from NuUarbor Plain, [^sffan" 



the hollow, and level with the ground. Both these nesting trees, 

 though hollow in the trunk, were in a flourishing state. In view 

 of the foregoing state of things, my anxiety to secure a perfect 

 clutch of eggs increased. 



Some days previously I liad noticed a pair of birds in a clump 

 of casuarinas not more than two miles from camp. I watched 

 them, but lost sight of the female. I resolved to try again. I 

 was at the spot by eight a.m. After a long wait the male came 

 home alone. I immediately commenced a fresh search, and at 

 length in a dead tree found a likely looking hole about two and a 

 half feet from the ground. Inserting a slender stick, I got no 

 response until I rattled it about at the entrance. I was then 

 greeted with the usual angry screech, but no sound of young 

 birds. I decided to chop the nest chamber out. The dead wood 

 was extraordinarily tough, and turned the edge of my tomahawk. 

 It was a good hour's work before I got at the nest. During all 

 this time, the female refused to move. Eventually I had to lift 

 her ofif. The nest contained two newly hatched young, and two 

 heavily incubated eggs. 



On 27th August, whilst watching another ])air in a tree con- 

 taining a nest hole, which the female frequently examined with- 

 out entering, my attention was drawn to another pair, which 

 flew by uttering the customary note. I followed their flight with 

 the eye, until they disappeared in a neighbouring clump of casu- 

 arinas some distance away. I followed them, and found a nest 

 hole in a rather small tree. This was about four feet from the 

 ground. I rattled a stick at the entrance, and was greeted with 

 a screech in reply. Being armed with an axe, I resolved to chop 

 out the nest. After finding the approximate depth of the cavity, 

 I cut deep notches above and below the nest chamber ; then with 

 a sharp downward stroke split off the intervening flake of wood 

 and bark. This was set aside in case of need. After stuffing a 

 handkerchief down the hole, further chopping revealed the in- 

 side of the nest chamber, with the sitting female. I gently lifted 

 her off, only getting a slight nip in the process. There were 

 three fresh eggs. Realising that three eggs w^ere better than 

 none, I took them, and picking up the before-mentioned slab of 

 bark and wood, I replaced it over the cavity, securing it in its 

 place with string. A few days later I took two more eggs from 

 this nest, the five forming the ty|)e clutch described in TJic Emu 

 of last October by Mr. H. L. White (see vol. xxi., p. 83). 



This method of examining Parrots' nests, where it is piactical, 

 is a very useful one, and by adopting it I was able to watch the 

 progress of several broods of yoimg. without the ]>arents desert- 

 ing them. 



Families vai-y in number from four to six. the smaller number 

 being found in later nests. It was easy to distinguish the first 

 hatched members of a brood, the dift'erence in size and ])rogress 

 being very marked. A brood of five examined very easily were 

 on the bare ground inside a very rotten tree. I was able to force 



