^^lal^'] GOGERLEV, Ground or Lozv-ncsthig Birds. 223 



tion, I find that the majority of low-nestinj^ birds nest early in 

 the year on the north coast of New South Wales, in the Cape 

 Hawke district. I have come to the conclusion that natural in- 

 stinct makes them breed in winter or early spring, so that the 

 young will be on the wing before September, when the Ciohanna 

 (I'aranits rariiis) makes its appearance after its long torpor. 



I find that the young birds fall an easy prey to the big lizard 

 if in the nest after the second week in September, the nest being 

 so low that they have no chance. The fox is an introduced 

 enemy, and cannot be guarded against in this way ; but, fortu- 

 nately, the fox is rare as yet in the northern brushes, so that 

 the Lyre-Bird is fairly plentiful about this district. 



To support my theory, L will give the experiences of a pair 

 of Coachwhip Birds (Psophodes olivaccus). This year, 1920, 

 while clearing some forest land, on the edge of the brush, I 

 discovered a nest in a tangle of wild vines, 18 inches from the 

 ground, with two nestlings about two weeks old. This was on 

 20th July. Before seeing the nest, I had cut away a small thick 

 patch of saplings which screened the nest. I intended to put 

 some bushes over nest to guard it, but forgot to do so. 



Coming back after lunch, I was just in time to see a Jackass 

 (Dacelo gigas) fly away with the second of the young birds. 

 Blaming myself for not covering the nest, I wondered if the 

 birds would build again or still use the old nest. 



About a week later I saw the same birds building in a small 

 thorn tree close to my stockyard. It was three weeks before 

 the nest was finished and the eggs laid, and after 21 days' incu- 

 bation one eg^ was hatched. I took the other ^gg, it being in- 

 fertile. When the nestling was a few days old, about 20th Sep- 

 tember, a Gohanna took it. The Gohannas were just then show- 

 ing out. This shows that the young birds are destroyed if the 

 nesting is late. This pair of Coachwhips had a feeding range 

 in a belt of brush left for a breakwind. 



Another pair of birds ranged next, and they were fortunate 

 in rearing their young, the young birds being fully fledged (with 

 the exception of the white throat, which I think they do not get 

 until the first moult) by the end of August. If any of the young 

 birds or parents came on to the other range, they were driven 

 off by male bird, when he would utter his whip call very fiercely. 



All the young birds that I have seen since are plain brown 

 without a white throat. I think they get this at the first moult. 



This is a list of birds that I found nesting early: — Lyre-Bird 

 {Memira novcc-hollandicc) ; Coachwhip Bird {Psophodes oliva- 

 ceiis) ; Spotted Ground-Bird {CincJosoma punctatum) ; Little 

 Tit {Acanthisa nana), young on wing in August; Scrub Wren 

 (Sericornis magnirostris) ; Field W^rcn (Calanianthits canipcs- 

 iris) ; Spine-tailed Log-runner {Orthonyx temniincki). 



