3 66



Mr. Reginald Phileipps,



black bar running across from behind each eye, with two horns

projecting forward—in the fledgeling male in the form of a

Turkish crescent, in the female pointing nearly straight forwards

towards the nostrils {ibid. pp. 126-7).


This year, my female built her first nest in the top of a

poplar, about 8ft. from the ground, and laid the usual two eggs.

The male, not having a second female to follow 011 with, and

having a little weakness for raiding other birds’ nests, improved

the occasion by raiding his mate’s—and stole the eggs. The

female touched up the nest, and was in course of laying a second

clutch when she was laid low by the unusually severe thunder¬

storm, or series of storms, with fusillades of hail of remarkable

violence, which occurred on May 31. She was so seriously

affected that for a while her life was despaired of; of course the

eggs did not come to anything. On being discharged from the

hospital, she ruefully inspected the nest. Owing to the dry

weather, the foliage of the tree had not developed sufficiently to

form a shelter, and the storm had not spared it. Without wasting

time she set to work and builded another nest, about 9ft. from

the ground, on the top of some birch brooms which are fastened

against the house and protected from rain by a board. I care¬

fully watched the Nuptial Bower, or rather the site—for on each

of the three occasions they returned to the same spot—and

immediately it was deserted, on the evening of June 29, caught

and shut up the male. I cannot be sure whether the first egg

was laid on July 1 or July 2. Incubation commenced on the

morning of July 2, the first nestling was hatched by the morning

of the 20th, and, by the 22nd (I was unable to watch on the 21st),

both were out of the shell. One died on the 26th, the other on

the 28th—it is suggestive that each seems to have died during a

thunder-storm.


In 1905, the breeding Regent Bird laid her eggs in a

basket which I had filled with hay ; she did not build a nest

(ibid. p. 65),


This year the mother Regent, who could not have seen a

Regent Bird’s nest since she left Australia 8-9 years ago, insisted

upon building a perfectly orthodox nest of the species. Ignoring

all my elaborate preparations, with no little labour she constructed

two entirely original nests and a ‘ repair,’ and all after a pattern



