134 Keartland, A Study of Birds at Breeding Time, [voLxxxii. 



they are able to fly. The female of the Swamp or Brown Quail, 

 Synoicus australis, does all the sitting, and if her mate or any 

 other bird of the same species approaches her nest she raises 

 her feathers like a game-hen and charges the intruder with 

 surprising ferocity. This is continued until the brood are about 

 a week old, when the male joins the family, of which he seems 

 to be intensely proud. In another week the female resigns 

 all interest in the brood, which are reared by her mate until 

 they are about a month old. After that period they have to 

 look out for themselves, as their parents are usually occupied 

 with the care of a fresh clutch of eggs. With regard to the 

 Stubble Quail. Coturnix pectoralis, much may yet be learned, 

 but my opinion is that the female soon tires of the young ones. 

 In many cases where I have flushed a bird with a brood of 

 little ones on the opening day of the shooting season, it has 

 been the male bird that accompanied them. They scatter in 

 all directions, but if left alone the call of the old bird soon 

 attracts the family together. 



Several of our honey-eaters construct a bag-like nest of grass- 

 stems and spiders' web amongst the swinging foliage on the 

 end of a slender twig, which is frequently swayed violently by 

 the wind, but the eggs are seldom broken unless the nest is 

 brought in contact with something solid. The explanation is 

 that when the bird is sitting she grasps the bottom of the nest 

 with her i laws and holds the eggs in place on each side of her 

 tst by means of the long feathers along her side, supported 

 by her wings. I have seen a Red-throated Honey-eater sitting 

 i almly on hei nest, which was fastened by the rim to the 

 extreme end of a thin branch of a bauhinia tree. The wind 

 was blow in;-; a gale, and the nest was thrown about as if fastened 

 on a whip-lash, and a . i J tim 5 it turned bottom uppermost, 

 but when examined next day the eggs were ;ill safe. Other 

 birds, like the Crows and ("row-Shrikes, use strong sticks for 

 their building material, and construct theii nests in a secure 

 manner in a forked branch strong enough to defy the wind. 

 But probably the most wonderful piece oi bird architecture is 

 to be seen in the nesl oi the Reed-Warbler. How such a frail 

 bird manages to strip the material from the growing reeds is 

 .1 mystery, bul tin' commencement of the structure is a puzzle. 

 In tin- fini>bed nesl we find four or five reed- bound together, 

 with the dee)!, cup-shaped nesl between them, about three feet 

 from the top of the reeds, and no matter how the wind blows 

 the bird and it eggs aw safe. 



the group which is probably the most interesting to 

 studv i- the Parrot family. Whether all members follow the 

 .niie practice oi not I cannol say, but I have no doubt 

 vera! species. In every case where I have dis- 

 turbed a bird from its nesl it has proved to be the female, and 



