WOOD AND WASTE 83 



lower part of Tutira lake. The nest, 

 built over very deep water, contained nine 

 eggs. By February 1st another egg had 

 been added; hatching began February 5th, 

 and continued till 13th. On the 14th the 

 nest was deserted, and only a single egg 

 left, which contained a nearly fully de- 

 veloped chick. 



Pukekos are often rather clumsy in 

 leaving their nests. McLean one day noticed 

 an egg knocked out of the nest, and on a 

 second occasion I heard one fall with a 

 plop into the water. Whatever the male 

 and the other female felt in this latter 

 case, the guilty hen herself treated it with 

 the utmost sang froid. She let it go, like 

 Bailey Junior, the crockery at Todgers, 

 with perfect good breeding, and never 

 added to the painful emotions of the 

 company by exhibiting the least regret. 



No doubt both these eggs were upset by 

 the startled and more timid hens, for in 

 this case, too, the cock was left to take 

 the risks. Neither sex, however, can be 

 said to sit close, the birds usually preferring 

 to glide off while the intruder is still at a 



