84 BIRDS OF THE WATER 



distance. Last year, certainly, I caught a 

 bird fairly asleep on its nest, but such 

 cases are very rare. 



When on one occasion at work on this 

 willow tree nest, and about to slip into 

 the blind, there were a pair of new hatched 

 chicks among the eggs. They were old 

 enough, however, for prompt obedience, 

 and at a call from one of the old birds, 

 instantly tumbled out of the nest into the 

 water below and swam off. 



As the chicks hatched, they left the 

 nest, and I have taken photos of the cock 

 still sitting while on each side of me was 

 a hen wandering about the shore with one 

 or more cheepers. When once the cock 

 was ''set" in his nest, and if he saw 

 nothing, no noise, no shouting, sibilation or 

 hand clapping would scare him off. To 

 get him to move it was necessary to appear 

 over the top of the blind like a jack-in-the 

 box. 



Young Pukekos are extremely hardy little 

 creatures, and this year, intending to rear 

 them as pets, I took five from a nest from 

 which they had spilt themselves as I rode by. 



