130 BIRDS OF THE WATER 



shunning it, perfectly unconcerned and at 

 home. This faiiy of the bush, however 

 frail and fragile in appearance, is really 

 a hardy little creature, and will weather 

 storms that kill off some of the alien species 

 in scores. 



I have seen him hunting for flies in 

 downpours of torrential rain, when the 

 boles of the great pines were waterpipes, 

 and from the patter and splash of the big 

 drops a gritty mist arose throughout the 

 forest undergrowth. 



The cup nest is sometimes securely woven 

 on to the top of some naked bough, and 

 balances there, bare and exposed, or it may 

 rest in a fork, or again be snugly slung 

 beneath some sheltering branch. Sometimes 

 the nest is deeply lined with the fluff of 

 raupo heads, at other times with hair or 

 wool or soft particles of shredded grass. 

 The exterior is made to match its 

 particular surroundings, with mosses, par- 

 ticles of decaying wood, and lichens. These 

 are neatly smoothed off and bound with 

 spider web, keeping all trim and taut, and 

 acting as a sort of hair net. 



