NOTES ON THE VICTORIA LYRE BIRD. S0>7 



On one occasion September 22, 1000, when setting up the camera 

 opposite the nest, I heard a slight sound, and, looking up. found the 

 bird on the log within 2 feet of my head. I had not touched the 

 young one, so it had not screeched, and the mother had. therefore, 

 not betrayed herself sooner. All the while I was setting up the 

 camera she moved about the log within a few feet of me, occasionally 

 putting her expanded tail over her head and quietly warbling — an 

 alert, observant, fearless spectator. Now and then the young bird 

 gave its whistling screech, when the old one evinced great distress and 

 moved to a position that gave her a view f5f the nest, though she 

 never went near it all the time. Whenever I stooped or sat down on 

 the ground she got suspicious and hopped round till seeing me, then 

 walked up quite close to see what was being done. Of my whistling 

 she took very little notice, of talking none at all. but started at once 

 at a grulf noise like coughing. 



One of her most graceful movements w^as walking along the 

 swaying frond of a tree fern. As the frond bent under her weight 

 she gradually reversed her position till she Avas hanging head down- 

 Avard, suspended by her claws, and quietly warbling the wdiile. 

 This bird was the most sensible of any of the kind that I have 

 seen. She seemed to realize at once that I had no intention of 

 hurting the young one, and though evincing every sign of great 

 distress while her offspring was screeching, became quite reassured 

 of its safety when the screeches ceased. 



The bird frequently walked dowm the log while I was standing 

 at the nest with my head within 2 feet of her. Once I touched 

 her feet wath my hand, and I think W'ith a little time and patience 

 I could have caught her. Several times I made a grab at her leg, 

 but she only jumped and floated away to another log, without 

 evincing any signs of fear. Again, to test her timidity, I shouted, 

 waved my arms, and threw little sticks at her without frightening 

 her from her position, and even wdien one stick hit her on the head 

 she simply floated to another log and resumed her observations. 



The entrance to the nest can be seen just on the right of the 

 log under the tail of the bird and just to the left of the extremity of 

 the blackbutt spray with large leaves. 



The picture of the young bird (plate iv) shows it resting in 

 my hat, surrounded with sprigs of tree fern {Alsoj>]illa cnistralis), 

 dogwood {C'assinia (iciilcatd), blackbutt {Eucalyptus pilularis), musk 

 {Aster argophyllus) , and laurel {Pittosporum, undulatum). It was 

 very frightened when first taken out of the nest, but soon rested 

 quite contentedly in the hat while being photographed. 



When in the nest it commenced to screech immediately anything 

 appeared in the entrance, and thrust itself back as far as it could, 

 meanwdiile keeping almost on its back, with its powerful feet pushed 



