16 OUR FIRST DAY'S CUTING= 
ruped out his little song meanwhile (the 
carrion crows had long since fled the scene). 
And there she sat amidst it all, in queenly 
state, Her snow-white Majesty, upon a large 
heaped mass of mud and sand and sticks, 
and still-wet weed, her throne about 18 inches 
high, 3 feet long, and wide in proportion. 
Some yellow gorse blooms almost brushed 
her head, and seemed to frame the picture 
that she made. 
Slowly she turned her head from side to 
side, watching, now she was disturbed, but 
with the greatest dignity, for more intruders 
who might still be landing in the bush be- 
neath. And posing in a lordly attitude, tired 
perhaps with his long climb, and with the 
faithful guard that he had kept below, the 
male bird took his place between us and his 
wife. ‘What a find, and what a photo they 
will make!’ said I. The sun was rightly 
placed, well to one side, throwing deep 
shadows on the grass, and so I hastened to 
fix up the camera at a convenient distance 
of some fifteen feet away. His lordly High- 
