232 Camera Craft Notes. [,J 



Emu 

 April 



Notes on the Coachwhip-Bird. — Our experience of the Coach- 

 whip-Bird {Psophodes crepitans) has been hmited to about the last 

 four seasons — the period during wliich we have worked the 

 Ferntree Guhy district. For the first portion of this time we 

 occupied ourselves in the more open country, and so learnt 

 nothing of the nesting habits of this interesting bird. We saw 

 and heard many of them, however, and made some attempt 

 to satisfy ourselves as to which bird was responsible for the 

 two notes closely following the loud whip-crack. 



It was in November, 1915, that we first located a nest near 

 Upwey. It was built about 4 feet from the ground in a tangle 

 of wire-grass, and contained one egg. The birds were in the 

 vicinity, but did not venture very close. Being unfamiliar with 

 their habits, we took the precaution of not disturbing the nest 

 or egg. Examination the next week-end, however, showed the 

 nest deserted. A week or two later, while endeavouring to catch 

 a young Pilot -Bird in the same locality, we roused two well-grown 

 young Whip-Birds with their parents. A long chase, equally 

 divided between Whip-Birds and Pilot-Bird, failed to accomplish 

 either object. A little later we found a nest about a hundred 

 yards from the bottom of a deep gully at Ferny Creek. This 

 nest was also built in wire-grass and contained two eggs. The 

 cameras were set up, but a long wait failed to bring any reward. 

 The birds appeared to take little interest in the welfare of their 

 prospective chicks, and kept well out of sight. We did not again 

 visit this nest, on account of its distance from the house. On the 

 5th December we located a nest in the Upwey district. It was 

 built in dry bracken, and placed about 5 feet from the ground. 

 As the nest contained two newly-hatched young, the parent birds 

 showed great anxiety, and came to the nest several times while 

 we were close by. Notwithstanding the dulness of the light, 

 which is a serious drawback with our apparatus, we decided to 

 give them a trial. The advent of the camera disturbed them 

 considerably at first, but we were able to make four exposures in 

 the limited time at our disposal. As we expected, however, the 

 pictures obtained were failures, being greatly under-exposed. 

 During the season 1916-17 we spent very little time at the Gully, 

 and succeeded in finding one nest only. This was built in bracken 

 fern in a small dry gully, and was placed only about 18 inches 

 from the ground. The two eggs it contained were quite fresh, 

 and the birds were therefore too unconcerned to give an oppor- 

 tunity for photography. We, however, obtained the accom- 

 panying picture of the nest and eggs. 



Our next and most successful encounter with this bird was in 

 October of the present season. We had made a trip to Ferntree 

 Gully, intending to devote the whole of our time to the Coachwhip- 

 Bird. About 7.30 one morning we commenced our search along 

 a small creek a quarter of a mile from the house. We watched 

 one pair of birds for some time without result, and in making our 

 way down the gully disturbed another pair within 20 yards of 



