Vol. XIIM 

 1914 



J Fletcher, Field Notes on the Spotless Crake. IQQ 



squeak" of a lost " Tabuan " chick and the reply of the mother 

 were heard in the school. After the scholars had gone, I walked 

 to the edge of the swamp, and from near the crossing-place came 

 the sounds of the family. I shpped down quietly, but they were 

 too quick. All I saw was discoloured water and footprints in the 

 muddy edge of the open pool. A few feathers floated on the 

 water, and an alarm rang out. On the 23rd August four tiny 

 nests were found in the haunt of the above pair. Each was placed 

 low down in the heart of a sword-grass tussock. The nests 

 measured ih inches across and i inch in depth, and were made 

 of pieces of soft grass woven around. Three were in a radius of 

 a few yards, the fourth some distance away. A slight track led 

 to one. They were untouched when looked at a week later. On 

 6th September the fourth nest had been moved completely, the 

 others were neglected, and a fresh one was found near the three. 

 A week later another nest was discovered by my sister. This 

 was placed 2 feet from the ground, in sword-grass, on the edge 

 of the running stream, and a few yards from the bank. Some 

 strands were bent over for a cover, and a staging led down to the 

 water. This nest was left until the 21st September. As we 

 approached on that date we heard the sound of the bird jumping 

 off the nest. No chance of seeing her in that tangle. My sister 

 peeped, and called out excitedly. " Three eggs ! " At last we 

 had succeeded ! Though the Crake's eggs were warm I left 

 them, to see if three constituted the full clutch. Two days 

 passed, and, as no more eggs were laid, I took the clutch. The 

 bird must have been brooding for four or five days. Nest 

 measured 5 inches outside, 3 inches inside, i| inches deep. It 

 was made of short pieces of sword-grass, with strands of same 

 bent over for a cover. The slight platform was composed of 

 loose ends of the same material. The eggs are somewhat lighter 

 than those figured in A. J. Campbell's " Nests and Eggs." They 

 are light greyish-white, with a suggestion of green in the ground 

 colour, freckled with chestnut ; at the larger end the spots 

 accumulate and form a brownish cap. The dimensions of the 

 three eggs are as follows : — 1| inches x -— inch, ij inches x 1^ inch, 

 li inches x ^'^ inch. 



Meanwhile, further afield, several other haunts of the Spotless 

 Crake were found. Many nests were made before one was used, 

 One pair of birds made nine nests, immediately deserting if one 

 was looked at. This pair also Uved in the school swamp, and 

 always used the fine rushes for their nests, which were frail 

 structures 2 inches across and J-inch in depth, and of hardly any 

 thickness. The ninth nest, containing one ^gg, was built against 

 a tree-fern stump in a ragged tussock and under a tangle of ferns 

 and blackberry trailers, among reeds nearly 6 feet high, standing 

 in muddy water. I took the clutch (four eggs) on the i6th 

 November. The eggs were of the brownish type — a uniform 

 wash of brown. Measurements : — IttV inches x \l inch, i^ inches 

 X \l inch, I j\ inches x \l inch, i^ inches x |^ inch. The same birds 



