200 Fletcher, Field Notes on the Spotless Crake. [isfwii 



built a chain further up the swamp, in a tangle of blackberries 

 and short reeds. The young birds left the nest on the 15th 

 December. I was fortunate enough to handle one of these, the 

 second clutch of young ones that I had seen. When ready to 

 leave the nest the chick is clothed with down, which is a shining 

 greenish-black, similar to the sheen on the feathers of a Crow in 

 good plumage. The bill is straight, shorter than the toes, and is 

 black from the tip to half-way ; from there it is white to the base. 

 Eyes are deep ruby, with a shade of black — not bright, like those 

 of the parents ; legs long, and, like the feet, greyish greenish-black ; 

 toes wide apart and \ inch in length. The parent birds call 

 their brood with a purring sound, while the young answer with a 

 " squeak," similar to a chicken's cry. When disturbed they 

 squat in the rushes, and the adult birds perform grotesque antics 

 and utter strange sounds to entice the intruder away. A special 

 call is used to gather the fledglings together after the danger has 

 passed. 



One afternoon in December my sister and I were exploring the 

 banks of a creek. I struck some rubbish at the sides with a 

 stick. Instantly there was a splash, and I caught sight of a 

 brown bird as it dashed under the tangle of a blackberry-covered 

 island. The Crake alarm call rang out, and was answered from 

 the bank on our side. Leaning over the edge, I could just see 

 a nest in a tangle of reeds, but it was empty. One cannot tell 

 whether nests have been used or not. Unlike the Rails, Spotless 

 Crakes do not leave the egg-shells in the nest. Choosing a good 

 position for watching, we waited. The water was 4 feet deep, 

 and flowing steadily. I trained my eyes on the cover from whence 

 the male bird had answered, and saw him come out and cross 

 over to the island. It swam with the body under water, landed, 

 and with a quick, crouching run, joined the female. Then the 

 birds were silent. We hunted, but found only an old nest. We 

 moved away, and after a few minutes the call for the young 

 sounded, and was answered by squeaks from three directions. 

 Presently a chick swam up the creek close to the bank, where the 

 movement of the current was not felt ; another called from the 

 island ; and a third from under the first nest found. We could 

 see it on the edge of the reeds. It toddled to the water, then 

 drew back as if afraid. Finally, the coaxing of its mother per- 

 suaded it, and it scrambled across. 



In all this season I have inspected 19 nests (containing eggs) 

 of the Spotless Crake, and handled three broods, located several 

 others by the squeaks of the chicks, and examined 70 nests 

 which, as far as I know, were never used, or probably were robbed. 

 These nests were all placed in tussocks, and height ranged from 

 I foot to 3I feet above the water or slush. Sword-grass clumps 

 were favoured, but a few birds chose the tall, thick reeds {/uncus 

 pallidus), and toward the end of the season we found several nests 

 in rushes in thick beds of tall, wild peppermint in the midst of 

 bog. The birds do not seem to mind animals grazing through 



