130 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 



settling on a tree opposite the nest, where she stayed watching 

 the tent. For some time she kept a limb of the tree between 

 her and the tent, and finally came and pitched on the nesting 

 hole. She seemed a bit uneasy and stayed about a minute 

 peeping round the tent, and then went inside the nest at 

 about 12.35. The way she twists her head whilst standing 

 on a tree trunk is very snake -like and most remarkable. 



At 1 o'clock the cock came up to the tree and called to the 

 hen "week week week week kwee kwee " in a very low 

 tone and the hen replied with the same note. After about 

 3 minutes of this conversation the hen, who w r as poking her 

 head out of the nest, quitted, and the cock came across and 

 fed the young. 



At 1.10 the cock was still in the nesting hole. Both birds 

 have a way of doing a spread-eagle up against a tree trunk, 

 but I did not see one do it on the nesting tree. 



At 1.15 I called "week week w^eek week kwee kwee" 

 soft and low like the hen, and the cock put his head out of the 

 nesting hole. 



At 1.17 the cock quitted. 



At 1.17.30 the hen arrived, fed the young, and then entered 

 the nest. 



At 1.30 the hen, hearing W.P.C. coming down to call me 

 to lunch, quitted. 



At 2.15 the hen quitted the nest again. Soon after, the 

 light went very red, and I heard thunder coming up rapidly. I 

 left to put up the hood on the car, and did not get back owing 

 to the violence of the storm, which lasted an hour and 20 

 minutes, and was one of the most violent I remember. 



On returning I found the rain had made the camera (a 

 Birdland Reflex) very wet and caused the leather to rise, so 

 I had to stop for the day. 



June 17. I was at the nest from 6.45 a.m. to 7.30 a.m., but 

 neither parent came, though I heard one speak in the distance. 



June 21. I was at this nest at 10.55. The young in the 

 nesting hole made a noise like a nest of angry bees whilst 

 1 was putting up the camera. At 11 both birds came into a 



