HOUW HOEK AND STANFORD 1 07 



the lesson home, whereas if they sulked and went too 

 far away they were brought back in order that they 

 might watch their industrious husbands. 



At sunset, when one would think there should be 

 peace and harmony, there was more noise than ever. 

 At this time the hen birds are allowed to go into the 

 nests, but their husbands have no intention of leaving 

 them alone. They fly up, clinging on to the circular 

 opening that forms the entrance to the nest, making at 

 the same time a continuous noise something between a 

 chatter and a squeak, and when by these alarming 

 sounds they have succeeded in ousting their wives from 

 the nests, they chase them from branch to branch until 

 they go back again. One bird that I saw was quite 

 an actor ; not satisfied with tormenting his wife in the 

 legitimate way, he adopted a very ingenious method. 

 After hanging on to the nest and making the most 

 horrible noises, he pretended to be caught by one foot, 

 and twisted slowly round and round, uttering at the 

 same time a series of piercing screams, which gradually 

 diminished as the poor thing was supposed to be at its 

 last gasp ; this brought the wife out in a great state, 

 thinking that the end had come. No such thing, how- 

 ever, for no sooner was she out of the nest than the 

 husband chased her back exultingly. Where the nests 

 were placed in reeds, the birds could not act quite in 

 the same manner, as it was more difficult for them to 

 cling on underneath. 



Not far from Stanford there was a Secretary- Bird's 

 nest ; this was placed in a thick, bushy tree, but con- 

 tained no eggs at the time we saw it. These birds 

 build immense nests, often four or five feet in diameter, 



