92 MATESHIP WITH BIRDS 



and movements, all are embodied in this brilliant 

 bird; and, moreover, his love of tropical nectar 

 ensures him a permanent place in the sun the 

 "fetterless, idyllic round of enchanted days" which 

 0. Henry chanced upon in Latin America. 



"Careless little cardinal" I have called the head 

 of this branch of the Honeyeater House. But in 

 the next breath it has to be said that the gay sprite 

 is not so careless as he might be, and as I once took 

 him to be. In September of 1920 a pair cf Scarlet 

 Honey-Birds were found in charge of a fragile, 

 pendulous cradle placed in a cypress pine-tree hard 

 by Redland Bay, South Queensland. At the first 

 visit the graceful mother-bird flew off, disclos- 

 ing a tiny young one and a single egg. On the fol- 

 lowing morning the little grey mother was again in 

 charge, and, as she displayed no disposition to move, 

 I stirred her gently with a stick. Straight to the 

 ground she went then, and fluttered along with 

 every indication of being badly "winged." 



What a surprise this was! Somehow, I had 

 achieved the impression that nothing of the kind 

 entered into the powers of a small inhabitant of the 

 tree-tops. Was it the use of the stick that prompted 

 this pretty act, which, be it noted, was not "put 

 over" on the first occasion? His Grace the Cardinal 

 had stayed severely away on my first visit, but this 

 time he came upon the scene, and, with an air of 

 profound importance, not to say responsibility, he 

 accompanied the timid wee mother on each of the 

 brief stages by which she hesitatingly approached 

 the nest. The last stage of all the hop to the 

 nest she had to negotiate alone. This accom- 



