110 MATESHIP WITH BIRDS 



white head had its home, but it was not until a few 

 years ago that I gained any definite knowledge re- 

 garding what a capable naturalist has called "the 

 find of a lifetime." In the spring of 1912 I noted a 

 pair of Shrike-Tits, with a trio of fledglings, about 

 a certain belt of timber in a bush recess, and in the 

 following year gave that locality close attention. 

 The Shrike-Tits are constant to a favorable area, 

 and, sure enough, the pair in question (?) ceased 

 their happy-go-lucky wanderings in August, and 

 came again about a fossicker's camp which they had 

 been wont to patronise. 



For several days in the following month we tried 

 to trace the male bird as he left the camp, but he 

 always flew in what was ultimately found to be a 

 misleading direction. However, he did contribute 

 to the locating of the nest by the utterance of a loud, 

 penetrating, ventriloquial monotone. It was near 

 the end of September when, having watched the 

 black-throated male bird in a particular tree until 

 my neck ached, I was rewarded by seeing the green- 

 throated female arrive, flash up to the topmost 

 fringes of the leaves, and weave away at a small 

 cluster that was assuming cup shape. 



What satisfaction it was to have found the 

 precious nest at last! It was a privilege, also, to 

 sit by while the Tits worked, and be supplied with 

 practical evidence against the libel that the male 

 has either no ability or no inclination to assist in 

 nest-building. The female is certainly the leading 

 spirit in the enterprise, but (in addition to supply- 

 ing the incidental music) the male does his part by 

 bringing a share of the materials, and at times, too, 



