166 MATESHIP WITH BIRDS 



of these Butcher-Birds got beyond the lyrical, 

 developed a Miltonic fulness, as it were, and merged 

 itself in the challenging purity of the white flowers. 

 Anon, as the sun rose and an element of the garish 

 intruded into the symphony, the notes of the birds 

 took a slightly golden tint, this time approximating 

 to the color of a rich rose that festooned a gateway 

 hard by. 



Of the pluck of the Butcher-Bird in defence of the 

 sanctity of its home many instances could be cited; 

 one ready to hand concerns the warrior whose pic- 

 ture appears in this book, and who lived in the north 

 of Queensland, not far from Mackay. "He was 

 moderately tame in the non-breeding season," writes 

 Mr. W. G. Harvey, in sending the photograph, "and 

 often came in search of scraps to the field where we 

 would be eating our lunch. But when the nesting 

 season commenced his whole nature changed. 

 Whenever we had occasion to pass through his 

 locality he would meet us before we were within 

 one hundred yards of the nest, and persecute us 

 right past it until we arrived at a point where a pair 

 of Black and White Fantails had a nest in company 

 with a pair of Magpie-Larks. These plucky birds 

 always chased the Butcher-Bird back, and we were 

 glad to be rid of him for a while. Curiously enough, 

 the pet aversion of this Butcher-Bird was a little 

 black and white terrier which used to follow us 

 about. The bird always endeavored to peck the 

 dog's ears, and during the incubation season they 

 were more often bleeding than not. One afternoon 

 we had the camera with us, and, after focussing on 

 a branch, tied the unfortunate dog underneath. 



