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TUTIRA 



Nest of Philippine Rail. 



Kail (Rallus philippensis), the Swamp-Crake (Ortygometra affinis) and 

 Water-Crake (Ortygometra tabuensis) will find salvation in undrainable 



marshlands and boggy creeks. The 

 Brown Duck cares nothing for the 

 sunny river-reach, for the deep 

 gorge, for the open width of the 

 lake. His quarters are the slow- 

 flowing streams with blind isolated 

 pools growing sub-aqueous weeds, 

 here and there stirring a reed-bed 

 in their torpid course, here and 

 there passing over an expanse of 

 muddy shallow. There during the 

 hours of light he hides in dense 

 covert and in deep shade, only at 

 night-time venturing out, but then 

 showing himself strangely tame and 

 fearless. Of late years the breed 

 has become more scarce ; banks have 

 been trodden down by cattle, water herbage has been devoured. 

 With the advent, however, of the yeoman freeholder, the bogs 

 and marshes most dangerous to stock must perforce be fenced. It 

 is not improbable that with more covert and better feed the numbers 

 of the Brown Duck may again revive. He will be visible at least to 



those who care to watch him at dusk, 

 and to note his utter unconcern in the 

 presence of man. 



Another species that will gain, 

 at any rate not lose, by settlement 

 is the Fern-bird. It is very small, 

 its habits are furtive, it breeds twice 

 a year, it is adaptable in its choice 

 of nesting-sites, its young are fed on 

 alien as well as indigenous insects. 



The Philippine Kail, the Swamp- 

 Crake and the Water-Crake, will manage to maintain themselves. 

 They too, like the Fern-bird, will be gainers by the larger crop 

 of insect life resulting from the fertilisation and the intensive 

 working of the pumiceous area. Certainly about the new home- 



Young Kaka Parrots. 



