AND OTHER BIRDS 14a 



Except for these almost invisible tokens of great 

 fear and great strain, through those long 

 minutes of suspense she had sat unmoved. 



The Bell-bird's eggs are pinkish-white 

 marked with blotches of richest brown; the 

 nest, too, is a beautiful structure firmly set in 

 position and lined with many feathers large,, 

 lovely and soft, the Pigeon's purples and 

 bronze, the Kaka's reds and browns. Of 

 the male, by far the larger and hand- 

 somer bird of the pair, but little was 

 seen. His advent was unobtrusive, and 

 the duration of each peep of his consort 

 limited to a few seconds. Twice only he came 

 whilst I was on the hedge top, but in palliation 

 of this seeming coolness, it must be remembered, 

 that during the nesting season, a bird's frequent 

 return to one spot, must arouse the malignant 

 interest of every marauder in the neighbour- 

 hood, and provide a clue as to the whereabouts 

 of the brooding bird. 



Even with all his caution and in spite, too, of 

 the tar, smeared fresh on the base of the hedge 

 trees, rats discovered the nest, and where a 

 fortnight later little Bell-birds should have been 

 only broken shell remained. 



Both male and female Bell-bird were, I 

 noticed, wonderfully deft and agile in threading 

 the intricacies of the hedge, working their way 

 through its stiff, interior with something of the 

 Fern Bird's sinuous ease. 



The Bell-bird has several points of 

 resemblance to its near relative, the Tui. It 

 delights, as does the Tui, to sing from some tree 

 on a clearing's edge and thence pour forth 

 its music to the light and the wide sky. Again,. 



