Vol. XIV. 

 1914 



] Stvay Feathers. 6^ 



The weather was wet, and though the rain did not daunt 

 the enthusiasts in the least, it nevertheless affected their 

 photography. Mr. Le Souef took two photographs of the female 

 bird (from about 12 or 15 feet) near her nest, but the light was 

 too unfavourable for success. Photographs of the nests were taken 

 during the short periods of sunshine, but much of the time was 

 spent close to a fire in the dense scrub. The female bird fed and 

 scratched within a few feet of us all the time, and even followed in 

 our footsteps when we moved away. We also had some mimicry 

 from the male bird. On 31st August, 1913, Mr. Charles Barrett 

 and Mr. G. Finlay, of the Bird Observers' Club, made the same 

 trip, under particularly trying conditions, for it rained most of the 

 day. But it is on just such days that the male Lyre-Bird is at his 

 best with mimicry. On this occasion one fairly excelled himself, for 

 in addition to the usual imitation of birds, it favoured us with the 

 bark of a cattle dog, repeated 20 or 30 times, and also the whistle 

 of the man caUing the dog off. Its sense of modulation was 

 perfect, and altogether a revelation. We found a Satin-Bird's 

 {Ptilonorhynchits holosericeus) bower containing many playthings, 

 such as birds' skull, pieces of blue glass, coloured feathers, 

 many flower bells, and different leaves and straws. Notwith- 

 standing the unfavourable weather, some creditable camera 

 work was accomplished under great difliculties. The female 

 bird was very tame, and offered every chance, even allowing 

 Mr. Barrett to unpack and set up his camera within 9 feet of 

 where she was perching. She followed us about the scrub as 

 before, and while we were at dinner a beautiful male, in 

 full plumage, slowly strutted in a complete circle around us. 

 Refusing to be intimidated by the fire and smoke, he passed within 

 20 feet of us, and was on view for perhaps three minutes. On 

 13th September, 1913, Mr. L G. Chandler visited the same 

 locahty, and on this occasion the Fates were indeed kind, for the 

 day proved to be of the kind that a photographer gladly welcomes. 

 While still far from the scrub we could hear the crack of the Coach- 

 whip-Bird and occasional outbursts from the Lyre-Bird. We 

 proceeded straight to the nest, and the female immediately 

 appeared, and for awhile we studied and admired her, Mr. Chandler 

 with much astonishment at her tameness. About a chain away 

 from the nest there was a broken fern stump about 5 feet high, 

 but leaning gracefully, and relieved by lichens and "ladies' finger," 

 staghorn, and other ferns, and forming a perfect bush pedestal. 

 "Now, Mr. Chandler," I said, "if you will focus on the top of 

 this fern stump at the distance you prefer for a perfect photograph, I 

 think that I can induce her to perch on it and remain long enough 

 for an exposure." Mr. Chandler hesitated, thinking it a joke, but, 

 finding that I was in earnest, did as requested, and then concealed 

 himself under some dead fronds of a tree fern about 4 feet from 

 the pedestal, and with the bulb release at the end of a length 

 of rubber tubing in his hand to operate the camera shutter. On 

 previous visits I had noted that if the bird lost sight of us for an 



