2l6 Fletcher, Puvther Field Notes on the Emu-Wren. \J^ 



Emu 

 Api-il 



When first hatched the young are naked except for a few tufts 

 of blackish down on head, shoulders, and tail. They become 

 fledged rapidly, the blue feathers of the males appearing on the 

 fifth day. If the young are constantly inspected the parents 

 become very apprehensive, and soon remove the brood from the 

 nest. In one case the chicks were among the rushes as early as 

 the eighth day. Both parents feed the chicks. The favourite 

 position for feeding is over from the back of the nest. I have 

 watched birds bring the following " items " to their young : — 

 Moths, butterflies, grubs, caterpillars, beetles, spiders, ichneumon 

 flies, and other objects that were unrecognizable. When the 

 young are strong enough to fly, the family to a certain extent 

 separates. " Bluebeard " takes care of one chick — a male — and 

 the female has the remaining one or two, as the case may be. Of 

 course, they keep together, or practically so, but each parent 

 attends to the needs of its own charge. Toward evening all 

 return to roost near the nesting-site. I have often watched the 

 parent birds getting the " children " back to the nursery, and 

 have occasionally stood in the way purposely to observe the 

 dodges used to get the brood safely past me. The first brood 

 appears about the second week in September, and by the middle 

 of November these are cast off and a second nest is built. Still, 

 there are exceptions. In two cases last season the young 

 followed their parents though the female was brooding on the 

 second clutch of eggs. 



Last season I observed 25 first clutches. In 24 cases the young 

 were cared for until they were able to look after themselves. 

 One pair of birds lost its brood when the chicks were a week old ; 

 the nest was robbed. Another pair, whose first nest, containing 

 three eggs, was burnt, subsequently reared a young Bronze- 

 Cuckoo [Chalcococcyx plagosus). The nest was found when the 

 Cuckoo was a few days old. Its feathers were growing, and, 

 though I replaced the two ejected eggs of the Emu- Wren several 

 times, the Cuckoo took no notice of them. When I visited the 

 nest a week later the Cuckoo was well feathered. It appeared to 

 fit tightly in the frail nest. It was a savage little creature, and 

 pecked angrily if I put my hand near it, and then sank down with 

 a self-satisfied air. I tried for four hours to get a photograph 

 of the foster-parents feeding the Cuckoo, but without success. 

 They came to within about two feet of the nest, even perched a 

 few inches from me, but would not come within range of the 

 lens. Rain began to fall, and I was forced to leave, after exposing 

 a plate on the Cuckoo. The bird had gone when next I passed 

 that way. 



In spite of the drought conditions, last season must have been 

 favourable for the Emu-Wrens. Besides the broods noted, I 

 saw 26 clutches of eggs. In one case there were four eggs, four 

 clutches were each of two eggs, and in the other cases there were 

 three eggs, one nest containing two eggs of the Emu-Wren and 

 an egg of the Fan-tailed Cuckoo {Cacomantis flabellifonnis). 



