Vol. 

 ■9 



11^" 1 Jackson, The Haunt of the Rufous Scrub-Bird. 33-^ 



the nest, but no note of any kind. After a while the bird slowly 

 entered the nest, but I could only see her head from where I sat, 

 and I plainly noticed the nest shake as she entered and turned 

 round. I was sitting almost at the back of the nest. I now raised 

 my body slowly, and, taking careful aim with the long net, dropped 

 it down over the nest and tussock ; but to my amazement and 

 disgust the bird escaped before I got over. She was as quick as 

 a flash, and I could hardly credit that she had gone. I examined 

 the grass around the nest in case I had accidentally hit and 

 stunned her, but no such fortune. While I was thus engaged 

 trying to capture the female, I could plainly hear the male bird 

 calling loudly some 70 yards away up the slope of the scrub, and 

 at the same large heap of dchris (mass No. i) as I had first seen 

 him in on 7th October. From that date on he had taken par- 

 ticular care never to call or utter a sound anywhere in proximity 

 to the nest. I sat down again in hiding, and in about half an 

 hour I heard the female creeping about again like a mouse or 

 small lizard in the grass and dead leaves. With the field-glasses 

 at this close range I faintly caught sight of her twice as she moved 

 along under the side of the log, close to the nest. I could not 

 see her colour well in such subdued light, but from what I saw 

 she did not appear to differ from the male in general colouring. 

 However, after she had carried on some good manoeuvring (in 

 a crouched position) under the side of the log, inside the edge of 

 the grass, she cautiously went on the nest once more ; and, 

 although I was most careful in using the net, I lost her again, 

 notwithstanding that I had actually seen her fluttering in the 

 net as I rushed over. I was now trembling with eagerness, 

 thinking I had captured her beyond doubt this time. I was 

 perplexed to know what to do for the best. I certainly could 

 not safely shoot her at such a close range without blowing her to 

 pieces, and there was the danger of destroying the nest and eggs ; 

 and if I removed the eggs from the nest the chances were that 

 she would abandon the spot altogether. My previous experience 

 with these shy birds was that they usually showed themselves at 

 very close range when they did appear. This female went into the 

 nest five times, at intervals ranging from half an hour up to an 

 hour and a half, and all my care endeavouring to capture her went 

 for nothing save disappointment. What I really required in the 

 first place was a heavy iron hoop, with the net attached, so 

 that when it was placed over the nest it would press its way 

 through the surrounding grass and go right down flat on the 

 ground. There can certainly be no doubt that the bird got away 

 owing to the space between the rather limp ring of the net and 

 the ground. Certainly I could have cleared a space all around 

 the tuft of grass, and so let the net go flush to the ground, but 

 the chances were that the bird would never have gone near the 

 place again. 



The nest was built about 16 inches from the side of the pine 

 log, and in a tuft of scrub-grass or sedge about 2 feet high, which 



