332 Jackson, The Haunt of the Rufous Scnib-Birdi fisf April 



Mr. J. H. Maiden, Government Botanist of New South Wales, 

 has kindly identified and named for me from samples of the grass, 

 flowers, and seed which I collected on the spot. The grass, which 

 is also common in some of our forests, is known as Carex longi- 

 folia (R. Br.) In all probability, if the eggs had been fresh instead 

 of so heavily incubated, then the female might not have returned 

 again to the nest, as was the case with the type clutch, which 

 was quite fresh when found. The nest I left for the time being, 

 as I wished to photograph it in situ later ; and, in order to pro- 

 tect it from the impending hail and rain, I stood a long sheet of 

 pine bark over it on a slant from the ground against the pine log. 



During the whole time I was near the female Atrichornis she 

 did not utter any sound, though the male called out frequently 

 in No. I mass of debris some 70 or 80 yards away. The male 

 never appears to leave his haunt in this large heap of debris (as 

 far as I can detect) ; consequently, he is perhaps something like 

 the Lyre-Bird {Memira superba) in this respect, and does not 

 feed the hen on the nest, and she has to go out and collect her own 

 food. I would not be surprised if this is the case, and also that 

 the construction of the nest is carried out entirely by the female. 



The opening of the nest was about g inches from the ground, 

 and a platform of grass and dead leaves sloped up towards it, 

 and on this the female went to and fro The opening was un- 

 usually small, and measured i^ inches across ; height or length 

 of nest over all, yl inches ; width, 4A inches. In the case of the 

 type nest the opening had been enlarged through removing the 

 eggs from it by inserting the fingers. The bottom of the present 

 nest was 6 inches from the ground in the tussock, and such was 

 the case with my other finds of these interesting structures in 

 1898 and i8gQ.* After photographing the nest I had decided 

 to dig the tussock up containing it. Some 30 feet along the 

 western side of the log from the nest, and close to an old cedar 

 saw-pit, and at part marked " 11 " on the plan, I found a place 

 that was undoubtedly the roosting-spot of the male Atrichornis, 

 and the loose feathers and excreta found there proved it to be such. 

 The roost consisted of a small limb a few inches long, which 

 projected from the pine log low down, and well underneath it, 

 and where the log was up from the ground several inches. The 

 nest was about 30 feet south from the old cedar saw-pit (see plan), 

 where cedar logs were sawn up some 20 or 30 years ago, and the 

 area of sedge-like scrub-grass (see plan and photos.) was growing 

 on the small open part where the scrub trees had been cut down 

 in order to make room and light for the men when at their work. 



The Lyre-Birds {Menura superba) live in the scrub here, and one 

 of their large dome-shaped nests which I found, and which the 

 young bird had recently left, was picturesquely placed up against 

 the foot of an old red cedar (Cedrela australis) stump at a steep 



* The nest found in 1899 was in the Richmond River scrubs, and the young had 

 gone from it. The nest is now in Mr. H. L. White's collection, and is constructed 

 of dead scrub-grass [Gahnia). — S. W. J. 



