the Striatt'd Field-lVren. 271 



the ground in the heart of the tussock, with the entrance to 

 one side among the drooping blades, by which it is com- 

 pletely concealed ; the structure is generally placed on a 

 base of moss and vegetable debris, such as fragments of dzy 

 tussock blades. A typical structure Avas discovered in a 

 large clump of the long-bladed " sagg,'^ Xerotes longifolia ; 

 it was placed well within the clump and about twelve inches 

 from the ground, having the entrance to the south-east 

 among the drooping blades. The material of the exterior 

 was coarse grass-stems and bits of various other dry vege- 

 tation; the bulk of the nest was of finer grass, of which 

 also the lining was composed, with the addition of some 

 feathers. The young had left the nest some days previous 

 to its discovery on October 20th ; one infertile egg, of the 

 usual reddish tint, remained, which measured approximately 

 "87 X '68 inch. During the same spring another nest of a 

 somewhat different type was found in a Lepidosperma tussock 

 growing among young swamp tea-trees {Melaleuca) : it was 

 packed some way down in the heart of the tussock, and 

 would doubtless have rested on the ground within had not 

 the Field- Wrens, before commencing the actual structure, 

 collected a quantity of moss and vegetable debris as a base 

 of operations. The nest was composed of dry grass, with a 

 little moss about the entrance, which, contrary to the usual 

 custom, faced the north-west ; as the tussock was in this 

 instance protected by small scrub, how'cver, the position of 

 tlie aperture was not of so much importance. The structure 

 differed from the usual type in not being nearly so massive, 

 and somewhat resembled a deep cup tilted on one side, so 

 that, when looking straight down into the tussock, 1 gazed 

 into the opening and could just discern the eggs when 

 the sitting bird was absent. Neither interior nor exterior of 

 the nest could be seen, the latter being very cunningly con- 

 cealed under the tussock-blades and long grass which grew 

 up with them, as well as by the pointed-leaved trailing plant 

 Stellaria pungens. This nest would have remained unseen 

 had not the sitting bird flown out almost from under my 

 feet. On examination there proved to be three partially- 



