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hatclied, showing a period of about ten days for incubation. November 23. — 

 Nest in a Myoporum, about four feet from the ground ; the tree is at the edge 

 of a path constantly used. The hen sits very close ; we have gently removed 

 her sometimes to look at the eggs, when this has occurred the cock bird has 

 been hastily summoned ; both birds have appeared very anxious, bustling about 

 the nesting place, till the hen has thought fit to resume her duties, the cock 

 bird still lingering about the nest till seeing his partner and her charge quite 

 secure, he has darted off to resume his interrupted feast of honied blossoms. 



In these advanced days, when female rights find redoubtable champions on 

 every side, justice to our country induces us to criticise statements long since 

 advanced by a worthy ornithologist ; whatever may be the custom of birds in 

 the old country as to the distribution of labour and accomplishments between 

 the sexes, perhaps, from mysterious antipodean influences, a difierent regime 

 prevails in our land of tree ferns and PJiorniiimi. 



Pennant wrote, — "It may be worthy of observation, that \he female of 7io 

 species of birds ever sings ; with birds it is the reverse of what occurs in human 

 kind ; among the feathei-ed tribe all the cares of life fall to the lot of the 

 tender sex ; theirs is the fatigue of incubation, and the principal share in 

 nursing the helj)less brood ; to alleviate these fatigues, and to siipport her 

 under them, nature hath given to the male the song, with all the little 

 blandishments and soothing arts ; these he fondly exerts (even after coiirt- 

 ship) on some spray contiguous to the nest, during the time his mate is 

 performing her parental duties." 



Some of the assertions contained in this quotation from the celebrated 

 naturalist are not borne out by the habits of our native birds ; briefly, the 

 song of the female Anthoimis is very often heard ; unfortunately attempts to 

 convey an idea of the sound of bird notes ai-e always more or less incompre- 

 hensible, or rather unutterable failures, so no endeavour will be made here to 

 write down her melody. Through the general harmony of song in the bushy 

 gullies, one frequently hears the clashing of the female kingfisher's harsh notes. 

 Thus much for the accomplishments of our females ; it must be added, in all 

 fairness to the sterner sex, that they do share in the labours of the family ; 

 the cock flycatcher assists in the fatigues of nest building, takes his turn in the 

 duties of incubation and feeding the young — abundant evidence that here 

 females are not mere drudges after all. With regard to the reason suggested 

 for the male being endowed with the gift of song, it is admirable for its 

 sentiment only it happens that we have listened with delight to the melody of 

 birds long after the breeding season has passed away, when the cold winds in 

 the shortening days of May have given warning that winter was at hand. In 

 the higher alpine districts what changes occur in the voices of birds ; with 

 A. melanura this fact is very noticeable, to our ears its vocal efforts there are 

 more pleasing than those of the dwellers in more favoured spots. 



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