DIARY OF THE HABITS OF NIGHTJARS. 397 



satisfactory. But having watched what had been taking place for 

 a full half-hour at only three paces distance, and as, on the bird's 

 return, it would have been too dark to see anything more, I 

 thought I would assist them, and so smoothed down the declivity, 

 and laid the eggs side by side on a flat surface. I must add that 

 while the bird was thus struggling to extricate its egg it uttered 

 from time to time a low querulous note. 



At about ten one of the birds settled on a bush just in front 

 of me, and sat there silently for some ten minutes, then flew and 

 settled on the ground near eggs for a minute or two, and whilst 

 there uttered a low guttural note. Finally, at 10.13, it came and 

 settled itself quietly on to the eggs as I had placed them. This 

 and my subsequent observations make me think that it was not the 

 bird that had got into difficulties, but the other and more skilful 

 one — the hen, no doubt — the cock bird being less perfect in the 

 art of incubating. 



June 26th. — Reached bush at 8.22 p.m., and found the bird 

 sitting in the same position as night before. It seemed to be 

 asleep, the eye being fast shut. The eggs appeared to have been 

 moved slightly to one side, judging by where the bird sat. 



8.34 — Sitting bird relieved. Process exactly the same as on 

 night before. The relieving bird came from neighbouring planta- 

 tion quaw-eeing, and when near was answered by a gentle "churr" 

 from the brooding bird. This latter's head was turned the other 

 way, so that she could not have seen her mate as he flew up. 

 Moreover, she opened her eyes for the first time at his " quaw-ee." 

 The new-come bird settled himself beside the brooding one as on 

 previous night (same distance apart), and both of them churred, 

 gently wagging their bodies from side to side. Then in a few 

 seconds the relieved bird flew away (I think silently), and was 

 followed a few seconds afterwards by the other one, which had 

 not moved on to the eggs, or from where it had alighted. Upon 

 going round the bush and looking at the eggs, I could not feel 

 certain that they had been moved from where I placed them the 

 previous night. The distance, I find, from where I sit to the 

 eggs is just three paces. 



8.53. — Bird flew near, and would have perched on the same 

 little bush (just in front of me) as last night, but it saw me, 

 I think, and, very little startled, settled on ground close by. 



