400 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



sight of me through the screen. In all probability, however, this 

 was not the case. 



Walked about a little, and returned to screen at 9.30. 



About 9.40 a bird came and sat on the same alder-stump as 

 night before (some four feet high, and only a few feet from where 

 I sat, with very little cover between — last night hardly any). It 

 sat there about ten minutes, uttering during a good part of the 

 time a low guttural note, perhaps something like " ho-oo ho-oo 

 ho-oo, " but impossible to write it. No doubt whatever as to 

 this; heard it as plainly at that distance as if the bird had 

 churred. At 9.50 bird flew from its stump round my bush and 

 on to its eggs, which suddenly disappeared, but it was too dark 

 to see the bird on them. 



June 28th. — Arrived at 11.20 a.m., and found bird sitting, the 

 head this time turned straight towards me, which had not been 

 the case before. Evidently dozing. One eye, however, was a 

 little more open than the other, showing just a black slit. A 

 Blow-fly was walking over its head and beak, and the bird took 

 no notice. Flies afterwards settled on it from time to time, and 

 walked about over it. When they went over its eyes the bird 

 blinked the one or the other of them, or just twitched without 

 opening it. A large green fly flew right at one of her eyes, when, 

 without opening it, she gave her head a jerk. 



Three times, whilst sitting here, I observed the feathers just 

 under the bird's throat to be quivering, whilst the beak was very 

 slightly (as slightly as possible) open. I satisfied myself that 

 this motion of the feathers was produced by the bird itself, and 

 not by the wind, for it was only occasional, whereas the wind was 

 continuous. They were often still during a sudden gust of wind, 

 and, moreover, why should the wind have moved just those 

 feathers and no others ? I could hear no sound, though I believe 

 there was one. The bird perhaps was dreaming and churring in 

 its dreams. 



Left at 1.10 p.m. 



7.25 p.m. — (No rain during day and sunny, but now cloudy 

 and almost raining.) Bird sitting in nearly same position as in 

 the morning. Eyes shut. 



8.25. — Sitting bird relieved. Its partner flew up quaw-eeing, 

 and when near was answered with a slight " churr." It settled 



