THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
many yards is swept perfectly clean. The method of doing this is to go out 
some distance from the site of the intended nest, and then, walking backwards, 
alternately raking with each of their powerful feet, and assisted by their wings, 
sweep everything loose to a common centre. In the case of an old nest, they 
clean out the sand used for covering the eggs the previous year, and should 
they deem it necessary place more leaves, etc., in the hollow. Should the 
weather be moist at the time, the work goes on uninterruptedly, but should it 
be dry, they wait until a passing shower has damped the mass of vegetable 
deposit. This they then cover with three or four inches of sand, when the 
female commences the work of depositing her eggs. This she does by laying 
the egg on the sand covering the leaves, etc., and then leaning backwards 
grasps the egg in both feet, placing it in an upright position (small end down), 
then, holding it with one foot, she with the other gently rakes some sand 
around, and changing feet does the same on the other side until the egg will 
stand ; it is then covered, as well as the other part of the nest, with several 
inches of sand. And here comes in the immense amount of work the birds have 
to perform at each subsequent laying, for the whole of the sand down to the level 
of the first egg (until the first layer or tier is completed) has to be removed, and 
so on with each successive layer ; and as the mound increases in height the 
labour increases in proportion, for should the weather be dry, as it usually is, 
the sand runs like so much water, and a person has only to open one of these 
mounds himself to understand the difficulty the birds have to contend with in 
keeping the sand from running back. The removal of the sand is effected 
by the aid of wings and feet, the bird dragging each small quantity thus 
obtained a sufficient distance to ensure its not running back. 
“ The circumference of the cavity in the centre of the mound in which the 
eggs are deposited is about three feet, and around the edge of this space the eggs 
(usually three, sometimes four) are placed, this completes the layer ; the 
whole are then covered with sand to the depth of four or five inches, which is 
allowed to remain, and the second layer is commenced, and so on until the 
whole (generally four) are completed. The bird lays about twice a week, 
thus a long time intervenes between the laying of the first egg and the last, and 
consequently eggs in all stages, from fresh laid to just on the point of hatching, 
and young birds are to be found at the same time. 
“ During the period of incubation the parent birds, as a rule, visit the nest 
morning and evening every day ; in the earher stages this is done to repair the 
damages caused by native dogs and iguanas, who scratch at the nests in the 
hopes of obtaining the coveted eggs or young, and also to repair the damage 
often caused by their more destructive biped foes. As an instance of which 
I may mention that on one occasion I opened a nest about ten o’clock in the 
morning, which contained three eggs. I took only one, as I knew from its 
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