Vo!. 
XXIV. 
1924 
J 1K)\\ K, Breeding of the Gany-yany Cockatoo 69 
went through an amazing bowing performance. First to the 
left and then to the right, she bowed her head in an up and down 
motion, slow and rhythmical all the time, uttering peculiar cries 
at each bow. Finally, she slowly backed down the hollow, where 
she remained seven minutes. The full performance had occu¬ 
pied eleven minutes. She again appeared at the entrance, where 
she sat for one minute, and then flew straight across to the creek, 
about two hundred yards away. After we had waited anxiously 
for eight minutes, she again returned, accompanied by the male, 
who left her as before. The female approached the tree 
cautiously, and, after reaching the hollow, before entering the 
hole again went through the same bowing performance. The 
time then was 7.23. After remaining in the nest thirty-four min¬ 
utes (during which period I believe the egg was laid) she ap¬ 
peared at the entrance. She gazed at the whole party, which 
by that time had returned, and allowed all a good look at her 
before leaving. She Hew to a tree, and, facing the hollow, 
uttered a few calls and was rejoined by the male. The rope 
ladder was quickly got into position, and Air. Falconer climbed 
to the hollow 50 feet up. He found the nesting hole to be two 
feet six inches deep and about ten inches in diameter. The hol¬ 
low held one egg, snow-white and warm. The climber descended 
quickly, and the ladder was let down in record time. As, happy 
and excited, we left the spot, the birds returned. I should add 
that whilst the female was in the nest I watched a pair of ‘"Red- 
brows” take building material into a hollow spout of a tree not 
more than sixty yards away. The party then went on to an¬ 
other gully, where Mr. Bunn had found Red-brows ( Climacteris 
erythrops) building. The nest was about 70 feet up. 
On the morning of December 2nd we were at the Gang-gang's 
nest at 6.30. We did not know what fortune awaited us, and 
as we neared the tree all eyes were glued on the hollow. We 
got quite close to it before the head of the female cautiously 
and slowly appeared. She sat at the entrance and gazed at us 
for three minutes before she left. Again Mr. Falconer climbed 
to the hole and called out, “Still one egg, much discoloured.” We 
conferred together, and finally sent the “billy” up, and the egg 
was sent down for our inspection; it was cold but perfectly 
fresh. As we knew nothing concerning the number of eggs that 
should form a complete clutch, the egg was returned and re¬ 
placed in its exact position. As we passed the spot in the even¬ 
ing, the birds were heard and seen, the female being easily recog¬ 
nised by the absence of two of the primaries of the left wing. 
The tree was again visited at 7 a.m. on December 9th. The 
female again appeared at the entrance, and sat there until the 
ladder was over the first limb—in all about twenty minutes. 
What a sight for a photographer! It was with suppressed ex¬ 
citement that we heard Mr. Falconer call out, “Only one egg!” 
