THE STITCHBIRD 53 
the bird itself; they were poured forth on both 
occasions perhaps for thirty seconds under the 
stimulus apparently of surprise or surprised anxi- 
ety, though, of course, no faintest trace was per- 
ceptible to the human ear of either emotion ; the 
possibility indeed of surprise and anxiety has 
been suggested only for the reason that I myseli 
as a human might have been subject under like 
circumstances to like emotions. One of these 
songs was uttered when for the first time the male 
discovered his entrance hole temporarily blocked 
by a turf of matted fern fibre. After thorough 
inspection of this miraculous sudden dark blockade, 
he fluttered rapidly down to near the base of a 
neighbouring tree, and there gave vent to what 
I have surmised might be astonishment and anxi- 
ety. <A like song was called forth under some- 
what similar circumstances when the male, re- 
turning, found the hen not on her eggs as he had 
evidently anticipated. Inadvertently I had baulked 
her return. She had remained away not for the 
usual five or seven minutes, but for two hours and 
fifty minutes. It was after scrutiny of the empty 
nest for half a minute that he poured forth the 
low sweet song recorded. He then gave a “sptt”’ 
or two, not, however, particularly loud, nor as 
if under mortal apprehension as to the fate of 
the eggs, and flew away. I believe I often feel 
more anxiety as to the fate of the eggs and nests 
