56 BIRD LIFE ON ISLAND AND SHORE 
of the consistent flying of a male up and down 
a certain reach of one of the dry stream-beds. 
For nearly ten hours that day we watched this 
particular Stitchbird, literally tracking him to 
his lair, cutting at intervals narrow ridges at 
right angles to his route, marking him pass and 
repass, and then repeating the process. At length, 
when early gloom was beginning to darken the 
forest, we found to our delight we had headed 
his line of flight, that he had turned inward to a 
lesser valley. Finally, Leask marked him for an 
instant mount to the rim of a cavity in a puriri 
limb. Shortly afterwards the bird was seen by 
both of us actually to enter the hole. Even then, 
however, so long had disappointment dogged our 
steps, and so accustomed had we become to the 
vagaries of the species, that we stumbled home- 
wards in the gathering darkness not yet alto- 
gether certain of our find. Next morning doubt 
was dispelled ; we had discovered the nest sought 
for so long. It was located about twenty feet 
from the forest floor, an arm’s-length into a puriri 
limb, which had in former years been smashed 
by the fall of a neighbouring tree. The scar had 
healed, leaving a raised lip—a porch—of green 
bark, which perfectly protected the crevice from 
rain and soakage. Immediately overhead on 
another dead but sound limb rested a mass of 
astelia, which served as further shelter from sun 
