. Birds of the water, wood & waste . d appearing unconcernedly on the nestsedge with moth or daddj^-long-legs. Unlike the Warbler, Waxeye, and Fan-tail, where the percentage of destruction,both of eggs and young, is very great,perhaps, indeed, one-third, the Fern Birdseems to suffer no great loss. The nest isexcellently concealed, and its site veryunattractive to vermin, both on account ofthe saw-toothed sedge and the wet surround-ings. The bird itself is too small to beworth the pursuit of Harriers; and Wekas,without great difficulty, could not obtainfooting on the stiff, bristling clumps whe
. Birds of the water, wood & waste . d appearing unconcernedly on the nestsedge with moth or daddj^-long-legs. Unlike the Warbler, Waxeye, and Fan-tail, where the percentage of destruction,both of eggs and young, is very great,perhaps, indeed, one-third, the Fern Birdseems to suffer no great loss. The nest isexcellently concealed, and its site veryunattractive to vermin, both on account ofthe saw-toothed sedge and the wet surround-ings. The bird itself is too small to beworth the pursuit of Harriers; and Wekas,without great difficulty, could not obtainfooting on the stiff, bristling clumps where-in the nest is hid. The Morepork at night,even should he discover the nest, wouldbe kept off, too, by the same harsh fact, the Fern Bird is likely to survive,for he can obtain sustenance even in themost arid and barren lands, neither doesa low temperature affect him unfavourably,for I have noticed the bird fully twothousand feet above sea level. His metallicclick, click, is likeh^ therefore, long tobe heard in the The Tui ONSIDERING our opportun-ities the Tui lias baffled usmore than any other speciesattempted during the pastseason. Not that he is very-shy or very timid; far less so, indeed,than we had anticipated. It is theextreme rapidity of his every movement,the gloss and sheen of his plumage,and to a lesser degree the brief periodbetween laying of the eggs and develop-ment of the nestlings. The young, further-more, are very restless and wild, and,when jarred and disturbed, and both areunavoidable, readily quit the nest, a pro-ceeding in every wa}^ abetted and encour-aged by the parents. In spite, therefore, of the many nestsfound and the trouble taken in buildingSwiss Family Robinson platforms high PLATE LIX.
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1910
