Mr. J. H. Maiden, Government Botanist of New South Wales, has kindly identified and named for me from samples of the grass, flowers, and seed which I collected on the spot. The grass, which is also common in some of our forests, is known as Carex longifolia (R. Br.) In all probability, if the eggs had been fresh instead of so heavily incubated, then the female might not have returned again to the nest, as was the case with the type clutch, which was quite fresh when found. The nest I left for the time being, as I wished to photograph it in situ later; and, in order to protect it from the impending hail and rain, I stood a long sheet of pine bark over it on a slant from the ground against the pine log.
During the whole time I was near the female Atrichornis she did not utter any sound, though the male called out frequently in No. I mass of débris some 70 or 80 yards away. The male never appears to leave his haunt in this large heap of débris (as far as I can detect); consequently, he is perhaps something like the Lyre-Bird (Menura superba) in this respect, and does not feed the hen on the nest, and she has to go out and collect her own food. I would not be surprised if this is the case, and also that the construction of the nest is carried out entirely by the female.
The opening of the nest was about 9 inches from the ground, and a platform of grass and dead leaves sloped up towards it, and on this the female went to and fro The opening was unusually small, and measured 1¼ inches across; height or length of nest over all, 7½ inches; width, 4½ inches. In the case of the type nest the opening had been enlarged through removing the eggs from it by inserting the fingers. The bottom of the present nest was 6 inches from the ground in the tussock, and such was the case with my other finds of these interesting structures in 1898 and 1899.[1] After photographing the nest I had decided to dig the tussock up containing it. Some 30 feet along the western side of the log from the nest, and close to an old cedar saw-pit, and at part marked "II" on the plan, I found a place that was undoubtedly the roosting-spot of the male Atrichornis, and the loose feathers and excreta found there proved it to be such. The roost consisted of a small limb a few inches long, which projected from the pine log low down, and well underneath it, and where the log was up from the ground several inches. The nest was about 30 feet south from the old cedar saw-pit (see plan), where cedar logs were sawn up some 20 or 30 years ago, and the area of sedge-like scrub-grass (see plan and photos.) was growing on the small open part where the scrub trees had been cut down in order to make room and light for the men when at their work.
The Lyre-Birds (Menura superba) live in the scrub here, and one of their large dome-shaped nests which I found, and which the young bird had recently left, was picturesquely placed up against the foot of an old red cedar (Cedrela australis) stump at a steep
- ↑ The nest found in 1899 was in the Richmond River scrubs, and the young had gone from it. The nest is now in Mr. H. L. White's collection, and is constructed of dead scrub-grass (Gahnia).—S. W. J.
