Page:The Emu volume 10.djvu/439

 the nest, but no note of any kind. After a while the bird slowly entered the nest, but I could only see her head from where I sat, and I plainly noticed the nest shake as she entered and turned round. I was sitting almost at the back of the nest. I now raised my body slowly, and, taking careful aim with the long net, dropped it down over the nest and tussock; but to my amazement and disgust the bird escaped before I got over. She was as quick as a flash, and I could hardly credit that she had gone. I examined the grass around the nest in case I had accidentally hit and stunned her, but no such fortune. While I was thus engaged trying to capture the female, I could plainly hear the male bird calling loudly some 70 yards away up the slope of the scrub, and at the same large heap of débris (mass No. 1) as I had first seen him in on 7th October. From that date on he had taken particular care never to call or utter a sound anywhere in proximity to the nest. I sat down again in hiding, and in about half an hour I heard the female creeping about again like a mouse or small lizard in the grass and dead leaves. With the field-glasses at this close range I faintly caught sight of her twice as she moved along under the side of the log, close to the nest. I could not see her colour well in such subdued light, but from what I saw she did not appear to differ from the male in general colouring. However, after she had carried on some good manœuvring (in a crouched position) under the side of the log, inside the edge of the grass, she cautiously went on the nest once more; and, although I was most careful in using the net, I lost her again, notwithstanding that I had actually seen her fluttering in the net as I rushed over. I was now trembling with eagerness, thinking I had captured her beyond doubt this time. I was perplexed to know what to do for the best. I certainly could not safely shoot her at such a close range without blowing her to pieces, and there was the danger of destroying the nest and eggs; and if I removed the eggs from the nest the chances were that she would abandon the spot altogether. My previous experience with these shy birds was that they usually showed themselves at very close range when they did appear. This female went into the nest five times, at intervals ranging from half an hour up to an hour and a half, and all my care endeavouring to capture her went for nothing save disappointment. What I really required in the first place was a heavy iron hoop, with the net attached, so that when it was placed over the nest it would press its way through the surrounding grass and go right down flat on the ground. There can certainly be no doubt that the bird got away owing to the space between the rather limp ring of the net and the ground. Certainly I could have cleared a space all around the tuft of grass, and so let the net go flush to the ground, but the chances were that the bird would never have gone near the place again.

The nest was built about 16 inches from the side of the pine log, and in a tuft of scrub-grass or sedge about 2 feet high, which