46. MEGALURULUS MARIEI:- (VERREAUX) A.M.N.H. has. ONE (1) Wants. TWELVE. Exchange value. EXCELLENT. Total Permit #0. 18 % preforma 3. Remarks. TWO RED TICKS & LINE. (EXTRA IMPORTANT). WA14V 3/5/39. One seen on margin of road before daylight. Later welover a dozen were seen & heard. 3 shot. Is not a bird of forest apparently. Prefs long grass, low mounds of 3 or 4 ft - Heathlands. Has an alarm call something like kurder but not so loud or sharp. Is shy + wary + does not come to lure calls. Never seems to go higher than 2 or 3 ft from ground. Is more of a grass bird than anything else. Similar to the first species. 4/5/39. Over a dozen seen & heard. 3 shot, (2 lost). One seen 6 ft from ground though only 2 ft from top of long grass. Stay almost constantly under cover from the shy. One seen to fly across main traffic road at about 10 AM. with autos passing to speed. Another seen on road margin. 5/3/39. Estimate in heathlands there must be at least 2 to everywhere & probably more. Many heard though very few are ever seen by comparision. Loves the bracken fern country! shot. 15/5/39. Inhabits reed beds, Route gun forest with grass + ferns in between. 17/5/39. Appears to leave some of its favourite haunts in wet weather as it does not like the dense vegetation in inhabits when wet, & it is wet. Moves to close by hill sides thus increasing numbers there. 19/5/39. Definitely this species does move out from damp areas. 20/5/39. Seems to entirely leave the wetter grass areas where it was very common in dry weather + moves to the adjacent hill-sides & drier areas. 12/6/39. It is very noticeable this species has again moved down onto the grass flats again, nor does it appear as abundant in dryer heathlands though still plentiful in lower heathland areas. This cold morning it was inactive till about 8 o'clock then began calling & moving much. 2t called from grey dawn till full daylight tho' it didn't move much, then was silent till about 7.30 or 8 AM but fed + called from then till 10.45 M+ later. 13/6/39. This morning within 150 ft of the main road along which numerous cars pass I saw a pair carrying nesting material. Unfortunately when sighting the first bird in dense brush I didn't notice it was carrying anything! It flew to a clear perch + as it landed I fired + only then noted the long dry leaf of clady grass in its bill. The mate was close about + very quiet. It to was carrying building material + several times dropped dry long blade