G'day "GUEST" of 23 Nov 09 -0.5:37 AM,

The lines (~) about:

Two brolgas darted out, from the tea-trees all about,
And performed a set of Lancers very well,

... probably deserve some comment on the mating rituals of the large crane grus rubicundus, the brolga of northern and eastern Australia.

These large birds are often observed 'dancing' and 'bowing' in patterns and attitudes that suggest the steps of a stately quadrille ... such as the widely known and danced Lancers. Another poem / song Irish Lords ... written by C H Souter, in South Australia in the first decade of the 20th century - and set to a tune by Martin Wyndham-Read - has (describing the the apparent richness of the newly taken-up 'selection') "The Brolgas danced a minuet ..." - yet another stately dance.

Regards,

Bob