44 



The iircat Tiiuii 



c<)iii|iarali\ c (litTercnce in size l)et\vccn the llirt-e Ijirds, the 

 lar,i;est beiiij;' (|iiitc twice the size ol the ^rnalle^t. and llie third 

 l)ir(l bein!L>" midway between the two. I (h)n'i know wh:'tlier this 

 had anvtln'nij' to do witli sex. but it niav ha\v> l)een so. as thev 





/>v I!'. Shore />'.;// V 



^'(JU11^ l\llfoU> Tili.-dlKMl. 



ah looked equalh' liealtlu' at iliis time, and I had every exj^tec- 

 t'l'i jn of fully i earing; tlieiii I'nfortimately a chani.;"e of 

 weather came soon after this and 1 lost the medium-sized bird 

 from septic pnetmionia : al.-ont three weeks later I lost the small 

 one from the same disease, and the survivor also succumbed a 

 few weeks later. 1:)einL;' at ihe time nearly as lari^e as its parents 

 Such are the vicissitudes of a\icultnre! ! 



In the meantim.' the old birds had ;i.L;ain ,n(Mie to nest, 

 b U. as it was some tin-? before 1 conld tind it in th? then rather 

 d'/'use imderj^rowth. I decided to let them alone. < hi the J4th 

 /viti^itst they hatched off two vouul;" ones from five ei^.^'s. These 

 V. ere strong' runners at a dav old. and adepts at takiui^' cover: 

 a ; the weather was fine and the nii.ihts warm I h:;d hopes of 

 r -arinq- them, bttt it was not to be. for a week later ihey liad 

 c'iiappeared and T never found their bodies. 



