BIRD NEWS 



as in their wild state. They are al- 

 lowed to hatch out their young. The 

 buff cochin bantams incubate all the 

 pheasant eggs and the quail are al- 

 lowed perfect freedom and build 

 their nests where they please. 



One little bantam did bring out 

 six wild mallard duck and it was 

 really pitiful to see the poor little 

 creature's suffering when she saw 

 her children on the water. The 

 cochins have a lot of feathers on 

 their legs and feet and the poor 

 things would raise first one dripping 

 foot and then the other, each time 

 getting a little further in, until her 

 anguish became so acute she forgot 

 her fears and boldy stepped forth — 

 her astonishment was tremendous 

 when she realized where she was and 

 it is needless to say she lost no time 

 getting onto Mother Earth again, she 

 contented herself thereafter with 

 walking around the border of the 

 lake and talking and clucking to the 

 little ducklingcs all ihe time, and oh 

 how happy she was when she could 

 coax them out. She cared for them 

 until each one was as large as her- 

 self, and a funnier sight I never saw 

 than that little golaen hen with out- 

 stretched wings, being held aloft by 

 the six ducks under her. 



During the nesting period the mal- 

 lards are very cross, so we are ob- 

 liged to take them out of the "Happy 

 Family" compartment and put them 

 in the middle one where we keep all 

 the odd birds during this period. 

 Here we have several piles of brush 

 convenient for the birds to hide un- 

 der in case of any quarrels, besides 

 the low brushes are allowed to grow 

 more dense here than elsewhere. 

 The mallards make their own nests 

 on the ground, laying from seven to 

 eleven eggs each. 



We did not have very good luck 

 this season with our teal — of which 

 we have three varieties — or the pin- 



tail, the gamest looking one of them 

 all, but we raised quite a number of 

 wood duck, this variety with one ex- 

 ception — the Chinese mandarin^is 

 the handsomest duck we have, the 

 kindest and best natured. We have 

 hollow logs hung around among the 

 bushes and into these they fly, de- 

 posit their eggs and set upon them. 

 We often wondered how they got 

 their young out for the hollows are 

 deep. One morning after a long 

 watch we were rewarded by seeing 

 first the mother's head appear, alert, 

 anxious, neck outstretched, then her 

 whole body. For a moment she 

 poised on the edge of the log, then 

 with a soft, sort of coaxing note she 

 flew down, alighted and looked up 

 towards the nest still uttering those 

 queer soft calls, a moment passed 

 and then, oh miracle of nature, from 

 out that hollow log came a tiny 

 down form, followed by another and 

 another until eight little black and 

 yellow ducklings stood trembling and 

 excited by their proud happy mother. 

 Straight over to the lake she took 

 them, still encouraging them by her 

 soft coddling voice, and then on to 

 the water and away she sailed as 

 happy as a queen. You should have 

 seen those .Jttle rascals — swimming, 

 diving, splashing, it was a sight. 



Of the quail there are four varie- 

 ties — the California mountain, Cali- 

 fornia valley, Chinese, and Bob 

 White. All make' their own nests on 

 the ground at the foot of a bush or 

 in the long grass. There is a good 

 deal of scrapping during the mating 

 season, so there must be plenty of 

 bush for them — they are all good 

 fighters but the Chinese. Last season 

 a pair of Bob Whites built under a 

 southern wood bush and soon had 

 their nest full of beautiful white 

 eggs. The female was very wild and 

 at times acted so queerly, we called 

 her "Lunie," but she got down to her 



