484 Mr. F. E. Blaauw on the 



all day feerling it, constantly turning up the soil in search 

 of earthworms. The chicks uttered a soft whistling sound 

 while being fed. 



As they grew older the young began to eat grain, and 

 also later took bread and meat for themselves, whilst twice a 

 week a liberal supply o£ living shrimps was much appreciated. 



One of the young birds was much browner than the other, 

 and appeared from its general aspect to be a female. 



During the first days of September I noticed that the 

 larger of the two young birds followed the parents less closely 

 than it was wont to do and did not hide in the bushes as I 

 approached, but kept more in the open. Altogether it began 

 to look more independent and self-possessed. This, according 

 to my experience, meant that the bird could fly and was 

 aware of it. I therefore resolved to try to move the birds 

 into a covered enclosure and to cut their wings. To effect 

 this the family had first to be driven into a small open enclo- 

 sure, which had an opening into one that was covered with 

 wire netting. The experiment was tried on the 7th of 

 September. The old birds and one of the young went into 

 the first enclosure without any difficulty, but the second 

 young one, which I had suspected of knowing its power of 

 flight, refused to enter the open enclosure and instead took to 

 flight, flying right away at a good height. I thought that 

 I should lose the bird, but after a while, to my delight, I 

 saw it come back, circling over the place where I stood, 

 and finally alighting in the identical small open enclosure 

 in which the rest of the family were. It was a beautiful 

 sight, but my anxiety about losing the bird almost spoilt my 

 enjoyment of it. 



The birds henceforth went without any difficulty into the 

 covered place where the wings were to be cut. 



In the last half of September the bills of the young birds 

 began to assume the greenish colour proper to the adult. 

 The colour began at the tip of the bill and gradually 

 advanced towards the head. In the last week of September 

 I noticed that some of the blue-grey feathers of the adult 



