THE

AviCULTURAL MAGAZINE


BEING THE JOURNAL OF

THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY

FOR THE STUDY OF

FOREIGN & BRITISH BIRDS

IN FREEDOM & CAPTIVITY



Third Series.— Vol. XII— No. 8 —All rights reserved. AUGUST, 1921.



BIRDS IN THE PARK AT CLERES

By J. Delacour


Nothing is more charming than a good many birds of different

sorts, running, swimming, and even flying in a state of semi-liberty,

and I always arrange to have a number as well as some mammals in

the little park of about 40 acres, all fenced by a wire-netting 8 ft. high,

with 2 ft. in the ground. To begin with the largest ones, I have four

Rheas, two white cocks and two grey hens. I had a white hen, which

died last winter in the most peculiar way ; she hit an iron post as she

was running, cut her big artery and bled to death. I was most

distressed over this accident, when H.H. Prince Murat kindly gave me

two grey hens ; he has quite a flock of grey Rheas in his large park of

Chantbly, where they rear their young ones every year in quite a wild

state. One of my white cocks has paired with both hens, and

occasionally chases the other one ; but most of the time he allows him

to stay near the hens and there has never been any serious fight between

them. Two dozen eggs were laid in June, which are now in the

incubator.


I was obliged to put the Emus into an enclosure, as they proved rather

spiteful, especially to the mammals, and also very destructive to plants.

Cranes are, in my opinion, the best ornament to a park. I keep loose

together one cock and two hen Sarus, pairs of Manchurian, White-

necked European, and Blue-crowned Cranes, one Stanley, and a dozen

Demoiselles. So far they all agree very well together, and have not

destroyed any nest in the spring, but I am very much afraid that when


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