on Nesting of ilie Rufous-throaled Tree Part) idge. 295


whistling at intervals, which they never do except in the spring.

I at once fetched my landing net and moved the Partridges into

a small run to themselves, the ground being covered with old

tussocks of grass and a small shelter shed (with sanded floor)

being provided at one end of the run, also several branches for

perches outside. I gave the birds for nesting purposes a lot of

dried grass both outside and inside the shed.


About 10th March nearly all the dried grass inside the shed

was moved from one corner to another and formed into a covered

nest, the bottom of the nest being a hollow scooped out in the

sand. Apparently this nest was not pleasing to the birds and

they were soon seen very busy pulling about the dried grass I

had provided outside the shed.


By the iSth March they had completed a second nest—a

curious domed structure. The back of the nest was a large tuft

of grass, the nest itself being a rather deep large hollow in the

ground lined with grass and covered all over (except the entrance

hole in the side opposite the tuft) with a large mass of dried grass.

On the 26th March I saw one of the birds go into the nest and

stay some considerable time, the other bird staying by the

entrance. The bird in the nest ultimately came out looking very

wretched with feathers all standing out. I guessed she was egg-

bound. She, the same day, afterwards laid an egg near the door

of the run, away from the nest. I picked this egg up in a spoon

and carefully placed it in the nest. The Partridges kept going in

and out of the nest at intervals but without laying any more eggs,,

until 2nd of April when I discovered a second egg. It was in¬

teresting to note how careful the birds were during the nesting

period to put dried grass from time to time so as to nearly block

up the entrance at the side of the nest when not in use. The

result of this was excellent as when one of the birds had just

emerged from the nest the round hole would strike the eye but,

when partly blocked with grass, the nest was practically invisible.

From the 2nd to the 7th April the weather was simply awful—

frost and blizzards. On the 6th April the entrance to the nest

was covered with snow. On the following day, one of the birds

entered the nest and cleared out the grass in the entrance, which

was left open until the 10th, when it was again blocked. On the



