Notes.



65



Nota.— Cette demande, appuy6e d’une attestation d’origine, 6manant

de la Chambre de Commerce ou, a d6faut, de l’autoritfe

municipale, doit etre presentee ou adress^e au Minist^re du

Commerce (Service Technique), 66, rue de Bellechasse, Paris.



NOTES.


A pair of Lesser White Egrets which arrived in August with

broken flight feathers have moulted and now roost on the lower

branches of some willow trees on a small island in the centre of one

of the ponds close to the house at Brinsop Court. Will they remain ?

Up till now they come for food, and are absurdly tame, and when

hungry will run along the paved paths beneath the windows if they

catch sight of one within the house: but they must be shut in when

the cold weather arrives. They look extremely picturesque when

standing at the foot of a clump of pampas grass, their snowy forms

reflected in the water. If they think any dace have been caught for

them, they will run at one’s heels like dogs or poultry, and follow

anywhere. But the dace are not always forthcoming, and now as a

rule raw rabbit is their fare. They are evidently male and female,

one bird being of stouter build, which has grown his ‘ aigrettes,’ in

other words, his dorsal plumes. It is a relief to see those feathers in

their proper place, instead of on some woman’s hat.


If once various species of birds take to cheese, they are very

greedy over it. Amongst Mr. Astley’s, it is eagerly eaten by two

nightingales, a Wilson’s Paradise-bird, a Motmot, a Shamah, a Blue¬

headed Rock-Thrush, etc.


* * *


Three British Shelduck hatched at Brinsop, although as tame

as fowls, fled away one Sunday, and were seen no more for several

weeks, when a gardener saw them flying round the house.


In the first week of October (they left in August) one was in

the goose paddock, but it rose on the wing when approached, and

once more disappeared.


The geese never go, although six Magellanic Ruddy-headed

hybrids, two Ruddy-headed, a Ross’ Snow Goose and some Canadians



