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Mr. A. C. Drelincourt Campbell.



decided to try again for ants’ cocoons, and this time was very fortu¬

nate in obtaining quite a good supply of both large and small kinds.

I hurried back so as to get some into the aviary before roosting-

time, and within a few minutes of putting the dish inside the aviary

both parents were greedily devouring the eggs, particularly the

smaller ones.


The same tale now continues for several days, diet being varied

with spiders, blight fly (not much relished), chopped meal-worms,

ants’ eggs, seeding grass, and, in fact, any likely insect or smooth

grub that came along, also soaked Indian millet.


On the evening of the 12th both parents were off together for

the first time since sitting commenced, and were feeding quietly on

Indian millet, with a few ants’ eggs picked up every now and again,

and it was now for the first time that I began to hope for success.


All seemed to be going on well, so on the 16th I decided to

have another look at the nest, as both parents were often off together

for long periods, and found it contained four fine youngsters and one

egg. The latter I removed with a teaspoon. When the youngsters

opened their mouths to be fed, which they did whilst I had the

shell in my hand, they showed flesh of the most brilliant light blue

on the sides of the mouth.


On the 21st I examined the nest again and found the young

getting well feathered; the parents never sit on the nest now.


On the 25th I had the great pleasure of seeing a strange bird

in my aviary and great commotion among the rest of the inmates,

and the next day there appeared three young birds, whose plumage

was chiefly composed of reddish-brown; cheeks, throat, and under

breast tinged with blue; beak black; flesh at root of beak brilliant

blue; legs flesh colour; eye looked black, but birds too shy for me to

get a long enough peep, to be sure, and one bird had a large spot of

bright red just over the eye, as if the St. Helena’s red eye-streak

would develop later. All three birds very strong on the wing, and

well feathered all over.


On the 27th the fourth bird appeared, looked like a hen, all red-

brown, no other tinge of colour anywhere, also quite strong on the

wing, in fact these four birds are the strongest and best feathered

young birds I have ever reared.



