Correspondence.



150


bird dealer at Leipzig. Good birds may sometimes be purchased at the

Zoological Gardens at Antwerp (Anvers). And Marseilles sometimes has

birds which are practically never seen in this country.


Doubtless some of our members can help us with much more

extensive and detailed information.


Reginald Phieeipps.



MANTELL’vS APTERYX LAYING IN CAPTIVITY.


Sir, —I think it may interest your readers to hear that an egg of

Mantell’s Apteryx was laid in the aviaries here on December 31st last. The

egg was deposited in a deep scraping in the ground some distance from any

building, and under a thorn tree. A pair of Apteryx mantelli and a pair of

A. oweni have been for some considerable time at Lilford, living in a state

of semi - freedom. They are entirely “ self-supporting ” except in very

severe weather, when their natural food is supplemented by raw meat,

etc. One of each species has recently died, and the two remaining have,

presumably, paired. There is no reason to doubt the egg having been

fertile, but it was badly cracked ; and besides this, I fancy the severity of

the weather would have prevented all possibility of hatching.


Mieey Lieford.



PECULIARITIES IN THE FLIGHT OF BIRDS.


Sir, —There is perhaps nothing in which the aviculturist is more

handicapped to the student of Nature than with regard to the peculiarities

in the flight of birds.


This difficult}^ is not easily overcome, as the former studies them

within the confines of a limited space, the latter studies them in the world

at large; the one observing them using their wings, only as far as a few

yards at most, the other seeing them where they have their freedom and

where they can acquire speed and so get from place to place with the least

possible exertion.


This is, perhaps, more particularly with large birds than with small,

but even with the latter it is oftener the case than we suppose (as an

example I will give will show).


In February last, while I was having hot water pipes fitted into my

aviary, my cock Australian Crested Pigeon escaped through the

aperture made for the pipes and flew away to the top of some

high beech trees close by. I made haste and caught the hen, and put it

out in a cage to attract his attention, in order to try and secure him with a

trap cage. The day was fine, and he sat and cooed and preened his

feathers for a considerable time, but after a bit, off he flew like a rocket,

almost straight up into the air, and to a great height, clapping his wings

against his body all the time he ascended. Then he held up his wings and



