ANDALUSIAN HEMIPODE. 135 



dried grass placed under the shelter of a palmetto bush. 

 Another nest, found. by Capt. Savile G, Eeid, R.E., on the 

 19th May, 1873, was placed in grass near the shore, and 

 also contained four incubated eggs, as did another obtained 

 near Tangier by Olcese ; Favier also says that they lay four 

 eggs, and that number appears to be the usual complement. 

 Col. Irby has also received eggs from Mogador. Loche says 

 that the old females lay in May, and again in August : the 

 younger ones in June and September ; young broods being 

 sometimes found in the latter month. The eggs are of a dirty- 

 white colour, thickly blotched with purplish-grey and brown, 

 very similar to those of the Pratincole, but smaller ; their 

 average measurement being about 1 by "8 in. The structure 

 of the shell is very different from that of the egg of a Quail. 



The male is monogamous, and takes part in the duties of 

 incubation and of attending to the young, which are able 

 to run as soon as they are hatched. Their natural food 

 consists of insects and seeds of wild leguminous and other 

 plants, especially those of the broom ; and the stomachs of 

 those examined by the Editor have also contained a large 

 proportion of minute stones. In captivity they feed on 

 wheat, millet, chopped lettuce, very small snails, and broken 

 sugar ; but the greatest attractions, says Loche, were meal- 

 worms and flies, which they soon learned to take from the 

 hand. An adult male became tame almost immediately, 

 but a wounded female sulked for some time, only yielding 

 to the temptation of meal-worms. Subsequently both would 

 allow themselves to be caressed, and made no attempts to 

 escape ; but Loche could never succeed in rearing the young 

 ones captured from time to time. A female, deprived of 

 the male, laid more than fifty eggs between March 3rd and 

 October 16th. These were deposited on two consecutive 

 days ; after an interval of three days a third was laid, and 

 again, after two or three days, a fourth ; then came a pause 

 of seven or eight days, and laying under similar conditions 

 was recommenced. A pair of birds subsequently hatched 

 out and reared a brood of four young ones, which, as soon as 

 they became thoroughly independent, separated from their 



