GAJHE BIRDS OF SOUTH AFRICA 



Liidwig's Paauw feed in the early morning and late 

 evening on locusts, beetles, mice, lizards, and any living food. 

 I have often been told that they lived on grain such as 

 mealies or Kaffir-corn, but although I have offered grain 

 to most species of tame Bustard and have examined the 

 crops of many, I have never found grain in them. They 

 will occasionally eat clover and young soft weeds and grass, 

 and I do not think they would refuse the eggs of any small 

 ground-breeding bird. 



In East Africa the males " show-ofiE " at about ten 

 o'clock in the morning or a little before, and sometimes 

 about sunrise. Occasionally in the sunshine a bird would 

 be seen in the distance revolving slowly round and round, 

 his big, white neck glistening and his tail-feathers and wing- 

 coverts stuck up like a frill round him, while he accompanied 

 this performance with his deep humming love-note. The 

 hen bird in the meantime would stalk aimlessly about and 

 apparently pay not the least attention to him. 



Like all big game-birds, Paauw fly fast, although they 

 appear to go slowly. The}^ rarely give a chance to the shot- 

 gun, and are generally killed with the rifle, and as they are 

 usually in grass long enough to conceal their bodies, they 

 do not often present an easy target. 



Two of these birds are now living in the Zoological 

 Society's Gardens at Regent's Park. 



Should a young bird be captured alive the best food for 

 it would be locusts, grasshoppers, etc., until it could be got 

 to eat cooked meat, porridge or any cereal, or boiled potatoes. 

 It must be remembered that a captive bird likes plenty of 

 choice in its food, and it must not be forgotten that the 

 bones of all the Bustards are very brittle, so that these 



