92 PROPAGATION OF WILD BIRDS 



feller with a South American tinamou. This is a peculiar, 

 long-legged gallinaceous species of medium size, mottled 

 brown in colour, which utters loud, prolonged wailing cries. 

 Tinamous are tame, docile birds, and they do very well in 

 grassy pens, being entirely maintained upon small grain and 

 seeds. They breed quite readily, laying good numbers of 

 very peculiar-looking eggs, of a uniform deep, rich brown 

 colour, with a gloss as if varnished. The young are easily 

 raised with bantams, by the same food as pheasants. They 

 do not appear sensitive to epidemics, and grow up in an 

 enclosure without complications. They are at least fairly 

 hardy, and stand winter weather without artificial heat, 

 with only shelter from storms. Further experimentation 

 might show that they could be trusted to wander like guinea- 

 fowl and come home to roost. They are so singular and 

 quaint that it is decidedly amusing to breed them. 



Dangers of Wild State. It is a very different problem, 

 however, when it comes to introducing these strange species 

 into this country in the wild state. All sorts of factors 

 arise to complicate the problem. It is not enough that a 

 species should be hardy. For example, I was interested 

 once to watch a little European quail that George D. Tilley 

 had on his place. It remained all winter in a small yard, 

 entirely in the open, in deep snow, exposed to cold and 

 storms, living mostly under a little cedar bush, the only 

 shelter it had. When attempts were made to introduce the 

 species through hberation, the birds nested in the vicinity 

 and raised their broods, but migrated in the autumn, after 

 their habit, and were never seen again. In this case, the 

 obstacle was the migratory instinct; in others it seems to 

 be in securing food, resisting vermin, and the like. 



The Gray Partridge. The only other foreign species 

 which may be discussed at length is the gray partridge of 



