AVES RHEID^. « 



begin to set when ten or twelve eggs are laid, and that they after^^•ards 

 continue laying. He affirms that by day the hens take turns in settino- 

 but that the cock sits all night." ^' 



" I have before mentioned the great number of huachos, or scattered 

 eggs, so that in one day's hunting the third part found were' in this state. 

 It appears odd that so many should be wasted. Does it not arise from 

 some difficulty in several females associating together, and in finding a 

 male ready to undertake the office of incubation ? It is evident that th'ere 

 must at first be some degree of association between at least two females ; 

 otherwise the eggs would remain scattered at distances far too great to 

 allow of the male collecting them into one nest. Some authors believe 

 that the scattered eggs are deposited for the young birds to feed on. 

 This can hardly be the case in America, because the huachos, although 

 often found addled and putrid, are generally whole." (Darwin, "Voyage 

 of H. M. S. Beagle," Birds, p. 120-123. 1841.) 



Major H. Fothergill (Avicult. Mag. VIII. p. 127) writes: "My experi- 

 ence with these birds, during many years, is as follows : The hen lays her 

 eggs promiscuously about the field, and her mate with his beak collects 

 them into a hollow, which he scoops out in the ground. He then sits and 

 hatches out the young birds in 42 days. The female has nothing further 

 to do with the matter, and, in fact, is apt to tease her mate and cause 

 trouble if not removed into another field. The male Rhea becomes ex- 

 ceedingly savage and dangerous during the breeding season, and, at that 

 time of the year, makes a loud, booming sound, which I have heard quite 

 a mile away. The female makes no sound whatever. 



" I have had an interesting experience with my pair of old Rheas. The 

 female laid twenty-three eggs, some of them many weeks after the male 

 had commenced to sit. After sitting the usual six weeks he hatched out 

 six strong little birds and left the nest with these. I took nine eggs which 

 remained in the nest and placed them under large barn-door fowls, one of 

 which hatched out two young Rheas shortly aftenvards. On the appear- 

 ance of these strange youngsters, when the eggs burst open in two halves 

 with a slight explosion, the hen immediately rushed away with a cry of 

 terror, leaving the chicks to their fate. I thereupon wrapped them in 

 flannel until the evening when they were put under the male Rhea, who 

 took to them all right." 



