180 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 



Presently the female came to the far side of 

 the nest. Immediately afterward she quitted. 

 (W.P.C. thinks a movement by him disturbed 

 her). However, she soon returned, but was 

 suspicious and very active and inclined to be 

 nervous. She began to tear up the food, 

 but quitted again. At 12.15, however, she 

 returned and completed her task. 

 At 12.30 we went out to lunch. The male 

 appeared like a tiny speck above the nest at 1, 

 so we went into our hiding tents. At 1 .5 the male 

 came in. He flew straight up to the nest, 

 poised a fraction of a second, dropped the prey 

 he had in his talons, and shot out over the top 

 of W.P.C.'s tent. He remained, however, in 

 the vicinity, calling for the hen. He flashed 

 past W.P.C.'s tent so closely that the air dis- 

 turbance as he passed caused a perceptible 

 draught through the peepholes. 

 When the food was placed in the nest the 

 young all got on their feet and called repeatedly, 

 apparently expecting the female to come to 

 break up the prey. As she did not arrive they 

 pulled it to pieces for themselves. 

 Head Keeper Wren said the nest contained 

 three females and two males, and he was right. 

 The three females grew much more rapidly than 

 the males and were earliest to leave the nest. 

 The eldest female, " Napoleon," was seen to 

 tear up prey and feed the youngest and most 

 backward chick, a male, with it. 

 1.30. The sun was full on the nest, and it 

 emitted a most unpleasant odour of decayed 

 animal matter, and was at all times the home 

 of innumerable flies. 



1.35. The young appeared to have eaten all 

 the food the male brought. Their table manners 



