Jan., 1905.] 



KNOWLEDGE & SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



15 



ORNITHOLOGICAL. 



By W. P. Pycraft. 



Breeding Habits of Pterocles Ex\ist\is. 



Mk.W. H. St. Quintin, in the December number of the Avi- 

 cultural Ma^a,-:i>u; gives an exceedingly interesting account 

 of the habits of the greater Pintailed Sandgrouse (Pterocles 

 cxnstus), which he has succeeded in breeding in his aviary this 

 year — the first record of the kind in this country. 



In the course of his essay he descril>os the curious method 

 which the birds have of watering their young. As this is 

 probably new to most of our readers we venture to reproduce 

 it here. " The young," he says, " no doubt are somehow able 

 to make it clear to their male parent that they wish to drink, 

 and he starts off to the pan, and, after sipping a little on his 

 own account, steps in and stands motionless for a minute or 

 two watching. Then he sits down in the water, and goes 

 through a shuffling movement very like a bird that is dusting- 

 After remaining in the water several minutes he gets out and 

 hurries off loudly calling to the young, who, if old enough, run 

 to meet him. Then follows what reminds me more than any- 

 thing of a mammal suckling her young; the chicks push their 

 heads amongst the breast-plumage and under tail-coverts, 

 evidently taking the water off the feathers by passing them 

 through their bills, moving to fresh places as the supply becomes 

 exhausted." 



Pterocles alchatus has the same custom ; a fact first noticed 

 by Mr. Meade-Waldo. As in the species just described, only 

 the male undertakes this work. 



The habits of these birds in confinement thus throws unex- 

 pected light on certain peculiar habits seen in wild birds of these 

 species and the allied Pterocles ((rt';!(iriH,s, which were observed by 

 Mr. Meade-Waldo soaking their breasts in puddles about the 

 village wells in Morocco and then flying off. 



Breeding Colonies of the Flamingo. 



In a charming and beautifully illustrated article in the 

 Century for December, Mr. Frank Chapman describes the 

 breeding habits of the Rosy Flamingo [Plia-nicoplerus ruber). 

 His observations were made in the Bahamas ; and since but 

 little is known of the breeding habits of Flamingos, his account 

 will be eagerly read by ornithologists. 



If any doubt still lingers in the mind of any of our readers 

 as to the truth of the old story of the method of incubation 

 which these birds, on account of the great length of their legs, 

 were obliged to adopt — brooding the eggs by sitting astride 

 the nest ! — they should be dispelled by Mr. Chapman's photo- 

 graphs. 



In view of the opinions which have been expressed as to the 

 systematic position of the Flamingo, it is interesting to notice 

 that the young are goose-like rather than stork-like, inasmuch 

 as they are precocious. Nevertheless, unless suddenly 

 alarmed, they remain in the nest for a few days after hatch- 

 ing, and are fed by the parents on what is described by the 

 author as " regurgitated clam broth," which is taken, drip by 

 drip, from the parent's bill. It would seem, however, from the 

 author's description that only their first meal is of this 

 character, and that henceforth the birds feed themselves 

 under the parents' guidance. Thus, in this matter, they 

 further resemble the Anseres. 



Unfortunately, owing to the unavoidable publicity which 

 Mr. Chapman's search for these birds occasioned, this huge 

 colony is doomed to extinction. Hitherto undiscovered, its 

 whereabouts has now become known to the negroes of the 

 island. And as fresh meat is " rarer then pink pearls " in the 

 outer Bahamas, and young Flamingos are regarded as excellent 

 eating, a relentless war on the colony has begun. 

 * * * 



Sabine's Snipe in Cambridgeshire. 



A remarkably fine specimen of the so-called Sabine's snipe 

 was killed in November at Fulborn, Cambridge, on the estate 

 of Captain Tryon. 



Now known to be only a melanistic variety of the common 



snipe, this bird yet presents some striking points of difference 

 from the normal type. Though I have recently examined 

 several specimens, in none have I remarked the characteristic 

 longitudinal striping on the upper parts, or the bars on the 

 axillaries. 



The present bird, a female, may be described as velvety 

 black above, relieved by brown markings, forming horse-shoe 

 shaped bars at the tips of the feathers of the scapulars and 

 mantle. The dark colour around the face was so intense as 

 to form a sort of mask, comparable in area to that of the 

 black-headed gull in summer dress. The beak and feet were 

 of the normal colour. 



Only in a few rare instances has the sex of these varieties 

 been recorded, though between fifty and sixty examples are 

 known. Of these, thirty-one have been obtained in Ireland, 

 twenty-two in England — the present specimen makes the 

 twenty-third — one in Scotland, and one in France. 



This appears to be the first record for Cambridgeshire. 



* * * 



The Thrush-Nightingale in England. 



The first authentic British-killed example of the thrush- 

 nightingale (Daulias philomela) was obtained at Smeeth, Kent, 

 on October 22, and was exhibited at the British Ornithologists' 

 Club on November 16. It proved to be a male. 



Known in Germany as the " Sprosser " nightingale, this 

 species differs from the common nightingale in its somewhat 

 larger size and the presence of faint spots on the throat ; but 

 it is inferior as a songster, as compared with its smaller 

 relative. 



* * * 



Water Pipits at Rye Harbour. 



An immature male water-pipit (Anthus spipoletta) was shot 

 at Rye Harbour, Sussex, on October 26, 1904. It was pro- 

 cured out of a flock of rock-pipits. On November ig, a 

 female, also an immature specimen, was killed at Pevensey 

 Sluice, Sussex. 



Mr. M. J. Nicoll, who exhibited these birds at the Novem- 

 ber meeting of the Ornithologists' Club, remarked that he had 

 but little doubt that the water-pipit was a regular visitor 

 to England during the autumn migration, but escaped notice 

 owing to its resemblance to the rock-pipit. 



They seem to prefer salt and brackish pools as a feeding 

 ground. 



» » » 



Spotted Crake in Co. Antrim. 



A young female Spotted Crake (Porsana inaruetta) was killed 

 on October 8 at Templepatrick, Co. Antrim. This makes the 

 sixth occurrence of this species in Co, Antrim. 



* * » 



In\migraLtion of La.pland Buntings. 



A small flock, at least, of Lapland Buntings (Plectrophanes 

 lapponica) would seem to have reached our shores this autumn, 

 inasmuch as a bird of this species was taken in a trap at 

 Acock Green, near Birmingham, on November 21 ; and two 

 on the denes at Great Yarmouth, a female on the iSth and a 

 young male on the 24th of November. 



* » # 



Hoopoe in Cheshire. 



An immature Hoopoe was, records the Zoohv^ht, shot in 

 a potato field at Sale, Cheshire, on September 21. This bird 

 had been seen in the neighbourhood since the 17th, and was 

 verv tame — a trait which unfortunately cost the wretched bird 

 its life ! These birds would undoubtedly breed in this 

 country if left alone when they arrive in the spring, as 

 many do. 



* * * 



Black-necked Grebe breeding in Grea-t 

 Brita-in. 



Mr. O. Aplin has a most interesting account of the breeding 

 of five pairs of the Black-necked Grebe (Podicipcs nii^ricoUis^ 

 on a lake, the geographical position of which he most wisely 

 refuses to disclose. His notes contain some valuable observa- 

 tions on the habits of the old birds and their care of the 

 nestlings. 



