Birds. 9201 
difficult to determine the sexes, until quite mature. They likewise had 
a severe quarrel, lasting for nearly a month, in the spring, which looks 
like jealousy, but perhaps it was only to establish supremacy, for they 
are now entirely at peace. The two from the same stock of ihe pre- 
ceding season, in the Zoological Gardens, Regent’s Park, have thriven 
well, are now considered to have arrived at maturity, and are pro- 
nounced both males. My adult birds became reconciled to each 
other in due course. 
The next season (1863) was most prolific in eggs, but proved an 
entire failure as to any further result. The laying commenced on the 
2nd of January. There was an interval of four days between each of 
the three following eggs, and then the process continued with the 
utmost regularity, on every third day, even to the time of the afternoon. 
It was invariably within a margin of one hour on either side of four 
o’clock that an egg was deposited, up to the twentieth in number (see 
* Diary,” Zoo]. 8494). I had learned to interpret the voice of the bird, 
namely, a low muttering sound she regularly makes for an hour or so 
before laying, which rendered the observation of the time a matter of 
but little difficulty, whenever I was at home. The same precautions 
were taken with respect to the safety of the eggs from frost as the pre- 
vious season. After this number of eggs had been laid, the male bird 
exhibited the usual symptoms, and he was set upon thirteen eggs on 
the 5th of March. 
The early period of sitting was as close as before. The first view 
obtained of the contents of the nest was on the 9th, when two more 
eggs were found to have been added. The bird at large was seen to 
deposit another on the 12th. It was the 2lst before another view of 
the nest was obtained. There were then seventeen eggs in it. Three 
were removed, under the idea that there would still be as many as the 
bird could do justice to. An incubator was started for the reception 
of the surplus eggs. 
The bird at large continued to lay until the enormous number of 
twenty-eight was completed. From the average known weight of the 
bulk of them, it must have amounted to about 40 lbs. in all. 
The management of the incubator was conducted exactly, as recom- 
mended at the Zoological Gardens, as nearly as. circumstances ad- 
mitted, except that the average temperature aimed at being maintained 
was 104° instead of 108°. All my subsequent observations lead me to 
conclude that the former may be somewhat too high. During the first 
four weeks everything went on admirably. In the fifth week I was 
summoned from home by the illness of a near relative. Though only 
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