1899.] BREEDING OF THE WEKA EAIL AKD SNOW-GOOSE. 4l3 



this time, and the birds commenced to sit. My hopes of a good 

 result ran high, as special orders had been given not to disturb 

 the birds on any account, because I had attributed their former 

 bad behaviour to some annoyance that had put them out of temper. 

 During ten days incubation took place quite regularly, when 

 again the nest was found turned upside down, with six of the eggs 

 broken or eaten by the birds, who were still busy at this most 

 unnatural proceeding. The seventh egg was saved and put under 

 a bantam-hen, which brought it to maturity, so that in due time a 

 very lively little black Weka-Eail chicken burst the shell. 



Incubation had lasted, including the ten days during which the 

 Eails had sat, 28 days. The chick was of nearly uniform slightly 

 brownish black all over, with jet-black eyes, a slightly curved 

 black bill, and stout reddish-black legs. The down being very 

 long and stiff, gave the bird a very fluffy appearance, and a great 

 resemblance to the chick of the Common Fowl. 



In the chick of Aramides ypeatha the down is much shorter 

 and velvety in texture, so that the form of the body remains 

 plainly visible. The curious reseoiblance between the eggs of 

 Aramides ypecaha aud Ocydromus atistralis is, therefore, not 

 continued in the chicks of these two very different members of 

 the Kail family. 



The little Ocydroinus-chick uttered constantly a sharp piping 

 note, and showed almost from the first day the intelligent boldness 

 of its parents. It soon found out that its foster-mother had little 

 patience in feeding it from its bill, as was expected by the little 

 Weka, and that it had to look to the keeper's fingers for its supply 

 of food, which chiefly consisted of small earth\\onns aud little 

 crumbs of bread. I had every reason to believe that it would 

 thrive, when, unfortunately, it was discovered that it preferred 

 mealworms to everything else. These consequently were given to 

 it, but seemed to have disagreed with it, for its digestion became 

 disordered, and after a couple of days' illness it died wlien just a 

 week old. 



The old birds went on making nests and laying a great number 

 of eggs. Several of these were eaten, as the first two clutches were; 

 a number were also saved and placed under common hens, but 

 they all proved to be unfertilized, so that I did not succeed in 

 getting any more chicks. This strange propensity of eating their 

 own eggs was not restricted to this individual pair of birds, as 

 another pair let loose in a wooded enclosure of about three acres 

 behaved in just the same way. The birds made a nest, sat on 

 the eggs during a few days, and then destroyed everything. This 

 last pair was of a most ferocious disposition, and the male even 

 destroyed some young Bheas which were running about along 

 with their father in the same enclosure. They also killed other 

 birds. 



All Wekas are remarkable for their tameness and intelligent 

 behaviour, so that, where their destructiveness is no hindrance, 

 they make very amusing pets. They use their wings only when 



