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their efforts to build a nest upon nothing did not come to much.

Here, with much difficult}’, I managed to fix up an old travelling

cage, of which they immediately took possession : and here,

with a box full of young, we will leave them, sheltered from the

rain, in a place quite inaccessible to the larger birds, but

somewhat exposed to the winds ; and here, if they will learn one

lesson more, that the best time for nesting is during our summer,

they may securely rear young to their hearts’ content.


I do not wish to lead our younger aviculturists astray,

so will add that, although I did inspect these nests from time to

time, I did so with my “ brains; ” and also that, if the birds had

been of value, I should not have inspected the nests at all.

Birds generally are not like Canaries and Barbary Doves ; for the

most part they like to believe that you are wholly unconscious

of the existence of their nests. Zebra Finches, moreover, are

notorious for the promptness with which they often desert their

nests if inspected ; but my little lieu, indeed most of my birds,

regard me as their friend and protector, as a convenient and

comfortable resting-place, and my hat and my ears as particular

delicacies provided specially for their benefit and edification.



SAND GROUSE.


By E. G. B. Meade-Waitdo.


The Sand Grouse family form a group of birds of

singular beauty, and one which, with proper management

and accommodation, thrive exceedingly in confinement. It might

be supposed that birds which live either on burning deserts or

in such inhospitable regions as the Pamirs or Gobi deserts,

subject to the greatest extremes of heat and cold, would not

lend themselves to the comparative confinement and immense

change of surroundings of an aviary in this climate. Never¬

theless, they not only live for years and maintain the most

perfect health, going through their curious seasonal changes of

plumage regularly, but they will nest and successfully rear their

young. Sand Grouse become most exceedingly tame in an

aviary, and some individuals of the Black-breasted Sand Grouse

(Petrocles arenarius) are among the only birds I have had who

had no objection of any kind to being picked up ; standing still

when approached and allowing themselves to be taken up

without a struggle ; the same birds would chase my small

children and peck their heels !


Sand Grouse inhabit the desert regions of Africa, also



