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touched the water, and utter a short whistle. At this sound B

manifested great anxiety to be at him. At other times A would

first raise his body and then his tail, lay his neck at full length

flat on the water, and swim rapidly about. At this both the

ducks would swim quickly towards him, and thus manifest in

the manner above described their dislike at the proceedings.

Finally B thinks matters are becoming serious, so getting out

of the pond, he enters it again on the other side and goes to

the attack. A drives him off, but he returns again and again,

and at last a hand-to-hand conflict begins. Into the details of

this battle, as to how B got A’s head under his wing, and how

A pushed B under water, it is unnecessary to enter, suffice it to

say that after about five minutes, B, being rather ‘ pumped,”

retires with a slow majestic waddle to the other side of the pond,

followed closely, not by A, who stayed behind to wipe the sweat

from his brow, but by a duck. From that day to this they have

always been in pairs, having carried on their matrimonial

arrangements with varying success.


I have related this true anecdote for two reasons, firstly,

as showing that the Mallard is not usually polygamous in con¬

finement, and secondly, as giving us an insight into the habits

of birds, about which I feel sure no true aviculturist is ever

tired of hearing.


NOTES ON THE TREATMENT OF

NEWLY-IMPORTED GOULDIAN FINCHES.


By W. H. St. Quintin.


In reply to a question as to the treatment which I have

found most suitaole for the two species or varieties of the

Gouldian Finch on their first arrival in this country, I am

afraid I have nothing very special to suggest, at any rate to the

more experienced of our readers ; but there are one or two

points on which I would offer a remark or two. In the first

place, though the summer and early autumn are favourable to

the newly-imported birds, and offer less contrast to the climate

which they have been used to in their own country than winter

and spring, there is one matter which must not be forgotten.

The days are rapidly shortening, and there is less and less

daylight during which the birds can seek their food. If one of

these birds be at all amiss, it will eat very little at a time : it is

therefore important to do everything to induce it to visit the

seed-tray at short intervals throughout as great a portion as

possible of the twenty-four hours. I always, in the duller



