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quarrelsome birds with their own kind, and to keep two cocks

together will mean speedy death to one.


The hen Dhyal is the rarest of rare birds ; she is smaller

and slighter than her mate ; and where he is black she is a

delicate lavender.


I was fortunate enough when up in London last autumn

to secure five Dhyals, just as they came off the ship, and one of

them was a hen. It was a case of take all or none, so I took all.


They were wonderfully tame, and I think consisted of an

old cock and his four nestlings ; as one was much larger than

any of the others.


On reaching home, I had to cage off three of the cocks

separately to prevent murder ; the pair I let go in a big indoor

aviary, where they soon came into magnificent feather and

where they have remained ever since. Two of the cocks I sold,

and I reserved the odd one in case of accidents, so as to have two

strings to my bow.


One day in May when I was showing my birds to a brother

fancier, I was going to point out the hen Dhyal as the rarest

of my possessions, when to my horror I could not see her any¬

where. I feared she must be dead or had slipped out unknown

to me and got lost. After looking most carefully all round the

aviary and when about to give up the hunt in despair, I suddenly

espied a long tail sticking out of a nest box. At first it gave me

a horrid turn as I thought she had crept into a box to die there ;

as I had no suspicion of nesting. On getting a chair to look

I was intensely relieved to see the tail move, so I knew it was all

right and a case of eggs. Of course I had to have a look (was

it not excusable if rash ?_) I seized my opportunity when Mrs.

Dhyal was off feeding, and to my joy found three eggs.


They are rather small for the size of the bird, pale sea-green

in colour, heavily blotched with chocolate at the bigger end, and

rounded in shape. The hen sat admirably and hatched out two

young birds, the remaining egg was clear.


The young ones when fledged just resembled the old birds,

but were very yellow at the base of the beak ; and were of the

male persuasion.


I fed on mealworms and black ‘ clocks.’


Later, the youngsters were both killed by the cock ; one on

one day, the other on the next, on the floor.


I was of course sorry in a way, but these things will happen,

and cock Dhyals are very quarrelsome ! ! ! This is by way of

consolation.



