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I should like here to say that the Editor may in future rest

quite easy that I do not say what I cannot prove. Not only is

the old hen Pennant marked as I say, but in the nest of young

ones, of which there are five, two have green tail centres and three

have blue : hence there are three cocks and two hens. If anyone

will in future look at a lot of Pennants, they will see that it is as

I say, and that it is quite easy to distinguish the Sex of Pennants.

So much for my own defence—for even the worm will turn if

you tread hard enough.


I might say that if the British Museum Catalogue gives

one description alone of the adult plumage, as Mr. Seth-Smith

says, the sooner the authorities alter the description the better it

will be for accuracy.


They began nesting operations sometime in May : the

cock diligently feeding the hen being the first sign of good

things to come. When pairing, the cock makes a terrible noise,

something like the barking of a dog, and he also gives a pretty

whistle from time to time. If the hen is not ready to mate,

should her lord prove too demonstrative, she runs at him along

the perch, head down, and pretends to bite his leg savagely;

when he sheers off quickly.


One night, by the look of the hen, I knew eggs were not

far off, and the next morning there was an egg laid on the floor,

through inexperience. Thinks I, this will not do, my lady; so

I popped the egg into her log and awaited issues. Next day she

took the hint and laid her egg, like a well-regulated bird, beside

the other in the nest. Altogether, five were deposited ; but at

first she did not sit very closely, and caused me thereby much

mental anguish. However, she apparently knew her business

better than I did, and what Pennants’ eggs required by way of

heat—for every egg hatched out in due course : about twenty

days, as far as I could guess, for it is impossible to tell such things

to a day, unless you are idiot enough to interfere, and I am

not. The first I knew of the hatching out, was the noise the

youngsters made. Day by day it grew, to my great joy, and at

first resembled the barking in miniature of a pack of hounds,

but gradually the voices changed to the whistle of the adults,

and then to a hoarse grumbling noise.


Both parents worked early and late ; and well they might,

to feed those five hungry mouths, and to their credit they have

reared ever}' one. One curious thing I noticed, that, when the

old cock was going to feed, when the youngsters were small, he

used to put his beak down on the perch and bring up the food



