80



Mrs. Katharine Currey,



place for Red-necked Phalaropes, and here were the nests and young

ones in abundance. The old birds were so plentiful it was difficult

to distinguish the different pairs as, although quite tame, they

were continuously flying' quickly from place to place and getting

hopelessly mixed. However, having inspected several nests with

eggs I sat down to watch a little brood of four chicks which the old

cock bird was looking after amongst the long grass on the edge of a

pool. It was a sight I shall not readily forget, to see the care of the

old bird for the chicks which were evidently only a few days old.

The one precocious chick that so excited my interest would insist on

sailing out into open water far from land, when the old bird, after

calling him with repeated cries without result, swam quickly after

him and getting on the outside (farthest from the land) kept pecking

him vigorously on the head until he got him to land, and then the

old bird stood on the grass (within a few feet of me) and kept

spreading his wings and calling loudly for the chick to come to be

brooded which, after some demur, it did, and so remained for quite a

long time.


This was my best bird-view of the past season. To those who

have not seen Phalarope chicks it may seem trivial, but not, I think,

to those who have and who, like myself, “ take off their shoes.”



AFRA DOVES.


Ghalcopelia cifra.


By Katharine Currey.


The lovely little Afra Doves are charming pets, but they

should live in a flock, not in isolated pairs, for they are very sociable

and never seem to wish to fight. A pair I had were restless, as all

gregarious birds are when alone, but as soon as I let other Afras into

the aviary they settled down, and now generally sit together on one

perch, a row of them. Before their present aviary was constructed

I had them altogether in a large cage, letting them out into a lawn

enclosure to fly about during the day. They knew very soon what

they had to do at sunset, and one by one came down from the

branches and hopped into the cage to be taken in, out of the way of



