on Breeding Gray's Bare-throated F?-ancolin. 355


being much lighter in colour, thus seemingly at an early stage

showing the variance of the two sexes.


At the time I am writing this the first brood consists of

four birds quite healthy and strong, the other three have suc¬

cumbed in their infancy.


The second hen in the other compartment hatched off five

chicks from her twelve eggs, and 011 the second day took her

family into the open aviary where some Tinamous (B. rufescens')

were running, with the disastrous result that one of the little

ones was devoured and another injured by these birds ; however

the Francolin and her remaining brood were caught and placed

in a rabbit hutch, and they are now doing well in this confined

space. I,ater 011 a third “ Bare-tliroat” hatched the five eggs she

had been sitting on ; the nest being in the open aviary under a

privet-tree, and she and her brood, to avoid any risk from the

Tinamous, were at once caught and placed in another rabbit-

hutch. All these are thriving, and the chicks are now (Sept. 3rd)

ten days old.


Ants’ eggs, mealworms, egg and chicken food have been

their fare. The following is the result of all the hatchings of my

“‘Gray’s Francolins”:—


1st. —12 eggs under domestic fowl, 5 hatched (June 12th),

two trodden 011 and killed by hen, and one killed by a cat—two

living.


2nd.—12 eggs under domestic fowl, 6 hatched (June 22nd)

one trodden on by hen—five living.


3rd.—12 eggs (a common partridge egg added) under

domestic fowl in a cart-shed at a farm, all thirteen eggs hatched

(June 30th); incubation lasting 23 days. When a fortnight old

all except two chicks disappeared. I believe they joined a

partridge brood in an adjoining field. The two chicks, both

Francolins, are now running about with the hen in the farm yard.


4th.—12 eggs, incubated by natural mother, 7 hatched Aug.

1st—4 now living.


5th.—12 eggs, incubated by natural mother, 5 hatched Aug.

iotli—3 now living.


6th.—5 eggs, incubated by natural mother, all hatched

Aug. 20th—all living.



