26



Mr. R. I. Pocock,



nest by the cock, and about a week after the loss of the first eggs,

the hen laid a couple more. This was on July 12th. During the

first ten days of incubation the hen was frequently off the nest

during the day but sat all through the night. After that time

she sat close during the day, only leaving her post to feed. The

cock, be it noted, although diligent in constructing the nest, took

no part in the incubation of the eggs ; nor did he feed his mate

while sitting. Early in the morning of the twenty-eighth day

after the eggs were laid, that is to say on August 8th, the chicks

were found sitting on the edge of the nest, with the ben on the

ground below calling upon them to descend. This they soon did,

dropping without hurt a height of about five feet, and presumably

breaking the fall by means of their wings which were furnished

with flight feathers perhaps about an inch long, and resembling

in this particular the wings of newly-hatched Brush Turkeys.

Their wings however were not strong enough to enable them to

get up into the nest again ; and I do not know whether at that

time they would have availed themselves, as they did afterwards,

of facilities for climbing up, had they been provided. For the

first five nights the hen brooded them on the ground. After that

she roosted high up on the perch ; and they, left to take care of

themselves, roosted on a branch below, but as near to her as they

could get. Extra branches were then put in. Of these they at

once took advantage, and thereafter climbed to the perch and

roosted every night by her side. When the three were about 011

the ground together during the day time the chicks ran to their

mother’s wings for shelter in case of alarm or if rain came on, just

like the chickens of pheasants or fowls. When food was given to

them the hen picked up the pieces in her beak, and in response

to her crooning call the chicks ran up and took it from her. Some¬

times she made no attempt to tender the food to them but merely

stood still and let the first one that reached her take it. At other

times she would deliberately present it to one or the other.

This method of feeding the young is intermediate between the

method ordinarily practised by rasorinal gallinaceous birds and

that adopted by ordinary passerine species. They were fed at

first upon mealworms and hard boiled yolk of egg. The white of

the egg the mother would not touch. Afterwards they took to



