230



Mr. T. H. Newman.



egg in it on September 26th. The birds sat splendidly ; from the

first the hen would let me stand quite close to her when sitting

without minding. On October 13th, both birds were sitting

together on the nest, which I had not seen them do before, and I

found the egg had hatched, making the period of incubation 17

days. On October 15th, I noticed that the young one was spar¬

ingly covered with pale yellow down ; the flight feathers were

beginning to show through the skin. The hen did not leave the

nest, and resented my looking at the young one. On the 17th,

I first saw the young bird clearly; the male flew off the nest

making a good flutter, he raised his wings and ran out of the

bushes near me, evidently to attract my attention from the nest.

The young one was growing fast, the down on the upper surface

of body seemed rather darker (pale fawn), the primaries and

secondaries were sprouting well with other feathers in the wings,

no feathers visible anywhere else, eyes beginning to open.


20th, young one looking very well, feathers in wings

getting long, a few of the greater coverts just bursting and

showing dark fawn tips, the bill, which was flesh-coloured at first

was getting darker, two rows ot feathers on back, and tail

feathers beginning to show ; it was now one week old. 22nd,

sharp frost in the night; primaries beginning to burst, showing

dark chestnut tips contrasting with the fawn ones of the greater

coverts, head and crop-region beginning to show feathers in

sheath. 23rd, a great change since the previous day, many of

the small feathers on the wings having burst their sheaths,

showing dark brown with chestnut edges, three distinct fawn

coloured bands showed across the wing, which correspond to the

grey ones of the adult; bill and tarsus pinkish-grey, toes leaden-

grey, claws flesh-coloured. This was the first day I noticed the

old birds voluntarily leave the young one ; the weather was

milder than on the previous day.


26th, young one looking well, wings now quite fledged,

mantle and scapulars dark brown with narrow chestnut edges;

the blackish wing-coverts with their light tips form three broad

dark bands, separated by narrow buff ones, crop-region dark

brown with chestnut edges to the feathers, top of head chestnut,

the feathers having darker bases. 27th, cold damp morning after



