on the Breeding of White-crested Touracos. 351


A few days afterwards, the wretched male bird (whom I

now realise I ought to have shut up by himself) again went for

her, drove her off the nest and damaged her.


I happened to be just leaving home for the day, and only

heard the news at midday, when it was too late for me to go and

see into things, nor was I aware that the hen Touraco was so

ruffled that she could not get up to the nest again. I merely had

time to order the incarceration of the male bird.


As I was leaving home, the thought occurred to me that

there might possibly be young ones in the nest, but I was not

home until too late to look.


The next morning I mounted a ladder, when to my horror

I found two young birds of the size of newly hatched Bantams,

and marvellous to relate, still alive, although they had been

without food or warmth for about twenty hours ! ! I held them

in my hands to warm them, although the life within them was all

but gone, and to my delight both birds after about twenty

minutes began to show signs of reviving, but one (the smaller of

the two) collapsed in about an hour.


The other quite regained its strength, and I put some

small pieces of grape down its throat, which it swallowed well,

only to bring all up again in five minutes. Then I tried some

bread scalded in milk with “ Banana Crystals,” and it kept some

down, seeming to do fairly well; but it was not the right thing,

and the poor nestling died the following morning.


Had I only incarcerated the male bird sooner, I feel sure

the mother would have successfully reared them, for she never

left them, and they must have been full of vitality to endure so

long under such adverse circumstances.


As I wrote last year, the young are covered thickly with

deep brown fluff, and the gape of the mouth is very large.



