Cranes , etc., at Woburn.



305



into the house. The}'' were turned into the aviary the same day

and made themselves quite at home at once. They are very fond

of paddling along the shallows of the water and investigate every

floating leaf or moving object on the surface of the water, whether

animate or inanimate, being much more inquisitive in this respect

than the Land Ralls. It was very amusing on one occasion to

observe the excitement set up by the dropping into the water of

a large dor-bettle which had evidently struck the roof netting of

the aviary during its flight and fallen through ; all the water

birds at once went out to see what the curious black whirling

object was gyrating on the water, first one would pluck up

courage to attempt to seize one leg only to drop it almost at once,

then another would try only to repeat the same performance, the

end of it being that a heron who had been gravely watching the

antics from the shore, marched into the water, crushed the beetle

in its beak and sedately stepped back again as if to put a stop to

the unseemly behaviour of the other birds.



CRANES, ETC., AT WOBURN.


By the Duchess of Bedford.


The following notes regarding Cranes and other birds

which have nested at Woburn this summer may be of interest

to some of the readers of the Avicultural Magazine.


The Sams Cranes (jGrus coltares') have a strong chick about

six weeks old.


A second pair nested early in the year and laid an egg,

which was buried in snow the following day. They nested again

later and sat the full time but the eggs were unfertile. With

praiseworthy persistency they have now made a third nest and

the hen is sitting.


The Common Crane sat for the full time on eggs which in

the end mysteriously disappeared, but they started a new nest at

once, and have now a half grown chick. A second pair sat for a

considerable time but were driven off by a Black-necked Swan.


The White-necked Cranes ( Anlhropoides leucach.en') have

two thriving young ones, hatched early in June.



