3°6



Cranes, etc., at Woburn.



The Australian Cranes ( Grus australasiana) also had two,

but they attacked one, which we have had to bring up by hand

and killed the other when half grown.


Amongst the Swans, the Trumpeter and Black-necked,

both have young. Bewick and Whooper Swans lay and sit every

year, but the eggs are always unfertile. The Whoopers, however,

having become bored with the unsatisfactory proceeding of

sitting on unfertile eggs, turned a Black Swan off her nest,

hatched and brought up the young, to whom they behave as

devoted parents.


The Cereopsis Geese have three young as large as them¬

selves. Another pair had four young, but they nest very early

and bad weather settled the fate of the whole broods.


Snow and Blue Snow Geese breed here annually ; there is

also a brood of White-fronted Geese and also of Bernicle Geese.


Amongst the Ducks the following have hatched out

broods:—


Brazilian Teal (.Nettion brasiliense').


Versicolor Teal (Querquedula versicolor).


Fulvous Duck ( Dendrocygna fulva).


Bahama Pintail ( Pcecilonetta bahamensis).


White-Eyed Duck (Nyrora afj'icana).


Rea-Billed Tree Duck (.Dendrocygna autumnalis).


The Red-Crested and Dominican Cardinals, which have

been at large all the year, have had several nests and hatched

young in the garden.


The Orange Weavers have also made a nest in the garden,

but did not get beyond that.


I am glad to say that we have just added six Hooded

Cranes (Grus monachus ) to our collection.


Woburn Abbey, Woburn,


July 1 8 th, 1908.



