On Sun and Sugar Birds.



115



I often failed to find one or other of them for a week or so at

a time, and it was interesting to notice that the young birds and

their parents made long tunnels in the coarse-growing grass all over

the run, as though the place had been infested with rats. A system¬

atic hunt by several persons with sticks to poke in every tuft of

grass was the only way of ascertaining what birds were there. The

greatest care had to be exercised to avoid treading on the chicks.


5. I have written so often about the nesting of my Tree

Partridges that I will now only add a short note as to a pair of

these birds that spent the whole of last summer in vigorously

making and pulling to pieces at least twenty nests, laying in several

a few eggs which I took to the incubator. On the 13th August, the

hen commenced to sit on four eggs in a nest deeply scooped out in

the ground and so covered that she was, when sitting, almost

invisible. She sat twenty-six days, and to my surprise then brought

off four chicks. I have never previously known eggs of Tree

Partridges take so long to hatch. When the hen bird finally brought

off the chicks and I went to investigate, the cock came flying almost

into my face from the other side of the run with a wild shriek and

thereafter evinced the greatest excitement when I approached the

hen and chicks and often made frantic efforts to lure me away.

The weather for the first week was unusually cold and two chicks

died. I put the other two with the parent birds into my sand-

grouse shed (a wooden shed facing south with sand floor and glass

shelter in front). They flourished well there, being fed on well

cleaned gentles and small seeds. Of course, turf ground would have

been more ideal, but then Tree Partridges should not hatch in

September, and I had to do the best I could.



SUN AND SUGAR BIRDS.


By E. J. Brook.


I have often thought that one of the most critical times of

the year for small birds in aviaries with outdoor flights was late

autumn and early winter. I have been greatly puzzled over this as

cold could not be held accountable when the birds were shut into



