180 Notes on the Breeding of the South African Goly.


was missing, and presently discovered that she was sitting on a

nest made on the top of a lid of a hamper, fixed up at the back of

the shelter in the aviary ; in fact, the identical lid on which the

White-crested Touracous had nested in 1913.


The Coly and its nest were completely hidden from view by a

thick bough of Scotch fir, and I did not dare take more than a

momentary glance for fear of disturbing her. I feel convinced, and

my bird-man is equally sure, that incubation can only just have

begun on the 26th, if she had begun to sit before that we should

have missed her sooner. Unfortunately I went abroad on July 4th,

and up to that date there had been no change in the situation and I

can only relate therefore subsequent events second-hand. Apparently

the old bird sat extremely well, and when she came off to feed, the

cock took her place; in any case, they were never seen in the flight

together, one was always on the nest, though as the sexes are iden¬

tical, the bird-man was not certain whether it was not the hen, and

whether she may not have come off to feed when no one was there.

He thinks the incubation period lasted about a fortnight, at any

rate, on July 16th both old birds were out in the flight at the same

time and he was able for the first time to look into the nest, which

he describes as cup-shaped and untidily made with bits of hay and

grass; inside he found two well-feathered young ones, evidently

hatched some days; he says they were comical looking little objects,

with their crests already quite long.


The old birds fed them assiduously, carrying small bits of

soft banana to them, and on this food they were reared entirely.

When I came home from abroad on August 1st, the young ones

were flying about with their parents, from which even then they

were difficult to tell apart, except that they were rather lighter in

colour and their tail-feathers were not so long.


I shall be glad to hear whether any member knows of this

species having been previously bred in confinement/"



* Mr. Gurney is probably entitled to a medal for being the first to breed the

S. African Coly in England.—E d.



