on the breeding of bearded tits.



361



her death. But her three children, who are all still living and

doing well, take after her and bear the same likeness to adult reed-

lings that a fox cub does to an old fox. It is a remarkable fact

that I have never found two hen reedlings sufficiently alike as to

confuse them. They differ quite as much as the eggs of the Solan

goose. With the cocks it is quite different and I am quite unable to

tell 11 t’other from which.” I don’t remember ever seeing this fact

noted before, but it is a fact for all that. My little hen was darker

than most with distinct longitudinal dark brown streaks down

the back of the head and back. Some hen reedlings get a kind of

foxey look, but this one always preserved her sweet expression. The

nest this pair built was composed entirely of fine grass, lined with a

few odd bits of fluff, hair, and a small feather or two. It was built

in a rush nest.


The natural nest resembles very closely that of the moorhen

(G. chloropus). The way the leaves of the rushes are woven with

the sides of the nest is simply wonderful. The nest in my aviary

was built about 9-12 inches from the ground. It was open, shallow

and cup shaped. The lining consisted of dead leaves from the reeds

and fine grasses. The eggs—which number 5-6 in a clutch—are

white and marked with fine wavy streaks and splashes of brown.

These streaks vary considerably in intensity and are fairly polar in

distribution. They are more distinct at the upper pole. The eggs

are fairly oval and smaller at one end than the other, and are laid

on successive days, or rather, I have noticed six eggs laid in six

days, which comes to much the same thing. Occasionally, in an

aviary at any rate, the hen starts incubating before the last egg is

laid. Reedlings are at all times very gregarious and, contrary to

what many aviculturists say, agree remarkably well. Occasionally

you find an amorous cock rather a nuisance, but there is no malice

in reedlings. I have kept five pairs in a double breeding cage with¬

out disaster. I have never known a reedling interfere with another

bird, however young or however ill. They are expensive birds to

keep, however, for they all get into the food saucers and scratch,

-throwing the food in all directions. Quite babies learn this naughty

habit very early. With regard to this question of food, perhaps

before we consider the period of incubation and so forth we might



