J. Delacoun—Birds in the Park at Gteres



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Buddy Shelducks, Bahamas, Yellow-bills, Garganeys, Chilce Widgeons,

Bar-headed and Upland Geese, and some other little birds that I cannot

identify yet.


South American gallinaceous birds, Curassows and Guans, are very

nice at liberty from April to November. In winter they have to be

taken in when it is freezing, as they would loose their tender toes at the

first frost-bite. At the present moment I have three Crested Guan,

delightfully tame little birds, which stay most of the time on the

balustrade of the terrace, three Yarrels, two Alector, one Prince Albert,

one Razor-billed, and one Salvin’s Razor-bill Curassows. The last

is, I believe, quite a rare species, even in skin collections ; it resembles

the common Razor-bill, but has white underparts instead of rufous,

a much smaller bill, and a longer crest. The great tameness of

Curassows allows one to have them full-winged, as they never go away,

at least, with me.


My three pairs of Spicifer and two pairs of White Peafowls keep

each in a corner, and agree rather well. Spicifer cock is very spiteful

to human beings, but not too much to birds.


Monauls, Reeves, and Silver Pheasants, Manchurian Crossoptilons,

Siamese Firebacks, have been very satisfactory at liberty, but I had

to shut in White-crested Kaleeges and Swinhoe’s Pheasants, the cocks

of which were very dangerous to other Pheasants. Amhersts and Golden

have not been very good stayers ; one cock takes the advantage and

drives away the others in the spring. Anyhow, I bred twenty-one

young Amhersts from eggs found in the park, but I don’t think that

more than one cock and four hens are left out of two dozen birds which

I let out last year and were still here in March.


In January I opened the door of two small aviaries in the park, where

about thirty Senegal Palm and Half-collared Doves had been kept for

three months. They all stayed very well, and scattered through the

park, and in April I began to see young ones everywhere. Australian

Crested Pigeons and common Barbary Doves were also let out in April.

They all stayed very well, but I have not noticed any young ones yet.


I also tried Parrakeets loose, which the Marquess of Tavistock very

kindly gave me. A pair of Indian Ringnecks and an Alexandrine cock

paired to an African Ringneck hen stayed very well, and have nests,



