136 Hugh Wormctld—The Season's Duck Breeding at E. Dereham



Along the western side of the large bird house (outside), fourteen

large cages are filled with members of the Crow and Blackbird families

(Corvidce and Icteridce), quite a large number of Ravens and Crows,

several different species of Jays and Magpies ; Meadow Larks, Cow-

birds, Grackles, and Red-headed Woodpeckers.


Of this splendid collection, there were two birds certainly that the

writer coveted (although I have stuffed specimens, I have not seen

a living specimen for many years), one a beautiful male of the nearly

extinct Australian Turquoisine Parrakeet (Neojjhema pulcliella), the

other a male cock of the Rock (Rupicola crocea). This bird has moidted

twice, but its plumage is quite as bright as a newly caught specimen.


Our first visit to the New York Zoological Park was certainly a very

enjoyable one.



NOTES ON THE SEASON’S DUCK BREEDING

AT EAST DEREHAM


By Hugh Wormald


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Our hatching results in some cases were lamentable, notably in the

case of Mandarins and American Wigeon. However, we have a scheme

by which we hope to rectify this next season. A large number of “clear ”

white call ducks’ eggs were laid, and this was to be explained by the

fact that she had no drake at the beginning of her laying—my man

having sent away her husband by mistake and she had not paired to

the other drake which lived with them in time for the first ten eggs to

be fertile.


The mortality in young common Pochards was much too high. As

a rule, these are very easy ducklings to rear, but several died when

quite small. For the last two seasons we have had about four or five

young Pochards hatched with pink bills and very pale legs, and the

whole colouring rather paler than in the normal bird—more the colour

of Red-crested Pochard ducklings. In every case, these light-coloured

birds, when about two days old, appear to go “ dotty ! ” They fall

about, cannot run straight, and keep twisting their heads round, and

invariably die within a week. I should be interested to know if any¬

body else has come across this unpleasant variety ?



