220 Mr. E. G. Meade-Waedo,


mixture, maw, liemp, rape, spray millet, etc. They are also

great consumers of green food, and are especially fond of

shepherd’s purse, watercress and dandelion. Their green food

should always be placed under a weight so that they can pluck

it. Plenty of lime in the form of old mortar should always be

before them, and of course a block of rock salt. Sandgrouse

become extremely tame and are most confiding, but are liable

to sudden panics, which makes it advisable to curtail the powers

of flight, but not entirely to stop their flying, as their feathers

are so lightly attached that if they try to fly and tumble over,

half their plumage appears to come out! I find the best way

is to cut fairly short seven primaries in each wing, leaving the

first and second untouched, they can then just fly but not with

sufficient force to injure themselves. They are very heavy birds

and fly with immense force. And the advantage in cutting the

feathers in this manner- is that, except when trying to fly, the

birds look much better, as they appear to be full-winged.


Sandgrouse seem to pair for life, although they pack when

out of the breeding season, at least an old hen Greater Pintailed

Sandgrouse that has laid and reared her young in my aviary each

year since 1895 has done so ; that is except when she has lost her

mate, for she has had three husbands in this period. It was in 1895

that I first described the nesting habits of Sandgrouse from this

old hen who, during the summer of 1904 for the first time, nested

twice , rearing two broods of young ! Hitherto, after having

reared young she has not wanted to nest again. When she has

laid too early in the season I have removed the eggs after allow¬

ing her to sit a short while. On these occasions she has always

been sitting again on a full clutch of three eggs (generally a

much finer clutch than her first) on the eighth day after her first

eggs had been removed. The object of removing early clutches

has been that the ripening seed of shepherd’s purse has not

been procurable in sufficient quantity early in the season.

Incubation lasts from twenty-one to twenty-three days ; the hen

sits by day, the cock taking her place by night, usually going on

the eggs about 5 p.111. ; three eggs are a full clutch. The young

when hatched quickly become independent, and about the tenth

day separate at night, roosting away from their parents, and as



