162 Mr. W. H. St. Quintin,


larger bird, who never turned, but fled at his best pace. The

female was always getting out of the enclosure, climbing up

the bushes, and dropping down on the outside of the fence.

The male was a rough wooer, and ran his mate about in a most

unkind fashion. I sometimes thought that he intended serious

mischief, but after hemming her into a corner, he would throw

himself down before her on his chest pushing out his head and

neck to exhibit his coloured wattle. Then the female, after

getting her wind, would suddenly race swiftly past him, and

gaining a yew tree, would jump from bough to bough till she

gained a perch some twenty feet up, where she remained safe,

while he went back to his labours.


When the mound had attained the height of about five

feet, with a diameter of twelve or fourteen, he seemed satisfied,

and was generally to be found mounting guard upon the top,

only striding down in rather a stately fashion to meet me, with

tail swinging and wattles displayed ; and returning to his post

after consuming the monkey-nuts, or hempseed, or other delicacy

that I generally brought with me. We supplied him with mown

grass from the lawns, and rough herbage, while he raked every

scrap of loose material together off a space some thirty yards in

diameter round the mound.


His challenge was strikingly like the distant bellow of a

bull ; and when he emitted the sound, the wattle on one side of

his neck was distended to the size of a small melon.


On May 17th, I found the Brush-Turkeys much excited,

the male was running up and down the wire-netting, with

wattle full}'' displayed, every now and then dashing off to the

top of the mound, then back to the hen (unfortunately at that

time outside the enclosure) trying to tempt her to it. A friend

and I tried to let her in, and of course the male being the bolder

of the two got out, and then followed a desperate chase! The

hen ran for her favourite tree, and for the first time I saw him

follow her off the ground, displaying his wattles. I could see

that the hen was not seriously alarmed, and here of course I

ought to have left them, but for the sake of other valuable birds

I was obliged to get him safely back into the enclosure ; and left



