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Mr. D. Seth-Smith,



commenced the female would spend a good deal of her time at

the nest, and a low clucking sound was audible. On April 19th

the male commenced to sit on four eggs, and, as before, the

female took no further interest in the proceedings. She was

heard to call frequently however, and when the male came off

the nest to feed, would run to him and display before him in the

most curious attitudes, with the obvious intention of persuading

him to mate with her again. The only effect, however, was to

make him furiously angry, and to display his auger by chasing

her round the aviary with open bill.


On May the iotli three chicks emerged from the four

eggs, the fourth containing a dead young bird. On the morning

of the 11 th the male left the nest with two chicks, the third

being left dead just outside the nest. The two chicks were

remarkably strong little birds, and I have no doubt that both

would have been successfully reared to maturity had not one

of them, to my inexpressible disgust, been accidently killed,

having run behind a moveable wire run, and been crushed.

The brood was therefore reduced to a single individual. This

bird progressed splendidly. He was fed on soft food (preserved

yolk of egg, fine crissel, preserved ants’ eggs and bread crumbs)

to which was added finely chopped chickweed; small earth¬

worms, which he was very fond of, and the most important item

of all—live gentles, which are kept in dry sand for two or three

days before being used.


At the age of ten days this chick could fly so well and

strongly that there was a danger of his injuring himself against

the wire-netting at the top of the aviary, and I thought it

advisable to catch him and clip the feathers of one wing. This

effectually prevented his flying for a week or so, but, as the

feathers when cut were not nearly full grown, he was able to fly

well again after a short time, and the operation had to be

repeated.


By June the 6tli another clutch of five eggs had been

laid, and the male commenced to sit; and on the 25th I noticed

egg shells outside the nest, although the male bird was sitting

tight. He left the nest the following morning with three chicks.



