130 Nesting of the Australia?i Plumed Doves.


we believe to be incorrect. The Rhea is almost certainly polyan-

drous, a female pairing successively where opportunity occurs as

in a wild state, with two or more males. Polygamy cannot

succeed with a species in which the male incubates, for he

could not cover the number of eggs that would be laid by several

females, and where the breeders, from the belief that these birds

are polygamous, keep several females with one male the waste of

eggs which cannot possibly be incubated is enormous. Rheas do

extremely well in captivity and may be kept in a comparatively

small space, but naturally do best if they can have the run of a

large field or a park where they are very decorative. In France

they are fed on potatoes, cut up beetroot, bran and green food.

They cost very little to keep and may produce considerable profit

to their owners. The flesh of birds of about a year old is said to

be excellent and in taste to resemble something between turkej 7

and mutton. The eggs are very good to eat, their contents being

equal to that of from twelve to fifteen fowl's eggs, while their

feathers sell readily at a good price.


Rheas require very little water as they rarely drink and

never bathe, but a dust bath is a necessity. They live har-

moniously with fowls, ducks and geese, but are liable to devour

young chickens.


The male Rhea takes great care of the young, which are

reared without difficulty. The female should never be left with

the young, as she will eat their food, and possibly kill them.


Artificial incubation has been tried with very little success

in France.



NESTING OF THE AUSTRALIAN PLUMED DOVES.



Mr. Seth-Smith in the December number of the Magazine

gives us an interesting account of these charming birds, and of

their unsuccessful nesting in his aviary. Members may be in-

terested to hear that a pair I obtained in the spring of 1905

nested successfully in my aviary in the summer of 1906. They

were in an aviary with Parrakeets at first and laid two eggs

behind a log, which were rolled out and broken by the Parrakeets,



