204 Breeding Notes of 1906.


cholmleyi), Painted Quail, beside those species referred to already

were reared ; and the following species laid eggs, but for various

reasons failed to rear young (in the case of the Great Bustard and

Tinamou there were no male birds) — Snowy Owl, Great Bustard,

Rufous Tinamou, Grey Hen, Red Grouse, Blue Thrush ; and of

Sandgrouse P. alchatus, P. senegallus, P. exustus. A hybrid

Wagtail was also reared between the Grey Wagtail {Meleyiope) and

the Blue-headed Wagtail, the latter being the female bird. The

nest was placed amongst some loose bricks upon the ground and

only one egg was fertile though several were laid.


My old pair of Blue Thrushes have so often nested and

had clear eggs that not much notice was taken of their first

clutch : but young were hatched, and either immediately were

deserted, or they were starved for want of sufficient insect food.

When the hen laid the second time, we made careful preparation

as regards a supply of mealworms, etc. But for some unaccount-

able reason (for she was never disturbed) the bird threw out her

eggs after they were chipped. Some life was noticed in one, as

it lay on the ground, and half-hatched as it was, it was placed in

a Spotted Flycatcher's nest, and the latter's own eggs removed.

The foster-mother reared the young bird for a week when the

nest was pulled down, probably by a cat.


Two partly-incubated common goose eggs were placed

under the Great Bustard, instead of her own unfertile ones. One

proved clear or addled, but the other one was on the point of

hatching, and I was looking forward to at last seeing a Bustard

in captivity rearing something (in 1902 another female Great

Bustard now dead did hatch a young bird, as I have already

recorded). But she appeared quite upset by the "cheeping" of

the gosling, and leaving the egg she strode about her enclosure

in a state of great excitement for an hour or more. However I

watched her back to the "scrape" in which lay the egg, and at

dusk she seemed to settle down upon it. But the next morning,

to my great disappointment, the poor young gosling was dead,

having seemingly been roughly pulled out of the shell and after-

wards maltreated by the excited foster-mother.



