740 NOTES AND EXHIBITS. 



Mr. Palmer read the following note on Sympathy and Foster- 

 parentage among Birds : — 



" Several instances of foster-parentage have recently come under 

 my notice in connection with both wild and domesticated birds, 

 which it may be interesting to record. In my own garden at 

 Burwood for two successive seasons a pair of blue wrens have 

 hatched and reared young bronze cuckoos, and a pair of honey- 

 eaters ( Ptilotis fusca) a cuckoo (Cuculus inornatus); and I 

 have repeatedly seen six honey-eaters busily engaged in feeding 

 the young cuckoo which they seemed quite unable to satisfy, 

 the small morsels they could bring him, though continuously 

 supplied, being inadequate to appease his hunger. The fact of 

 six small birds such as Ptilotis voluntarily devoting themselves to 

 rear such an incongruous bantling, so much larger and so utterly 

 unlike their own species, is a remarkable instance of sympathy. 

 Some time ago a boy broiight in an egg found near a waterhole, 

 which was placed with other eggs under a sitting hen, and in due 

 course hatched out a wood-duck. The wood-duck was reared among 

 a clutch of chickens, was as well tended as her other chicks by the 

 mother hen, and reached adult age. On one occasion a hen 

 brought out a brood of chickens, and the wood duck kept in close 

 companionship with the hen and chicks for several days, until the 

 hen took umbrage at the duck's constant attendance, and several 

 fights between the hen and duck ensued. Eventually the duck 

 drove away the hen, and took sole chai'ge of the chickens through- 

 out the day, the hen following round disconsolately till night-fall 

 each day, when the duck surrendered her charge, allowing the 

 mother to brood over them at night, but again taking charge of 

 them in the morning. This continued till the chickens were able to 

 take care of themselves. I have now at Lawson a young pullet 

 which has voluntarily taken upon herself the care of four orphan 

 chickens. The mother hen died on the nest, and her clutch of eggs 

 was hatched out by placing in a box in the manure heap. Eleven 

 chickens were brought out, but gradually died off till only four 

 were left. The chirping cry of the motherless chickens attracted 

 the notice of a half-grown pullet, which had never laid an egg, 

 and she has not only taken full charge of the orphans but has 



