The successful rearing of youno by imnialed hens. 235 
cooing, all at once at six o'clock, and the Heron still kept his 
head up on the alert. Another one, far behind me, had placed 
himself in the middle of the channel and at twenty minutes past 
six. was still visible in the now grey light, looking like a weathered 
post in the mud, but he soon after waded across to the West side 
and was lost to view. By 6.35 the Robins had stopped singing, 
but the Curlew was still heard. At 6.40, when it was only just 
light enough for me to see to write, I heard a Sandpiper passing 
overhead, giving his characteristic whistle, and at 6.45 a note 
frequently repeated, like the sound of chopping a stake to a point 
on a wooden block with a sharp axe, came out of the Western 
copi)ice, but what made it, I cannot tell. 
I had thus, in the course of about three hours (3. 45 to 
6.45 p.m.) seen eighteen species of birds, and heard six others 
whose cries or notes I could confidently ascribe to birds I knew 
well, and besides this, had heard sounds that were puzzles to me. 
Even counting that all the Gulls I had seen were of one species, 
and that the churring of Tits came from the Blue kind only, I 
had a list of twenty-four species for an afternoon's ramble. Had 
I only thought that I should have made .so good a list, I should 
certainly have commenced making my observations an hour or 
so sooner, around Mr. Willford's avaries, and judging by my 
previous experience there, might fairl}' suppose that my list of 
birds would have been by far the longest for one afternoon onlj', 
that I had ever made in my life. I am disposed to believe what 
was afterwards said to me, by a native of the Island, a man with 
pronounced tastes in these matters, that " the Isle of Wight is 
the finest place for birds in the Kingdom," and I sincerely hope 
that my first visit to it will not be the last, for years to come. 
* * # 
The succkssful rearing of young by unmated hens. 
In a recent issue we recorded the rearing of young Blackbirds 
and Thrushes in Mr. Willford's avaries. During a short visit to 
Mr. Willford I was much interested to learn from the aviary 
attendent, that they only possessed hens, which were caught in 
unfinished aviaries during building operations. These unmated 
hens built and laid clutches of eggs, which were taken away and 
re-placed by the eggs of wild birds taken on the estate. These 
were duly incubated, hatched and fully leared, though no male 
