20 
Attempt to rear Rhcas. 
Ill conclusion it may be of interest to those of our mem- 
bers who are unacquainted with the breedins^ habits of these 
l)irds just to explain these briefly. The birds live in small flocks 
and when the breeding- season arrives the male scrapes out a 
nest in the .ground, linin.L;- it ])arely with straws and fine twi.^'s 
Young Rhea (one week old), 
(probably only straws in his native country, wiiich is the Pam- 
pas); he then induces some of the hens to lay there, and after he 
has collected from nine to fifteen e.^i^'s he sits on them, hatching;' 
and rearing" the chicks himself. The hens meantime take up with 
another cock and so he also gets a liatch of eggs to incubate,, 
and this probably goes on all sunnner if the birds lay as well as 
mine did. 
