126 
Macaws. 
recorded. Tlie young are like the Peaceful father, and are, I 
believe, a true pair. If they prove to be, I .shall try and breed 
from them also. One of my most interesting birds is the African 
Black Rail. I'iiis pretty little bird was unfortunately without a 
partner. Nevertheless, she nested three times. The first time 
the nest was built upon the ground in the long grass. The 
other two nests were suspended in the flags about a foot above 
the water. Five eggs were laid on each occasion. Latterly this 
little wader had made great friends with my Amazon Rail, a 
bird about twice its size, an account of which appeared in B.N., 
1916. \'ol. Sad to relate, this, the most interesting and 
tamest bird I have ever had. met her fate by drowning a short 
time ago. I had put her into another aviary, in which the pond 
was deeper than in the one in which she had been living. She 
evidently got out of her depth, and having no feet was. I sup- 
pose, unable to swim. Many and various are the vicissitudes of 
bird-keeping. 

Macaws. 
By Johx W. ]MARsnF.N. F.Z.S. 
Our editor has asked me for an article on Macaws. 1 
fear very few members are interested in them, though anyone 
who has time and wants a real pal. cannot do better than get one 
or two. 1 have kept a large variety of birds during the last forty 
years. When I was very young T had bantams and soon got 
foreigners of the common kind. l)ut my favourites are Macaws 
and Water-fowl. The latter are about the least trouble to keep, 
and the large Macaws, to do them justice (unless kept in 
aviaries), the most trouble, or I should say take up most time. 
I consider them the most intelligent of all birds, not 
excluding even the (irey Parrot, and I have had a very clever 
one. You may as well keep a macaw chained to a stand all day 
and only feed it. as keep a dog chained to a kennel, they both 
spend a miserable existence and do not develop the intelligence 
they possess. Of course this does not so much apply to birds 
kept in i)ublic gardens where they see more to interest them, 
as when kept in private collections. I do not think the species 
of Macaw matters, but the in<li\ idual . I have found good and a 
