160 Alfred Ezra—Nesting Notes from Foxwarren Park, 1933


one left the nest on the 4th June, but only lived for three days.

By the 17th June three more eggs were laid, but these disappeared

and no further attempts at nesting were made by these birds.


Ruppeli/s Starling (Lamprotornis purpureopterus ). Three

eggs were laid by the 12th May and two young hatched out by

the 26th May. One young one was found dead six days later, the

other young one left the nest on the 20th June, and by the 26th

it was feeding itself. Three more eggs were found on the 6th July

and all hatched out on the 14th July, but these only lived for twelve

days. Another three eggs were laid by the 23rd August and two

young were hatched out on the 6th September, the third egg being

infertile. One young one left the nest on the 28th September and

the other one the next day. Both are now feeding themselves.


Fytche’s Partridge (Bambusicola fytchii ). One egg was found

broken on the 19th June, another on the 26th June. A nest con¬

taining one egg was found on the 30th June, and this hatched

out on the 19th July. A rather queer thing took place during the

rearing of the young one. The hen bird was always accompanied

by two males, and the three of them took a hand in rearing the

young one, and all agreed quite well together. This is the second

year that these partridges have reared young here.


Zebra Doves (Geopelia sinica). A pair of these went to nest

and two eggs were laid by the 14th April. Although the birds sat

well nothing came of this first venture, and both eggs were found

broken on the floor. One egg contained a partly-formed chick and

the other one was infertile. No further signs of a nest was seen

until the morning of the 4th June. A young bird was picked up

dead having apparently been killed on leaving the nest. After

a good search the nest was found in some ivy, containing another

young one. This one left the nest on the following day. Two

more eggs were seen in the same nest on the 16th June, and one

young one was hatched on the 1st July. This one was reared,

leaving the nest on the 21st July. Another two eggs were laid by

the 24th July, but somehow or other the nest was upset and both

eggs were broken. On the 25th August another young one was

noticed, having just left the nest, but this nest was never found.



