224 J. Delacom—Breeding the Hooded Pitta


obliged to separate the Pittas; but at the same time they were

seen casually picking up and carrying about nesting materials.

I left them alone, and by 20th April they began to build a nest on

the top of a dry stone wall, all covered with plants, about 4 feet

high. The male was the first and principal worker, but the female

helped also. There were no more disputes now between them.


As the Pittas were pulling out plants and roots, I provided

them with small sticks, hay, dead leaves, and moss. All were

used, and by the 26th the main work was completed. The nest,

as is well known, at liberty, is a covered-up affair, the size of a

football, with a large opening in front, level with the ground.

The Pittas then worked at the inside, lining it with fibres, moss,

rootlets, and decayed leaves. On the 30th I saw the cock feeding

the hen. The first egg was laid on 2nd May; it was short and

rather rounded at both ends, white, spotted with pale reddish

brown. Eggs were laid the next three days, and both sexes sat

tightly on 6th May, frequently replacing one another, every hour

or so. Being very tame, one could touch them in the nest, but

sometimes they became annoyed, and flew savagely at one’s face.


The first egg hatched on 18th May; on the 20th there were

three young birds, the fourth egg containing a well-developed

chick dead in the shell.


A curious circumstance is that the chicks almost immediately

poke their head out from their parent’s breast, and even come

out on the edge of the nest, probably on account of the heat. The

result was that, twice in a few hours, I found one of them fallen

on the ground below the wall. I put it back, without injury, but

to avoid further accidents I built in front of the nest a small

platform of sticks and hay, where they could comfortably disport

themselves, and no more trouble occurred.


The chicks are naked, of a reddish flesh colour, the fore part

of the head being black; the bill is orange yellow, as is the gape.


Both parents fed the chicks mostly on cut up bullock’s heart,

with meal-worms, a few earth-worms, and insectile mixture.

They are not difficult to feed, and I believe meat alone would be

sufficient to rear them. Naturally they always had a liberal



