38



Correspondence



use now that The Zoologist is a thing of the past, and as there is no

proper index to the series the large amount of valuable information

contained therein is very inaccessible.


In The Zoologist, vol. 1 for 1892, p. 341, Herr Bertel Christensen,

of Copenhagen, tells us that in 1890 his Sand Grouse (Syrrhaptes

paradoxus), had laid fertile eggs but unfortunately they did not hatch.

However, in 1891 he had better success, and obtaining nine eggs he

placed them under a bantam, but most of these seem to have been

smothered by the hen. However, on 6th August two chicks hatched

out and were promptly put into a fostermother. Owing to improper

feeding one died on 11th August. “ Unfortunately I thought too late

of trying them with grass and clover-seed. The survivor thrived well

on this and is now (9th April, 1892) in the best of health and very

tame.”


Herr Christensen seems to have been a pretty good aviculturist

as he speaks of hatching out, under this same bantam, Chinese and

Francolin Quails both of which he seems to have fed on moistened

ants’ eggs mixed with egg-bread, yolk of egg and bruised millet-seed.


It is evident from the above that the parents of this Sand Grouse

were part of the great eruption which took place over Western Europe

in 1888 reaching the British Isles and breeding here in the wild state.


W. H. Workman.



MASKED LOVEBIRDS


In a recent number of the Avicultural Magazine you asked

for experiences of members with young Masked Lovebirds leaving the

nest not fully fledged.


One pair of Masked Lovebirds in particular, in my own aviaries,

that always have perfectly feathered young ones, live in an enclosure

well covered with grass, principally cocksfoot, prairie grass, and rye.

The birds regularly chew up the leaves of the grass leaving only the

fibre in the form of a little pellet on the ground. When they have

young in the nest, they eat some of the root of sugar beet growing in

their aviary.


In another aviary there are two pair of Masked Lovebirds whose



