H. L. Sich—■Breeding Bustard Quail



311



she used to “ boom ”, a call which I have only heard just before and

during the laying of a clutch of eggs, which out of some hundred clutches

laid in my aviaries by various hens, is nearly always three.


As they had not hatched after eighteen days I took them away and

found them all infertile. Thinking that there might be something

wrong with this abnormal hen, I took her out and gave the cock one

of my other two hens.


A few days afterwards I was able to buy another cock but of a

different species to my first one. This I put in with the first hen.

They soon paired up and the hen laid four eggs again ; owing to the

cock being new to the place and the want of cover they always left the

eggs whenever I came within a few yards of the aviary. From a distance

the cock appeared to be standing in front of them, rather than

incubating them.


Three of the eggs had hatched out by the morning of 3rd September.

The hen took no further interest in them and as live food was rather

scarce I took her away. Now, 20th October, these three chicks are

about the size of the cock and look very like him.


The hen with the original cock did not lay until all hope of getting

live food for the chicks was over. As two of these eggs were fertile

it was a great pity, for now I believe this cock is some other species,

as his legs are yellow while those of the three hens and the new cock

are a lead colour ; the rest of his plumage is much like the hen’s, except

that they have a black stripe down the breast. As the cock and hen

were sent to me together as a pair I never doubted them until I got the

new cock a few months ago. Now I believe that this cock is tanlci ,

of which I have only had odd hens, and the new cock is taigoor. I

thought at first that it was some other species and was surprised at

the eggs hatching.


[Accounts of the breeding in captivity of Turnix tanki appeared in

this journal for August, 1903, and of Turnix varia in August*

1905.—Ed.]



