140 J. Delacour—Swallows Breeding in Captivity


Common Rhea females put to them were murdered. A new consign¬

ment of six young birds arrived early last year from Patagonia. They

have now become adult and are in fine condition, living in a 50-acre

enclosure in company with a herd of the pretty Pseudaxis Deer from

Toukin, Manchurian Cranes, Peafowl, and different species of Geese

and Sheldrakes. We may hope that, this time, they will become

established. At Tring, Lord Rothschild bred some hybrids twenty

years ago between the two species of Rheas ; they looked just inter¬

mediate between the parents and, as far as I know, proved to be fertile.


Darwin’s Rhea chicks are beautiful, far better in shape and colour

than those of the Common Rhea ; their bill is much shorter, as well as

their legs, the body is rounder, the down finer and softer, very pale

grey with almost black markings.


Although Darwin’s Rheas are reported to be so common in their

native land as to prove a pest on whose heads a premium for destruction

is paid, they are very seldom sent over to Europe, as they live far away

inland from any suitable port, and they have remained very rare

and expensive here to this day. Their acclimatization is most desirable

as it would add a very interesting and highly ornamental bird to our

parks.



SWALLOWS BREEDING IN CAPTIVITY


By J. Delacour


Mr. E. Plocq, a well-known and very clever amateur, who has been

for many years successful in hand rearing the most difficult European

insectivorous birds, has bred Swallows in his aviaries at Roc Roche-sur-

Yon (Vendee) last summer. M. Plocq, for more than twenty years,

has been hand rearing Swallows, taming them so that he can let them

fly out at complete liberty and they come back and settle on his hand

whenever he whistles. He usually lets them go and migrate south in the

autumn. For the last three years, however, he kept one male as well

as a female Rock Martin throughout the winter, letting them fly in his

very large aviary whenever the weather was mild, shutting them up in



