R. James—Breeding British Birds 141



should have an interesting medley of ducklings to sort out. Time

will show.


The Cranes have been too much disturbed to be likely to lay this

year. We have Stanleys, Demoiselles, Grey-necked, and Black-necked

Crowned Cranes, White-necked European, Sarus, Manchurian,

Australian, Asiatic, White, and Mexican Sandhill; these last are

again incubating eggs, having laid a full month earlier than last

year. We have also one only precious Hooded Crane, for whom

we ardently desire a mate. All this family is highly decorative, and

look beautiful stalking about with measured tread or dancing and

trumpeting to each other.


A tiny pair of Galapagos Ground Doves nested in a little depression

in a corner of one of the Pheasant shelters. One baby hatched and

grew very rapidly, now it is quite grown up, and nearly as large as its

parents, not that this is saying much.



BREEDING BRITISH BIRDS


By Richard James


As a result of a small article of mine, published in the April issue

of the Magazine, I have been favoured with some interesting corre¬

spondence on bird matters, and incidentally have been reminded that

the study of our own native birds would seem to be sadly neglected.

One can hardly believe this branch of our hobby to be exhausted.

Perhaps it is left to the less ambitious fancier. I propose to write of

my own impressions, and from my own experiences, giving special

notice of the species mentioned as seemingly neglected.


With regard to the small wading birds, my experiences are some¬

what limited and have been spasmodic. I remember being surprised

to find that many species will live together all the year round, and seem

to enjoy the company of each other; even so, I would hesitate to keep

more than one pair of each species together in the breeding season,

however large the aviary. I understand—though not from my own



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