N. Wharton- Tigar—Notes from the London Zoo



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birds “ danced ” much more, at least the male did. At that time he was

inclined to chase and tease the hen and she seemed rather afraid of him

so when they were taken in at night she was given a separate compart¬

ment.


Both birds, but the male especially, are much more clamorous

and “ honk ” very loudly, the male became rather aggressive as time

went on but nothing serious. The yard they inhabit by day is infested

with rats and now and then they caught one and drowned it in the bath.

They are given dog biscuit soaked and a little raw meat every day or

a handful of mealworm beetles with whatever insects they can find.


About the third week in April they began to show signs of wanting

to nest; both of them wandered about collecting bits of reed and grass,

arranging them here and there, but nothing really serious happened

until the 3rd May, when the first egg was laid, followed two days

later by another one. They are greenish-white, with spots on the

big end ; both birds incubate them in turn. They are very noisy

and their call can be heard more than a mile away across the water.

The male attacks everybody who comes into the paddock with great

fury. We are told that incubation lasts forty to forty-five days, and

when chicks appear the family must be penned into a small enclosure

to prevent the old birds from walking their chicks to death. This is

believed to be the first attempt at breeding these Cranes in Britain, if

not in Europe, so we naturally are very anxious it should be successful.



NOTES FROM THE LONDON ZOO


By N. Wharton-Tigar


This month I feel sure readers would like to be told of the new

birds brought home by two very successful and well-known collectors,

Mr. Shaw Mayer, and Mr. C. S. Webb.


First to arrive late in April was Mr. Shaw Mayer, with a magnificent

collection of Birds of Paradise, but as usual extremely modest and

hoping to bring far rarer and better birds next time !


His main object of this expedition was to bring home the Orange

Wattled Bird of Paradise (Macgregoua jpulchra), and the Helense



