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Evelyn Strawson—1936 and 1937



many humans at the present time, evidently has ideas on dietetics.

When young were due to hatch we usually put out soaked wheat, oats,

hemp, etc., in separate dishes for the parents to choose and eat what

they will to feed their young, in addition, of course, to green stuff.

With her former husband the young were brought up almost entirely

on soaked hemp and some wheat; not so from now on, hemp and

wheat were untouched, and oats was almost the only seed used.


This Coronation year, Mrs. B. thought, I suppose, that it was

up to her to rise to the occasion, and laid a clutch of five eggs. We

hoped she was going to repeat her 1932 performance, when she laid

five and reared five, unfortunately it was a bitterly cold day when

she laid her last, and though she had begun to sit, she was off the nest

nearly the whole day—the first time we have ever known her have

any trouble laying ; however, she laid it and, the others I suppose

being chilled, only one (presumably the last) hatched, so that the

parents were able to concentrate all their dietetic knowledge on the

rearing of this one, and reared the largest young Barnard we have yet

seen. A hen they reared last year is now rather larger than her mother,

and I shall watch with interest the later growth of this young 1937 cock.


Rose Breasted Grosbeaks (Zamelodia ludoviciani). —-This pair, the

hen of which was bred here, had a nest of three last year in a rather

exposed place. They were doing splendidly till about eight days old, and

growing apace, when a violent storm one night evidently drove the hen

off, and the next morning the young were dead and the hen half-drowned,

and somewhat damaged. This year, just as they were about to nest, a

visitation from a Tawny Owl caused damage to both birds, and stopped

all their nesting activities.


Lady Amherst Pheasants ( Chrysolophus amherstive). —The several

cocks of this species that have tried have behaved in a perfectly beastly

manner with their wives ; give them as many wives as you or they will,

and provide them with ample space, and thick-growing bushes as

hides, the cock seems to come into condition before the hens are ready

to lay, and harry, mutilate, or even kill his hens. I think it is the

fault of confinement, as in nature no doubt the hens only approach

the male at the breeding season when ready to be paired with, and

then clear off out of his sight. Certainly it is a far more difficult bird



