306 A. Ezra—A Young Sarus Crane with its Foster Mother



A YOUNG SARUS CRANE WITH ITS

FOSTER MOTHER


By Alfred Ezra


About the middle of last July a farmer who lives about six miles from

Eoxwarren Park rang me up to tell me that he had seen two strange

birds in his field and would I send some one to look at them. My man,

Jones, went over at once and found the two birds were young Sarus

Cranes, about a week old. The parents, who are full-winged birds,

evidently nested in the field and when they were disturbed during the

hay-making had deserted their young. The two chicks were brought

home and put under a Bhode Island Bed hen. The bigger chick of the

two would keep on pecking the head of the smaller one till he killed it.

The other one did well under the Bhode Island Bed hen and is now

practically full grown. The chick was never small enough to go under

the hen, but he always put his head under her and was brooded by

her. She still goes after the grown-up Crane, but he takes no notice

of her and will sometimes even peck her. The accompanying photo¬

graphs may interest members.



BREEDING RECORD OF

THE ABYSSINIAN CLIFF CHAT


(Thamnolcea cinnamomeiventris albiscapulata)


By Alfred Ezra


A pair of these birds were purchased for me in France, and on

arrival were turned out in one of my aviaries where there were a good

many other birds. After several attempts a nest was built in a box on

the wall about eight feet from the ground. The box was half-filled with

grass, and a small hole was made in the top. Four eggs were laid by

4th June. Both birds took turns at incubating. The eggs were oval¬

shaped and a trifle smaller than a thrush’s egg. It was a bluish grey,

slightly speckled at the broad end, with reddish brown spots. Two

young were hatched out on the 18th June. The other two eggs were



