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Show 1866.] MR. A. D. BARTLETT ON THE BREEDING OF BIRDS. 77 already spoken of. The two birds were very attentive, and took turns at incubation, and in twenty-seven days the young bird was hatched (July 9th). On the following day I ventured to look at the young bird, and in a few seconds made a rough sketch of it, as I was fearful that the inspection of a stranger might interfere with and perhaps cause the old birds to desert the young one. Mr. Jennens has, however, made a very correct drawing of the bird from m y description and sketch (see PI. IX. fig. 1) ; it is certainly one of the prettiest young birds I ever saw. It is thickly covered with fine short tufts of down, and much resembles the young of the Plovers and Snipes, with this addition, that the head and body was thinly covered with rather longer hairs than are to be seen in the former-mentioned birds. The young bird remained in the nest and was fed regularly by both parents, the food consisting principally of small live fish, a few insects, &c. The mode of taking its food was somewhat peculiar: it did not gape and call or utter any cry like most nestlings; but as soon as the old birds flew upon the nest with the food in their bills, the young one snapped or pecked it from them and swallowed it at once. The young bird remained in the nest twenty-one days, by which time its wings were sufficiently grown to enable it to fly to the ground. It was there fed as before, and never afterwards returned to the nest; it grew quickly, and at the end of two months was indistinguishable from the old birds. Early in August the old birds began to repair the nest, and added a fresh lining of mud and clay, and at the end of August laid another egg. The male bird now appeared to attend to the duties of incubation with much greater care than his partner, who fed the now nearly full-grown young one ; they, however, managed to hatch this second young bird on the 28th of September. But as both the old birds were seen feeding the first young one more frequently than the second, the keeper Travis was afraid the little fellow might starve from their neglect; so he frequently went up the ladder to the nest and fed the young one. It readily took food from his hand ; and in this way both the young birds have arrived at maturity, and now appear perfectly adult. In remarking upon these interesting facts, I may observe that the eeg differs considerably from the eggs of any true x\rdeine bird with which I am acquainted in its spotted and blotched markings, and in this character bears a strong resemblance to those of the Plovers and Snipes; nor are these the only resemblances, its downy covering, colour, and markings leading one to regard it as allied to these forms. The great difference, however, in habit is remarkable, as in all the Plovers and Snipes the young birds run about as soon as they are hatched or a few hours afterwards, and, as far as I know, find their own food. W e have therefore in the inactivity of this bird in the nest, and in its being fed by the parent bird, an Ardeine character. I must not omit to call attention to another form, the genus Rhyn-chara, or Painted Snipe. I am inclined to believe, from some of the liabit's of this genus, that it may have affinities with Eurypyga; but I have not been able to determine this, not having the materials |