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Show 1899.] BREEDING OF T H E W E K A RAIL A N D SNOW-GOOSE. 413 this time, and the birds commenced to sit. My hopes of a good result ran high, as special orders had been given not to disturb the birds on any account, because I had attributed their former bad behaviour to some annoyance that had put them out of temper. During ten days incubation took place quite regularly, when again the nest was found turned upside down, with six of the eggs broken or eaten by the birds, who were still busy at this most unnatural proceeding. The seventh egg was saved aud put under a bantam-hen, which brought it to maturity, so that in due time a very lively little black Weka-Bail chicken burst tbe shell. Incubation had lasted, including the ten days during which the Bails had sat, 28 days. The chick was of nearly uniform slightly brownish black all over, with jet-black eyes, a slightly curved black bill, and stout reddish-black legs. The down being very long and stiff, gave the bird a very fluffy appearance, and a great resemblance to the chick of the Common Fowl. In the chick of Aramides ypecaha the down is much shorter and velvety in texture, so that the form of the body remains plainly visible. The curious resemblance between the eggs of Aramides ypecaha aud Ocydromus australis is, therefore, not continued in the chicks of these two very different members of the Bail family. The little Ocydromus-chick uttered constantly a sharp piping note, and showed almost from the first day the intelligent boldness of its parents. It soon found out that its foster-mother had little patience in feeding it from its bill, as was expected by the little Weka, and that it had to look to the keeper's fingers for its supply of food, which chiefly consisted of small earthworms and little crumbs of bread. I had every reason to believe that it would thrive, when, unfortunately, it was discovered that it preferred mealworms to everything else. These consequently were given to it, but seemed to have disagreed with it, for its digestion became disordered, and after a couple of days' illness it died when just a week old. The old birds went on making nests and laying a great number of eggs. Several of these were eaten, as the first two clutches were; a number were also saved and placed under common hens, but they all proved to be unfertilized, so that I did not succeed in getting any more chicks. This strange propensity of eating their own eggs was not restricted to this individual pair of birds, as another pair let loose in a wooded enclosure of about three acres behaved in just the same way. The birds made a nest, sat on the eggs during a few days, aud then destroyed everything. This last pair was of a most ferocious disposition, and the male even destroyed some young Bheas which were running about along with their father in the same enclosure. They also killed other birds. All Wekas are remarkable for their tameness and intelligent behaviour, so that, where their destructiveness is no hindrance, they make very amusing pets. They use their wings only when |