Show I 1 malinc lisina cavet benom in 1895 a merchant naturalist of tunis bought a piece of ground by a wall where a sufficient quantity of water could be introduced in this field a large space where there were fig trees was by wire netting then he procured from nests the young egrets in 1896 by increase his heronry contained about egrets the females lay eggs twice a year yea r in april and june and the young leaving the nest after fifteen days mate the same year these birds he be feeds on minced horse and mule meat twice a day one animal costing from 5 to 6 francs sufficing tor for a fortnight the nestlings nest lings are fed by their mother on small fish provided tor for her the dorsal plumes are gathered twice a year in may and september but it is not until the bird Is three years old that the plumes attain their full beauty each bach adult bird furnishes seven grams of these per year that lz ie about grams or 1 70 of a yielding a value of 35 francs franca per head 47 4 7 popular science news |