NESTING TIME AT THE ZOOFROM OWLS TO EMUS

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 133, 26 August 1927, Page 9

NESTING TIME AT THE ZOOFROM OWLS TO EMUS

interesting families are expected shortly among the birds at the Auckland Zoo. Mrs. Emu is hard at work hatching nine eggs and Mrs. Virginian Owl is hatching two. Mr. and Mrs. Emu share the arduous work of hatching their eggs. The female bird does duty during the day, but Yvlien night comes she leaves the nest in the little manuka shed and wanders round the paddock, leaving Mr. Emu to keep the egg 3 warm until morning. The Australian emus are doing remarkably well at the Zoo. Last year two were hatched. The eggs are laid anywhere in the paddock, but the careful keepers gather them up and put them in the nest. Each day the birds cover the eggs with sand, which the keepers carefully remove, until the birds are ready to sit. on them. The Virginian owls are producing their first family since they arrived in Auckland from America. They are one of the largest varieties of the owl family.

Eggs are plentiful, but the price in the marts remains unchanged at 1s 7d a dozen for hen, and 1s 5d to 1s 6d for duck eggs. Farmers’ butter in the marts brings 1s 2d to 1s 3d a lb. Good cooking pears can be bought for 8s a case, and cooking apples sell around the same figure. Lemons sell from about 5s up to 13s. Fish in the shops sells at unchanged prices. Fresh schnapper makes 6d a lb; mullet, 6d; terekehi, sd; flounder, Is 3d. Vegetables are well supplied in the City Marts. Cauliflowers make 2d to 6d each; cabbages, 1s 3d to 2s 9d a dozen; leeks, 2d to 3d a bundle; spring onions, 2d to 9d a bundle; marrows, 2s 6d to 3s 6d a dozen; carrots, parsnips, beet, turnips, 6d to 10d a dozen bundles: hothouse cucumbers, 5s to 9s 6d a dozen; hothouse beans, 1s 6d to 1s 10d a lb.; celery, 1s to 5s a bundle. Clever Mary is In big demand and is selling at the usual price at all grocers. 1* The above-mentioned Kit-bag is incomplete without a Is packet of "No Rubbing Laundry Help,” the scientific clothes-washer. MAZAWATTEE TEA has a delicious flavour. Save the white ticket in each packet and obtain a canister <aC tea FREE.