lUulgcrigars " h'rcHch Moult." 37 



'■ The liud^crii^'.ir lias mnv minicfous varieties, (if v\liicli ihe most 

 " prevalent arc the Yellow and the ISliie." 



I have L;iven the al>ove interesting notes very fuHy, as 

 they contain niucli of inlet e:;t to B.i\. readers. Judging 

 from reports it would appear that degenerates are much more 

 l)revalent in French aviaries thati in our own. 1 liave always 

 made a practice in my aviaries of supplying during tne breeding 

 season seeding and flowering grass in unlimited quantities, also 

 broken biscuits, oats, and insectile mixture, and I have never 

 Itad a single case of bVench moult occur, and I used to breed a 

 good rnany at one time. Again I never allowed one pair If 

 have more than three broods per season, and never under any 

 circumstances paired up other thati absolutely perfect birds in 

 every respect. 



English aviculturists advocate two logs or husks to each 

 pnir of birds, myself as strongly as any. but it is tiot for the 

 reason Mons. F. Merel states, viz: to supply tb-:^m with ;i 

 change of nest, for it is ,'i well knowti fact tbat Budgerigars, 

 once they have settled on a nest and brought off a brood, 

 .'dmost invariably retain that nest for the season. The reason 

 for my advocacy of two nests for each pair is to gnr them room 

 for choice at the beginning of the season. T found again and 

 again that where room for choice did not exist, two or more 

 pairs of birds fixed upon the same nest and neither would give 

 way. the result being delay and damaged birds, if not worse. 

 With extra nests this difficulty was much lessened, if not entirely 

 removed; at least that has been my experience. 



Another correspondent in L'Oiseau gives some interesting 

 facts on BUDGERIGARS AS FOSTER MOTTTERS. Mons. 

 P. Paillard, of Bordeaux, writes as follows : 



■' Some ycTrs ag-o (I let Mons. Fontiina know of it .it the time) for :i 

 " reason which would be too long- to exnla.in here, liy inadvertence i 

 " Calopsitta parrakeet egg- was put into a budgerigar's nest. Now, what 

 " was my astonishment one day to hear the verv characteristic call of .-i 

 '■ Calopsitta roming frr m a box which contained only budgerigars ! On 

 verilication I found ;i nest of eight budgerigars and one Calopsitta. Tn 

 sjiite of its importance it was perfectly reared." 



Wishing- to assure myself wlietlicr this rearing was a chance occur- 

 rence, T put in two other budgerigar's nests a Calopsitta egg; the result 

 ■ was the same." 



" The following year I continued the experiment, by putting into 

 " the nests, not eggs, but young: .success was equally complete." 



