Notes on a Fezi.' ll'cll-knozoi Species. 63 



Last vear 1 boug'ht some Red-billed {(Juelea qiielea), 

 Taha [Pxroiiiehuia iaha), and (irenadier Weavers {P. oryx), 

 which I turned into an empty aviary. 



The Tahas were iminterestin^- birds and never attempted 

 to breed; the Red-bills did a g-ood deal of unmethodical l)uilding-, 

 that is to say they tied bits of hay and fibre round whatever 

 branch they happened to l^e nearest to at the moment, and then 

 promi)tlv fori^ot about it. But the cock (.Irenadier was a most 

 interesting^- bird; he built a nest, with much cl:attering- and win.n- 

 tlap]')in,!.;-. very much the shape of a ve.^etable marrow, with a 

 projectiui;- porch, completely concealiui^- the entrance-hole, 

 which was at the side, towards the upper end. The nest was 

 quite thin at the bottom, and one could see the eggs through it: 

 the top was thickly matted, and, I should think, almost 

 waterproof. 



The hen laid two eggs and sat for a week, when the 

 cock decided that the nest wanted a new bottom; and when his 

 wife's back was turned for a minute, he quickly w'renched off 

 the bottom, dropped both eggs to the ground and repaired the 

 nest. 



The hen, however, refused to consider laying again, and 

 T can't say I blame her! 



The only attraction of Cockateels (Calopsittacus novac- 

 hoJJandiae) seems, to me, to be the ease witii which they can be 

 bred, otherwise I have always found them hysterical, uncon- 

 trolled birds. I have often seen a perfectly peaceful aviary of 

 birds rendered panic-stricken by one foolish cockateel. It will 

 suddenly dash wildly from end to end of the aviary, crest erect, 

 screaming loudly, and all for no apparent reason. Of course, 

 by the time it has finished, the aviary is full of panting birds, 

 all completely unnerved. 



Some time ago I saw^ a miserable, shivering, unclothed 

 bird in a dealers', which on close inspection proved to be a 

 naked Pennant Parrakeet (Platyccrcus clcgans). I bought it 

 for 30s. to see if proper treatment, fresh air. Parish's chemical 

 food and magnesia would succeed in clothing the wretched thing 

 a bit better. That w^as last July; by ( )ctober it was in perfect 

 feather, and had a half-grown tail, and I thought myself luckv 

 to have got a hen Pennant for 30s. The only thing about it 

 was, it always seemed rather an odd bird ; its movements were 



