117 



Waxbill to a Cardinal aud a Senegal Dove. I must 

 sa)'- *' rarely " not "never troubling their fellows," as 

 occasionally I have found a bird scalped or otherwise 

 injured, and have felt sure that a Budgerigar was the 

 offender; but then I know that the victim has been 

 caught inside one of the husk-nests by its rightful 

 owner, who naturally has resented the intrusion in 

 the only way it could. In the open, and even at the 

 food, I have never seen any attempt to injure a 

 smaller bird, though they undoubtedly can do a great 

 deal of damage if they are provoked ; but considering 

 the number of birds, and the chances they must have 

 of pecking a weaker neighbour, the casualties due to 

 the Budgerigars are but few : I had a Bishop once 

 who did more damage in a week than all the Budge- 

 rigars have done in ten years. 



As the Tables show, the birds are now a good deal 

 in-bred and all directly descended from the original 

 pair, as of all the new additions only three (15, 40, 

 41) have bred and thus introduced some fresh blood. 

 In spite of this I do not think that the stamina or the 

 looks of the birds have in any way degenerated, but, 

 on the other hand, I think the younger ones are 

 rather bigger and better than the earlier ones, and 

 certainly they compare favourably with those I see 

 elsewhere. With one exception, all the aviary-bred 

 birds have been in every way healthy, with no signs of 

 feather-weakness or " French moult." This exception 

 was a case of this disease, which developed in one of 

 our birds which had been given away. The trouble 

 began when the bird was eight months old, and the 

 unfortunate bird lived for eighteen months or more, a 

 palpitating lump of pink with about three feathers on 

 its head ; at least that is how it looked to me, but its 

 owner assured me it was "such a dear" and "so 

 intelligent," and would not hear of its " happy 

 despatch." 



