Nesting Nnfps. 15 



much disappointed on the 18th to find this chick had also died. 

 He was fully quilled, and seemed to me an enormous bird for 

 his age. Had he lived, could I have exhibited him as a 

 British hardbill? 



My Pelzeln's Saffrons, which T bought from Mr. Willford 

 in 1909 were identical in plumage, and I was for a long 

 time uncertain as to their sex until T actually saw them pair 

 in June. They had built and laid four white eggs in April, 

 but these were not incubated. 



On June 25th I found three eggs of a bluish -white 

 ground colour, with brown speckles at the broader end. The 

 nest box chosen was, oddly enough, one I had made for some 

 Waxbills, with an entrance hole of f inch diameter, with 

 the express purpose of keeping the Saffrons out, as I rather 

 suspected them of a penchant for eggs. 



As I was passing the nest on July 11th, T was greeted 

 by a strong but unattractive scent, and on looking into the 

 nest, found three dead chicks about two days old. Their 

 crops were full, but their condition was such as to discourage 

 any further post-mortem examination. 



The male bird moulted in August, and in September 

 had assumed his full plumage. When I left for my holiday 

 in August pairs of Avadavats and Golden -breasted Waxbills 

 were sitting, the nests in both cases being built in some ivy. 

 While away, T heard with pleasure from my friend, Mr. 

 Temple, that the Waxbills had hatched out, but later news 

 informed me that two young birds had flown at the age of 

 three weeks, had spent their first night out, and had been 

 drowned by heavy rain. The Avadavats' first clutch came to 

 nothing, luit fi-om three eggs laid in mid -September, two 

 young were hatched, which were fed for about ten days, when I 

 found them dead on the ground below the nest. They had, 

 I think, been killed by the early frosts. 



A pair of Chinese Ouail in the same aviary laid the 

 rather unusual number of eight eggs, towards the end of July, 

 and brought off five chicks on August 9th, only three of 

 these reached maturity, and all turned out to be males. 



On September 17th, I found a nest of seven eggs, which 

 had evidently been laid some time, but which the hen had not 

 incubated, doubtless because she was disturbed by the young 



