The History of the Budgerigar . 129 



whole, for it well deserves exliumation from the buried and 

 aJmost forgotten hies of past "fancy" journalism, for the 

 beneht of present readers and for the general difusion of 

 knowledge. 



After informing the enquirer that a nest of seven is not 

 so rare as he thniks, Mr. Arthur continues: 



1. liave had several nests of seven this year. Three years ago 

 I l\ad a nest ot nine, and in the year 1887 (the same year I bred 

 the noted albino Budgerigarsj I had a lien lay ten eggs, hatch, and 

 rear them all ; but four out of the ten left the nest with no long tail 

 or flight feathers. I know they belonged to one hen only, as there 

 were only six pairs in the aviary, and there were five other nests of 

 young. Has Mr. Twittey (the Original enquirer.— E,H,) noticed that 

 Budgerigars feed their young at night? In passing my aviaries about 

 two hours after dark, one can hear the smallest being fed, and and 

 as time goes on, the older ones are fed, which is about four hours after 

 dark. 



" One can very well tell when there are young Budgerigars in 

 the nests if one walks quietly by the aviaries at night. Do Mr. Twittey's, 

 or anyone else's Budgerigars make a noise at night during November 

 and December? I do not know if it has anything to do with their 

 migratory instinct, as most birds call to each other while migrating 

 at night, but my birds make more noise at night than in the day time. 

 I have at present 536 Budgerigars, and about 500 of these are out 

 of doors; 342 are in one aviary 30ft. by 6ft. and 7ft. high. It has 

 a peculiar sound, 500 of these birds all warbling out-dot)rs in pilcli 

 darkness ; but what seems strange is that, if I or any of my family 

 pass the aviaries at night, the birds take no notice, but a strange foot- 

 step causes instant silence. This seems to prove that birds, as well 

 as animals, get to know a person's footsteps. 



" If not trespassing too much on your space, I will give the result 

 of Capiam Spicer's experiment with Budgerigars in a wild state. As 

 1 reported in the Feathered World " I supplied the Captain with sixty 

 pairs, which he kept in an open wire aviary for a fortnight, and then 

 let them fly out at will. Previous to that a large number of husk 

 nests were hung about round the house, as well as in the aviary. Many 

 bred in the husks, but many took possession of the old decayed trees; 

 in the park, and nested in their natural way. Hundreds of young 

 were reared and on the wing that summer, but when the autumn came, 

 although they were fed, they all left except about twelve pairs, which 

 came to feed through the wmier. These must have gone to nest early 

 in the year, as I had a young' Budgerigar brought mc to be stutTed 

 the first week in March, that was shot in a garden six miles away from 

 the park, and this bird could not have left the nest more than a week, 

 as the blood was in the quills of the tail-leathers. Well, the second 



