30() The BreeduKj of Barnard's Parrakeefs. 



iiicludiiig a line pair of Yellow -napes, which had been out .since 

 the pi'evioii.-; auiiunn. But just when I bclievcil him to ])o 

 settling down nicely, he took it into his head to make a long 

 flight to the other side of the country, where he was fortunately 

 captured in a brickyard, and returned to me safe and soimd. 

 Alter this escapade I kei)t him shut up with the hen for some 

 time longer, ana men let the pair out together. At urst all 

 u'ent well: the hen showed no desire to return to her first mate, 

 as .1 fully e.cpected might happen and the cock stayed with her 

 and made no further attem^ to stray. In fact I was just be- 

 ginning to contemplate two nests in the near future, when one 

 aiLernoon a corpse was brought to me so fearfully mutilated 

 that I could hardly recognise it as that of the unfortunate cock* 

 Barnard's of the second pair. It appeared that he had most 

 unwisely quarrelled with the pair of Yellow -napes, and they 

 had literally torn him to shreds, being still engaged in their 

 murderous work, when some gardeners had seen them and re- 

 covered the remains. This was a sad blow, and the Yellow - 

 napes had to depart forthwith. Barnardlus seniitorquutus is a 

 handsome bird and some of his call -notes are really quite 

 beautiful when heard at a little distance, but he is a fatal 

 neighbour for large, quarrelsome Platt/cercines, which will 

 insist on putting his all too -undoubted prowess to the test, with 

 the most disastrous results to themselves. 



The widowed Barnard's soon showed a strong desire to 

 return to her original mate, (and he, for his part, was quite agree- 

 able. But the old hen viewed matters in a very different light, 

 and lost no opportunity of communicating to her unfortunate 

 rival the nature of her views on the subject of bigamy. It 

 was only after many painful and stormy domestic scenes that 

 peace was restored by her going to nest in the crown of a 

 pollard elm, which grew in a very public place, close to the 

 high road, where traffic of all kinds was constantly passing. In 

 due course her example was followed by the second hen, who 

 ejtablished herself in a beech tree about a mile away. T had 

 read of cock platycercines successfully rearing two broods at 

 one time in an aviary, and therefore hoped for the best, but 

 I could not help feeling nervous lest the Barnard should prove 

 unequal to the arduous task in store for him, for I know that 

 his wives would not begin to forage for themselves and their 



