Notes of the Season 193 



previous to the breeding season, I kept the cocks intended for 

 the Indian and African kitino Ring-necks, and the lutino 

 Blossom-liead out of doors in a large flight; the hens occupying 

 small indoor flights. In March the cock Indian Ring-neck 

 (Palaeonus t or quota } gave evidence of being in breeding con- 

 dition by trying to kill his African companion, who was only 

 rescued in the nick of time. The Indian Ring-necks, after being 

 paired up, nested and the hen produced, in the place of five 

 infertile eggs in 1916, seven fertile eggs, all of which had chicks 

 dead in the shell. The African Ring-necks seemed on good 

 terms, but did not even enter their nest-box. The hen Blossom- 

 head (P. cyanocephala), who in 1916 laid three eggs but refused 

 to pair, this season varied her conduct by pairing but refusing 

 to lay. 



Having failed for three years to get anything but infertile 

 eggs or weak embryos from Stanley (P. ieterotis) Barraband's 

 (Polytdis harrahaiidi ) and Pileated Parrakeets (Porphyroceph- 

 alus spuriits) which had been caged during the winter, T decided 

 last autumn to risk the weather and leave the whole lot out, as 

 well as a newly acquired pair of Queen Alexandras ( Spat ho p- 

 tcrtis alexandrae) . All came through successfully, and three 

 pairs of Stanleys, the Pileated, and two of the four pairs of 

 Earrabands' went to nest as usual, and not as usual all hatched 

 out something. The Stanleys reared ten young birds between 

 them without loss. The Pileateds hatched out two fine chicks 

 from four eggs, but unluckily lost both when half grown, 

 apparently through feeding them on some indigestible food — I 

 fear strawberries. One young Barraband's was hatched out by 

 each pair. One was reared, but the other was squashed by its 

 parents, who were clumsy and very wild. 



A pair of Red-rumps (P. hacmatonotus) reared four 

 young, but my last pair of Bourke's got no further than inspect- 

 ing the nest box. 



Three pairs of Blue-winged Grass Parrakeets (Neophema 

 venusta) — or more correctly speaking a cock Rock Grass 

 Parrakeet, (N. petrophila) and two cocks and three hen Blue- 

 wings all went to nest. The hen who paired with the Rock had 

 her eggs broken by her lady companion and therefore decided 

 that it was ' up ' to the latter to make reparation by allowing 



