2o8 Stray Notes in My Blrdvoom. 



They have carried on this unsatisfactory behaviotir rig'ht 

 uj) to (late, seeming- to love egg laying as a hobby! They nev- 

 er sit out the full incubation period. 



Rkd-napkd LoRiKKKT.-Tle is a lovely Ijird but I have 

 been unaljle to get a mate iov liim, and lacking one of his own 

 kind paired up with a hen Rosella Parrakeet, who forsook her 

 own mate for him. For a time they searched the interiors of all 

 the nest barrels, linally settling on one; several eggs were laid, 

 w hich always disappeared, eaten I suspect by the Red-nape. 



Cutthroats. — These also have laid numbers of eggs 

 without rearing any young. They forsake the eggs to consruct 

 another home, on the last occasion leaving six eggs in a husk 

 to construct another nest in a box. The cock carries all the mat- 

 erial ; I have never seen the hen carry any. 



Later : These have another clutch of eggs, but after 

 nearly sitting oitt their time forsook them — in fact their record 

 in this respect is very similar to that of my Zebra Finches. 



Budgerigars. — Both Yellow and Greens (3 pairs) are sit- 

 ting in their husks, the cocks keeping guard on the top of their 

 respective households, which look very fimny: when my Lady's 

 head appears at the front d'jor what a chattering and hissing 

 there is ! 



A wonderful (so it appeared to me) thing happened to a 

 ( ireen hen ; she somehow fell and broke her legs and damaged 

 her wings, for she could not fly, while at home a clutch of five 

 eggs were awaiting incubation. Ilie cock was in a sad state, 

 while the hen made attenijjt after attempt to reach her husk, she 

 was quite imable to get a hold over a piece of wood that was in 

 her way. The cock bird seeing her predicament came down to 

 her assistance, and side by side another attempt was made, the 

 cock supporting and helping his mate, and when they came to 

 the piece of wood the cock got right beneath her so that she 

 could rest one leg on his back and at last after a big effort both 

 arrived safely at the husk. To me this appeared very w'onderful. 

 Later : There are now quite a number of young birds 

 .-'bout, both Greens and Yellows; also some from the Blue-bred 

 pairs, but alas ! no Blues among them ; all are Green, but T hope 

 yet that there may be at least one Blue one this season. 



Rkd-riixf-D Wkavkrs. — These spend all their time weav- 



