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W. H. St. Quintin,



-wings are very strong and perfect. I take “ Rollo ” often out in

the garden on my hand, or put him on the ground whilst I work.

He is very happy walking about near me, picking up bits of soil

and green, and talking continually to himself the whole time. He

will let me put both hands under him and pick him up, and a parrot

must he very tame to let you do this without biting. I do not

know if the bird would let anyone else touch him, as I look after

him entirely myself. He is very happy with me, and we shall look

forward to many pleasant hours gardening together, for he is quite

a little companion in my work. “ Rollo ” lives almost entirely on

sunflower and a little hemp, besides nuts, apple, and biscuit. It

seems to suit him, for his plumage is very “ tight ” and so glossy

and clear coloured as to almost shine in the sun. He never tries to

bite me now, but is just as friendly as he was before the accident,

though at the time I thought his case was hopeless and that he

■would never again be anything but fierce.


(To be continued.)



BREEDING NOTES OF 1916.


By W. H. St. Quintin.


I should be grateful if a little space may be allowed for some

long delayed notes upon certain breeding operations which took

place amongst my birds last summer (1916).


A pair of Stone-curlews, hand-reared by a friend in the eastern

counties in 1914, and which afterwards came into my possession,

■showed signs of breeding in the middle of May. The larger and darker

coloured bird which had been reared from the egg in an incubator,

though always very tame, was on May 14th extremely pugnacious,

fighting with my hand, spreading her tail and wings, and uttering

shrieks of passionate excitement. The other, which is the male

is smaller and paler, with clearer markings, and is tame enough,

but always wary. It was picked up half grown, and reared with

the <5ther. I am not sure if this difference in size is typical of the

sexes, but I should think it is largely due to the different manner

in which these two birds were reared. On May loth there was



