THE



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BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE


AVICU LTURAL SOCIETY.



VOL. VII. —NO. 12. All rights reserved. OCTOBER, 1901.



BREEDING OF THE ROLLER IN CAPTIVITY.


By W. H. St. Quintin.


Everybody must admire the brilliant, but harmonious,

colours of a Roller; but it is not every aviculturist who cares to

give the space, and attention necessary to keep these fine birds

in health and good condition. As I can not learn that Rollers

have been bred in captivity, or at any rate in this country, I

venture to send a short account of my birds, and their breeding

operations during this last summer.


A fine young bird, which turned out to be a male, came

into my possession in the autumn of 1897 ; and from one of our

members I obtained a pair, of which the male soon died, the

following spring. The two surviving birds were put into a

compartment of my heated aviary, with a sufficiently spacious

“fly”; their companions being some Indigo-birds, Nonpareils,

a pair of Painted Quails, and a male and two females of the

Sandgrouse, (P. quadticinctus ). The latter have never been

interfered with, but I soon found it necessary to remove the

smaller birds, as, especially in the spring, the male Roller was

not to be trusted. The female was from the first timid ; and

until this spring she never allowed the male to approach her;

though he seemed willing enough to make friends. As I have

before described in the Magazine, he was exceedingly tame with

me ; and often tried to induce me to accept a blackbeetle or a

mealworm, after taking a perch on my head or shoulder. After

vainly paying the female similar attentions, I have seen him,

apparently losing all patience, drive at her, and knock her off

her perch, which of course did not conduce to a more friendly

feeling on her part. I could do nothing but hope that in time

she might lose her timidity; and in the meanwhile I endeavoured

to get her into as good condition as possible by careful feeding.



