Pugnacious Australian birds.



75



thinking about them wanting the soft food on which all Lories

must he kept. When I realised this I decided to sell; if they had

been seed-eaters I would not have parted with them, as they are

a lovely pair. I only had them for a week or so, when I sold them

to one of our members.


My other birds have done fairly well. I have bred and reared

two nestfuls of Rosellas; I have young Red-Rumps now in the nest

-— and I hope young Browns also, but dare not look. My Peach-

Faces, who have done nothing all the summer, are now on eggs; I

have two pairs of these, also two pairs of Black-Cheeks, but no luck

with them yet. I am sorry to say I missed my chance with Pennants,

as I lost the hen of the pair which bred and reared young last year.

This was at the beginning of the season, hut though I bought another

hen it was too late for 1918. I had a very lovely pair of Kings

which nested and laid four eggs this season. These were sold to a

member, and he should breed with them next year.


I have plenty of young Green and Yellow Budgerigars, but

Blue Budgerigars are a failure. T have been trying for them, but

cannot manage it. I expect they will soon come now, as several

members have them.



PUGNACIOUS AUSTRALIAN BIRDS.


By E. S. Sorenson.


[Kindly communicated by Mr. K. Colton from the ‘Sydney Morning Herald.’

•lune 1st, 1918.]


One November day while rambling through the home scrub

I heard a great commotion among the dry twigs and decaying

leaves near the river. Creeping along a ledge of hank behind

clustering hushes I found the disturbants were two male Regent

Birds engaged in deadly combat. Botli were bleeding about the

head; their lovely gold and black plumage was bedraggled and

their wings drooped with weariness. Still, they fought fiercely,

using beak and claw. A hen Regent, whose olive-brown dress was

set off with a black cap, was perched on a branch above them, an

interested and excited spectator of the duel; whilst some scrub Tits



