182



The Quaker Parrakeet at Large.



with the Quaker’s nest, and its activity increased with the

advent of warm weather, “ snipping off the twigs from a haw¬

thorn hedge and carrying them in its beak, screeching as it flew,

with a very quick beat of its thin-pointed wings, and with its

pin-tail never spread. It worked most industriously, taking a

long time to fix each twig, and weaving them together very

neatly at the opening, which was about six inches across, and all

the way along the tunnel inside. The outside twigs, though

they all looked rather haphazard, were so interwoven that no

wind ever displaced them.


“ By May it had greatly enlarged the pile, and had brought

it down and fastened it ingeniously to the elbow of the stack-

pipe, which gave increased stability, but made a bend in the

tunnel necessary. The whole structure was now seven or eight

feet long, and nearly three feet across at the lower end, and

with this the bird seemed content.”


It was considered probable, from the bird’s skill in nest¬

building, that it was a female, and thinking it a pity that it

should not have a male, a second bird, supposed to be a male,

was procured, and the original bird having been caught in its

tunnel at night, the two were caged for a short time, and then

both released together. The new one never offered any

assistance in nest-building, though the original bird continued to

add to the nest. So long as the hedges remained bare, the only

nesting material used was the prickly hawthorn twigs, but when

the hedges became green, the tops of the pea-sticks were used.


The new bird became mischievous, picking off the green

apples, and so had to be captured and caged, and his mate had to

share the same fate in case she should also have learnt this

objectionable trick. Unfortunately a rat got into the cage and

killed the new bird, and so all hope of successful breeding was

at an end. The original bird was set free again, and lived until

June, 1902, after which it was seen no more.


We sincerely hope that Mr. Rawnsley’s very interesting

experience with this nest-building Parrot will induce others who

live in the country to try the experiment of releasing a pair or

two of these birds and to let us know the result.



