30 



If the pairs agree, fcliey must be left entirely to 

 themselves, without endeavouring to use art to help 

 nature, as many do. Some breeders take away the 

 first egg and substitute an ivory one, which is repeated 

 with the others to the last, preserving them in the 

 mean time in a box filled with fine dry sand ; they 

 are afterwards restored all together to the nest to be 

 hatched. This is a bad practice ; in the first place it 

 is contrary to nature, causes the mother a greater loss 

 of heat, and burdens her at once with five or six little 

 ones, which, coming all at once, disturbs rather than 

 pleases her. Very intelligent bird fanciers have 

 assured me that, by not removing the eggs from the 

 nest, and leaving them to be hatched in succession, 

 they have always succeeded better than when substi- 

 tuting ivory eggs. 



The females lay three or four times a year, from 

 April till September ; there are some even so prolific 

 that moulting does not stop them. The eggs, of a 

 sea-green colour, are at one end more or less spotted 

 or marked with maroon or violet. The period of in- 

 cubation is fourteen days. 



If, owing to the weakness of the male or female, it 

 is suspected that some of the eggs are barren, they 

 should on the eighth day be examined by holding 

 them lightly between the fingers in the sunshine or 

 before a candle ; the good ones will be already filled 



