BREEDING AUSTRALIAN PAROQUETS. 



A FRIEND of mine succeeded towards the end of 

 last year in inducing a pair of Australian grass 

 paroquets to breed, and I think your correspondent 

 might succeed by adopting this plan. The birds 

 were placed in a room, lighted by a skylight in 

 the roof, and supplied with several trunks of trees 

 with circular holes cut in them, about six inches 

 in diameter, and a foot in depth. The paro- 

 quets were disturbed as little as possible, and 

 plentifully supplied with food and water. After a 

 short time the hen laid four eggs in one of the holes, 

 laying every alternate day. All went on successfully 

 for some time, and three young ones were hatched, 

 the period of incubation being seventeen days. I 

 regret to say, however, that two out of the three 

 young birds died in a week's time, and the remain- 

 ing one a few days later, from an affection in the 

 stomach and intestines. 1 should imagine that the 

 experiment might in other cases be attended with 

 more favourable results, and to be well worth a trial. 

 These paroquets feed their young by taking their 

 beaks in their own, and disgorging the food, which 

 the young then swallow. 



