TOO



shown any wish to make a nest. What is the reason : too cold P But the

Zoological Society had several Pceouphali Senegalensis sent them, after the

death of a gentleman, who, I understood, had bred them in the open air.


The cock - bird’s desire to pair seems to me to exist chiefly in

February, and that, of course, is a drawback. I am thinking of trying

them in a very large cage indoors next Autumn, and see if that will

make any difference. The hen-bird lias been pinioned in both wings, but I

don’t know that that should prevent her wishing to breed. I think someone

must have tried, before now, to breed these birds, and if so, I should like to

know with what success.


I am hoping to have a nest of Leadbeater Cockatoos. The hen has

always laid, but never, till now, shown any wish to make a nest. However,

she seems to be making some sort of arrangement that way, now ; and the

cock is aggressively angry when any one goes to the cage. I am very

anxious to succeed, because Leadbeaters are the nicest of the Cockatoos,

when tame. My hen-bird is delightfully so, and flies about the village,

loose; and I did once have a tame cock, for all too short a time, alas ! but

for long enough to make me see that a cock Leadbeater, reared by hand,

Would not be too noisy ; would talk, and be thoroughly 7 gentle. And most

people would give them the palm of beauty 7 amongst Cockatoos. I very

much doubt if, as a rule, the hens could be taught to talk. There are so

very 7 many slips between the Parrot breeder’s cup and lip, that I hardly

dare to speculate on my having the chance to see.


—- F. G. Dutton.


GOLDFINCHES.


Sir, — I have some Goldfinches in my aviary, and last y 7 ear a pair built

on the top of a log of wood placed close to the top of the aviary for Budgeri¬

gars to breed in. A piece of roofing felt being placed over the log, outside

the wire, and the log being as close up to the wire as I could get it, there

was just comfortable space for the nest. The hen sat very 7 close and never

left the nest, although I often went within a few inches of it, and in due

time some four or five young were hatched. They all died a day or two

after hatching. I presume this was for want of proper food, and I would

like to know what is the best food for young Goldfinches, for I have two

pairs nesting now. One is on top of a log similar to that of last year, and

the other has chosen a peculiar place. I have a cock Oriole weaver, which

has built many nests, one is on a perch close to the roof of the aviary 7 , and

the top of the nest touches the roof. The entrance is, of course, from the

bottom, and another perch is placed about a foot below. The Goldfinches

have built a nest inside this weaver’s nest. It is not visible, being in the

“bag” portion of the nest, but the tail of the Goldfinch can be seen by look¬

ing up through the opening. The finches fly up from the lower perch into

the nest. J. C. Pool,.



The following reply was sent to Mr. Pool :—


Goldfinches, as you are probably aware, feed their young from the

crop, like all other finches; the natural food in the summer consists largely

of small insects and their larvae, especially small green caterpillars and

green-fly (Aphis ), also the unripe seeds of groundsel and plantain.


As it is not always possible to get green caterpillars in quantities, some

kind of soft food must be substituted; the best being a mixture of hard-

boiled egg, or preserved yolk, bread-crumbs and ants' eggs, moistened (living

ants’ eggs would be better).


I have a Goldfinch sitting in one of my aviaries at the present time,

and I constantly keep a saucer of soft food for the pair to feed from. As

green food, groundsel in flower and grass in flower or seed are excellent.

If you have a greenhouse and a few plants which you do not care about,

abstain from watering them until they get coated with green fly 7 and then

stand the infested plants in the aviary : it will not be long before the Gold¬

finches are busily engaged in picking off the insects. Do not omit the

usual seeds, of course. A. G. BUTPER.



