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Continent ; but aviarj^-bred birds are frequentlj^ obtainable on

this side of the Channel ; such birds are quite hardy, and a good

pair will breed free!}'- without fuss or trouble. They are adult at

six months, and 3'oung hatched in January have been known to-

breed the same year; birds hatched during the spring and summer

months breed, as a rule, the next year. I believe New Zealands

were the first Parrakeets, larger than Budgerigars, I ever bred.

The eggs are white, as is usually the case with Parrakeets, and

there are generally from four to six to the clutch. I have never

had less than tw^o or more than four j^oung reared per nest, but

more fortunate amateurs can boast of a nest of six on more than

one occasion. There are three, four, or even five nests during

the year, when a good pair commence breeding early in January ;.

but three nests have always satisfied me.


Food is a ver}^ simple matter : — Canary seed, white millet,

and oats, mixed with a sprinkling of hemp (about a couple of

dozen seeds) on the top, and spra}^ millet, is all the seed I gave,

whether they had young or not. Green food is, of course,

necessar}^ — chickweed in seed, and groundsel in flower, I con-

sider the best — and they must have plenty of it when they have

young to feed. As soon as the young are hatched, the parents

become quite bold when the green food is taken into the aviary ;

one cock bird I had would almost come on to my hand for it, he

was in too big a hurr)' to wait, with the cares of his family of four on

his shoulders, until it was tied up in its place. They are excellent

feeders, and I never lost a young one from want of care on the

part of the parents or insufficient feeding. The}^ remain in the

nest about a month, and can dash about pretty well when they

leave it. This Parrakeet can be strongly recommended to any

amateur wishing to " try his hand " with a species a nick above

Budgerigars. I do not think they have been mentioned in the

Magazine before, but we had an interesting article, by Mr.

Bouskill, on breeding C. auriceps, a kindred species.



