199


digestion and congestion of the liver. I never expect to see another bird

to equal "Ton}'," and I think that if Mr. Dutton had seen him he vs^ould

liave agreed with me that he was certainly an " ideal" Parrot.


C. Iv. Coi<i<ie;r.



PARROT FINCHES.


Sir, — I bought a pair of Parrot Finches in Januarj- last, and on the

ii'th April put them into a waggon-cage to see whether they would breed.

This morning (21st I^Ia}') a broken egg was on the sand-tray, (e)


I should not have troubled you with this letter, but when the egg was

■opened to see whether it was fertile, to my surprise there were two chicks

inside, one slightly larger than the other.


For years any number of Zebra Finches bred with me, but never a

case of a double-j-olked egg. I know fowls occasionally lay them ; and a

man who kept Canaries in this neighbourhood gave an account in the local

jDaper, about two years ago, of having five birds from four eggs; (/) but

I cannot recollect an}' mention made in the Avicultural Magazine of a

similar case happening to foreign Birds.


It would be of interest if any of our Members could mention having

the like experience, aud, if so, whether the birds lived.


W. T. CaTi,eugh.



Sir, — This spring I started with four Parrot Finches (sexes doubtful) ;

and several nests were built and eggs laid ; but my aviarj- is far too

crowded, and nests and eggs were destroyed by other birds. The Parrot

Finches made no attempts to defend their nests, the hen ilying off at the

approach of any tin}' bird ; practically their time is given up to fighting

amongst themselves aud hunting one another all over the aviar}'. At first

the nests were all "independent" nests, built less than four feet from the

ground, small, compact, and neat; but all the later nests have been built

in boxes and high up. The last nest which I know of (perhaps there is

another missing hen now sitting) was in a box just under the centre of the

roof of the aviary, in full view : and on the ist of August the hen flew

down close to me with excreta in her bill — which seems strange for a Parrot

Finch. Since that date the young from this nest have been in hiding

somewhere at the back, and quite out of sight, but often distinctly heard.

Yesterday I thought I saw an unusual number of Parrot Finches, and

to-day (i6tli) I saw a flock of five, two being apparently j'oung birds. My

Parrot Finches have nested so ve/y freely and perseveringly that, under

favourable circumstances, there ought not to be any difficulty whatever in

breeding them.


RhginaIvD Phii^upps.


{e) From subsequent letters we learn that one young- Parrot Finch was hatched by

Mr. .Catleug-h's birds, and lived for about a week. Several of our members are this year

trying- to breed this charming species. So far Mr. St. Ouintin and Mr. Phillipps are the

only members of whose success we have heard this season.— Ed.


(/) Two or three years ago I recorded the fact that I reared two Canaries from one

eg-g.— A. G. B.



