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female under the conditions already stated, and, in the absence

of Conures, went after some of the Brotogerys. For some

months, not being able to obtain a female, each being well

protected, he struck up a close friendship with a male Tovi

( B. jugularis), whom he continually fed from the crop. The

great desire that this bird always had of feeding another has

made me suspect sometimes that the action may have relieved

the system, and thus have contributed towards his length of daj r s,

of which more anon. The Tovi was killed by a Blue Pie, whose

hatred of the chattering Tovis no words can express; and then

followed a period of irregular love-making and warfare, when,

owing to an unhappy accident, a vacancy unexpectedly occurred.

On and from the 28th November, 1898, he took forcible possession

of a female Golden-fronted Parrakeet, B. tuipara , to the great

terror of the lady, who trembled for her life. After a while the

Tuipara became less terrified at the demonstrative wooing of the

Musky, and, since, the two have been literally inseparable. The

Tuipara had alwa3^s seemed as sensitive to our bleak climate

as the female Lorikeets, and I ceased to hope for the appearance

of eggs. Last autumn they took possession of an ordinary

travelling cage hanging up in the birdroom some five feet from

the floor, in an exposed situation near the window ; but I did not

specially interest myself in their proceedings. On the 13th

March of this year, and up to and including the 18th, both the

birds kept to the nest, only rarely leaving it for a brief half¬

minute or so : during these days they invariably came off

together. On and after the 19th, the Musky came off during the

day, but kept a sharp watch on the nest, usually from some quiet

corner several yards away, and uttered a little squeak on the

approach of any one ; but never once did the female allow her¬

self to be frightened from the nest. The Musky returned to the

nest to roost every evening about 6 o’clock.


Four eggs were laid, apparently on alternate days, round

ovals of large size, larger than those of the Golden-shouldered

Parrakeet, but not exhibiting the slight inclination to quince-

shape of most of the eggs of the Tovi with which I was favoured

some j^ears ago. They were all clear.


Whether the Musky fed the Tuipara whilst she was sitting

I do not know. From the 19th up to the 31st—on which day I

took the eggs—only on two occasions did I see her off the nest;

on the first he was feeding her, on the second she was feeding

herself.


That this Lorikeet should have lived over four years in my



