28



BREEDING REDRUMPS.


Observations and Little Dij]lc^llties.


By A. Savage.


I had some peculiar experiences last season with my

pair of Redrumps, and relating them may interest the readers of

the Avicultural Magazine. The pair I refer to is the old pair,

now in my possession over three years, in their (about) half a

cubic metre box-cage, and which have reared so many young—

thirty-one—all disposed of, except one that escaped. They have

hatched in all thirty-four, but three died this season quite young,

as will be seen further on. I must admit that the cock is not

altogether an exemplary father when the young leave the

nest, and, had I not kept an eye on him, many of them (cocks

especially) he would surely have killed on leaving it, days before

they could feed themselves. His conduct in this respect is

probably due to their being in rather close quarters : the young

not being able to get far enough out of his way, and the parents

being very regular and quick breeders. For the last three years

they have had three nests each year, and each year the eggs were

laid at the commencement of March, May, and July, as regular

as clockwork, almost to the day, and never a week’s difference in

the dates. Every year I have noticed the cock’s impatience to

get his youngsters off his hands just when the hen was about to

lay again, but formerly it was mostly with the second and third

nests—the second especially—but this year he commenced mal¬

treating the young of the first nest, and days before they could

feed themselves. I caught him in the act one morning, and,

just as he was doing his best to throttle one poor little one, gave

him a good “spanking” with nr}" handkerchief, which frightened

and stopped him for an hour or so ; but he began operating on

them again in the afternoon, and I had to take him away and

cage him alone. I was rather loth to do so, as I could see the

hen was coming on to lay, but I acted on the “ bird in the hand ”

proverb, and out he came ! For the rest of the day quiet was

restored, and the hen spent her time in looking after and feeding

her frightened and half-beaten-to-death youngsters.


The next day she laid the first egg of her second nest,

which eventually consisted of five eggs, and continued feeding

her first little ones while laying this clutch. Everything went

well during the time she was sitting, the cock bird being close at

hand but out of sight, in his prison-cage, making a big fuss and

noise ; and during her sitting process the first young learned to



