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feed themselves. Although the cock was taken away before she

laid, I rather expected one or two of the first eggs of the clutch

might be good, and determined to let her sit out to try the

experiment; but I must say I was surprised to find, eventually,

that all the eggs were good and everyone hatched! Another

interesting point then remained to be seen—could she rear five

young birds alone ? The first day or two she was more than busy

chasing youngsters No. i out of her way and feeding babies

No. 2 ; to give her a chance, I removed No. i, who were then

quite capable of looking after themselves, so that she could give

all her attention to No. 2 little ones. The task was too much for

her, and they began to die. She might, perhaps, have reared

one or two alone, but five were too many.


When young Parrakeets are being reared under ordinary

circumstances, the hen is rarely seen out of the nest for the first

five days or a week : the cock usually goes to the nest to feed

her, with food probably in a partly digested state, and she passes

it on to the young ones. I am of opinion that the first week of

a young Parrakeet’s life is its most critical stage, and it is at that

time the cock’s assistance in feeding is the most needed.


The brave little hen stuck to her task of rearing alone,

though it was clearly above her capacity, and she seemed in a

trembing state of exhaustion from it. This, of course, could not

be allowed to continue ; losing a hen of her value would never

do ; and the putting back of the cock (after two of the young had

died, while another looked very weak) was the only chance of

saving her and them. As he had never seen the eggs, much

less the young, I did not know how he would take it. On his

introduction there was a good deal of “ chattering and wing-

sliaking,” during which, I suppose, the hen assured him the

youngsters were really his and his alone. Their behaviour was

interesting and curious to observe, and he, after several cautious

peeps, darted into the nest, came out again, and commenced

feeding with his gallant little partner. I knew then all was

well. The young were fed afterwards by both parents, and the

“hungry cry” the}^ seemed to utter before the cock was put

back, ceased. The weak one referred to died a day or two later,

being too far gone to profit by the cock’s extra feeding; but the

other two were eventually reared, and turned out cocks. All

went well till they were nearly ready to leave the nest, when the

old cock nearly killed them, and this time before they left it. The

same reason again—the hen about commencing to lay another

clutch, and the cock wanting the youngsters out of the way.



