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alone, she soon got tired of her own company^ and began to call

‘ Addie ’ (she usually pronounced n like d) and when no notice

was taken she tried to bring her down by an admirable imitation

of the shout—‘ Ba-ker ! ’


It was very funny 1o see the knowing way in which our

bird cocked its head on one side when asking a question—

‘ Quite well ? ’ ‘ Got a headache ? ’ and, when she was answered,


she always said—‘ Oh ! ’ and sometimes—‘ Quite right.’


Some years before this Amazon was given to me, a child

was staying with my aunt, whose nurse was an Ayah, named

Nana : the child used to call out its nurse’s name, and the

parrot, not being able to say Nana learned to shout Lala at the

top of its voice. As an evidence of how sounds having no

meaning in themselves may be misinterpreted by those anxious

to make sense of them, it is significant that at least two of our

neighbours insisted that they had repeatedly heard our bird call

out ‘ Mother! ’—a word which it never spoke and perhaps had

never heard.



PERIOD OF MOULTING AND ASSUMPTION OF

BREEDING PLUMAGE of the COMMON AVADAVAT.


f SporcEginthus amandava ).


By W. T. Page, F.Z.S.


The birds (r cock and 2 hens) are kept all the year round

in a garden aviary, the front of which is always open to the

weather.


1896. Moult commenced December 4th, completed Jan.


3rd, 1897. I 11 full color, June 6th, 1897.


1897. Moult commenced December iotli, completed

December 30th. In full color, June 30th, 1898.


1898. Moult commenced December 5th, completed

January 14th, 1S99. In full color, June 20th, 1899.


The above data refer only to one and the same bird—as

aforementioned I have only one cock ; when out of color he

resembles the hens, with the exception that the red rump is

more intense and there are several small black fan-shaped spots

on his breast.


The assumption of breeding plumage is brought about by

a growth of color in the feathers, though one or two of the

larger flights are moulted at this time—I cannot say how many

as I did not catch him—it would have disturbed his nesting

companions too much.



