74



Breeding of the Hooded Parraiceet.



the night there. Then on another occasion the male also went in,

remaining for a few minutes. Nothing coulcl be heard in the way

of nestlings being fed, as is the case with many of the parrakeets.


At last I felt I really must remove suspense and look, which

I did at the end of October, after I had been home ten days. I

mounted a ladder. All was darkness and silence, with a strong

odour of mice within. Silhoutted against the light which came

through from the far end I could just make out two small round

heads moving about. “ Mice ! ” I thought, “ how disgusting !” But

still the old birds continued to go in and out of the log.


On the 15th of “November, armed with a portable electric

bull’s eye lantern, again I mounted the ladder, flashed the light down

the tunnel, and there to my huge delight and astonishment, in the

very centre of the log were seated four most beautiful young Hooded

Parrakeets, almost ready to fly, whilst nearer to me lay the skeleton

of a fifth, which must have lived for at any rate a fortnight, for it

had feathers on its wings.


To have seen in ths same aviary within six months, young

“ Queen Alexandras ” and young Hooded Golden-shoulders was

almost more than one’s feelings could endure; my bird-keeper and

I refrained from sobbing on each other’s necks from an overflow of

joy, but it required self-control!


I managed to sleep that night, but on the following morning I

began to see visions of the nestlings issuing from the log and dashing

wildly against the wire-meshing, besides which the weather was—

well ! what the weather is liable to be in England in the middle of

November — and here were birds that ought to have been hatched in

the tropics of Australia.


Consequently, on the 16th, I again mounted the ladder, and

although it took us a long time, the bird keeper and I managed to urge

the young'-parrakeets, by means of a long cane to leave their dark

and happy home. Two flew out and two flopped out, and one

immediately dashed hard against the wire, but luckily did not damage

itself. The father of the family flew down in a great state of mind,

and both parents called loudly. Finally the whole family was put

into a small inner aviary, where it is warm, and where risk of injury

is almost nil.



