Stories from Real Life.



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three Cactus were most friendly, and would all be climbing about

my arms and shoulders at once; indeed I always had to be sure

and count them before I left the aviary for fear I carried one out

on my back by mistake. This nearly happened once, for the

Cactus are so small and light they can easily cling to one’s coat

without being noticed. One summer I put these three Couures

into an aviary with the Long-tailed Glossy Starlings, and to my

great surprise after a time the two Couures Ping and Pong

started to nest. They had never done so in the other aviary,

though I had had them for some time. The eggs which were

very small, round, and white, were laid in a wooden nest box of

the closed kind I always use for Parrakeets.


Unfortunately all the eggs came to grief but one, and this

precious survivor was most jealously guarded. The pair began

to sit very steadily, and my hopes ran high, for I do not think

there is a known case of this little Conure breeding in England.

Jock who was most generously devoted to the other two, took

upon himself to guard the entrance hole from the Starlings, who

were suspected, and I think rightly, of knowing something about

the fate of the other eggs. Jock did his duty most thoroughly,

and even made faces at me if I came too near, and refused ofteuer

than not any little dainties I offered him when on duty. The

pair would often sit on the egg together and matters seemed

proceeding very smoothly ; the Starlings, probably through the

watchful care of Jock, apparently giving up their bad designs.

One day I was much amused with Jock, he had been persuaded

to so far relax as to take a piece of his favourite biscuit and had

evidently much enjoyed it. I am sure birds have a language of

their own, for Jock promptly told Ping and Pong to come out

and get some biscuit too, assuring them that he would look after

the precious egg. The little pair came out and took their tit¬

bits, going into the flight to eat. Jock clearly felt his great

responsibility, and not content with guarding the hole, crept into

the nest, and made the most valiant efforts to sit upon the egg.

I watched him through the hole, and was amused to see how

many times he failed before he got the egg under him to his

satisfaction. Of course when the pair returned he retired in

their favour, but continued to watch as jealously as before.



