on the Breeding of the Black-cheeked Lovebird. 33


at the top, coming up from the inside, shewing that she had been

on the nest until the moment that she became aware of my

presence: certainly she is a very watchful bird. She is quite

silent during the nesting period, never uttering a sound. The

other female, too, who is sitting in the garden, flies quietly and

rapidly away if her nest be approached.


The male did not assist in the work of incubation. He

did not, at that period, give me the impression of being a par¬

ticularly devoted lover; indeed, he looked exceedingly bored,

and spent most of his time in the garden, but always sleeping in

the birdroom. I do not know that he fed the female while she

was sitting, perhaps not ; but he fed her assiduously after the

young were hatched.


During her first “sitting,” whenever the female went into

the garden, she almost always carried a strip of wood or piece of

broom back with her to the nest; but in many little ways she is

now behaving differently. Perhaps she regards the nest as in¬

capable of improvement—and she never seems to leave it!


It was on or about July 15 that I noticed a change in the

state of affairs, the apathetic male waking up and becoming

more active, and occasionally visiting the birdroom ; on the 23rd,

the female commenced to come into the garden, and was fed

there. From the 29th, she passed a good deal of time daily out¬

side, away from the nest; but it was not until the 30th that I saw

her take food herself.


It was 011 July 23 that I first saw a young bird in the nest.

One could only see a portion of the inside, but a nestling a few

days old was visible. O11 the 26th, I saw two nearly naked little

things squatting side by side, like a couple of young pigeons.

On the 29th, Mr. Seth-Smith inspected the nest, and reported

four young of different ages, all right. On August 4 I first

noticed a touch of colour, one sturdy youngster having a pale

yellow-red beak. O11 the 12th, the crowns of the nestlings had

all the appearance of being fully feathered.


By this time, the young birds had become as it were “ con¬

scious” ; and, when I peeped in, I would find the whole lot with

their heads and necks extended and stretched straight out along

the bottom of the nest, after the manner of Thicknees. From



