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On the Breeding of the Long-hilled Parrakeet.



ful birds when free in their own country, and are very numerous in

the parks of Buenos Ayres, do very badly in confinement and are

very delicate.


For two years the life of my parrakeets was rather un¬

eventful. They spent the summer in a large garden aviary and the

winter in a bird-house, where they did all they could to demolish the

woodwork of their flight. Last spring, however, in the second half

of May, one of the birds was missing, and on closer investigation it

was found sitting in a roomy nesting log' which hung high near the

roof of the covered part of their aviary. Of course we did not

disturb the sitting bird, and so I could not tell at first how many

eggs were laid, nor can I tell the exact time of incubation. Suffice

it to say that after some three weeks the bird-keeper heard noises

proceeding from the box resembling the cries of young Green Wood¬

peckers. These noises gradually grew louder, and one day, not very

long before they left the nest, the head of a young bird was seen

looking through the opening of the nesting-log. Some time earlier

two addled eggs, more or less cracked, were found under the box.

They were fine large white ones. At last, on the 3rd of August, I

was agreeably surprised at seeing a splendid strong young bird in the

outside flight, and the next day number two also appeared. This

was the end of the supply and the box had no more treasures to

reveal, so that probably four eggs had been laid, of which the two

birds were the result.


The young birds are exactly like their parents, but the green

is darker ( i.e . less yellowish) and all the feathers have dark edgings.

The upper mandibles are shorter than those of the adults and the

tops or points of them are white , the same colour being seen on the

top part of the under mandibles. The naked skin round the eyes is

also whitish.


The old birds are extremely fond of their children, and one

usually sees each of the parents with a baby under its care. They

show their affection by fumbling in their children’s feathers, and

when the wings, tails, etc. have had their turn, the legs are passed

through the bills to the great discomfort and annoyance of the little

ones.


Besides the usual seeds, the youngsters were fed on bread



