172



Miss R. Alderson,



same side of the house to nest on, and though they did not fight it

ended in hopeless confusion, and only four young birds were reared

altogether by the two pairs. I found that eggs were laid in the nest,

then more material added, then eggs laid again, and which pair of

birds they belonged to would he difficult to say ; I can hardly think

they were all laid by one hen.


This last season the pair have reared five fine young ones :

two others died, one when in adult plumage, the other a late-hatched

bird that seemed to feel the cold, so I put it in a cage near the stove

in the passage. It did not occur to me at the time, but I think the

bird’s death was hastened through the fuel I was using giving off

gas fumes. Now I am using another kind, and, though much more

expensive, it is far more satisfactory and gives off a clean heat with

little smoke.


I left all my five young Diamond Doves in with their parents

till the end of the season, and they were a very happy little flock

together. There was such continual nesting going on in the house

that it was almost impossible to at any time do any catching up

without the risk of disturbing some sitting bird or young ones still

in the nest.


I find in every house where more than one pair of nesting

birds is kept there is this difficulty, and if the young birds have to

be left in, room must be allowed for them even if the aviary looks

only half full at the beginning of the season.


The cock Brush Bronzewing in this house is the survivor of

my first pair of this dove. I have had him a number of years, but

he shows no sign of age. The hen is a young bird about three

years old. I am always specially interested in her because she was

hand-reared by me from the egg till she was about a fortnight old,

but her earlier destiny has nothing to do with these notes, which

only concern her as she is now, a very shapely bird, though smaller

than some hens I have had.


This hen laid several eggs during the season, but only one

young bird was reared. It turned out to' be a hen, and did very

well and is now as large as its mother, but I have never seen a

hen with such a large round head. The shape is entirely different

to that of most Brush Bronze-wings, and I am curious to see how



