36



Mr. Ralph A. Holden,



cupboard, later on handing them over to our kind cook, in whose

hands I knew they would be safe: they were only four days old

remember. One of the chicks throve and never looked back, but

the other seemed not to grow at all, he had fits and internal troubles,

common to all babies, and finally when two weeks old he left us.

The survivor is I fear a male, so I am left with no chance of breeding

these charming birds again. Should any fellow-member have a hen

for sale, or in exchange for my young' hand-reared male I should

be pleased to hear from him.


No, Mr. Editor, I refuse to pay you 6d. for the last “ 18

words or less,” I have sat up into the small hours producing the

enclosed “copy,” and I think I have earned the minimum price of

an advertisement in the Avicultural Magazine 1 !


Later Notes. — October 10th. The young Orange-headed

Ground-Thrushes have been moulting heavily—the young male is

now an almost perfect replica of his sire—the female has lost her

spots and grey colouring and much resembles the adult female.



NESTING OF HYPHANTORNES.


By Ralph A. Holden, E.Z.S.


For some years I have, like Mr. Sidney Williams, devoted a

good deal of attention to the various Weaver Birds, more particularly

to those included in the genus Hyphantornis. And previously to

1914 I had almost succeeded in rearing young from the Spotted-

backed Weaver ( Hyphantornis spilonotus ) and from a hen of that

species paired to a cock Rufous - necked Weaver ( Hyphantornis

cucullatus).


The greatest difficulty which I have personally experienced is

that of obtaining hens of the various species ; the vast majority of

the larger Weavers imported being cocks, and even when immature

birds are bought (a period at which they are most difficult to

accurately sex) a preponderance of cocks seems to appear the

moment that adult plumage is assumed.


Last winter, I therefore counted myself fortunate in having

secured from various sources six undoubted (though immature) hens.



