42



The Breeding of Cactus Conures.



The birds were obviously a pair, but one can only sex these

birds by comparison, and then the beak is the distinguishing feature.

They quickly settled down and in my diary I find that by May 31st

the ben bird was constantly incubating and, practically speaking,

never left the nest. On one of the rare occasions that she did, I

discovered four eggs, perfectly white in colour and roundish oval in

shape and the size of a thrush’s egg, only much rounded and fuller.

Young were present on June 28th, and these apparently two or three

days old and presented the ordinary hideous appearance of young

parrakeets—absolutely naked and blind. The quills appear at about

sixteen days and the eyes open soon after.


Cactus Conures have no distinctive nestling plumage, but

probably assume their full plumatic characteristics as they increase

in size. All parrakeets grow and develop very slowly and I have

been tempted many a time to abandon all hope of young. In this

case it was not until August 7th that the first young one left the

nest, and hut for an apparently slight difference in size and being

considerably lighter in colour, one could hardly tell the difference

between the young and old birds. I put the young bird back as it

was a dull damp day, but the next day it was out again, and two

days after two more young made their appearance. They all did

well, and to-day one can hardly tell the young from the old.


The hen bird is incubating again and perhaps will present me

with more young. I understand they had never attempted to breed

before although they had been in captivity some time. They

occupied an aviary with all sorts and conditions of birds, but never

showed any disposition to quarrelsomeness. I might add that the

hen does all the incubating and that the cock appears to feed the

hen on the nest, but only when the coast is clear and nobody about.

The sanitary arrangements are primitive, but do not cause a nuisance

within the meaning of the act.


I have come to the conclusion that parrakeets are easy to

breed if you give them room and not too much disturbance. They

make ideal parents on the whole, but are inclined to neglect their

young before they are well able to fend for themselves. No credit

is due to me for having bred these birds. I only marvel that it

has never been done before. I am sure the great difficulty is to get



