86 E. Maud Knobel — The Bed Tail-feathers of a Grey Parrot


the choice of a, true pair, a by no means easy matter ; next the

provision of a suitable nesting site and nesting materials if and when

they are inclined to nest; and finally the selection of suitable food

for the rearing of young when they hatch, providing they are not at

once eaten by their parents.


The market will never be flooded with aviary-bred Jays, but those

that are reared might make charming pets and could he given

the run of a large garden. Mr. Astley has a delightfully tame

Yucatan Jay which is allowed out in his garden and which returns

to its cage, and there is an Occipital Blue Pie on deposit at the

Zoological Gardens which I much covet, as I feel sure this bird

with a little care could be given semi-liberty. It would be a fine

sight to see this, the most graceful of all the Jays, flying loose

out of doors.



RECORD OF THE RED TAIL-FEATHERS

OF A GREY PARROT

By E. Maud Knobel


I had this Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus) on 30th May, 1917,

and have kept a strict record of the number of red tail-feathers that are

shed each year. Feathers have a great interest and fascination for

me, and in the keeping of records, of course, one has to choose certain

feathers and those that are easily identified. I don’t know whether

there is anything to be learnt by keeping a record or whether anyone

else has ever done such a thing. One knows certain facts about

moulting. For instance, a bird about to moult starts by clearing up his

seed-pot, and for a successful moult requires a more generous diet than

on ordinary occasions. They have to make blood to push out the

old feathers and produce new ones. I am not a great believer

in medicines and tonics, but I do think one is tremendously rewarded

by always giving the best foods one can procure. I was taught this

during the war, when foods were anything but what they should be,

and many of my Parrots either took a long time to come through the

moult or produced poor feathers and in some cases blotched with yellow

feathers where green ones should have been.



