A. de Berri T Vaxman — Breeding of Cat-Birds



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BREEDING OF CAT-BIRDS


By A. de Berri Waxman


For many years I have made a special study of the keeping of Scrub

Birds, such as Regents, Satins, Cat, Pittas, and Spotted Bower-birds,

besides a collection from New Guinea consisting of five varieties of

Birds of Paradise, Manucode, Spotted Cat-bird (two different varieties),

the large and the small about the size of a Pigeon, Pitta, and two

varieties of Bower-birds, the grey which is a good mimic, and the Golden

Crested, and numerous Pigeons. In the early part of last spring my

Cat-birds (AElurcedus viridis) were very active and started chasing the

other birds in the aviary; the two hen Cat-birds fought, with the result

that one was killed, so I caught the pair and placed them in a small

aviary about 15 ft. by 6 ft. by 7 ft. In it I placed a little dried bush

and fixed a small wire fern basket in the corner, gave them some nesting

material, dried grass, twigs, and sticks. Before a fortnight they had

constructed a very neat bowl-shaped nest lined with a few feathers.

The first egg was laid on 6th September, the second egg two days later.

They both sat very patiently, the cock relieving the hen whilst she

came off to eat. After sitting for about three weeks I became impatient

and tested one of the eggs, which was fertile; the other one was clear.

After the first failure they laid again in December; the young hatched

in 29 days and only lived for 10 days owing to the shortage of animal

and insectivorous food, mealworms being unobtainable. Doomed to

disappointment, I intended returning them to the large flight aviary

when I noticed that they started adding leaves and twigs to their nest.

This time I am pleased to relate that they reared their young.

Unfortunately they left the nest too soon: one perished during a heavy

storm, the other is over six months old and is exceptionally tame,

will feed out of your hand, and will allow itself to be fondled. The

young were fed on mealworms (which they killed and prepared),

plain soaked bread, apples, and bananas. The cock was very attentive

during incubation. He carried food to the hen whilst sitting, and did

most of the feeding after the young left the nest.


The coloration of the young is of a bluish green, darker than the

parents, the eyes black, changing after six months.



