66



Mr. R. Phiujpps,



Regents are naturally gregarious, and, as with some other

gregarious species, the breeding females seem to withdraw for a

season from the general assembly. My breeding female had re¬

tired, and for many weeks she and her brood were, in a sense,

isolated. The male ceased to interest himself particularly in

her, and went off with the other female on nesting thoughts

intent. It was through no fault of theirs that they did not

withdraw bodily, for they were perpetually being reminded that

they were within the danger zone. The sitting female was

annoyed by their presence; she regarded them as intruders

within her reservation, and would swoop down upon and dash at

them furiously. She seemed to be inspired and impelled onwards

in her task by some intense fire within her, a fire that lasted until

the middle of October. When she came down from the nest to

the food dishes, she came down like a bolt, with a rush causing so

great a disturbance in the air I could always distinguish between

her approach and that of the other Regents without looking up.

If either Regent or any other bird approached nest or food when

she was about, she went for it and none dared to withstand her,

although as a rule the Regent is a timid, almost a cowardly species.

This fire impelled her to the wildest action, and she dashed about

with great violence ; the reserved aviary was too small for her in

her present excited condition ; and I soon saw that it was neces¬

sary to clear the birds out of the general aviary and confine them

in the birdroom, so as to allow her to have the full sweep of the

entire garden—and this was all too little.


The female Regent I should state is as a rule a larger and

more powerful bird than the male; and she has need to be, for to

my female fell the entire work of providing food for the young.

She gave herself up with extraordinary devotion to their welfare,

and had not a thought for the others so long as they kept out of

her way. The male neither sat on the eggs nor helped to feed

the young : he soon ceased to associate with the breeding female

and took up entirely with the second bird.


And to this second female I must turn for a moment. It

so happened that the Burrowing Owls were breeding at this time.

They have a house in the general aviary, and for a great part of

the year play Box and Cox with the other birds. Not wishing



