On Nesting Notes on the African Silver bill. 133


Tytler’s, or the Andaman, Parrakeet is confined to

the Andaman Islands where, according to Hume, it is very

numerous. It is very closely allied to the Nicobar Parrakeet

(P. nicobarica ), and very possibly specimens may have been

previously imported but mistaken for that species. The example

now at the Gardens is recorded as new to the collection.


(See also page 145).



NESTING NOTES ON THE AFRICAN SILVERBILL.



During May, 1902, I had my first aviary built. Nothing happened

beyond a pair of Doug-tailed Grassfinches making nests in various places,

without the least idea of laying in them. The rest of my birds consisted of

a cock Bearded Reedling, and the survivors of one dozen mixed foreign

finches, which are nearly all hens except two cock Silverbills.


After bringing my birds indoors for the winter, I exchanged one of

the Silverbills for a hen. On December 22nd I found two broken eggs had

been thrown out of the sleeping box on to the floor of the cage which

contained these birds. The hen continued to lay until September 28th,

except when rearing young, and began laying again on November 26th, and

another egg on the 30th, so now she has laid in every month throughout

the year except October.


While in a cage the birds have never succeeded in hatching a single

egg. They would sit for a day or two and then let the eggs get cold.

There was a young bird nearly ready to hatch on February 16th, the day on

which I had to take them back to Fast Hoathly. Plenty of cuttle-bone,

old mortar, and pounded-up uncooked egg shell was supplied, but the eggs

were very brittle and the yolk could be seen from any part of the shell.

The birds were very timid, especially the cock, who used to dash in and

out of the nest-box and make little holes with his claws in the eggs,

spoiling nearly all.


I could find nothing much about the actual nesting of this species in

any of my books, except that the usual clutch of eggs seems to be six or

seven. During their aviary life they did better but wasted a large number

of eggs, and only reared three young birds.


Towards the end of the season I discovered their mode of nesting.

The hen laid two eggs on consecutive days and incubated them immediately.

This I found out during their cage life. After an interval of four or five

days she laid two more eggs, and probably more later on. I have seen both

young birds and eggs in the nest together, but they have disappeared sooner

or later. When the most forward birds have left the nest, never more than



