JtTi.Y 14, 1892. [ 



FORESTC AND STREAM. 



2B 



BREEDING BUDGERIGARS. 



I KNOW of no bird which has such a multiplicity of 

 names as this charming little fellow. In English, shell 

 parrot, undulated grass parrakeet, warbling grass parra- 

 Keet, zebra grass parrakeet, ainsjing parrakeet, scallop 

 parrot, etc, In Garman, WelhinMreifflger Sittich,Wellen- 

 papagei, Kanariensiitich, Ifiischel'iiific.h, etc. In Dutch, 

 Qmnparkeit. By scieutiats, Melopsittacus unchdatus, 

 but 1 prefer Budgerigar, as it is the name by which it is 

 called by the aborigines of South Australia, from whence 

 it comes in large nutnbers. I ones saw a vessel in Cape 

 Town which had three thousand on board, and after- 

 ward helped a dealer in Adelaide to count out three 

 hundred and fifty pair, which were the catch of one of 

 his trappers. It is deservedly a great favorite, no leas 

 from its pretty plumage than its great docility, and the 

 wonderful readmesa with which it breeds under the most 

 unfavorable surroundings. It is 

 now bred in large numbers by 

 European amateurs, who have 

 succeeded in producing varieties 

 in color, such as yellow and also 

 blue ones. But the most singular 

 fact is that there are several well 

 authenticated instances of its 

 having developed the power of 

 speech. Its surprising lameness 

 and docility is well exemplilied 

 by the numbers which are seen 

 on the street corners, sitting on 

 the tops of their cages, waiting 

 the signal from their Italian own- 

 ers, to pick out an envelope, tell- 

 ing your fortune. 



It is very hardy and can be 

 safely kept in a room where the 

 temperature falls nearly down to 

 the treezing point, but no lower, 

 provided it is furnished with 

 proper retreats, into which it can 

 retire and protect itself from the 

 cold. I have frequently seen 

 them flying about in an outside 

 aviary during sharp snow squalls, 

 in an early fall or a late spring. 

 It is particularly sociable, and 

 numbers of pairs will live together 

 without trouble, if they are sup- 

 plied with sufficient nesting facil- 

 ities, without which there will be 

 constant disputes for the choice 

 of favorite locations. In all their 

 movements they are graceful and 

 quick; the flight is exceedingly 

 rapid, can walk well on the 

 ground, running about, nodding 

 their heads and warbling music- 

 ally, which no doubt gives them 

 the name of "singing parakeet." 

 Should one not have sufficient 

 room, a canary breeding cage 

 will answer for breeding purposes, 

 provided it is furnished with a 

 cocoanut husk, which should be 

 fastened on the outside of the 

 cage, with the wires bent aside, 

 BO as to allow a free passage for 

 the birds. It is the best nest that 

 can be offered, but has one serious 

 drawback, being such an excellent 

 harbor for paxasites. So soon as 

 a husk is found to be infested 

 burn immediately, and give the 

 cage a thorough painting with 

 benzine, being careful to intro- 

 duce it into every crack and 

 crevice. Just below the hole 

 made for entrance a small perch 

 should be placed, where the male 

 will sit and warble while the 

 female is engaged in incubating 

 on the inside. Should one be so 

 situated as to have the use of a 

 small room, or even a portion of 

 it, so much the better, as it seems 

 to me to be cruel in confining 

 such active little birds in a small 

 cage, where they will sit and 

 mope a greater portion of the 

 time, from not having sufficient 

 space to follow their natural bent 

 of flying about and keeping 

 almost constantly in motion. By 

 giving them room and ample 



nesting accommodations, their owner will be fascinated 

 by their beautiful plumage, lively manners, low, but 

 sweet song, and surprising prolificness. 



If one cannot make use of an entire room I would sug- 

 gest a place built in the corner of one, which should be 

 in the second story with a southern exposure. There 

 should be a window in the inclosed space, the size of 

 which can be made suitable to the fancier's ideas, and 

 the number of birds he intends to keep, as a cube of 30in, 

 will suffice for each pan*. It is better that the bottom 

 should be supported on iron rods about 2ft. in height, so 

 as to facilitate all cleaning operations, and also to pre- 

 vent the entrance of mice, which are the greatest pests 

 with which a breeder will have to contend By building 

 in a corner the walls of the room will serve for two sides 

 of the cage, while the others can be made of wire netting 

 of iin. meshes. It is best to use netting which has been 

 galvanized and then paint it with drop black, which will 

 prevent any dazzling effect and show the birds with bet- 

 ter advantage. Make a small door in one side for the 

 purpose of introducing the vessels for holding food and 

 water, and along the entire length of the bottom of the 

 other side hinge a narrow flap, which is to be used for the 

 introduction of a small scraper for cleaning the floor. Of 

 course it will be necessary to cover the window with wire 

 netting. It will add greatly to the birds' heallh and 

 comfort if an outside cage is so constructed as to fasten 

 on the ou:t8ide of the window, in order that they can have 

 the benefit of fresh air and sunlight during warm 

 weather. It should be made entirely of wire netting and 

 of the same width and height of the window frame, pro- 



jecting some 3 or 4ft., thus giving the birds a chance of 

 flying out and enjoying a bath during gentle showers. In 

 this case the sash can be entire! .y removed during the sea- 

 son the outside cage is in use. The inner cage must be 

 fitted with coacoanut husks and small nesting boxea hung 

 upon the walls near the ceiling. The boxes to be 6 in. in 

 height and width, about 9in. deep, furnished with en- 

 trance holes near the top about liin. in diameter, and 

 small perches as mentioned in reference to the coacoanut 

 husks. G ouge out a slight depression in the centers of 

 the bottoms of the boxes to keep the eggs from rolling 

 about and becoming chilled during incubation. 



In the center of the cage stands a pine or poplar log, 

 from which the bark has not been removed and reaching 

 from the floor to the ceiling. This must be fitted with 

 nesting places, by sawing it in half from end to end, 

 gouging out the halves of nesting places in each section, 

 immediately opposite eaeh other, nailing the parts 



UNDER THE BEECHES, 

 Examining Nest of Red-Eyed Vheo. 

 From a Photogkaph, Jan. 10, 1892, by W. P. Daa^xson, Lockpobt, N. Y, 

 (Forest and Stream Amateur Photography Competition.) 



together, baaring entrance holes and fitting perches, as 

 directed with boxes and husks. Just here I wish to relate 

 an experience of mine with one of the above described 

 logs. I had been using one with great success for some 

 time, when I noticed that the birds had forsaken it en- 

 tirely and were disputing with the occupants of the husks 

 and boxes. For several days I watched closely, but could 

 detect nothing wrong, t then changed my tactics to 

 night surveys, and with the help of a small bullseye 

 lantern detected a mouse peeping out one of the holes. 

 The next morning each hole was stopped with a paper 

 plug, the log removed outside, and as fast as each plug 

 was extracted the spout of a kettle of boiling water was 

 introduced. To my great surprise I found every nesting 

 place occupied by interlopers, and the seed pans gave 

 forth a decidedly mouse-like odor. Sawing off about 2 ft. 

 of the log, I inserted an iron rod to support it, hiing the 

 food and water pans by fine wire from the ceiling, and 

 thus starved the enemy out. For perches, a few clusters 

 of small branches fastened in the corners will be suffi- 

 cient, and as they become soiled or gnawn can be easily 

 replaced. Keep the bottom of the cage well covered with 

 coarse sand, and a fresh sod should be given as often as 

 possible. Give an abundant supply of pure water, which 

 must be renewed twice daily, Badgerigarsare essentially 

 seed eaters, and will thrive on a diet of mixed canary and 

 millet seed, but I have always b^en in the habit of giving 

 them a crust of stale bread, soaked in hot water and 

 squeezed dry, when they have young ones to feed. Daring 

 hot weather this should be changed twice daily, as it is 



when the different grasses begin to flower and seed, a 

 small sheaf should be hung up in the cage daily. The 

 food and water should be placed in small shallow pans, 

 and these again in larger ones, which will prevent any 

 dirt or moisture on the floor of the cage. The sod ought 

 to be arranged in the same manner. I have never seen 

 them bathe as other birds commonly do, but they sef m to 

 take a great delight in rolling and tumbling about in wet 

 grass, consequently I have made it a practice to sj)rinkle 

 the sod daily. 



They are not subject to many diseases, a greater por- 

 tion of which can be easily prevented by a few precau- 

 tions. Fits or convulsions are caused by too much dry 

 and heating food, therefore the remedy is low diet and 

 plenty of green grass in seed. Cramps come from damp, 

 accompanied by cold, hence it is necessary to remove the 

 bird to a dry, warm place. Egg binding is the most 

 serious complaint with which I have had to contend. My 

 theory is that it is caused by a 

 lack of lime in the food, and for 

 that reason I use sea beach sand, 

 mixed with bits of mortar, for the 

 floor of the cage, and mingle 

 crushed cuttlefish bone with the 

 seed, A temporary remedy is a 

 drop or two of castor oil, ad- 

 ministered internally, and also 

 applied to the egg passage with 

 a small feather. To give intern- 

 ally, gently hold the bird on one 

 side and drop the oil on the beak, 

 when it will be instantly swal- 

 lowed. I know of no permanent 

 cure for this distressing ailment, 

 and counsel that the bird be not 

 allowed to nest any longer. Such 

 is its fecundity that it will go on 

 breeding during the entire year 

 except during moulting season, 

 if kept in a warm place. My 

 custom has been to separate the 

 sexes about October and place 

 them together again about March 

 or April. By so doing one will 

 succeed in I'earing much finer 

 specimens, I have known them 

 to mate before their first moult, 

 and the sequence would be feeble, 

 weakly progeny; therefore, take 

 the young out and keep the sexes 

 in different compartments until 

 they are a tvvelvemonth old. 



The hen lays from four to six 

 eggs, but I have never been able 

 to find out the exact period of 

 incubation. Would say that it is 

 from fifteen to eighteen days, and 

 as the young are not all hatched 

 at the same time, but will appear 

 with the interval of a day or so 

 between each exclusion, I am 

 very much inclined to think that 

 the hen commences setting before 

 she has laid her full complement 

 of eggs. The length of time 

 which the young remain in th 

 nest also varies very much. Have 

 known them to come out in about 

 thirty days, and sometimes forty 

 will elapse before they will make 

 their appearance. In a few days 

 after exit the young are perfectly 

 able to take care of themselves, 

 and the female immediately 

 cleans out the nesting place and 

 prepares to bring forth another 

 brood, In feeding the young, the 

 old birds hold the youngsters by 

 the beak, regurgitate the half- 

 digested seed, which the nestlings 

 swallow. Let any one follow the 

 above directions, which are but 

 the repetitions of more able pens, 

 and take a few pairs of these 

 exquisite little birds from the 

 cages in which they are cooped 

 up in all of our bii d shops, trans- 

 fer them to such a little place 

 as I have described, and I will 

 warrant, in a I'.rge majority of 

 instances, that he will be trans- 

 formed into a veritable " bird 

 crank," Frank J. Thompson, 

 [The budgerigar forture- telling 

 outfit is familiar to city people. 

 A perch is provided with a rack of sealed envelopes, and 

 there are usually two or three of the bright- plumaged 

 birds, presided over by a grim-visaged wiz .rd, and pat- 

 ronized by a bevy of giggling girls. When the fee is 

 paid the wiz ud pokes up one of the birds with a stick; it 

 runs along the perch and picks out an envelope, pulling 

 it with its bill, and the wiz a'd hands it over to the girl, 

 who, giggling more than ever, opens it to find the 

 promise of a handsome husband, with wealth galore— and 

 all for five cent^] 



"Under the Beeches." 



This refreshingly cool winter scene should be accept- 

 able in sultry July. The portrait is of our valued con- 

 tributor "J. L. D.," whose frequent notes on bird life add 

 to the interest of these columns, and whose story of a 

 visit to "the old home" in our issue of May 13 will be 

 recalled with pleasure. Mr. Davison tells us that he 

 was "taken" all unconsciously by his son, and a moat 

 charming picture was the result, to be added to the 

 FOEEST AMD STREAM'S Amateur Photography Collection. 



apt to become sour and cause diarrhoea. In the spring, ' tion 



A Quail-shooting Club. 



We have been shown the details of the plan proposed 

 by the advertiser of quail shooting this week, and it ap- 

 pears to afford an unusual opportunity to make sure of 

 excellent sport at a nominal outlay. The certainty of a 

 plentiful supply of game appears to be assured by the 

 project, which is, for that reason, well worth investiga- 



