28() Stanley omJ Many-colour Parrohccfs. 
was hatrhod out, tlic otlicr four (\q;i;s contained dead chicks. 
Also tlu Many-colours did not settle down to l^reedint;' proper 
till the third year owinj^ to my havin.L; to learn that they 
must have a place to theniseK es ; oliicrwisc, with me, they 
would make no n'ti-mpt to ne-^l. This 1 liave proved (they 
even resented the jiresence of a ]jair of Zebra i'inches) in 
the past, for as soon as I removed any birds that were in 
their aviary, they immediately went to nest. 
This year they wanted to nest in a Iol; outside, so I 
nailed up the entrance, but I had to take away the board 
again and allow them to follow their own sweet bent, other- 
wise I am convinced they would not have nested at all. 
CiENRR-M- \OTES: These apply to both species. I 
cannot give incubation periods, as I make a point of not 
going near the nest or looking in. As regards age, young 
leave the nest : 1 calculate the average period to be from five 
to six weeks, that is. reckoning from the time I first hear the 
young; calling for food to when they leave the nest, when they 
are fully feathered and almost equal their parents in size. 
As regards food, of course, seed is the staple dish, 
I supply canary, white millet, oats, hemp, and sunflower seeds, 
each kind in a separate glass dish (glass tongue pots), which 
I ])lace on a circular tray. I stand the tray on a large in- 
and cherries. I also get a sack of barn sweeping at inter- 
val -5 from a local farmer, and I find these very good not onlv 
for the Parrakeets, but for all foreign birds, both large and 
small. I scatter this on the fioor of the inner shed three 
inches thick for the birds to pick over (m the spring I 
throw some in the outer-flight, and a good crop of grass re- 
verted flower-pot, and find this keeps 
mice from the food {section sketch 
herewitln . I find this arrangement 
very convenient as it prevents the seed, 
falling on the floor. Of fruit they 
eat a fair amount, rijje a])plc mostly, 
this I cut in quarters and press ,i- 
gainst the wire-netting and the skin 
keeps it tightly in position : they are 
also fond of raspberries, strawberries 
