122 My Birds and their Doings. 
self, before one of the hens, cutting the most extraordinary antics 
dropping his wings and tail, and uttering the most peculiar 
sounds, and at last I felt hopeful, that if the hen would only lay 
again, of raising some young Ruddy-shoulders, 
Now, however, a pair of Saffron Finches came on the 
scene and, having selected a nest box, they built and laid one 
egg, but being rather busy at the time I did not look again until 
the 26th, when, to my astonishment, I found the Saffrons sitting 
on three Ruddy-shouldered's and two Silky's eggs, her own 
having vanished ; four of these eggs proved fertile, and the first 
hatched on June ist, two more on the 2nd, and the last on the 
3rd, but whether the Saffrons could not find suitable food for 
their adopted children or not I cannot say, anyway, sad to relate, 
on the 4th three died, and on the 5th the remaining one followed 
suit, none of them having been fed. 
The Ruddy's next attempt was discovered on the 26th of 
May, the nest being built between the boards of a shed and con- 
taining three Ruddy's and two Silky's eggs ; these all hatched on 
the nth and 12th of June, but only lived two days. 
On the 17th of June yet another nest was built, this one 
being lined with mud and then hay, placed among some branches 
covered with hops. The first egg was laid on the igtli and the 
second on the 20th of June. In the meantime the Silkies had 
not been idle, as on June 8th one egg was laid in a Thrushes' 
nest and promptly thrown out ; on the 4th an egg was laid in the 
nest of a Green Cardinal, the latter hatched on June i6th, 
giving an incubation of twelve days. Since its birth two Green 
Cardinals have been hatched in the same nest ; when seven 
days old they were all found dead, most probably owing to the 
heavy rains and cold winds which have predominated of late. 
Purple-capped Lories {Lorins doviicelld). These are 
now enjoying semi-liberty, having a spacious aviary entirely to 
themselves, in the hope of inducing them to breed. Two eggs 
were laid in a log, while they were in the birdroom enclosure, 
but these were eaten. The cock I am convinced was the culprit, 
for the hen sat steadily for more than a week after the eggs had 
disappeared. When not brooding both birds are so tame that 
they can be allowed their freedom out of doors without risk, but 
