26 
Blue Budgerigars. 
beautiful colour, a rich sky blue, tlioug-h pure, is not natural, 
liavinj^- undoubtedly been produced by selection; therefore, 
I sugg-e.st a semi -darkened indoor aviary or flight, not allowing 
any direct and powenul rays of light to enter any ])ortions 
of their enclosure. 
2.— Birds must not be allowed to mate until fully 
two years old. This is a most important item, and has been 
in the past the greatest cause of non-success. As with the 
Green variety, these birds will mate when quite young, ))ul 
it is rarely with success. The young ox such birds are anf«nric 
and offer infected with rickets, as well, the co.our exceedingly 
poor, more like grey than blue, they do not thrive, and but 
a very small percentage live to any age. The parent birds 
are more liable to egg binding,, and when this occurs the 
chances for recovery are very small. 
My advice then, is this, if too impatient for the birds 
to become fully adult, dispose of the birds. I know, for I 
speak with experience. I made the same mistake. In the 
year 1911 I had about 30 of these delightful birds 
under my care at Everberg, and being anxious to 
breed them freely, I located them in three large aviaries, 
each with a large open outdoor flight. I had visions of such a 
lovely flock by the end of that year. My visions did not, how- 
ever, materialise. Plenty of eggs and a fair number of young, 
but I finished up the season with I believe ten, and not a 
fine youngster among them. These were sold in one lot to 
a dealer on the Continent. So much for that attempt, but 
why my failure? I meant to find out. Within a few miles 
of those aviaries I knew a Belgian fancier with a few of these 
birds, three pairs, I believe, but was nevertheless having 
success, breeding good colours and fine robust youngsters, 
as many as six in one nest. I visited him ses'eral times and 
had a good look round, seeking all the information possible. 
His birds were flying loose in quite a darkened out -house, the 
adult birds in one compartment, the young in another. Breed- 
^ing boxes were permitted in the spring and summer and 
moved in the early autumn. Hence his success, and he 
admitted this was the only secret. 
If our Budgerigar lovers could only see charming Blues 
flying about as I have done, the wonderful depth of coloui' 
