134 
Nesting Notes. 
travelling cage, laying three or four eggs, which are heavily 
mottled with brown at the larger end, and only slightly so at the 
other end. What becomes of the eggs I cannot say, they have 
regularly disapj^eared. 
Last September I was fortunate enough to obtain, what I 
took to l)e, a male Blue Sugar Bird from a well-known dealer. It 
was freshly imported and in the usual unsatisfactory condition. 
I kept him in strict quarantine for a few months, till I considered 
it was safe to tui'ii him into the aviary. 
This year history ajipears to be repeating itself — though up 
to the present the weather here has been (juite severe. About the 
middle of the month (April), I noticed the hen was very anxious 
to nest, but, although there is always plenty of nesting material in 
the aviary, she did not seem satisfied with same, but as soon as I 
put in some coco-nut fibre there was a great change ; she became 
busy and active at once, promjitly commencing l)uilding operations, 
soon completing her nest which she lined with cow-hair. The 
nest was built in a Hartz travelling cage and four eggs were duly 
laid. I removed one and put it under a Canary as I was anxious 
to know if they were fertilized and this morning (April 24th) I 
found that it was fertile. An examination of the Sugar Bird's 
nest revealed but one egg, which was fertile — what became of the 
other two was a mystery. These are due to hatch out about 
Tuesday next. May 3rd, and I am hoping one or both will be 
reared. 
CROSS MATING. 
Cakdinals. I have a Red-crested Cardinal paired up with 
a Green {Paroaria cucnUata x Gubcrnatrix cristata). The nest 
is built and I am expecting to find eggs any day. Three years ago 
the Red-crested paired up with a Pope Cardinal and three chicks 
were hatched out, but unfortunately none were reared. 
Siskins. Last year I successfully l)red — in a cage 17^ in. 
long X 23 in. high — five hybrid Siskins, viz., Brazilian Black- 
headed x British Siskin (C/irijKDiiiifj'is irfcrica x Carduclis 
spinits). There were three nests — one in April, another in June, 
and the third in August. Five young were fully reared, all hens. 
They wei-e mainly reared on dandelion buttons, canary, spray 
millet, niger, teasel and hemp seeds. 
This year two of the hyl)rid hens (all I have retained) are 
at present paired with a colour-feel British Siskin : they have 
