l82 
Notes OH Some Conurcs. 
They are said to be quarrelsome, destructive, and dull, yet I have 
always found them to be the very opposite. They certainly are 
noisy at times, but as my aviary is at least 200 yards from the 
house, this does not trouble me, and I much prefer to have a 
pair of Conures, which can be both seen and heard, than a pair 
of the tiny Waxbills, which are adepts at concealing themselves 
in the thickest bush they can find. Conures certainly lack the 
grace of the Australian Broadtails, but they are far more 
amusing, and one can sit for hours and watch them playing 
together like monkeys. They afford endless amusement. 
Quaker Parrakeet {Myopsittacus monachus): The 
first Conure I kept was the Quaker Parrakeet, and I found this 
the noisiest of the group. When I kept them I had only a small 
aviary for parrakeets, yet they never attempted to injure any 
of their fellow inmates which included Budgerigars, Rosella 
l-'arrakeets and Cockateels. They soon showed signs of a 
desire to nest, but unfortunately they chose the lean-to roof of 
the shelter, and the sticks fell off as quickly as they brought 
them . Eventually they settled on a dark corner of the aviary 
(high up under the roof), built a huge nest, and during two 
seasons successfully reared eight young birds. Most of these 
are still living in the Zoological Park in Edinburgh where they 
occasionally cut through the wire-netting of their aviary and 
enjoy spells of liberty. I should like to try the experiment of 
liberating a few pairs here, and as they are very hardy I see no 
reason why it should not be successful. 
Euops Conure {Conurus cuops) : I had always wanted 
a pair of Euops or Speckled Conures, and last May I secured a 
fine pair of young birds from Mr. Rogers, of Liverpool. When 
tliey arrived they were in juvenile plumage, but since then the 
scarlet areas have greatly increased, and they are now as hand- 
some a pair as one could find. They remind one of miniature 
Macaws and are regular avian acrobats, chasing each other 
round the aviary, swinging head-downwards and exploring 
nesting logs^ all the while keeping up a hoarse ciiattering. 
They sleep every night in a log, but I do not expect them to 
nest this season. 
Black-heaued Conure (C. ncnday) : This is a very hand- 
some bird, but unfortunately has a very shrill scream. I have 
