JBreeding of Hooded Parrakeets, 327 
as possible, and to this we attribute entirely our good for- 
tune in breeding these birds. 
The nests "were unfortunately destroyed by other birds, 
as material for building purposes, before we succeeded in 
photographing them. ■ 
Breeding of Hooded Parrakeets 
{Psephotus cucullatus) . 
By Hubert D. Astley, M.A., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. 
Last year (1911) I had my lovely pair of Hooded 
Golden -shouldered Parrakeets in a room in the house, along 
with several other rare bird=v, and there they had two clutches 
of eggs, in November and December respectively. 
Each time three were laid, but although there were 
certainly young birds in the second clutch, they did not hatch^ 
in spite of the hen bird sitting well, and over her proper 
time 
In the spring of this year (1912), I turned them into 
a large aviary, with a fine choice of ne.-ting places, consisting 
of many large and natural hollow logs, brought from the 
woods. Although the Hooded Parrakeets were interested in 
these abodes, and often investigated them, nothing happened, 
and at the end of August I left for Italy until the 20th of 
October In the same aviary four young Queen Alexandra 
Parrakeets had been hatched during the summer, and reared 
to full maturity. On my return, my bird -keeper told me that 
the hen Hooded Parrakeet had evidently been sitting for some 
time in a log which is nearly six feet long, laid horizontally 
on some cross beams under the roof which partly projects 
from the roof of the inner building over the open flights. 
A day or two after my return, I began to wonder 
whether the bird really had eggs, for I saw her frequently 
about in the aviary. Still! she did sometimes enter the log 
and slept there Some ten days after I felt I must assure 
myself of what was happening for better or for worse, and 
accordingly climl^ed up a ladder to try and look into the log, 
which is 'hollow all through with a hole at each end. 
The first thing that I was aware of was an extremely 
strong odour of mice, and after peering for a minute or two. 
