328 {Breeding of Hooded Parrakeets, 
I made out two small round heads which were moving, and 
were silhouetted in the darkness against the light which came 
in at the other end of the log. 
I felt dreadfully disappointed — " Mice of course," and 
said as much to the bird-keeper. And yet after that both of 
the Hooded Parrakeets continued to enter 'the log. 
On the 15th of November, I took an electric bull's-eye 
lantern, climbed up again, shot the light down the tunnel of 
decayed wood, and in a moment saw what was there — four 
most beautiful young birds, all but ready to fly, which began 
to scuttle towards the other end of the log, the flooring pf 
which seemed to have been bitten up into fine chips almost 
through its entire length. And moreover, there had oeoh five 
young ones, for a dried up body of one, apparently between 
a fortnight and three weeks old was visible. 
The mice had nibbled it, but after death I think; and 
a mouse actually ran out of the log. 
On the following day, having fears that the young 
Parrakeets would injure themselves against the wire netting 
when they flew from the log, or fall into the pool of water 
below, etc , I again climbed up, and by dint of poking at 
them with a long cane, finally induced them to scramble out 
at one end Two flew well at once, the other two moving in 
a decidedly floppy manner and tumbling down, luckily with- 
out injuring themselves. 
The most robust of tlie family dashed ofl', and to my 
dismay banged hard against the wire netting, the male bird 
following with alarmed chirrups and cries- However, I gath- 
ered them safely into a large bo.x, already filled with rotten 
wood at the bottom, and succeeded in decoying the parent 
birds into the roosting house, where I caught tliem, and placed 
the whole family in a small inner aviary where the risk of 
injury to the young ones is very small. I also did this be- 
cause these Parrakeets being natives of tropical Australia,, 
i.e., the north — ran the risk of succumbing to the damp cold 
and uncertainty of November in England. 
The young were all as plump as could be, with well- 
fiUed crops. E.xcept that two of them were of a brighter 
green on the underparts, they almost exactly resemble the 
adult female, but their ceres and bills are orange -yellow, 
