at the Keston Foreign Bird Farm , Season 1933



55



changing, and now have quite a bright band of crimson round the base

of the upper mandible. This description is necessarily somewhat vague,

as Parrot Finches are so extraordinarily quick in their actions, seeming

indeed to indulge in almost perpetual motion, so much so that some

pairs are a little bit inclined to wear the feathers off the crown of their

heads by bumping against the wire top of their flight.


Unlike some of our other Finches, Gouldians have this year done

particularly well, quite a large number of youngsters being successfully

bred. Their most remarkable feat however, was the successful rearing

of thirteen young ones by two pairs, one pair rearing eight young in

a single nest and the other five. These two broods were both late,

leaving the nest about the third of November, and a small heating lamp

was put in the shelter of their aviary at night since they came out,

as an extra precaution against cold. Although we knew that one pair

had eight young ones, we hardly imagined that their overworked

parents would succeed in bringing up the whole family. They actually

managed this, however, and all were good youngsters with the exception

of one, which died two days after leaving the nest, being small and

corresponding, presumably, to the “ darling ” of a litter of pigs. One

pair only went to nest at a reasonable time, i.e. in the late spring, all

the rest persisting in the tiresome Gouldian habit bf beginning to think

about house-hunting at the end of July.


Last year only Peach-faced Lovebirds were reared. This year,

curiously enough, Nyasas, Fischer’s, and Black-cheeks were all success¬

fully reared, but no Peach-faced. This was mainly due to the fact that

we tried all our Lovebirds in a new type of aviary which did not seem

to suit the Peach-faces at all well. So much hybridizing, intentional

and unintentional, is done between the various Lovebirds that it is

none too easy to obtain pure-bred breeding stock, genuine Black-

cheeks being particularly hard to get.


Silverbills and Fire Finches were also bred and, of course, large

numbers of Budgerigars, in all colours, but we are particularly pleased

to be able to record the rearing of a number of young Buttercup

Budgerigars from the stock birds with which Mr. Seth-Smith expressed

himself so particularly struck on his last visit here, and which he also

mentioned in the September number of the Avicultural Magazine.



