84



John Wilcock—Some Aims and Ideals in Aviculture



them away from the bantam and place them with the cock. I always

kept a set of old eggs to put in the nest the quail had laid in, to retain

the father’s interest, and he was always very pleased with himself

when his offspring presented themselves. But I used foolishly to

sell the young, until it occurred to me that I should perhaps have a

better chance of natural incubation from an aviary-bred hen. I retained

one hen, got a cock for her, and she went broody her first year, and

has this year, her second, brought off her six chicks. I have kept

a young hen from this brood and with a new cock hope to have two

broods next year. Pairing uncle to neice should not be too close

inbreeding. I am hoping that the more generations aviary bred they

are, the more certain sitters they will make and, also perhaps, the

sooner even they can be weaned off live food. This year also the

hen took just as much interest in, and care of, the chicks as the father ;

generally the brood was evenly divided between them. I do not

know if this is unusual, but I had always understood that with

Excalfactoria the male alone undertook the care of the family. One

point which relieved my mind was the steady way the hen sat. The

aviary contained breeding pairs of various Australian Grassfinches,

and I always wish to have newly flown young in the shelter at night,

which necessitated my stepping within a foot of the little hen, who

didn’t mind at all. I have had the satisfaction of hearing from people

who purchased young birds from me that they have successfully

incubated and have been very prolific.


I may be on the wrong track, and Painted Quail always remain

uncertain sitters, but here is a case where there is sufficient to aim

at to sustain interest for several years and, if success is complete

and something approaching semi-domestication attained, the

aviculturist can be relieved of his charge and the results handed over

to the “ fancier ”, as has happened with the Canary and Budgerigar.

The fancier can then carry on and breed them with crests or

feathered legs !


I have bred to several generations (I have carelessly neglected

to keep records, and therefore cannot be more exact) Longtailed

Grassfinches, Diamond Doves, and of course Zebra Finches, and have

birds every bit as prolific and virile as wild ones, with few cases of



