Gerald de Pass—Breeding of Bullfinches



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through the moult. I lost the old hen during the winter, owing,

I believe, to my still giving them mealworms. Bullies, being very

greedy, overeat themselves if given an opportunity. I now only

give them mealworms when they have young ones, or else as a

treat. I managed to get another hen in the following May, and by

great good fortune she took to the cock at once, and soon had a

nest in some gorse branches. She hatched and reared four young

ones in the first nest, and hatched four and reared three young

ones in the second nest. I lost four young ones during the moult,

and I believe they were nearly all hens. Hens I find much more

difficult to keep than cocks.


The following summer I had some more aviaries, and so

had two pairs put up for breeding, the old pair and a young

pair. The old hen went to nest very early, and, although

she laid, she would not sit. In May she built another nest,

and laid and commenced to sit, but unfortunately I found her

dead on the floor about a week before the eggs should have hatched.

The other pair built and laid, but the eggs were all taken and

smashed by field mice; I think owing to the wire netting being

| mesh instead of Jin. I moved them into another aviary, and they

nested and hatched successfully, but something pulled the young

ones out of the nest and bit their feet off, and I had to destroy

them. Although my gardener and I both searched all round the

aviary, we could never find where anything got in. This year I

hope to try with three or more pairs. I am sure half the trouble

with Bullies is to get the cocks to fertilize the eggs, and I think

one must have aviary- or hand-reared birds to do it, but I intend

trying a wild cock this season as an experiment. Hens are far less

trouble to get to nest, but, personally, I much prefer small and

slightly built hens to big and heavy ones. My feeding for adult

birds is canary, best Rubsen rape, and a little hemp, and in very

cold weather I add linseed. When feeding young, I give more

hemp, mealworms, live ants’ eggs, fruit, soft food, berries, etc. I

give mealworms four or five times a day, commencing before

breakfast. As Bullies are naturally shy birds, quiet is very

necessary. The cocks are also very jealous, and it is useless to try and



