Rev. Kingsford Tenner—Notes on my Birds



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The other members of the family here are a gorgeous pair—cock

Red Collar and hen Swainson’s—and perhaps the nicest bird I have

after “ Dawn ”, my little talking Swainson’s cock. This bird came

from Keston last May, being priced very low, as he had no tail!

The weather being fine, I at once turned him out in an aviary and

gave him a little millet, canary, and a cup of bread and milk.

However, a few days later, I found him on the floor, looking rather

puffed out. Next day he was worse, being apparently paralysed,

except for his head. I took him in, placing him in a box cage in

the greenhouse, feeling sure that it was hopeless, but that as he was

paralysed he could not be in pain. I placed his Bread and milk

in a saucer, and he would drag himself to it at times and sip a

little, but his feet were tightly curled, and the only live part of him

seemed to be his head ! However, in a few days, he became slightly

better and, except for a slight relapse, completely recovered, except

that one foot, although he can use it, still remains curled or

crumpled up except when climbing. He has remained in that cage,

and now says his name, “ Hullo, Cupid,” in a small husky voice,

shakes hands, plays with a piece of wood, mimics the Cockatoos,

the creaking of a yard door outside the bird-room, and I have even

heard him trying to coo like a pair of white Doves in a cage near

him. His colouring is splendid. Incidentally, I must have colour,

a plain-hued bird, no matter how tame or sweet-voiced, doesn’t

attract me.


To pass on, a glorious cock Pennant, an equally lovely cock

Blossom (Plum) Head (surely these two are the most, or among the

most, beautiful of all the parrot family), sundry Budgies of all

shades, and a pair of (I trust) breeding Cockateals complete my

“ Parrots ”. At the top of the other birds I must mention two

jewel-like Royal Starling cocks, one of which will take mealworms

from the hand. A lovely Amethyst cock died suddenly about a

month ago, apparently perfect in the morning, I found him dead

at night. And as if this was not a staggering blow in itself, next

day my Superb Tanager cock also departed-verdict: “ Enlarged

heart and liver ” (he had only been with me for a month). Now

we come to an important point in feeding, this time regarding



