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worse the cock showed signs of attacking his wife shortly before they

were put into the heated acclimatizing room for the winter.


Accordingly, since the unpleasant habit of wife-murder is reputed

to be by no means an uncommon vice among the Cyanoramphus

Parrakeets, it was necessary to place the two birds in separate flight

cages. Once definitely parted, their behaviour was amazingly human,

for they instantly conceived a passionate attachment for each other,

carrying on long conversations in their curious bleating voices.


Early this spring we were able by a great stroke of luck to obtain

two further cock Yellow-fronts, both either belonging to a slightly

larger race, or else being much finer specimens than the original cock.

As, however, the latter and his wife seemed by dint of separation to

have at last developed a genuine affection for each other, we decided

to give them one more trial together, and they were returned to their

aviary about the end of May.


The hen at once took to the nest-box she had laid in the previous

year, namely a wooden box about 18 inches deep, by 7 inches square,

filled up to within about 5 inches of the hole with sifted earth ; the

whole of the front of the box being covered with natural bark. In

this, after much scratching about and preparing of the nest, she deposited

a clutch of eggs, all of which, however, again proved to be unfertile.


After the hen had sat on them long enough to prove that this was

the case, her eggs and her husband were both removed, the latter’s

place being taken by the largest and finest of the two new cocks. The

hen’s attitude towards her new husband was very different from the

indifference with which she had always treated her last mate. As soon

as the two were put together the new cock was very anxious to feed her,

but she was, or at any rate pretended to be, rather frightened of him

and always took care to get out of his way. At last, however, he managed

to persuade her that his offers of food had no murderous intent behind

them, and once more the hen began to disappear into the nest-box.


We knew that she had started to lay, but were unaware of the

number of the clutch and this time decided to leave well alone, so long

as the hen was observed off the nest having her invariable bath, going

back to the eggs, as was her custom, completely drenched through.


When she had been sitting for about three weeks the cock was



