300 A. Martin—The Breeding of the Rose-coloured Pastor


trough which is placed, about 30 feet from the front verandah of

Mr. North’s delightful home, on the ground.


Here I have seen over sixty-eight kinds of birds from time to time

enjoying perfect peace under natural conditions affording great

pleasure.


The establishing of the sanctuary is a fine example and should lead

others to follow, and thus further the benefits to be derived by this

protection of our beautiful and useful birds.



THE BREEDING OF THE ROSE-COLOURED

PASTOR AT KESWICK HALL IN 1933


By A. Martin


As the full account of the breeding of the Kosy Pastor has never

appeared in the Magazine, owing to the continued illness of the late

Mr. Gr. H. Gurney, I thought perhaps a few notes by me would be of

some interest to our members. On my arrival at Keswick to take up

my duties as curator, I found among the collection a fine pair of the

above species. On making inquiries I found that they had been there

for several seasons, but had never been induced to breed, although

given every opportunity. Every year they got no farther than carrying

about small pieces of nesting material, and it was thought they would

never nest. During the latter part of the summer, as we wished to use

their aviary, they we^re transferred into a large enclosure and shelter,

which also contained, among other birds, a pair of Crimson-wing

Parrakeets, Cockateels, and two pairs of Crowned Lapwings. In less

than a couple of days the Pastors had turned the Crimson-wings

out from their nesting log and had started nest building in earnest.

A few days later I missed the hen, but was sure she was alive by the

frequent visits of the cock to the nest, and at last I felt certain that

they meant business. Incubation, as near as I could tell, lasted

seventeen days, when I heard faint noises which told me young were

hatched ; and the cock, who had always been rather wild, now came

to the wire and asked to be fed with mealworms, which he took into

the nesting log. All went on well until about fourteen days later when,



