P. B. Webb—Parrot Finches



51



found, high or low. The following day another search was made, also

without result. I was in such distress that I decided to look in the

nest. It also was empty. The hat was so full of hay and moss that

it was almost up to the hole, and this being fairly large, there was

no doubt it was empty either of eggs, bird, or anything else.


A few days later I counted the birds as usual in the morning, and

there was one too many. The next day the same. Another general

search was made for a nest which had not previously been found.

Now the secret was revealed—the nest in the straw hat had two decks,

and there were three young birds and a clear egg in it. When the

straw hat was removed from the wall the whole structure could be



An old straw hat, nailed to a wall by its brim and with an entrance hole at the

top, makes an excellent nesting site for Parrot Finches. The right-hand figure

of the hat reversed shows the method of construction of the nest.



seen as though in section. The top nest was full of droppings as though

the cock spent the night up there. Then there was a vertical passage

down the side of the hat into the real nest, which was almost at the

bottom.


Needless to say, the nest was replaced with great haste, and on

inspection about an hour later the birds were one short again, so my

mind became easy. It was not long before the very strange sounds

made by young Parrot Finches were heard when the shed was entered.


I have lost the notes I made of the day they left the nest, but one

morning when I was doing my round, it was very evident that some¬

thing out of the ordinary was going on. Three youngsters were out



