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Harry A. Collin—Lorikeets and Lovebirds



I feed them on Mellin’s Food and Nestle’s Milk, diluted with water,,

with pure honey in a separate pot, also green food. I also offer fruit,,

but they rarely touch it except perhaps a grape or two. They will

not touch Canary seed, but sometimes will nibble a millet spray.

I think this is only for the pleasure of pulling it to pieces. They are

exceedingly fond of bathing and this keeps their plumage in lovely

condition.


On this treatment they are always in perfect condition and have

never had a day’s illness during the four years they have been in my

possession.


Lord Tavistock advises Dr. Allinson’s Food in preference to Mellin’s,.

and perhaps this is better ; but as my birds have done so well with

the Mellin’s I have kept to that.


Deferring to Mr. G. R. Hutchinson’s remarks in the Avicultural.

Magazine for February, on Masked Lovebirds leaving the nest partly

fledged. I have kept these birds since the first importation, and now

have the third generation flying. They are kept in an aviary with

concrete floors, both the shelter and flight, covered with sand, and have

never had grass. Of course I give them plenty of green food. I have

only once had them leave the nest partly feathered. The only difficulty

I have had with them is that they will persist in nesting in boxes or

husks in the shelter where it is too dry and so there is a large percentage

of young dead in the shells. I keep Masked, Nyasa and Red Faced

Lovebirds and Cockatiels together and have had no serious*

disturbance, but when I tried to introduce a pair of Fischer’s I soon

had plenty of trouble. The Fischer’s tried to murder everything in

sight, and one afternoon, hearing a noise in the aviary, I ran there

and found one of the Fischer’s just finishing the last of four young

Cockatiels and the other doing its best to slay the mother.


Needless to say, the Fischer’s were banished at once, and since

then there has been peace in this department.



