Correspondence



227



of the eggs hatched (5th October) and a young one emerged, naked

except for very scanty down and noteworthy for its huge beak, a really

astonishing outsized thing in beaks. The anxious care of its parents

continued and both were constantly engaged in feeding it as it grew,

taking the ordinary Parrot food supplied, boiled egg, bananas, bread

soaked in milk, etc., softening it in their crops and thence feeding the

youngster, which grew rapidly. The trio were removed to their winter

quarters at the end of October and the young bird was still thriving

and over four months old at the time the account was written. This

closes with the hope of further success in the following season, but

I do not think that any further details have yet appeared.


An editorial note appended gives previous Macaw breeding records :

(1) The historic case at Caen in 1818 when in the course of four years

nineteen clutches were laid and fifteen young reared ; (2) a later

success in a room, where the notable fact was that the young bird was

ninety-four days old before it left the nest ; (3) a third success with

Sharland, but no details ; and (4) the hybrid ararauna X chloroptera

bred at the Dresden Zoo in 1897.


I should have mentioned that the article is illustrated with three

good photographs of the young bird at various ages from seven to

twelve weeks.


E. Hopkinson.



THE BREEDING OF THE PURPLE-HEADED STARLING


It was at the beginning of June that I became aware that one pair

of these Starlings had a nest in a hollow apple log in my aviary, but

how long this had been going on I don’t quite know as both birds were

very artful in not letting me see them go in or come out of the nest.

They always went out before I could open the door. This went on

till the end of June, when one morning I found that instead of eating

mealworms, etc., both birds had a beakful and sat on the perch like

statues with them till I had gone, so I was sure they had hatched.

This went on for about a fortnight, when the young Starlings drew

to the hole in the log and I saw three.


One young one came out about a week before the other two. It



