236 The Marquess of Tavistock—The Breeding of Lutino Bing necks


I knew little about parrakeet breeding in those days and kept her

and her green mate in an indoor bird-room with the not unnatural

result of clear eggs for two successive seasons. I then tried her in a

small fixed outdoor aviary and my stock was added to by a further

generous gift by Mr. Ezra of a really fine hen, perfect not only in colour

but in every other respect.


From these birds during the next few years I succeeded in raising

about seven or eight green young ones, but only one, a hen, was a

really good specimen, the others being undersized or defective in their

wings and flying badly. The only surviving child of the best hen

was a small cock, not too good in his wings, and with a permanently

moth-eaten look round his neck. As long as they remained in their

original quarters I could not, moreover, get a fertile egg from any of

the males I bred.


Then came the transfer of the stock to the 24 ft. movable aviaries

I still use. A decided improvement followed. The first year, from the

two lutino hens mated to green wild cocks, I reared four much better

young ones. One of these unfortunately died while under the temporary

care of a friend : the other three, two nice cocks and a moderate hen,

I still have.


The lutino-bred greens being, with one exception, still in immature

plumage and difficult to sex, I turned all together into the same aviary.

Two hens nested and one hatched her egg but the young one I found

dead a day or two later with its beak and toes bitten off. I attributed

the misdeed to a vicious spinster hen and to colony breeding, but I

learned later who was the real culprit!


Next year I paired the best lutino hen to a fair-sized but badly-

shaped lutino-bred cock and the old hen to the rough-necked cock.


Both duly went to nest and this time both lots of eggs were fertile

and my hopes of lutinos began to run high. One morning, half-way

through the incubation period, I noticed the mate of the best hen

looking ill and caged him in the hospital. A few hours later the lutino

was off and also looking ill so I had to cage her and give the eggs to

an unmated Alexandrine Parrakeet who was incubating an infertile

clutch. By evening the lutino-bred cock was dead ; by next morning

his mate was dead. So sudden had been their illness that I felt sure



