268 Dr. Evelyn Sprawson—The Breeding of Barnard's Parrakeet


This year, however, they have exceeded all past efforts, for the hen

laid a larger clutch (five eggs) than hitherto, and hatched and reared

all of them. This was more than we had even hoped for, because on

account of some infertile eggs in 1930 and 1931 we had since last

autumn had the hen flying with another cock bird, hoping for increased

fertility, and shut up the old cock Barnard in the shelter of another

aviary some 40 yards distant, only letting him out occasionally.


The hen, however, would have none of this, and as she was making

no attempt to nest, even five or six weeks after her usual date for going

to nest, we in despair put back the old male, with the result that she

started to lay some nine or ten days later.


As the male had been shut in for a good part of the winter, we were

very doubtful as to the fertility of any of her eggs, and were therefore

very pleasantly surprised when she hatched all of them.


We are uncertain to what extent her success depended on going

to nest later in the year, when the weather is better and the days longer,

and on the type of nest she used. Each year she has used a different

nest; first a large hollow tree trunk standing 7 feet high and partly

filled with earth with a layer of peat-moss on top ; last year a small box

in which both Redrumps and Manycolours have at different times reared

families, and where she laid on the bare wood ; this year, thinking that

a nest-box that would keep out cold or undue heat better might be

more acceptable, we constructed one of 2 in. wood, about 4 feet high,

partly filled with earth, and with a layer of peat-moss on top. Although

all three nests were in the flight, the hen had no doubts as to what she

wanted: she did not look at either of her old nests, but made straight

for the new one and used it with hardly any preliminary inspection.


Allowing three weeks for incubation, the young left the nest rather

earlier than usual—several days before the completion of the fifth

week, except the last one, which overstayed its time.


The young were comparatively easy to sex as they left the nest,

not only on account of the lesser size of the heads and beaks of the

hens (there were two), but also on account of the markedly duller

colouring, particularly of the green patches over the ears. What seemed

remarkable to us was the difference in colouring of the individual

young ; both the parents are of the ordinary, rather pale green (on



