E. J. Boosey—Breeding Results at Keston Foreign Bird Farm , 1934 73



Fortunately, Lord Tavistock’s pair reared a brood of six, of whicb

we obtained two young ones.


The star turn of the season was undoubtedly twenty-one young

Bourke’s reared from four pairs, and it is interesting that nineteen

of these were produced by three of the pairs, these consisting of

two adult imported cocks and one young one we bred last year,

mated in each case to a young hen about twelve months old, also

reared here last season.


As against this, an imported pair we have had for several years,

reared only two. The same also applies to Blue-wings, of which

fifteen were reared. That is to say, two of the hens were our own

last year’s breeding, and the third imported. The largest

and finest brood was produced by one of these young aviary-bred

hens.


By this we don’t seek to prove that aviary-bred Parrakeets always

breed better than imported specimens, which would be absurd ; but

merely that, provided they come from carefully bred stock that

has not been allowed to degenerate, they do breed every bit as well.


No Elegants or Turquoisines were reared, the eggs in the case of

the former being unfertile, while one pair of Turquoisines had fertile

eggs which the hen deserted, a second paid had infertile eggs, while

a third hen failed to lay at all. The chief difficulty in breeding

Turquoisines is that pairs are very inclined to squabble in the breeding

season, and one gathers from watching them that this is chiefly due

to the cock’s fussy inquisitiveness. No sooner has the hen disappeared

into the nest-box, obviously hoping to be left in peace, for a while,

than the cock either goes and pokes his head in the entrance hole,

or else goes right inside, when a heated argument takes place, ending

usually in the cock being unceremoniously bundled out again,

while the hen, half in, half out of her nest-box, glares angrily at her

tiresome husband. All this is not particularly conducive to marital

peace, or the successful hatching of eggs.


Splendids, to a certain extent, share this trait, being distinctly

inquisitive ; while Elegants, Bourke’s, and Blue-wings, curiously

enough, are quite the opposite, being usually great respecters of

their wives’ privacy.



