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James B. Housden—Where Rolls the Rio Grande



they all came out. So I made it a rule never to examine the nestlings

after they had been hatched roughly a fortnight.


One other point. I have a young Fischer, believed a hen, which

was hatched 24th October, 1934, and which is kept in the house in a

box cage because her (?) flights have not fully developed. Every night

at approximately 8 p.m. she comes out of her little box and feeds for

five to ten minutes. I think this is a strong point for providing

artificial light in aviaries, although I do not do so. Her “ little box ”

is 8 by 3 by 3 inches high, top taken off and inverted, with a small

entrance hole. This she always sleeps in. She comes out entirely on

her own for her “ supper ”.


She has, incidentally, palled up with a cock White-breasted Caique

and they both play together on the Caique’s cage for a few minutes daily.

The Fischer always puts an end to the fun by nipping the Caique’s feet.


My Caique is undoubtedly a cock, the outer ring around the irides

being reddish. I have noticed three White-breasted Caiques at

Primley, two of which have the outer ring reddish, the other bird having

a yellowish ring. Two have more or less paired up, at least they

tolerate each other, and one has a reddish ring around the irides, and

the other a yellowish ring. My Caique is without doubt a male, as

unfortunately he behaves like one with some people. I may be wrong

in the exact colouring “ yellowish ”, as I only had a quick glance a

few weeks ago.



WHERE ROLLS THE RIO GRANDE


By James B. Housden


It has been the writer’s pleasure and privilege to visit the Rio

Grande River on two different occasions.


Taking the southern route (one journey is about 1,000 miles by

Southern Texas Railway), the journey is a most interesting one to the

naturalist. One passes through vast cattle ranges, also large tracts of

cactus, sage, and mesquite desert land. At other parts large tracts

of irrigated land where the traveller may see flocks of the spring

migrators—Meadow Larks, Redwings, Blackbirds, Cow-birds, Bluebirds,



