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H. S. Sewell—Breeding the Dufresne Waxbill



BREEDING THE DUFRESNE WAXBILL


By H. S. Sewell


Having successfully bred the Dufresne Waxbill, Coccopygia dufresnii

(hab. South Africa) just recently, I will give a few notes on this species

which I trust will be of interest.


Securing two pairs of these delightful little Waxbills a little over

twelve months ago, I released them in a selected breeding aviary, when

one pair soon started to build ; these were my rarest Waxbills at that

time and I might say my optimism ran riot. However, my hopes were

soon settled when it turned out to be only a sleeping nest, as did several

others which they built at different times last season : they proved

to be energetic nest-builders but that was all. I had the misfortune of

losing one of the hens, so this left me with only one true pair. It was

about this time, I believe, that restrictions on South African birds were

enforced, so I was unable to procure any more.


During the breeding season this year I erected a new breeding aviary

and in one compartment established a nice swath of grass ; in this house

I placed the pair of Dufresne’s together with some Fire Finches. I

had not long to wait before the little Waxbills were building : they

selected a small nest-box high up in their sleeping quarters and all went

well until their approximate hatching date. This was in the latter part

of February, when a good old Australian heat wave set in, the mercury

soaring up to somewhere in the vicinity of 107 in the shade. Knowing

something was wrong at this stage I inspected the nest and found one

chick just hatched, but dead, and three eggs, the young dead

therein, which was very disappointing but after all not surprising

under the circumstances. In a little over a week the cock started

building again, choosing the same nesting site. A strong oval-shaped

nest was constructed and lined with feathers ; the first of four pure

white eggs was laid on 17th March, the hatching period occupying

fourteen days. Twenty-two days later, when feeding up, I apparently

disturbed the clutch, when four young birds flew from the nest. If

I said fell from the nest it would be nearer the mark ; apparently

they left home two days too soon. I think their parents held the same

view, as they literally flew around me like a pack of mosquitoes. It



