Dr. Maurice Amsler—The Hooded Siskin and Canary Hybrid 229


bird that promptly died on me ! My old bird added to my regret at

parting with him by the touching way in which he never fails to recognize

me and give me an enthusiastic welcome if I visit the Parrot House.

This spring, however, I succeeded in getting a very fine cock bred in

America by Dr. Wood, of Pasadena, and at last there are young in the

nest.


A Plumhead mated to a rather aged cock Slaty-head hatched

one young hybrid which disappeared.


Two pairs of Adelaides are nesting but I do not know with what

result. My lovely lutino hen, alas ! died in the winter.


The Queen of Bavaria Conures should be nesting by now, but I

fear are not doing their duty. The cock is a tiresome creature. After

doing well with me when he first came over, he became demoralized

by wrong feeding when sent to France and now plucks himself to a

scarecrow and does damage to his wife’s plumage as well, entirely failing

to respond to every infallible up-to-date cure for feather-plucking on

the market ! Last year he disgraced himself by murdering his off¬

spring in the nest.


Grey Parrots and Swift Parrakeets show some signs of breeding

but I am not too hopeful of either.


The one great hope (which naturally will not be realized) is the

Racket-tailed Parrots, which are laying. I got a second pair of this

beautiful but tricky species last autumn but the hen died soon after

arrival and the cock in the spring. A third young pair imported this

summer are now in an aviary. They seem to do best in movable aviaries

with heated shelters.



FERTILITY OF THE HOODED SISKIN AND

CANARY HYBRID


By Dr. Maurice Amsler


Although the word Canary is taboo in these pages, the following

notes on the crossing of this bird with the Hooded Siskin should be of

interest to many bird lovers. When healthy, the Hooded Siskin is

a beautiful little fellow and a good singer to boot, but except in certain


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