C. H. Macklin—Breeding of the Royal Parrot Finch 245


The whole of the woodwork is well treated with creosote, which

of course should be allowed to dry before the flight is tenanted.


The appearance of the flight and aviary may be seen from the

photos far better than it can be described in words.


In this particular flight half of the ground area is laid out in grass,

which is allowed to seed, the other half being sand. One or two

small bushes and trees are also provided. The birds can then select

from these perches most suited to their own individual liking.



BREEDING OF THE ROYAL PARROT FINCH


By C. H. Macklin, F.Z.S., M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P.


In April, 1934, I obtained from Messrs. Goodfellow & Mayer a

pair of Royal Parrot Finches from the first importation. They were

young birds and one still in juvenile plumage with the blue head, but

they turned out to be a true pair, although the sexual difference did

not show clearly until their first full moult nearly a year after I obtained

them. Then it was quite easy to see that the cock had considerably

more blue than green in the body plumage in comparison with the hen

and his red head was distinctly brighter ; the red also extending a

little further back on the nape in the cock bird.


When I first got them their wings were badly frayed, but they

were so wild in a cage that I decided to risk it and put them in an

outdoor aviary ; here they spent most of their time climbing and

hopping about in the shrubs and soon the cock bird was flying well,

but the hen was rather weak on the wing. By the end of the summer

they had grown new flights and were both in very good plumage, but

had made no attempt whatever to nest. They “ did themselves ” very

well, taking large quantities of soft food (“ Mosquito ”), meal-worms,

millet spray, apple and green food, seeding grass, chickweed, and lettuce ;

they took very little of the ordinary seed mixture of canary and millet.


In October I took them indoors and tried to steady them for show,

and did manage to send them to Cambridge, Hitchin, and Leicester,

where they took first prizes in their class ; steadiness was not one of



