298 Maurice Amsler—The Breeding of the Amethyst Starling



I have made no mention of the food used by the parent birds.

Mealworms were, of course, the chief and favourite item of the menu,

but in addition quite a lot of clean gentles were taken, as well as live

ants’ eggs and hard-boiled egg crumbled up with cake crumbs.


During this time still more leaves and a little hay was added to the

nest by the hen, presumably to raise the level of the nest and to facilitate

the youngster’s exit into the outer world.


On the 25th the chick was fully feathered, of a mouse-brown colour

with dark buff streaks all over the back wings and top of the head,

the general effect being darker than is the case in the adult hen.


On the following morning we found him sitting on the perch below

the nest entrance—but on being approached he immediately bolted

home and disappeared until 7 p.m. of the same day, when he was found

perched on a ledge some 2 feet above his nest. Later on he flew down to

the ground, but when disturbed flew up to his ledge again. His sense

of orientation and his accuracy in landing on his perches were quite

remarkable for a newly-flown chick.


I have already described the colour of his back. The breast is

again much like that of the hen—but the ground colour pure white,

instead of a sort of stone colour or light buff.


The nest being empty, I was able to examine it more minutely,

and there was no doubt that its level had been raised 2 or 3 inches

during the rearing of the chick, and also that hay as well as leaves had

been added to the original nest.


The remaining egg was quite clear and empty, its dimensions were

23 mm. by 17 mm. For his first and subsequent nights he was driven

into the aviary shelter and shut in for fear of rain storms or nocturnal

cats, the flap over the shelter door being left slightly open, but so wide¬

awake was he that he soon learned to fly out through even this small

opening, which had entirely to be closed in consequence.


For some reason I have jumped to the conclusion that this young

bird is a male, although I much hope it will turn out to be a female.

The sex, however, will not be obvious for another year at least. Other

specimens which I have thought to be hens have, after twelve months,

moulted into cocks, so it is quite impossible to be certain of buying

a hen among newly imported birds.



