S, Harvey■—■Breeding the Splendid or Scarlet-chested Parrakeet H


in and the bottom replaced, and the log was hung up again in the

same place* Still the hen remained inside and was not seen for nearly

a week, then only for a few minutes.


No more investigations were made until the 12th October, when the

hen was off. I thought I would see how many eggs they had, and you

can imagine the surprise to find five young ones which appeared to be

fully 10 days old. The hen evidently took no objection to her log being

cleaned out because she must have laid immediately to have young

this size. The day these young were observed was just two days over

five weeks from the day the log was cleaned out, allowing approximately

three weeks to hatch, and the young to be about 10 days old, it will be

seen that no time was wasted. Another inspection was made on

23rd October. All looked well and were well feathered. Later in the day

the hen was seen in the log on the other side of the aviary,

1 am wondering if she is going to nest again and leave the rearing of

the young to the cock. There are two logs and one box inside and

the same out in the flight. The log in which they nested is about 3 feet

long and 4 inches in diameter. This was hanging nearly perpendicularly

on the front of the house out in the flight. Both ends of the log are

blocked and a hole 2 inches in diameter cut 12 inches from bottom,

about 4 inches of wood dirt was put in the bottom.


When this pair failed with their first nest I considered that my

chance of being the first to rear the Scarlet-chested Parrakeet

had gone. Then another pair commenced visiting a log inside the

house, and on the 24th August started sitting in a log similar

to the one described. The hen was very seldom seen, the cock

fed her while she was on the nest. On 16th October the first

young one left the nest, this was two days under two months

from the date of commencing to sit. The following day another one

followed suit. It was very cold weather, so these were caught and put

inside at night and the door was shut to prevent them flying out into

the flight again. On the 18th both returned to their own log ; there

were two other logs quite near that they could have gone in. They all

remained in until the 20th when three ventured out, on the 21st the

fourth came out, and on the 22nd the fifth showed itself. It appears

to me that there are two cocks and three hens (this is being written on



