Walter Voigt ■— The Breeding of Bosella Parrakeets 41


during feeding and with the help of a calming whistle the wildness

disappeared. Only the old hen remained wild and is still wild to this

day. There was no second nest in 1930.


After the old birds, separated from the young ones, had spent the

winter again in the cage in an unheated room, they were put back into

the breeding cage in May, 1931. They felt themselves at once at home,

and the hen quickly found the nest-box, and it was not long before

she was sitting tight again. The success in 1931 was two young.

A further three lay like dried-up mummies in the nest-box. A second

brood was also not produced in 1931.


It was now my business to obtain unrelated mates for the three

young birds of the 1930 brood which had by this time become adult,

which was extremely difficult on account of the Parrot ban, but I was

successful in hunting up two cocks ; also I received later a hen from

a mating of Mealy Rosella X Rosella. I had now collected a fine

number of Rosellas. Of these I kept the old breeding pair and also

two further pairs, the rest were sold.


May came round again in 1932. This time I could thus begin

breeding with three pairs. The old breeding pair once more received

the old breeding cage, while I put the two other pairs in two aviaries

situated apart so that the birds could call to one another, but could

not see one another. As in the previous years the old pair at once went

to nest this year. Nor did I have to wait long for the second pair

with the two-years-old hen which I reared myself, whereas the third

pair with my two-years-old cock and the hen (Mealy X Rosella) made

no attempt at nesting as the cock was ill. Later on this hen laid a few

eggs on which she sat very well, but which proved to be infertile. The

old breeding pair had six young in one brood this year, of which,

however, only five flew. The second pair gave me two young. This

year, as previously, the old breeding pair did not have a second nest,

but the second pair went to nest again soon after the young were caught

up and this time four young ones flew. From two pairs I thus obtained

eleven young in all. On the strength of this experience I believe I can

say that the old breeding pair was no doubt imported, and consequently

imported Rosellas only have one nest per year, while with aviary-bred

birds several nests can be expected. I hope in 1933 to be able to



