Rev. J. R. Lowe—Early Notes



117



should be cleared of all but a patch of flowering Poa annua grass

before the first brood of young ones hatch.


It is rather interesting that Bourke’s bred in aviaries in this country

seem, usually, more partial to healthy and luscious green food such as

spinach beet, possibly because they were born in a more “ green and

fertile land ” than the parts of Australia their parents inhabited.


Their ability, or otherwise, to stand extreme cold does not seem

to have been thoroughly tested, doubtless because their rarity does

not encourage people to experiment with them.


We have, however, left them out in an aviary with a well-built

though unheated shelter during some quite severe early frosts in

autumn, without their being any the worse, but we have never

as yet tried them out-of-doors for a whole winter without any

artificial heat.


It is probable they would survive a moderately mild winter, but

would succumb to any very prolonged period of extreme cold and fog

combined.


Some cocks are rather inclined to chase their hens about a good

deal if they consider that they are not settling down to domestic

duties as quickly and readily as they should. No particular alarm,

however, need be felt as they lack the murderous tendencies of many

of the larger Parrakeets, and the chasing about to which their wives

are subjected is often beneficial in that it induces backward hens to go

to nest earlier than they otherwise would.


Bourke’s, of which we have several pairs sitting at the present

time, were successfully reared here at The Keston Foreign Bird Farm

both last season and in 1931.



EARLY NOTES


By the Bev. J. R. Lowe


It is with some diffidence that I send you these somewhat scrappy

notes and observations, as they will be, I am afraid, very elementary

and do not concern the habits and behavioui of any rare birds ; yet

they may possibly be of interest to some, as from time to time there



