126 Alfred Ezra—Nesting Notes from Foxwarren Park in 1932


dead on 12th September, fully grown and feathered, but had not left

the nest. By 16th September two more eggs were laid. These eggs

were placed under domestic Pigeons. One hatched out and the second

one died in the shell. The young one only lived a couple of days.

On 26th November they laid two more eggs, which hatched out, but

both the young died soon after hatching. These birds nested in a

large basket about 10 feet from the ground inside the aviary shelter.

A good deal of straw, grass, and twigs were used in making the nest.


Ruppell’s Starling ( Lamprotornis purpureopterus). I had no

success with these birds. The hen became egg-bound after laying

one egg, and then the cock died a few days later.


Silky Starling ( Spodiopsar sericeus). Laid four eggs in June

but the hen would not incubate them.


Rothschild’s Grackle (. Leucopsar rothschildi) . Early in May

five eggs were laid, all of which were eaten up by the 6th. Laid four

eggs again by the 23rd May, and this time I confined the cock bird

in a cage in the aviary, but the hen would not incubate the eggs. By

the 22nd June five more eggs were laid. The cock bird was again

removed, but the hen would not sit. On bringing the cock bird back

all the eggs were eaten up. By 20th July four more eggs were laid,

and the cock bird was again removed. This time the hen sat well

but all the eggs were infertile.


Slenderbill Starling ( Cinnamopterus tenuirostris). Three eggs

were laid about the third week of May. One young was hatched out

on 16th June, and the other two eggs were thrown out of the nest

with young partly out of the shells. The young one died on the

28th June. By the 15th July two more eggs were laid and these were

both broken. Again by the 26th July four eggs were laid. These were

all fertile, but the young were only partly formed. By the

7th September three more eggs were laid. All were hatched by the

25th. One young one died on the 7th October, another on the 9th,

and the third one—which I thought was going to be reared—died on

the 18th October by accidentally falling out of the nest. These birds

nested in a basket placed inside the aviary shelter about 10 feet from

the ground. The nest was made of dried grass and feathers, and a

considerable quantity of mud in the bottom of the nest about 6 inches



