A. C. Furner—A Derby Member's Aviaries 7


went to the nest in May, and due to the period of cold weather the

hen was found at the bottom of the aviary with the old egg-binding

trouble and had to be taken into the warmth to save her life. This

stopped further activities for a matter of three weeks when they went

to nest again and brought out three young hens ; all of which are doing

well aud are scarcely recognizable from their mother. These birds

went to nest again in August and for some reason unknown deserted the

youngsters at about ten days old and I found them all dead in the nest.


The Cockatiel which occupy two of my aviaries are a subject about

which I hesitate to write, estimating that from the first time I purchased

a Cockatiel about twelve years ago to this season I have spent just

over £100 on replacing casualties without ever having reared a single

youngster.


I am quite sure to experienced readers the cause will undoubtedly

be put down to bad management, although not one but dozens of my

avicultural friends have seen the conditions under which these birds

have been kept, and the only encouragement is that do one can under¬

stand why I have been unable to breed them.


We have had young in the nest on dozens of occasions and the

parents have refused to feed them. We have had eggs within a day of

hatching and the parents have deserted. We have had young in the nest

and either the cock or the hen bird has died, causing the other to desert.

In fact I think I am right in saying that every possible kind of misfortune

has happened in my aviary in connection with Cockatiel.


As a few years ago I wrote my misfortunes to the Magazine I will

not bore my readers with a repetition of them.


This year at long last out of two pairs, three very good birds

have been reared and are doing well. The pair of birds who reared them

are really outstanding parents in appearance and feather, but their

first attempt of the season was with the usual luck, that the birds were

hatched and after four or five days were deserted and I found the young

dead on the floor of the aviary.


From subsequent results it is almost proved that the Cockatiel

were blameless but that a hen Budgerigar had been the cause of all

the trouble, for we found her raiding other Budgerigar nests in the same

aviary and killing the youngsters.



