256



Correspondence



CORRESPONDENCE, NOTES, ETC.


COCKATEILS AS FOSTER PARENTS


Madam,— Re foster parents, I find that a good pair of breeding Cockateils

make excellent fosters, and I do not see why they should not be excellent

for rearing more valuable Parrot-like birds.


I have an old pair that will not only rear their own, but do not object

to bring up other Cockateil babies and Budgies, in fact any poor baby whose

parents prove heartless they will adopt and bring up whether they have young

of their own at the time or not.


In fact, I have found Cockateils excellent parents, but sometimes young

birds on their first nests will neglect the young (the fault being with the cock

I always think), but if I find the cock throwing out the babies or neglecting

them, I just pop them into an old-timer’s nest, and they will rear them, and

later on the young pair will learn better ways.


D. N. Smith.



IMPORTATION OF DISEASED PARROTS


Madam, —For the second time in succession I have lost several rare and

valuable Australian Parrakeets, carefully selected and packed, owing to

another person with an import permit bringing over on the same boat diseased

and badly packed birds that started an epidemic of infectious enteritis (always

identified with psittacosis by the Ministry of Health) which spread from

his birds to mine. It is difficult enough to get parrot-like birds into the

country already, and this kind of stupid and inhumane carelessness is the

best way of getting imports stopped entirely.


Infectious enteritis is a dirt disease pure and simple, and never occurs

where birds are properly packed, not more than two together, in roomy boxes

or cages provided with floor trays and perches which can be, and are, taken

out regularly and cleaned.



Tavistock.



