260 Marquis of Tavistock—Breeding Notes for 1936


in their nests but did not lay, being, I think, put ofi by the bad weather

in early June. The new pair had wintered successfully in an outdoor

aviary with a well-heated shelter. The secret with these beautiful

but often difficult birds seems to be to import them only in spring

and summer and get them into movable outdoor aviaries as quickly

as possible. If you have to keep them caged for a long time you are

almost sure to lose them.


The Queen of Bavaria Conures did not lay for the second year in

succession. I think the weather was again to blame as, although the

species is quite hardy, it seems to need really hot weather to bring

it into full breeding condition.


After an unsuccessful initial venture with a pinioned cock and an

extremely delicate hen, I succeeded last year in obtaining three Red¬

breasted Conures with sounder constitutions which spent most of the

winter in a movable outdoor aviary with a heated shelter. In the

spring the cock paired with both ladies who lived amicably together

and eventually two eggs were laid, of which he took almost sole charge,

but unfortunately without result.


The Blue-fronted Amazons—normal cock and lutino hen—got as

far as pairing but again no eggs appeared. I am going, next year,

to try whether another pair in the next aviary may set them a good

example which they will be encouraged to emulate !


My old pair of Barrabands hatched three young but when they

were almost ready to leave the nest the hen fell ill and died. I had

had her about sixteen years. The cock reared the family alone but

one young hen killed herself in a night alarm. When newly fledged

young Barrabands are fearfully nervous and dash violently about on

the slightest provocation. Rock Peplars hatched two ; one died in

the nest and the other was reared but it was not a very good bird, i

The hen, whom I intend to dispose of, is the brightest-coloured one

that I have ever had but she is such an idiot that I can endure her

follies no longer. She has a rooted objection to a sensible kind of

nest and for years used to lay her eggs from the perch and then incubate

the abstract idea of them at the place from which they had been

projected earthwards. Finally she condescended to use a box with

a wooden bottom of a type not well suited to infant Rock Peplars



