18



Breeding Successes in New Zealand



The birds refused crickets for some reason, which is rather unusual,

as crickets usually appeal to insect-eating birds. The young Royal

left the nest when approximately three weeks old, and the parents

continued to feed it for some time. The bird, however, was completely

independent by the 14th February, 1935. The young was feathered

very much like the parents, only paler in colour and with a black iris

instead of white, as in the adult. This iris is a definite sign of age, for

it takes over a year for its change to white. The yellow on the breast

of the young was very pale in colour, but at the end of approximately

a year, assumed the brilliant yellow of the adult.


The young must continue to grow for more than a year for, although

at the end of that period there is very little difference in the colouring,

there is some difference in the size. It appears that it would not attain

its adult proportions under eighteen months. The following year the

same pair of birds w^ent to nest and again succeeded in rearing a young

one, which ultimately was exhibited at the Grand National Show in

1937 and secured the Presidents’ Breeders’ Trophy.


G. Rowland Hutchinson.



BREEDING OF INDIAN SHAMA


The parents were bought from an Eastern importation in 1934.

They were released later on in the year in a large aviary in which was

erected a vertical punga stem with in it a hole scooped out about

5 inches in diameter. A small amount of horse-hair and a few bamboo

leaves were deposited on the bottom of the hollow. Ultimately, four

eggs were laid and hatched out. The young were deposited the same

day as hatched on the path in the aviary—dead. 1934 was a failure.

It would not have been if more knowledge of the species and experience

had been possessed by myself.


On Sunday, 13th October, 1935, a pair of Shamas were turned

into an aviary by themselves with several nest-boxes hung up, including

one covered with willow bark and all nicely smeared with mud. On

27th October the hen Shama was noticed wdth fine hay in her beak.

On 10th November the hen Shama was sitting on the nest, the base

of which contained a few leaves, principally bamboo leaves, and the



