Mrs. Goddard—Nesting of the Gaboon Weaver



29



It is quite impossible to mistake Blue-wings for Orange Bellies

(N. chrysogaster) ; they are entirely different, the latter is visibly larger,

apart from the bright orange patch—almost scarlet in adult males,

and am quite satisfied that “ Sports ” of the Blue-wing species are

often mistaken by the “ Layman ” for the orange chaps, one of which

must have been the specimen held by “ X ”.


I saw this “ Sport ” during my last trip to Tasmania, the owner

claimed it to be the only N. chrysogaster in captivity. I doubted this

as being so, as I had seen them both in aviary and native habitat on

a previous occasion.



NESTING OF THE GABOON WEAVER


By Mrs. Goddard


Last spring I was fortunate enough to purchase a pair of Gaboon

Weavers, I fancy they had at one time belonged to Major Appleby,

but am not sure, anyhow I was told that these birds had never been

bred in captivity, which was quite enough to fire me with the ambition

to see if I could persuade them to produce a family. Directly I had

them I turned them out into an outside aviary with a shelter ; in

which I placed a small box, and on the ground I threw some rough

grass. I fed the birds on millet, but added every day a small quantity

of the soft insectivorous food, and a good supply of gentles and a few

mealworms. To my joy the hen at once began to build, and’in due

course two eggs were laid. These were small and pure white. During

the day the cock bird sat, the hen going on to the nest after having

bathed in the evening. I can hardly describe my feelings, when on

going to feed them one morning after the birds had been sitting about

fourteen days, to find the hen dead on the floor of the flight, and one

egg with a chick in it just on the point of hatching !


I sent the hen away for a post-mortem, which revealed the fact that

she had a bump on the head, apparently caused by a blow. I can only

think that she had been frightened by an Owl, of which there are a

good many round here, and had struck her head against the wire

netting ! Down fell all my hopes of “ a medal 5 ’ and I began to wonder

why I keep birds !



