Dr. E. Hopkinson—Breeding Records : Summary 191


Here the compiler gives his opinion of the values and hopes with help

from others to amplify the records later on.


Towards an ideal record of the future successful breeders could

give much help by telling us in each case


How many young birds left the nest ?


How many of these lived to moult ?


How many survived a year or longer ?


Did any of the young breed again ?


Except for Canaries, Budgerigars, and a few other species, I am

afraid the answer to the last question would be “ none ” for the cage-

birds proper, that is excluding Ducks, Game Birds, and the like.

I fear too that in most cases the answers to the other questions would

not be too encouraging.


No details are given here but perhaps I may mention that Records

is still obtainable at 15s. by anyone sufficiently interested and that

the publishers are Messrs. Witherby, High Holborn, London. It is

on this that most of the present effort is based. Some fifty pages of

additions appeared in the Magazine in 1932-3 and those of more

recent date are included here. Any information I have is at the service

of anyone really interested.


The figures with each entry, and the letters for the hybrids are those

of the original book. Capitals indicate that the species (or hybrid)

has certainly been bred : large capitals that the record is self-sufficient,

small ones that the actual breeding can be (at least in my opinion)

taken as certain, but that further detail is desirable. When a name

appears in ordinary print, it means that the record is not entirely

satisfactory, when brackets enclose an entry it is considered at best

doubtful, and when a query (?) is added real doubt is indicated, and

more queries, more doubt.



Finches


1. GBEENFINCH. Often bred, and also the Chinese and Algerian

races, C. c. sinica and C. c. aurantiiventris, as well as “ hybrids ”

with the Japanese, C. c. kawarhiba.



