The Marquess of Tavistock—Breeding Results of 1938 341


the breeding season of 1938 has been above, rather than below, the

average.


The earliest young birds to be reared were a couple of Tahiti Blue

Lories, which left the nest about the middle of March, their parents

having reared another youngster which had been fledged about mid¬

winter. In spite of my efforts to prevent them, the old birds unwisely

insisted in laying a third clutch, which, however, proved infertile.


Solitary Lories also nested early in the year, their grandfather-

clock nesting being, of course, in the heated shelter. They hatched a

young one about 14th March, but killed it almost immediately, going

to nest again a few days later. Another young one was observed to

be in the nest about 20th April, and for a considerable time all went

well, until X, irritated by the prospect of success with this rare species,

invented a horrible parasitic mite of the genus Hypoaspis, of a species

new to Science, which attacked the poor little Lory when it was just

feathering nicely and so weakened its constitution that it succumbed

on the 16th of May.


The very rare Goupil’s Lories made three attempts at breeding during

the year, all of which unfortunately proved unsuccessful. The hen

is readier to go to nest than any Parrot-like bird I have ever owned.

One has only got to put the box into the aviary shelter at any time of

year, and she rushes into it and attempts to lay within a few days.

Unfortunately her success is not equal to her zeal, possibly owing to

the fact that her constitution was seriously undermined before I

discovered the correct food for the species.


She produced one egg in May, which she and her mate incubated

assiduously, but although fertile, unfortunately it did not hatch. The

greater part of the incubation was performed by the hen, the cock

sitting occasionally but not as long or as much as the cock C. peruvianus.

Later in the summer she made another attempt, but became egg-bound

and had to be removed to the hospital. The egg was, however, laid

successfully and she took to it when returned to the aviary. It was

again fertile, but was unfortunately slightly damaged during incuba¬

tion, with the result that the embryo was destroyed. In early autumn

she made a third attempt, but this time produced a misshapen soft-

shelled egg, which made her ill for a time. I therefore determined to



