348 The Marquess of Tavistock—•Breeding Results of 1938


and one more seriously affected with rickets, which could not fly for a

considerable time, although now it flies strongly.


Derbyans, as last year, reared three good young ones.


The breeding pair of Layards also produced three young ones,

two of them good and one, though not rickety in the ordinary way,

at first somewhat defective. It was a very long time leaving the nest,

and when it did so, had difficulty in perching, although it could fly

strongly. Oddly enough, it was its parents 5 favourite, and they rather

neglected their more healthy offspring in its favour. I eventually

gave it to the wife of my aviary attendant, under whose care it throve,

and it has become a great pet and is learning to talk.


The second pair of Layard's hatched one young one in their first

nest, but lost it almost immediately. They laid again and, in spite

of being in heavy moult, had hatched and nearly reared three young

ones, when I let out the Leadbeater’s Cockatoos above alluded to.

On the appearance of these frightful apparitions, they promptly gave

up feeding, and immured themselves permanently in the aviary

shelter, and we were obliged to finish hand-rearing their offspring.

Although in this we were ultimately successful, they proved consider¬

ably more troublesome than I anticipated, being strangely nervous and

temperamental, even after fairly prolonged caging and handling.


Splendid Grass Parrakeets, as recorded in another article, did

extremely well, rearing five good young in their first nest, and eight

in their second, and showing considerable disappointment at being

prevented from undertaking yet a third venture !


Turquoisines made an equally promising start, but ended less

happily. Six good young were reared in their first brood, but when

the second brood of five were barely half-grown, the hen suddenly

died. As the cock would not feed them by himself, we had to hand-

rear them, and for a time they did well on a somewhat unnatural

mixture consisting of raw egg and milk, bread, finely chewed shelled

peanuts, crushed soaked hemp, crushed groundsel, and finely chewed-

up wheat, given very warm and presented on the end of a paint-brush.

For a considerable time all five nestlings grew and throve, and the

three eldest were reared and have made fine birds. The two younger

ones, when well feathered and apparently also safe, rather mysteriously



