Dr. M. Amsler—Breeding Failures



83



summer carrying nesting materials without deciding on a site. Finally

they chose a log nest large enough for a Parakeet. Their first clutch

disappeared ; at their second attempt three young left the nest, two

were drowned by rain, and the third fell into the Pheasants’ water

pan, and failed to clamber out. Moral: never have the water too deep,

or if you do, place a stone or brick in the middle on to which a small

bird can scramble.


Peaceful Doves, of which I have only one pair, laid at least a

dozen clutches, in very poor nests it is true ; but something always

happened to the eggs. Several were punctured, and I suspect either

one of my Amethyst Starlings or the Jobi Island White-fronted Doves,

of which there were four or five in that aviary.


Diamond Doves, about four pairs, did not do well, about a dozen

young were reared. I think it is a mistake to keep more than one pair

in an aviary. Mine were all together. I shall remedy this mistake for

the coming season.


Hooded Siskins hardly had a chance. The little cock was mated

to several Canaries, but only fancied two of these. After several failures

and disappointments three young, all cocks, were reared successfully—

one was a “ copper ”, the second was “ ashy ” in colour, and the

third much to my surprise and delight was a clear yellow—of little use,

I presume, to the breeder of Eed Canaries, but of scientific interest all

the same.


As I have already mentioned in the Avicultural Magazine, I am

working on completely different lines to the Eed Canary breeder—

I am trying to cross these mules back to the Siskin. I have now

some F 2 and F 3 hens, so have a reasonable chance of fertile eggs. If

all goes well (which I can hardly expect) in three years from now I

should have a bird which is -Jf Hooded Siskin and Canary.


When the Canary breeding operations were over, I gave the little

Eed Siskin his own hen. She was delighted to be liberated from her

cage into a big aviary, but within a day or two she managed to damage

a wing, and I had to replace her in her cage.


These little Finches are very ready to build and lay, but it is a fact

that they are very seldom successfully reared in this country.


Although a fairly commonly imported bird for many years past, the



