348



Lord Tavistock—■Breeding Results for 1937



I felt that the vendor had “ done ” me as she was not only disfigured by

a deformed or damaged nostril, but until the summer was far advanced

showed not the slightest interest in her log. Her relations with the cock

were likewise not too friendly, for, while they occasionally did some

head-pumping, they more often disagreed over the food dish until he

eventually established his right to a first claim on all the delicacies.

In August, however, they became reconciled, like the other pair, and

eventually mated. Eggs were laid and one young bird was hatched but

after thriving for a time it unfortunately died, owing, I think, to its not

being rescued soon enough for hand-rearing after mid-October was past.


Yellow-fronted New Zealand Parrakeets unfortunately lived

up to the character they gained at Keston of being very free breeders

and equally free diers. I started the winter with three hens and a cock

which I kept caged in a warm bird-room. The cock died and in the

spring I gave the old hen to Mr. Partridge and exchanged one young

one for a cock with Mr. Sydney Porter. My pair went to nest soon after

the cock’s arrival, but he caught a chill and died when his mate had

begun to sit. The widow, however, stuck to her task valiantly (much

to X’s disgust) and reared four beautiful youngsters—three cocks and

a hen. Although her mother and sisters had been bad pluckers of their

young this hen did not possess the vice, possibly because I supplied

her with beef fat. Soon after leaving the nest the young female caught

a chill and died, to be followed several weeks later, to my sorrow,

by her devoted little mother. As he could not make her take any

ordinary disease, X played the same trick on her that he did on the hen

Roseate and she, too, succumbed to heart failure ! The three youngsters

I gave to Mr. Sydney Porter. Once X has really got his knife into a

species you may as well let the survivors go before he finishes his job !


Grass Parrakeets had little chance of doing anything as they were

new arrivals and their aviaries were not ready for them until late in

the season.


Mr. Harvey sent me a nice young cock Splendid for whom

Mr. Tebbitt kindly lent me a mate. X did not approve and she got a

slight chill but, as she recovered quickly and would not get anything

else, the night came when she went the same way as the Roseate and

the New Zealand.



