356 A. C. Furner—Failures and Successes in a Member’s Aviary


consist of Black-headed Caiques, a Little Yellow-headed Caique, a

pair of Blue-crowned Hanging Parrots which I have had for some years ;

also a pair of Orange-flanked Parrakeets and a pair of Senegal Parrots.

I also possess a little Cock Ring-necked Parrakeet who, after the manner

of their kind, when kept single, makes a delightfully confiding pet.


It is, however, the so-called “ Easily bred ” Parrakeets which I

venture to think will be of paramount interest to the ordinary garden

aviculturalist such as myself.


I have two pairs of Red Rumps: one pair have done nothing, but

I am of the opinion that the hen is too young. This is her second year,

and from my limited experience I find that Red Rump hens seldom

prove breeders until the third year.


The other pair of Red Rumps have had two nests, their first starting

in March which produced four hens. I put the nest-box back again

at the end of June and the second nest has produced two cocks and

two hens.


I have learnt a lesson this year by one young hen Red Rump coming

out of the nest w T ith a foot hanging loose from the (knee) joint, and I

believe the cause was dried grass in the nesting box. I have a natural

log for these birds and line the bottom with a grass sod. The grass was

a little too long, and I believe the baby bird got its leg entangled in it.

In future I am going to take care to cut the grass short as a result of

this experience.


My Cockatiel have not done well this season. One nest has produced

five young ones at the first clutch, but although they have laid again

they did not continue to sit.


A second pair have gone to nest twice but they too appear to have

got tired of the job before finishing it and did not hatch out their eggs,

which were all fertile. The latter pair of Cockatiel are in a 40 ft. flight

in which are a pair of Fischer’s Lovebirds, so that possibly the disturb¬

ance caused by the Fischer’s accounts for their deserting, although last

year both Cockatiel and Fischer’s reared successfully under the same

conditions.


In my next aviary I had a pair of Kashmirian Moustached Parrakeets,

but as the hen did not moult at the same time as the cock bird, they

spent the whole of the breeding season doing their alternate moults,



