A. C. Farner—Failures and Successes in a Member's Aviary 357


and I did not consider it desirable to put a nest-box in for them. Inci¬

dentally, I have very loathly had to part with this pair of birds owing

to their very penetrating call, and I was getting complaints from

near-by houses. I have now replaced them, with a pair of Stanley’s.


A pair of Black-headed Caiques are neighbours to the Stanley’s,

and although they have shown every sign of pairing up, including

the thorough hollowing out of a tree-trunk, they have got no further,

but I think that it is a little too much to hope for, and they should be

placed amongst my second category.


It has been a fairly good season with Lovebirds. I mentioned in

my article last year that although I have kept Fischer’s and Masked

Lovebirds since their first importation, I never had any satisfactory

breeding results until I adopted the very definite advice given by the

Marquess of Tavistock to fix boxes outside, and since doing so I have

not had a totally unsuccessful nest, neither have I artificially damped

the eggs.


This year the Masked Lovebirds had reared three when I unfortu¬

nately lost the cock parent bird. The Fischer’s have reared five

from two nests.


My Bourke’s have been the principal failure. Having heard so

much about their propensity for braining themselves and having only

this year got my first pair of Bourke’s, I started off by putting them in a

6 ft. aviary and stretching string netting all round.


They went to nest and laid a clutch of three eggs and sat for the

full period of incubation plus three days before giving up. On examining

the eggs I found that two were fertile but had not hatched, apparently

due to dryness.


As the birds seem considerably steadier than they are reputed to be,

I put them in a cold outside flight and fixed a nesting-box in the flight.

They laid again and sat for the full period of incubation, but this time

the eggs were clear.


Another failure was the Kosellas. They have done nothing, and

have never looked like doing anything.


I do not think that it would be out of place in this article to mention

that I have two hen Boulroul Partridges. I got two pairs last year, but

strangely enough both cock birds died and the hens survived, whereas



