n 7 '*? m Ok lV -V1 :cr: -, :■ m:,2M sgaa© £§&/• C y wfla V4®| ® \ / o^ % :ill!lll^ ^ ill [SIP ^gfi ^ Y:K Yj fcSJ®^ B?Y|S THE AVICULTURAL MAGAZINE BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY EDITED BY PHYLLIS BARCLAY-SMITH, M.B.E. VOL. 72 JANUARY, 1966, to DECEMBER, 1966 Hertford STEPHEN AUSTIN & SONS, Ltd. 1966 CONTENTS Title-page ......... i Contents ......... hi List of Contributors ....... iv List of Plates ........ vm Officers for the Year 1966 ...... 1 Officers of the Avicultural Society Past and Present . 2 Magazine ......... 1 Index . . . . . . . . . .183 LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS ARTICLES Bell, Joseph. New York Zoological Park avicultural news, 171. Brown, W. H. Breeding Massena’s Lorikeet ( Trichoglossus haematod massena), 155. Callegari, Eugenio. Breeding of the Acorn Woodpecker, 78. Capron, Newton. Notes on a collection of parrots and doves in Florida, 85. Carthew, W. R. Breeding of Grey-necked Crowned Cranes ( Balearica regulorum ), 1. Chaplin, Viscount and Harrison, C. J. O. Minimum standards for bird cages, 7. Coupe, M. F. News from Chester Zoo, 87, 138. Cross-bred Mynas at Chester Zoo, 127. Breeding Sclater’s Crested Curassows at Chester Zoo, 168. Cummings, W. D. Foreign doves in captivity, 22. Dalborg-Johansen, J. Breeding of the Royal Parrot Finch ( Erythrura cyanovirens regia), 108. Davis, Sir Godfrey. The succulent maggot, 3. Whiteworms and the white sliced loaf, 43. Delacour, Jean. Hybrids Hyacinthine X Blue and Yellow Macaws, 32. In memoriam — Captain Richard S. de Quincey (1896-1965), 60. Bird notes from Cleres — 1966, 156. Dharmakumarsinjhi, K. S. The Indian Ornithological Garden revisited, 123. Dolan, James M., Jr. see Lint, Kenton C. Enehjelm, C. H. F. af. Breeding owls, 55. Fletcher, A. W. E. Rothschild’s Grackles at semi-liberty, 106. Fooks, Herbert. A crane with a false leg, 67. Red-breasted Blue-bill, 67. Goodwin, Derek. Keeping doves and pigeons : some suggestions, 96. LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS V Harrison, G. J. O. Some notes on the behaviour of the Red-breasted Blue-bill ( Spermophaga haematina ), 16. Harrison, C. J. O., see Chaplin, Viscount. Henry, D. M. Reid-, see Reid-Henry, D. M. Johansen, J. Dalborg, see Dalborg-Johansen, J. Johnson, F. E. B. Stagsden Bird Gardens, 53. Johnstone, S. T. Some experiences in keeping sawbills, 48. Klos, Heinz-Georg. News from the Berlin Zoological Gardens, 59, 86, 137. Kolar, Kurt. Breeding the Cattle Egret ( Bubulcus ibis), 45. Levi, Peter J. Observations on the Southern White-breasted Crake in captivity ( Laterallus leucopyrrhus) , 24. Lint, Kenton C. and Dolan, James M., Jr. Successful breeding of the Orange-breasted Cotinga (Pipreola jucunda) in the San Diego Zoological Gardens, 18. Lowe, The Rev. Canon. The breeding of Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher ( Muscicapa tickelliae ), 115. Marques, A. V. Breeding results at Oldhill in 1965, 26. Muller, Kerry. A further note on the Black or Common Francolin ( Francolinus francolinus) , 130. Murray, Herbert. Breeding the Pileated Song Sparrow (£ onotrichia capensis ) , 1 3 1 . Naether, Carl. What price “ togetherness ” ?, 51. Enjoying a diversified congregation of softbills, 73. Some final observations on the mating behaviour of Snow Pigeon X Blue, Barless Strasser, male, 133. Some comments on Derek Goodwin’s article “ Keeping doves and pigeons : some suggestions”, 179. Painter, W. Breeding the Long-tailed Tit ( Aegithalos caudatus ), 147. Partridge, W. R. The breeding of the Californian Scrub Jay ( Aphelocoma coerulescens calif ornica) , 76 Breeding the Golden-crested Myna ( Mino coronatus ), 128. VI LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS PRESTWICH, A. A. Records of breeding the Carolina Parrakeet ( Conuropsis carolinensis ) in captivity, 20. Protection of Birds Bill, 35, 18 1. British Aviculturists Club, 62, 1 1 7, 173. News and views, 28, 63, 88, 119, 139, 174. Pryor, G. Ronald. Establishing a small tropical house. The first six months, 12. Quinn, John R., and Walden, Ryan B. Notes on the incubation and rearing of the Piping Plover ( Charadrius melodus ), 145. Reid-Henry, D. M. The Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker ( Picoides arcticus ), 69. Random notes on Hill Mynas, 93. Richards, A. W. Breeding the Violet-eared Waxbill, 84. Ripley, Dillon. Reminiscences of the season, 158. Risdon, D. H. S. The Tropical Bird Gardens 1965, 38. Rogerson, Sheila M. A personal observation of the Chinese Painted Quail, 1 12. Postscript on the Chinese Painted Quail, 170. SCAMMELL, K. M. Near misses with Violet-eared Humming Birds ( Colibri coruscans ), 160. Schifter, Herbert. Breeding of Red-faced Mousebirds ( Colius indicus) , 79. Sholar, Norman P. Hand-feeding Purple Martins ( Progne subis ), 134. Small, Ralph C. Breeding the Hawk-headed Parrot ( Deroptyus accipitrinus) ,71. Stilwell, M. W. Breeding the Black-headed Mannikin ( Munia atricapilla) , 47. Trollope, Jeffrey. Some observations on the Harlequin Quail ( Coturnix delegorguei) , 5. Breeding the Red-crested Finch ( Coryphospingus cristatus), 149. Walden, Ryan B., see Quinn, John R. Walsh, John J. A collection of parrot finches, 58. Wayne, Philip. Breeding the Wheatear ( Oenanthe 0. oenanthe (L.)), 153. Yealland, J- J- London Zoo notes, 27, 61, 88, 118, 139, 172. LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS vii CORRESPONDENCE Psittacines or parrots ?, D. H. S. Risdon, p. 32 ; White-capped Tanagers, Lena Scamell, p. 33 ; Yellow-banded Golden Pheasants, F. E. B. Johnson, p. 33 ; Sexing Fairy Bluebirds, W. D. Cummings, p. 34 ; Wanton cruelty by bird dealers, Herbert Fooks, p. 67 ; Breeding Grey-necked Crowned Cranes, Alfred Seitz, p. 91 ; Improvement in the design of cages, J. J. Yealland, p. 92 ; Improvement in design of bird cages, D. T. Spilsbury, p. 121 ; Admiral George Churchill, Arthur A. Prestwich, p. 122 ; Informa¬ tion required regarding the Java Sparrow’s breeding ability, Robin Restall, p. 180. LIST OF PLATES Grey-necked Crowned Crane and young. Male always stands erect on guard Orange-breasted Cotinga hen incubating eggs on nest ....... Orange-breasted Cotinga hen brooding chick Orange-breasted Cotinga nestling — six days old Orange-breasted Cotinga nestling — thirty-three days old ...... Toucans in the snow, 1963 .... Goosanders Red-breasted Mergansers Snews . Hooded Mergansers Satyr Tragopan [Tragopan satyra) . . Himalayan Monol (. Lophophorus impeyanus ) . I Two of the species that are bred regularly at Stagsden Bird Gardens J Family of Snowy Owls ..... * Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker Red-faced Mousebirds ( Colius indicus) with young 1 Young Red-faced Mousebird, two weeks old J * Hill Myna ....... Mr. G. C. Jain and Painted Storks. Indian Orni¬ thological Garden ..... Snow Pigeon X Blue, Barless Strasser, the male' parent ...... Female, Blue Barless Strasser — the female parent Five-week-old squab produced by parent birds , * Piping Plover ...... Curassow nesting site in Temperate Bird House . Hen Crested Curassow and chicks when three days old ....... * Denotes a coloured plate. '^AVICULTURAL b MAGAZINE PAGE Breeding of Grey-necked Crowned Cranes ( Balearica regulorum ) (with plate), by W. R. Carthew .......... i The Succulent Maggot, by Sir Godfrey Davis ...... 3 Some Observations on the Harlequin Quail ( Coturnix delegorguei) , by J. Trollope 5 Minimum Standards for Bird Cages, by Viscount Chaplin and C. J. O. Harrison ............ 7 Establishing a Small Tropical House — The First Six Months, by G. Ronald Pryor ............ 12 Some Notes on the Behaviour of the Red-breasted Blue-bill ( Spermophaga haematina), by G. J. O. Harrison . . . . . . . .16 Successful Breeding of the Orange-breasted Cotinga ( Pipreola jucunda) in the San Diego Zoological Gardens (with plates), by Kenton G. Lint and James M. Dolan, Jr. ........... 18 Records of Breeding the Carolina Parrakeet ( Conuropsis carolinensis ) in Captivity, by A. A. Prestwich .......... 20 Foreign Doves in Captivity, by W. D. Cummings ..... 22 Observations on the Southern White-breasted Crake ( Laterallus leucopyrrhus) , in Captivity, by Peter J. Levi ........ 24 Breeding Results at Oldhill in 1965, by A. V. Marques .... 26 London Zoo Notes, by J. J. Yealland ....... 27 News and Views ........... 28 Review ............ 31 Notes ............. 32 Correspondence ........... 32 Protection of Birds Bill . . . . . . . . . -35 )L. 72 No. 1 PRICE 7/6 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1966 THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY Founded 1894 President : Miss E. Maud Knobel. Hon. Secretary and Treasurer s A. A. Prestwich, Galley’s Wood, Nr. Edenbridge, Kent. Assistant Secretary : Miss Kay Bonner. Membership Subscription is £2 per annum, due on 1st January each year, and payable in advance. Life Membership £25. Subscriptions, Change of Address, Names of Candidates for Membership, etc., should be sent to the Hon. Secretary. THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA Founded 1927 Hon. President : Dr. Jean Delacour. President : Mr. A. N. Lopez. Secretary s Mr. David West, 209 N. 18th Street, Montebello, California, U.S.A. The annual dues of the Society are $4.00 per year, payable in advance. The Society year begins 1st January, but new members may be admitted at any time. Members receive a monthly bulletin. Correspondence regarding membership, etc., should be directed to the Secretary. THE AVICULTURAL MAGAZINE The Magazine is published bi-monthly, and sent free to all members of the Avicultural Society. Members joining at any time during the year are entitled to the back numbers for the current year on the payment of subscription. All matter for publication in the Magazine should be addressed to : — The Editor : Miss Phyllis Barclay-Smith, M.B.E., 51 Warwick Avenue London, W. 9. Telephone : Cunningham 3006. The price of the Magazine to non-members is 7 s. 6d., post free, per copy, or £2 5 s. for the year. Orders for the Magazine, extra copies and back numbers (from 1917) should be sent to the publishers, Stephen Austin & Sons, Ltd., Caxton Hill, Ware Road, Hertford, England. Telephone : Hertford 2352/3/4. Avicult. Mac, Copyright ] [ Vereeniging News, Vereenigige Grey-necked Crowned Cranes and Young Male always stands erect on guard [. Frontispiece Avicultural Magazine THE JOURNAL OF THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY Vol. 72. — No. 1. — All rights reserved. JANUARY-FEBRUARY, 1966 BREEDING OF GREY-NECKED CROWNED CRANES (. Balearica regulorum) By W. R. Carthew (Vereeniging, S. Africa) I have had for many years a number of cranes in my private collection of birds and animals. The Crowned Cranes had never shown any indication of wanting to reproduce until 1963 (after fourteen years with me) when one pair decided to do something after so long. They nested just outside a side gate 50 feet from the front door of my house leading into a large open paddock. It appears that these birds are very long lived and commence to breed late in life. It is usual for these birds to nest in swamps by constructing a nest of swamp vegetation piled together in a raised position above water level. In this instance they went about their nesting in the very same way only they had dry land conditions. They built their nest on the ground using small twigs from a pile of last year’s prunings, lining it with still smaller ones. The nest was built on the west side of this pile of prunings which afforded them much shelter. Incidentally they selected and used the same* spot last year, but most unfortunately the hen was attacked and rather badly injured by some unknown vermin whilst incubating at night. When this sad accident was noticed it was then too late to transfer the already well advanced incubated eggs to other means of incubation. However, the injured hen made a remarkable recovery and laid her first egg about mid-November, 1964, followed by two more at longish intervals. Later only two of these three eggs proved fertile while the third was not and I assume this was the first laid. The normal clutch is always two. The eggs are egg-shell blue in colour and measuring 31 ‘75 by 87-31 mm., rather sharp at pointed end. Incubation started in earnest in early December, but owing to my being away just at this time for a short while it was impossible to record the exact date. Incubation was equally shared by the two birds. The male doing the day shift and the hen the night. At change of shifts from 5 to 6 p.m. both birds indulged in an evening walk. These birds are very spiteful during the breeding period and attack any and everything, SMITH; 'Nstitu MAR 1 5 T9( 1 2 W. R. CARTHEW - BREEDING OF GREY-NECKED CROWNED CRANES inflicting nasty wounds, should any living thing approach their territory, which is theirs and theirs only, arid this I must mention amounts to quite a large area. The incubation was about twenty-eight days ; the two chicks hatched at 4 p.m. New Year’s Day, 1965, in terrific heat. During this operation the hen bird stood up and watched every movement along with quite a crowd of New Year’s Day visitors all of whom were astonished at the performance. All this lasted until sunset when the hen settled for the night. The chicks were rather small for such a large egg, were covered in a reddish-brown fluff, had slate-coloured legs and bill, and faint indication only of the crest. At this hatching unfortunately there was no camera available. The chicks developed rather rapidly for the first two weeks when unfortunately one was lost due to heat stroke, or being injured by a hawk which was about catching other fowl chicks at the time. The single chick is now almost fully grown, well feathered out, with crest showing which is brown in colour. The method of tending these chicks by the parents is exactly the same as a domestic fowl with chicks, that is picking up food making a faint noise and dropping it in front of the chick, still toying with it for the chick’s attention. The chicks of course are very fond of water apart from loving to stand in it. Incidently, all my birds of this nature are pinioned and have free range and are only securely locked up every night. I will be most happy to know if I am the first world breeder of this species in captivity, for as far as my knowledge tells me I am the lucky breeder. It has not happened here in South Africa but I do know of Crowned Cranes raised in captivity from eggs collected in the wild and hatched by ordinary domestic fowls. Other recorded breedings in my collection this year are twenty Egyptian Geese and three geese now incubating. These birds I am now breeding to the fifth generation in my collection. Also many ornamental pheasants, canaries, and parrakeets were raised. One Stanley Crane alone laid twelve eggs just because she was an odd bird. Stanley Crane normal clutch only two eggs. Pied Crows nested but eggs went astray, either the parents ate them or the rats, which we are continually destroying. This is a very sandy area and exceedingly difficult to control rodents. Additional note. — This pair of Crowned Cranes have now again nested in the exact same place — have adopted territorial attitude and have driven their year old chick frantic so have had to put it in a place of safety far away from the parents. It is now a fine specimen. The hen has laid three eggs as follows : 23rd, 25th, and 27th December, 1965. SIR GODFREY DAVIS - THE SUCCULENT MAGGOT 3 Incubation started in earnest at midday of 28th. A point of interest is whether all those eggs will hatch. I am inclined to say no for I am now of strong opinion that the first egg laid, is, shall I say a dummy, or an experiment, on the part of the hen bird. I should mention that the local native name of these birds is Mahem from which its call gives it its name, which is very pronounced at evening, change of weather, or alarm. * * ❖ THE SUCCULENT MAGGOT By Sir Godfrey Davis (Boughton Monchelsea, Kent, England) I have for long seen the necessity of a regular supply of small live food if one is ever able, as I had once hoped, to establish strains of the small waxbills, in particular, in captivity or should I say domestication ? Particularly I have wanted to breed the tiny but very beautiful Avadavat. In India I found by chance that one could breed the house-fly with great ease, merely by half-filling a big clay chatty or water jar with bran, wetting the bran which in the great heat rapidly decomposed, and the decomposing bran attracted numerous houseflies which soon left large numbers of offspring or as some of my Indian friends would say “ issues 5 5 though this particular term was more generally restricted and applied to the human species. “ How many issues has your Honour got ? 55 was usually the tender and solicitous inquiry. But be this as it may, I had found in India the means of providing myself with very large numbers of clean odourless little maggots, in quantities of what appeared to be leaf mould, but which was in fact decomposed bran. I found I could not reproduce these conditions in this temperate English climate. I read many and various solutions of this vexed problem in various articles. “ Get a sheep’s head,” it was written, “ and hang it up and maggots will fall like manna from Heaven, only there will be a strong, strong smell ; but the maggots will fall in myriads in the receptacle filled with sawdust placed upon the ground to receive them.” Somehow this particular source of nutrition did not attract me. Then wrote another, “Get chicken manure, bury it in the ground and water it, and in time the ground will heave with this choice food.” The ground never heaved for me. “ Bury a young chicken, a dead young chicken or a duckling,” wrote another. Young dead chickens or young dead ducklings do not smell, at least, do not smell offensively, but the young chickens or ducklings never heaved for me. An old friend from India did buy and bury in our compost heap some expensive liver ; this he used to do some fifty years ago for bait for angling, and behold it was successful. The liver increased and multiplied. Matter we are told, is indestruc¬ tible only it changes its form. This is a Hindu saying which contains 4 SIR GODFREY DAVIS - THE SUCCULENT MAGGOT a profound truth but I did not want fat maggots for angling. I wanted thin maggots for young waxbills and in a place more convenient of immediate access than a compost heap. Once I thought I had discovered the secret by accident, as Isaac Newton found by accident the secret of gravity. Susie, my Yorkshire terrier, though she did not know it, was a partner in this great discovery. I revealed in a letter to our Magazine how this great joint discovery was achieved but we could not repeat this great achievement. Again it was by chance I discovered what I think is the infallible way of producing this great form of necessary nutrition for young birds. I have a pair of Greater Hill Mynahs. In India I would feed them very satisfactorily on the great universal food among those who keep Shamas, Magpie-Robins, and other attractive Indian softbills. This is Sattoo which I have described already in this Magazine. One of the ingredients is ox kidney which could be bought very cheaply in the Indian bazaar but it is very expensive in the English bazaar : and so I was constrained to use as a substitute minced meat. I did not find this cheap. Two shillings a half-pound they charge me. But one day this nutritious food arrived in its usual greaseproof paper but it was not as securely packed as it should have been ; it was not absolutely isolated from the outside world and when I came to use it, it smelled, not too strongly ; not stronger than, for instance, many a camel driver I have sat behind on my journeys through the Sind desert on tours of inspec¬ tion in days long past. It was a strong smell, the surrounding air was nifty ; it caused a certain movement in the nostrils but the meat was also covered with the eggs of the bluebottle or perhaps the greenbottle, I was not sufficiently fortunate to see the stocking up, if you catch my meaning. This sight would have filled any housewife with horror, but I was not a housewife. I was an aviculturist on the verge of a great discovery. I placed this half-pound of best minced meat, or so I had been assured, in its greaseproof paper in a shallow enamel pudding dish, having carefully spread out the minced meat over the bottom of the dish so as to keep the “ issues 55 of these wonders of nature free from harm. By chance under the greaseproof paper on which lay this precious burden, was another piece of greaseproof paper and this appeared a happy accident for after the maggots had hatched and fed for a few days some of them, being seized with the spirit of adventure which we are told our young people sadly lack, found their way through a small hole in the first piece of greaseproof paper into the second piece resting beneath. Masses of tiny clean maggots were there for the gather¬ ing up with a spoon, a rich harvest indeed and still masses of tiny maggots were gathered in the greaseproof paper which saw their infant birth. I placed the adventurous young maggots in another pudding dish filled with bran and in this they cleaned themselves and indeed seemed to me to continue growing. This I thought, is another version J. TROLLOPE - SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE HARLEQUIN QUAIL 5 of the widow’s cruse but their growth was slight and due, I suppose, to the nutriment already within their wee bodies, on which they sustained themselves. Day by day the baby maggots grew and day by day I gathered them up from the decaying meat as they lay in hundreds, with a spoon and either put them in bran or fed them to Fire-finches, Cordon Bleus, Avadavats, and Rosy-rumped Waxbills which eagerly devoured them. Green Avadavats, and Orange-cheeked Waxbills and Lavender finches seem to prefer white worms, the method of securing a regular supply of which, I believe, I have discovered, but that is another story. Suffice for this day is this load of nonsense which, however, contains a secret truth. * * * SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE HARLEQUIN QUAIL (Coturnix delegorguei) ByJ. Trollope (Hounslow, Middlesex, England) This species was first bred by Mr. D. Seth-Smith in 1906, who wrote a most interesting article on the Genus Corturnix, which appeared in the Avicultural Magazine the following year. C. delegorguei has a wide distribution in Africa, but is not often imported. I purchased a pair on 1st July, 1965, which were in good condition except for slight scalp injury. The left wing was clipped as a precaution ; within a few days, however, they became remarkably tame. The cock is very handsome with a black and white facial “ mask ”, black chest edged with rufous, black abdomen, and rufous flanks. Hens are not easily distinguishable from other females of the genus, there is a faint black necklace marking, the breast is spotted with brown, and the flanks show a slight rufous colouring. An egg was laid on 8th August in a scrape lined with a few dead weeds and the hen completed a clutch of nine, but did not sit. A second clutch of eight eggs was commenced on 22nd August, again the hen did not sit, probably because both sites were completely exposed. After these efforts I did not think any further breeding attempt would be made, but much to my surprise a third nest was found on 2nd September, well concealed behind a clump of weed. This scrape con¬ tained three eggs and a fourth was laid on the same day. A clutch of seven was completed and she began to sit on the 5th September. An interesting point concerning this clutch was that nine eggs were counted on 2 1 st September, when the hen came off for a feed. Four chicks hatched on 24th September, five eggs containing developed chicks were left in the scrape. The hen and chicks were shut in the aviary shelter the following day, the cock showed no sign of distress at the 6 J. TROLLOPE - SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE HARLEQUIN QUAIL separation. On the morning of the 27th only three chicks could be found ; this was a mystery as there seemed no possible way of escape. Mixed millets, maw, white worms, maggots, and chopped meal¬ worms were given twice a day, also clumps of grass complete with roots and soil. In the down stage the chicks were a yellowish buff, heavily striped with dark brown, they could not get through inch wire mesh. The eggs varied from light buff to olive brown, in most cases very heavily marked with reddish brown, the average size of nine eggs measured was 31 *4 by 23-2 mm. On 12th October the first of five completely unmarked eggs was found in the shelter. During this period the cock was continually calling with a loud “ Whit- Whit Wheet ”, “ Whit- Whit Wheet-Whit ”, the hen answering with “ Quick-ic ” “or Queet-ic ”, they could not see each other and this was the first vocal contact since separation. At the time of writing (14th November) the three surviving chicks are following the same development pattern since they became recognizable as individuals, one very robust large cock, a smaller cock, and a hen which has been retarded from the start. The chicks were scratching for food at 13 days, dust bathing at 15 days, the hen was not seen “ brooding ” them after 20 days but the weakling was constantly trying to “ clump ” with her brothers and still does. The most notable thing about the adult birds was the apparently limited pair-bond. There was no physical contact apart from copulation, during dust bathing (accidental ?), and a peculiar “ attack ” by the cock while the hen was sitting. He would drive her from the nest with sharp blows of the beak when I entered the aviary to feed them. After these attacks she would run around the aviary in an agitated manner, occasionally picking up seed, sometimes returning to resume incubation before I left. Any suggested explanation for this behaviour, is confused by this “ attack ” once happening when the birds were not aware of my presence. Prior to incubation they roosted in the same area of the aviary but never together. Sometimes the cock would chase the hen with both wings half raised in exactly the same manner as the Painted Quail cock ( Excalfactoria chinensis ) . On one occasion the cock held an insect in his beak, adopting a posture very similar to that of the Painted Quail when calling his hen for the tit-bit. The head, however, was not tilted sideways and if there was any call note, it must have been very low pitched as I was a few feet away at the time. Should I succeed in breeding these birds next year, the hen and chicks will be left with the cock, as it will be interesting to see if he plays any part in the chick rearing. Acknowledgment I would like to thank Mr. A. A. Prestwich for giving me the opportu¬ nity to read Mr. D. Seth-Smith’s article. VISCOUNT CHAPLIN AND C. J. O. HARRISON - BIRD CAGE STANDARDS 7 MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR BIRD CAGES By Viscount Chaplin (Blackawton, Devon, England) and C. J. O. Harrison (Perivale, Middlesex, England) Introductory Note It may seem a little impertinent to put these suggestions before a society already well versed in the needs of birds, but it was considered desirable that they should appear in a journal of recognized scientific standing, in which they would be available for reference at future periods, rather than be entrusted to a more ephemeral publication. Introduction A casual glance at many of the structures at present on sale as cages for keeping birds in should suggest to anyone who cares for such things that the time has come for a reappraisal of what we are attempting to do when we produce such a cage. Birds differ from most other creatures kept by man in that they are frequently kept on view in the home for decorative purposes, but at the same time need to be confined in some sort of cage. The cage then becomes a part of the furnishings of the room, and this has affected the design of such cages, which tend to be judged for their decorative rather than their functional value. Undue emphasis has been laid on the appearance of the cage in relation to the room that contains it, and too little on the needs of the birds. It is significant that the type of cage sold to the general public for bird¬ keeping is not used by those who hope to breed the birds that they keep, and who therefore need to keep their stock in satisfactory physical condition. In addition to the unsatisfactory nature of so many cages there has been an increasing tendency to put on the market cages of a purely decorative type, with odd shapes such as a vertical cylinder, or a sphere with a single central perch, or a reproduction of some fantastic oriental design. Some of these are obviously intended solely as decorative objects, but it seems certain that someone will unwittingly assume that since they are for sale they are therefore satisfactory for the keeping of birds. Summary of Minimum Standards for Cages We have put the summary first so that those who are interested only in the conclusions need read no further. In a subsequent section we have given the reasons for the points quoted here. The sizes given are regarded as minima. The larger the bird the larger the cage must be, and the sizes given are based on the length of the bird to be kept. A cage should be at least 6J lengths long, 4 lengths high, and 3 lengths deep. This would work out for a Budgerigar at 8 VISCOUNT CHAPLIN AND C. J. O. HARRISON - BIRD CAGE STANDARDS 52 by 32 by 24 inches ; for a Canary or Greenfinch 39 by 24 by 18 inches ; and for a small Waxbill 26 by 16 by 12 inches. This is to house one pair only. The cage should have at least two higher perches ij lengths from each end and 1 J lengths from the top, with an unobstruc¬ ted space between them. There should be another perch at least 1 length from the cage floor, and so placed that it is at an angle to the other two but does not pass beneath them (see diagram). Food containers may be placed in the space on either side of this perch free of the zones of droppings from higher perches. The back and most of the ends and top should be screened against draught with some impervious material. Wood is traditionally used, but transparent glass or plastic material would be equally appropriate. As an alternative one end could be screened to include one perch. Perches should vary in diameter. These sizes are intended as minima, there is no reason why they should not be larger, and no reason why one might not keep birds in a cage shaped like a television set or a replica of the Taj Mahal provided that this external ornamentation represents an addition to the basic requirements given here. We have not considered here species having special needs, such as terrestrial birds, and the standards are for typical passerines likely to feed from the ground. In the case of insectivorous and fruit-eating birds, whose droppings are likely to be moist and copious, with a greater likelihood of soiling feet and plumage unless the cage is constantly cleaned, the size of the floor space should be considerably increased in relation to the size of the bird, preferably by increasing the depth of the cage to give longer perches, since it is the droppings space that is important. Reasons for the Proposed Standards Rather than debate the merits of the various types of cages available it seems better to return to first principles and to try to decide just what we are attempting to do when we make a cage. A bird is an animal which is peculiar in that it moves mainly by means of flight. If it is to be kept satisfactorily its cage must therefore be a structure enclosing an air space which it is intended that the bird should fly across. Since a bird will fly most readily from one perch to another, the first and most basic need is for two perches which must be at opposite ends of the air-space. In order to give the bird the greatest opportunity for exercise in flight the perches should be as far apart as possible. The space between them must be uncluttered so that the bird can fly freely from one perch to another without its wing-feathers encountering any other objects, and without the bird having to perform any special evasive manoeuvre. In addition, there must be sufficient space beyond each perch for the bird to turn without any part of the plumage touching the sides or ends. There must also be sufficient VISCOUNT CHAPLIN AND C. J. O. HARRISON - BIRD CAGE STANDARDS 9 space above the perch for the bird to raise its wings without touching the top. The main difficulty here is to decide on the space between the perches. This distance must be related to the length of the bird. We can discuss this in terms of three typical sizes of the birds most likely to be kept. For this purpose we may use the Budgerigar (8 inches), Canary or Greenfinch (6 inches), and smaller Waxbills (4 inches). We are of the opinion that the minimum length between the two perches should be at least four times the total length of the bird. In addition there should be at least one length of the bird above and below the perch, and just over one length between the perch and the cage end, and so the primary unit of space, consisting of the two perches and the space around them would occupy 52 by 16 inches for a Budgerigar, 39 by 12 inches for a Canary or Greenfinch, and 26 by 8 inches for a Waxbill. The usual practice is to place both such perches on a level with one another, but there is no reason why there should not be a Plan of cage to show arrangement of perches when viewed from above. difference in level between the two provided that the angle that the bird must fly at is not so great that the flight becomes abnormal. If the levels do differ we would suggest that it should not be greater than 30 degrees above the horizontal. While two perches represent an absolute minimum it is an advantage to have at least one more perch at a different level, preferably a low one since a nervous bird may be a little reluctant to drop down to a strange cage-bottom in order to feed. If a third perch is added then it is also advisable, in order to give greater variety of movement, that the perch should be set at a different angle to the cage-ends from that of the other perches. A perch running the length of the cage at right- angles to the other two has the disadvantage that it is likely to be fouled by droppings from the perches above. This is least troublesome 10 VISCOUNT CHAPLIN AND C. J. O. HARRISON - BIRD CAGE STANDARDS in cages where perches are expendable and frequently renewed, but for general purposes it is preferable that the lower perch should not pass beneath the others but be set diagonally across the cage at as sharp an angle as the space between the other two perches will allow (see diagram). The addition of the low perch beneath the other two perches, together with the fact that the bird on the lower perch should not obstruct the space between the first two perches, while a feeding bird should be able to pass beneath the lower one, will determine the total height of the space required (although if the first two perches are set at different levels the final mass might be a little lower at one end and higher at the other). The third dimension is one of depth from front to back, and this is determined by the length of the perches. Since there is likelihood that any cage may be used for a pair of birds rather than a single individual the length of perch should be such that two birds in a slightly aggressive mood should be able to use the same perch without one being in immediate danger from the bill of the other. This means that the depth of the cage should be at least three times the length of the bird. This now gives us a minimum cage-space, based on the length of the bird to be kept, of 6J times the length of the bird from end to end, 4 times the length of the bird in height, and 3 times the length of the bird in depth. This brings the dimensions for the commoner species to those quoted in the summary. The feet of perching birds need exercise in grasping, and the several perches should be of different diameters. Natural twigs which differ along their length are useful in this respect, and twiggy branches may be used provided that they do not obstruct the space and prevent free movement. If possible it is better that twigs should be used and replaced at frequent intervals ; and in such cases the cage should be provided with some form of clip to accommodate perches of varying diameters. In addition to the question of space and the siting of perches there is another important point to consider, and that is the screening of cages against draughts. Unless a cage is set close into a recess it is liable to draught in any normal household. A bird which wishes to roost or rest in the wilds will usually retire to thick cover of some sort which may give complete protection against wind, even in very rough weather. When a bird is confined to a cage it is necessary that it should be able to find comparable shelter within the cage when it requires it. The only way that this can be achieved is by screening part of the cage to exclude draught. This screening need not be of solid wood but could be of transparent material such as glass or plastic. Birds tend to roost as high as they can, and so screening must extend to the top of the cage. In order to give the necessary draught-proofing it would be necessary to screen the back and most or all of the ends and top, or VISCOUNT CHAPLIN AND C. J. O. HARRISON - BIRD CAGE STANDARDS I I alternatively to screen one end, including part of the front, back, and top, so that at least one perch is completely screened. Containers for food and water can be set inside the cage but must be clear of the zones of droppings from perches. It should be remembered that fouling will occur for about an inch on either side of the perch and not necessarily immediately below it. In the case of insectivorous and fruit-eating birds the droppings are likely to be moist and copious and a larger area is fouled, so that there is greater likelihood of the plu¬ mage and feet becoming soiled unless the cage is constantly cleaned. To avoid this an easily replaced sheet of absorbent paper as a cage floor is a great advantage. In addition cages intended for such birds should have the greatest possible depth to allow longer perches and to prevent too deep an accumulation of droppings. On the floor we are in favour of sheets of paper or any reasonably absorbent material which can be changed at frequent intervals for all birds. The custom of scattering sand is not a good one. Grit intended for seed-eating birds should in any case be given a container where it can be kept clean, and sharp sand on the cage floor frequently leads to foot ailments. Other substitutes are not difficult to find. The absor¬ bent paper tissues widely sold at present can be useful ; while, if economy is necessary and the cage floor not too obvious, even news¬ paper can be used. Final Comments We have confined ourselves to recommendation on the main points affecting the design of cages for the birds most usually kept. To check on the necessity for putting forward these views we independently examined the typical cages on sale to the public. It was found that none came up to the standards put forward here. In cages intended for Budgerigars or Canaries the space between perches was usually as little as 6 or 8 inches and rarely more than a foot, while even this space was usually obstructed by a hanging perch. By the standards we suggest most of these cages would be barely suitable for Waxbills. In cages in the form of tall cylinders or tall slender square-section structures the perches were above one another at sharp angles, often about 70 degrees above the horizontal, and it was difficult to see how fouling of lower perches and birds could be avoided. When the question of the sale of such cages was discussed with stockists the universal complaint was that suitable cages were not available and that it was necessary to sell the styles offered by the manufacturers. The only ones that appeared to begin to approach the necessary standards were some breeding cages advertised in the cage-bird press and some do-it-yourself kits, although even these were too small for the species for which they were intended when judged by the criteria given here. 12 G. R. PRYOR - ESTABLISHING A SMALL TROPICAL HOUSE ESTABLISHING A SMALL TROPICAL HOUSE THE FIRST SIX MONTHS By G. Ronald Pryor (Calver, Nr. Sheffield, Yorks, England) Construction The house which is 20 by 10 feet was built by filling in the space between the gable-end of my house and an outbuilding. The two new end walls were built from reconstructed stone blocks. The entrance door has one large glass panel, almost the full size of the door, glazed with “ Georgian ” glass in which is moulded a small square mesh of wire. This effectively stops the birds trying to fly through. The sloping roof is covered with Trafford Tile profiled “ Filon ” material translucent sheets. Under this and 8 feet above the floor is a flat suspended ceiling of 2 by 2 feet square Filon sheets. This apart from the door is the only source of natural light. It is adequate. In the wall opposite to the door is a ventilating fan with an iris diaphragm which completely closes the aperture when the fan is switched off. Two dwarf walls 2 feet high were built to form a curving pathway through the length of the house and at the entrance end this pathway is expanded to the full width of the house to provide room for a seat. The floor is paved. Land drains were laid beneath the crazy paving to drain the beds behind the dwarf walls. These beds were filled with a 3 inch layer of coarse gravel and a 1 ft. 9 in. layer of compost made from a mixture of peat, sharp sand, and loam in the ratio 3:1:1. In the right-hand corner farthest from the door, a pool was built in the shape of a quadrant, the back of the quadrant being filled with a waterfall built from natural gritstone rocks to nearly the height of the ceiling. Outside the entrance door is a safety porch 6 feet square built of stone and with a wooden roof. The door to this porch has a similar glass panel to the bird-house door. This safety porch serves to house all switches, control valves, heaters, etc., and has a range of shelves for equipment and accessories. Under the floor is a large water-tank into which drains the overflow from the pond and the drainage from the flower beds. It is topped up by rainwater from the roof of the bird house and from part of the roof of the dwelling house. Heating is by two \\ kW Humex fan heaters which blow hot air through a § inch square mesh grid into the bird-house just above floor level. Each heater is controlled by its own thermostat, one set at 6o° F. and the other at 570 F. so that the second heater only comes into use if the first breaks down or if the weather is so cold that one heater is unable to maintain the temperature. Lighting is by four “ warm-glow 5 5 fluorescent tubes fitted above the door in fittings specially designed for use in humid atmospheres. G. R. PRYOR - ESTABLISHING A SMALL TROPICAL HOUSE 13 An electric pump to draw water from the underground tank was originally fitted in the safety porch. However, the noise was objection¬ able and it was subsequently moved outside the building altogether and covered with an insulated box to prevent freezing. The output from this pump can be controlled by four valves. The first goes to a hose connection by which the tank can be emptied for cleaning ; the second feeds the waterfall ; the third controls four spray heads projecting through the ceiling down one side of the house ; the fourth controls four similar spray heads down the other side of the house. These spray heads simulate tropical rain both for watering the plants and maintaining the necessary humidity against the drying effect of the hot air heating. They were split into two sections so that each half of the house might be watered separately leaving the other half for the birds to get out of the wet ; this in fact, has proved to be a quite unnecessary refinement. Planting The beds have been planted with camellia, citrus, maidenhair fern, Primula obconica, African violet, Lantana, bromeliads, Strelitzia, Tradescantia, Rex begonia, Peperomia, Anthurium, Impatiens, Maranta, arum lilies, and many other species. Coleus, scented-leaved geraniums, and succulents have not been successful as the atmosphere is too humid. Columnea and Bougainvillaea have failed, probably because they need a higher temperature. The walls were covered with 6 ft. by 3 ft. 6 in. panels of “ Gro-mesh” up which hosta, passion flower, lapageria, abutillon, etc., are being trained. The waterfall is planted with the small leaved ivy, Hedera saggitifolia and hearts-tongue ferns. Birds When planting had been completed, four small foreign finches were moved in from an outside aviary until a few weeks experience had been gained in controlling temperature, humidity, ventilation, etc. Humming Birds were then added followed by Zosterops and sub¬ sequently, to furnish the ground level, Chinese Painted Quail, White¬ breasted Rails, Bengal Pitta, and Hooded Pitta. The finches have now been moved out as they soiled the foliage with their droppings and made too much work in sponging the leaves — a long and tedious job. I find Humming Birds extraordinarily difficult to identify — dealers names are not very reliable. I am not at all certain that the names given below are correct. Even where I can find descriptions of the species it is not too easy to reconcile these with the birds. It is standard practise for Humming Birds to be described as seen when the light is coming from behind the observer. Even so, as the colours are not due to pigmentation, but to refraction, they change in an unbelievable manner if the bird moves through thirty degrees or less to either side 14 G. R. PRYOR - ESTABLISHING A SMALL TROPICAL HOUSE or up and down. The general works on ornithology such as Birds of the World by Oliver L. Austin describe and illustrate very few species. The standard monograph Humming Birds by Greenewalt, although a wonderful book, is not much use for identification, again because of the comparatively few species illustrated. The best book I have been able to find is The Birds of Colombia by Meyer de Schauensee, but only 135 of the 319 species of Humming Birds occur in Colombia. The five birds I acquired from a London dealer were White-breasted Emerald ( Amazilia franciae viridicens ), Rufous-tailed Humming Bird (. Amazilia tzacatl ), Blue-crowned Fairey (Heliangelus) , Green- vented White tip ( Urosticte benjamini), Chestnut-bellied Humming Bird (. Amazilia castaneiventris) . The Chestnut-bellied died after eight days, but the other four are in first-class condition and at the time of writing have been in my possession for twenty weeks. To replace the Chestnut¬ breasted I have just bought a Blue-throated Amazilia (. Amazilia amabilis) . This is a tiny bird and will already feed from a feeder held in the hand. Humming Birds are notoriously pugnacious and the London Zoo find that in their Tropical House, which is very much larger than mine, how ever many they introduce, the population seems to stabilize at about six. In my case, the Heliangelus and Urosticte are sworn enemies. These two birds are nearly alike except that one bird has a white dot behind each eye and the other a white-eye stripe about | inch long. Although there never seems to be any physical contact, white eye-stripe chases white dot until the latter is completely exhausted and can neither fly nor perch and can, in fact, easily be picked up in the hand. However, it recovers in a few minutes and seems none the worse. This bird is exceptionally tame and always comes within an inch of ones face when one enters the house and will always feed from a feeder held in the hand. The Humming Birds are fed on a solution of Hasting’s nectar paste strengthened with an equal amount of honey. This is given in five plastic feeders of the type obtainable from Birdland, Bourton-on-the- Water, which are distributed about the house. Although these are smaller than the more usual glass type, they are easier to fill and less liable to get broken. It is astonishing how much of this solution these five little birds drink. The five tubes are filled morning and evening and although they are not quite emptied, they certainly would not last through twenty-four hours. In addition, two tomato boxes, one on top of the other and the top one partially covered, are kept full of rotten fruit near the output of the heaters. These produce a plentiful supply of fruit flies — Drosophila — which are taken on the wing. In the winter months the lighting is switched on before dusk and before dawn and switched off again at times which ensure that the birds never have to go more than eleven hours without sufficient light by which to feed. G. R. PRYOR - ESTABLISHING A SMALL TROPICAL HOUSE 15 The next birds to be introduced were a pair of Chinese Painted Quail (Excalf actor ia chinensis). The cock flew into the pond and died an hour later. A new cock was procured. Nine weeks later the hen flew into the pond and was drowned. A new pair was bought, but the cock was drowned the same day so the hen was moved to another aviary and I have given up the idea of keeping Painted Quail in the Tropical House. It should be noted that after the first casualty, a sloping stone was put in the pond which should have made it possible for a bird to have walked out. But apparently not so. To replace the quail I bought a pair of White-breasted Water Rail (Amaurornis fuscus) . These have done well, they love to climb up and down the almost vertical rocks of the waterfall and make an ideal complement on the ground to the Humming Birds, although they come from India of course, and not from South America. The next problem was an infestation of aphis on the plants. I dare not spray for fear of toxic effects on the birds. I remembered reading in a very old number of the Chester News that they had had a similar problem years ago (in the original tropical house before the present one was built) which they had overcome by introducing Zosterops. So I bought a pair of Zosterops. These are delightful birds and cleared the aphis in no time. They also ate the centres out of scores of buds on the morning glories. I never had a single morning glory bloom after the Zosterops were introduced. They also ruined the buds of many other flowers, even such large ones as arum lilies and did untold damage to leaves including completely defoliating a young passion flower ; so they had to be moved to an unplanted aviary. The aphis have not as yet returned, but how shall I deal with them when they do ? A Bengal Pitta (Pitta brachyura ) was bought as a juvenile. It is now in full adult plumage and has become very tame. It does more damage to the plants than I care for, pulling off leaves for sheer devilment apparently, because it does not eat them. It is also rather bossy with the rails. But it is such a beautiful and endearing bird that I put up with it. So beautiful in fact that I bought a Hooded Pitta (Pitta sordida ) but the first night it was here it drowned itself in the pond ! I am now wondering whether I should leave a light on all night to simulate moonlight or whether perhaps I should move the orfe and comets out of the pond and convert it into a shallow stream. The rails and pitta are fed on soft-bill mixture and maggots and seem to get a certain amount of natural food out of the compost. All the birds delight in bathing in the waterfall and fly to it as soon as it is switched on. All except the finches revel in the simulated rain and never fly out of it to the dry side of the house. A few more data may be of interest. The double roof and lack of windows keeps the heat out as well as in. The inside temperature has never been more than 750 F. even when the sun has taken near-by 1 6 C. J. O. HARRISON - BEHAVIOUR OF THE RED-BREASTED BLUE-BILL greenhouses (with the shades down) to 90° F. The humidity seems to keep about 80 to 85 per cent in summer when the heaters are not on and 75 to 80 per cent when the heaters are on most of the day. Use of the artificial rain puts the humidity up to 1 00 per cent but it quickly falls again. My main worry now is that in the first twenty-six weeks (to 5th December, 1965) I have consumed 4,500 units of electricity and most of the year’s cold weather is still to come ! I chose hot-air heating because pipes and radiators are unsightly, must be screened to prevent the birds perching on them, and are then difficult to clean. Gas would be cheaper but we have not any. Oil would be cheaper still but I could not get a small enough hot-air system fueled by oil. However, this little tropical house fills a long-felt want and I have spent many enjoyable hours in it when the weather made it impossible to remain in outdoor aviaries and paddocks in any comfort. I should be most grateful to hear from anyone who has any experience of keeping, in such a small area, small reptiles or mammals which are compatible with birds. Finally, I should like to put on record my thanks for the valuable advice I have had from G. S. Mottershead, Director Chester Zoo ; J. J. Yealland, F.L.S., Curator of Birds, London Zoo, and from Mrs. Wendy Duggan. * * * SOME NOTES ON THE BEHAVIOUR OF THE RED-BREASTED BLUE-BILL ( Spermophaga haematina ) By C. J. O. Harrison (Perivale, Middlesex, England) The Red-breasted Blue-bill [Spermophaga haematina) is a big, heavy¬ billed waxbill that skulks in the swampy growths of West Africa. Remarkably little seems to be known about it, and I have therefore brought together these scanty observations made on a solitary male in the London Zoo several years ago. This is a large estrildine whose big heavy bill gives the head a rather ungainly appearance. The male is glossy black in colour with a scarlet breast, flanks, and rump. The bill is blue and the white eyelids show as crescentic white patches above and below the eyes like grotesque painted eyebrows on a clown. These are barely visible on dry museum skins and are not shown in most illustrations. The female is a duller black with a scarlet breast, and the belly grey, spotted with white. The male was kept with a collection of small seed-eaters in the Small Bird House at the London Zoo. In general it was a remarkably silent bird. The normal contact call appeared to be a soft “ tic ” and I could G. J. O. HARRISON - BEHAVIOUR OF THE RED-BREASTED BLUE-BILL I 7 not elicit any special alarm call. (Bannerman, 1 949, mentions a metallic “ swink, swink ”, rather similar to the call of a Chaffinch, which might be the alarm note of the species.) In spite of its great bill the bird was able to deal with tiny heads of seeding grass with great delicacy, and held them down with one foot on the perch while feeding on them, an ability possessed by some other waxbill species. When offered stems of grass with seeding heads attached it appeared to become stimulated to display. It was seen to seize a stem by its tip in typical estrildine fashion and fly to a perch with it. Here it sang, the song being a prolonged, rather rambling, utterance, and seemed to consist of a confused series of “ chipping ” and “ tcherring ” notes, in random rapid sequence, fairly low in tone and rather unmelodious. When singing like this it perched very upright with its tail held to one side in the typical “ tail- twist ” posture. When it displayed it did so on a low perch, with the grass-stem held by the tip in its bill. It leaned forwards with the bill and stem pointing downwards at an angle, and the head-feathers fluffed up. In this posture it performed a series of successive downward bowing move¬ ments, slow and not very rhythmic. These were accompanied by a rapid chittering song, sounding similar to that uttered at other times, but rather faster and more vigorous. The song was accompanied by a vigorous quivering of the tail in a vertical plane without very great up and down amplitude. This quivering movement appeared to be the result of the effort used in uttering the song. In the absence of a mate this display appeared to be performed in vacuo or possibly in response to some unidentified individual of some other species. Later, after the display, the same type of song that had been heard earlier was sung from the tip of a small water pipe projecting up a foot or two from the aviary floor. The bird was also heard to sing from this perch on some subsequent occasions. The song was interspersed with the regular utterance of four loud, far-carrying notes with a rising crescendo “ dwee-dwee-dwee-dwee ”. This might have been a specialized call, but appeared here as part of the song and seemed to have an advertisement or contact function, being heard at a much greater distance than any other vocalization of this bird. This latter phrase might be the “ curious whistle ” also referred to in Bannerman’s account. REFERENCE Bannerman, D. A., 1949. The Birds of Tropical West Africa, Vol. 7. * * * 2 1 8 K. C LINT AND J. M. DOLAN, JR. — ORANGE-BREASTED COTINGA SUCCESSFUL BREEDING OF THE ORANGE¬ BREASTED COTINGA (Pipreola jucunda) IN THE SAN DIEGO ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS By Kenton C. Lint (Curator) and James M. Dolan, jr., Ph.D. (Assistant Curator), San Diego Zoological Gardens, California, U.S.A. The genus Pipreola is one of thirty genera within the family Cotingidae, a primitive passerine group confined to the New World tropics. Of this genus, five species occur in Colombia, two of these, Pipreola jucunda and Pipreola arcuata, are represented in the San Diego Zoological Gardens. With the exception of the Cocks-of-the-Rock, Rupicola , and the Naked- Throated Bellbird, Procnias nudicollis, Cotingas have been poorly represented in both public and private collections in the United States. It is quite probable that their habits in the wild state have resulted in their poor representation in captivity. The vast majority of these birds inhabit the uppermost tree tops or middle stories in great gallery forests, which makes their capture a difficult procedure. Furthermore, they are secretive and solitary by nature. Apparently these are the major reasons why they are seldom offered in the bird trade, for they are not difficult to maintain in captivity. The Orange-breasted Cotinga, Pipreola jucunda , ranges throughout the upper tropical zones from western Ecuador south along the Pacific coast of Colombia. It is a bird of medium size, to 8 inches in length. In the males, the head is glossy black ; upper breast and sides of neck orange ; lower breast and remainder of underparts yellow ; back, wings, tail, and sides of breast grass green. The sides of the body are mixed yellow and green. Bill orange ; legs and feet greyish green. The female is grass green, the breast streaked with yellow. We received our first Orange-breasted Cotingas on 29th June, 1964. At the time construction was under way on a new Hummingbird aviary adapted for the reception of other compatible tropical forms. Temporarily, the Cotingas were housed in one of the arched aviaries forming the Benchley Plaza, where we found them to be very steady and quite gentle with smaller birds. The Cotingas were placed in the new aviary upon its completion on 28th September, 1964. On 26th June, 1965, the two birds were noted to be particularly interested in each other and subsequent matings were observed. A daily ration of six to eight mealworms were fed to each. The male would take a mealworm in his bill, advance to the female, and present this to her as a form of courtship. He would then wait until she had accepted and swallowed the food, then returning to the feeding station for another morsel he would return to the hen, repeating the performance until her appetite was satisfied. After the feeding she was seen to fly to another perch and rest. Only then did the male feed Avicult. Mag. [lofacep. 18 Orange-breasted Cotinga Hen Incubating Eggs on Nest IIS Avicult. Mag. Copyright ] [Ron Garrison, San Diego Zoo Orange-breasted Cotinga Nestling — Six Days Old Avicult. Mag, [To face p. 19 Orange-breasted Gotinga Nestling — Thirty-three Days Old K. C. LINT AND J. M. DOLAN, JR. - ORANGE-BREASTED GOTINGA 1 9 himself. It appears the female will accept food from the male only after they have reached a particular stage in the sexual cycle. From our observations the male and female come into breeding condition simultaneously. Food passing is a form of courtship and an important feature in the breeding behaviour of the family Cotingidae. It was observed that the nesting site was chosen by the male, a redwood hanging basket containing a large fuchsia in blossom. The male would fly to this particular plant with a piece of grass or rootlet, call softly and wait for the hen to investigate the particular site. On 26th June as we observed this short courtship behaviour we watched the hen bring in a piece of sphagnum moss to the selected site. Merely using the basket as a foundation she built an open cup nest of grasses, rootlets, and sphagnum moss in four days. The finished nest measured 8 inches across the top, the interior measured 6 inches wide and 4 inches deep. The actual construction of the nest was carried out entirely by the female, although the male was observed to bring additional material for use, much of which was rej’ected. The fuchsia basket containing the nest was located at the west end of the aviary, 8 feet above one of the ornamental foot bridges and ideal for close observation. The first egg, light tan in colour, with fine brown flecks was laid 30th June, with a second the following day. The hen did not leave the nest during the laying period. The male guarded the nest and carried food to the female so she would not be forced to leave the nest and eggs unattended. The female proved to be a very stable individual incu¬ bating the eggs closely. Incubation began with the laying of the first egg and was carried out entirely by the female. We were somewhat worried with the location of the nest as it was vulnerable to the other miscellaneous birds living in the same aviary. Tanagers, sunbirds, manikins, honey creepers, flower piercers all foraged from one end of the aviary to the other with little interference to the Cotingas. One egg hatched on 1 6th July, the second egg 17th July. The egg shells were immediately removed from the nest by the female after each hatching and dropped to the ground. An incubation period of seventeen days was recorded for both Orange-breasted Cotinga chicks. Live food in the form of mealworm pupae Tenebrio molitor was placed in a small container at the edge of the nest for the parents to feed the nestlings. Only mealworms were seen to be fed for the first five days. On the sixth day a small container of fresh blueberries was offered to the parents. We observed both male and female eating the blueberries as well as the mealworms at this date. On the seventh day one of the chicks disappeared from the nest and was never found. The remaining chick grew rapidly and as we wished to record the age at which the eyes first open we carefully watched the growth 20 A. A. PRESTWICH - BREEDING THE CAROLINA PARRAKEET process. The eyes began opening on the eleventh day. At twelve days of age they were completely open. Cotinga chicks are small replicas of their parents, smaller in size, duller in coloration with bob tails. Finally, at twenty-five days of age the young bird, being very strong on the wing, vacated the nest, joining its parents in the central portion of the aviary. Both parents fed the nestling wherever he wandered throughout the aviary, following him from plant to plant. When twenty-nine days old the chick was observed eating by itself. The young Cotinga has proven to be a male and as far as can be ascertained this is the first successful captive breeding of the species. % Sfc ❖ RECORDS OF BREEDING THE CAROLINA PARRAKEET ( Conuropsis carolinensis ) IN CAPTIVITY By A. A. Prestwich (Edenbridge, Kent, England) Dr. J. F. Fulbeck (1965, 186) has described the probable extinction of the Carolina Parrakeet or Conure. By all accounts it must have been a very attractive bird and, one would have thought, a very desirable inmate of the aviaries of the middle nineteenth to early twentieth centuries. It does not, however, appear to have been fully appreciated, for there are comparatively few records of successful breeding in captivity. I have brought together such as I have been able to find. They are given country by country in chronological order, and in more or less narrative form. It was not thought necessary to give all the references. Anyone sufficiently interested will be able to find them in Records of Parrots Bred in Captivity , pt. iii, p. 79 ; pt. vii, p. 17. France Durand-Gonon, of Saint Brieue, and Verdin, of Troyes, were both successful in 1877. These successes may have been the first anywhere. No details are available concerning the events, but young ones were offered for sale in 1878. Germany Dr. Karl Russ credits himself with being the first breeder, but he gives no date for the event. He does, however, say that Dr. Nowotny also bred it, in Vienna, in 1879, so presumably his success was in either that year or just before. Neunzig writes : “ A pair in Dr. Russ’s bird- room hatched out three young and later on five more. Three to five eggs were laid, both parents sat and fed ; nest-down mouse-grey. The young were the same size as the adults, but ... a lighter green, . . . not till the second year was the yellow or orange of the head fully developed.” A. A. PRESTWIGH - BREEDING THE CAROLINA PARRAKEET 2 Esfsfs were laid in the Frankfurt Zoo, i860, and two in the Hanover Zoo, 1868. Austria The pair with which Dr. Nowotny was successful in 1879 was kept in a cage, but allowed considerable freedom in a living room. The first clutch of five eggs was broken : two of a second clutch were acciden¬ tally destroyed but the female incubated three, all of which hatched. One young one died after about three weeks, but the two survivors feathered nicely. When they were some six weeks old, Dr. Nowotny had to take them on a twenty-four hour journey — both died within a week. United States of America Despite various writers saying that there are a number of well- authenticated records they are, in fact, few and far between. The first “ success ” appears to have been in the Philadelphia Zoological Garden when, on 9th September, 1885, a young one was hatched from an egg which had been placed under a Turtle Dove. The period of incubation was fourteen days. It is not stated how long the young bird lived nor, indeed, whether the egg had been laid by captive birds or taken from a nest in the wild. Alfred Grover found these birds nesting in a hollow cypress on the Tomoka River about 1892 ; he took their eggs, hatched them and had about twenty young birds. The Cincinnati Zoological Garden had a number of pairs over a period of many years. Dr. William C. Herman has written : “ The parakeets were well adapted to being caged, some were in the zoo for twenty or more years. A hollow tree was provided for the birds for roosting. Here they hung for the night ; that is, they used their beaks for holding on to the interior of the tree trunk and so rested for the night.” Dr. Herman has also written : “ Some of these birds bred in captivity. Dozens of young birds were raised, especially when others recently captured were added.” These events were prior to 1914, because the very last Carolina Parrakeet died in the zoo during the September of that year. Robert Ridgway kept three Carolina Parrakeets in captivity for several years, 1896-1903. They laid at least thirteen eggs : most of the eggs in American collections are the product of these birds. In November, 1902, Ridgway wrote to J. L. Childs : “ My female Parakeet laid only six eggs the past summer and I shall never get any more, as the bird is now dead. The first she laid is the one I sent you. The remaining five hatched, but I have only two young ones left, a rat having carried off one, another was starved by the parents when half grown, and the third I gave to a friend who had time and disposition to take care of it in order to save it from starving.” 22 W. D. CUMMINGS — FOREIGN DOVES IN CAPTIVITY Great Britain Whether they were ever bred is perhaps a little doubtful. Gedney, writing in about 1876, and straining his rather elastic imagination to the utmost, says : “ with judicious management these birds will breed freely in confinement. ... It is only now and then that a pair of imported birds of this variety can be induced to breed, . . . but a little perseverance will eventually ensure success, and I have often succeeded by changing the male bird, after prolonged expectation and repeated disappointments, . . . they are, moreover, profitable birds, as a good pair will amply repay their keep by the prolific reproduction of their species.” Later writers have stated that they “ will breed freely in a large aviary or bird-room ”, “ not infrequently bred ”, etc., but details are invariably lacking, and the observations may not, of course, refer to Great Britain. * * * FOREIGN DOVES IN CAPTIVITY By W. D. Cummings (Keston, Kent, England ) I was very interested to read the article by Professor Carl Naether, in the September number, 1965, of the Avicultural Magazine, on the use of foster parents to raise Foreign Doves. I have been trying for four years here, at the Keston Foreign Bird Farm, to raise Rock Pigeons X Stock Dove hybrids and, although I have had a high percentage of fertile eggs — nearly 90 per cent — and the squabs hatched when placed under domestic pigeons flying at liberty, and also by the hybridizing parents themselves, we have not managed to rear them usually beyond the seven-day period during which the squabs are fed on the pigeons’ milk. When the parents, or foster parents, commenced feeding the squabs on hard seed, the youngsters always succumbed. Only once were they reared to fledgling stage then the squabs died. We tried feeding the hybridizing parents on soaked wheat pellets and knibbled maize, also bread and milk daily, with the same results. We thought the pigeons flying at liberty would find a certain amount of vegetable matter and wild seeds which, with a proportion of hard seed, the squabs could assimilate, but this was not the case. In all we must have lost over twenty squabs. We have tried keeping a pair of domestic pigeons under restriction and feeding them entirely on poultry growers pellets but the birds concerned never even attempted to nest. Finally, we tried one egg under a pair of White-breasted Barbary Doves and left them one of their own clear eggs. The egg was almost three times the size of their own but they sat on it conscientiously. I changed their diet from a mainly white millet diet, to mixed poultry chick crumbs, a little hemp and knibbled maize, with a small proportion W. D. CUMMINGS - FOREIGN DOVES IN CAPTIVITY 23 of white millet. In addition, they were given a little insectivorous mixture daily which they were fond of, and gentles, which we give to all our doves daily when they have young. This did the trick. They reared the young hybrid until it grew almost double the size of the foster parents ! The hybrid had a thin, narrow bill so the foster parents experienced little discomfort, which could have been the case if they had reared a normal domestic pigeon, with its rather wider, larger bill. There was a reason for this exercise for, according to my information, the resultant Rock Pigeon X Stock hybrid is fertile, if a cock, when paired back to domestic pigeons, so I will incorporate it in my domestic stock. We include poultry chick crumb or pellets in the diet of all our foreign doves and pigeons, including the Australian Crested Pigeons, Common Bronze-wing Pigeons, Tambourine Doves, and Triangular Spotted Pigeons, and apart from the various varieties of the Barbary and Ring Doves. There is no doubt that they are more easily assimilated by squabs in the nest, as opposed to an entirely seed diet. Apart from this, we have tried fostering squabs of the beautiful little East African Tambourine Doves under Barbarys, but this was not a success. The Tambourine egg is small, elongated, and a creamy yellow colour, unlike the normal white of most other Doves. Their squab is very small and has an almost needle-like bill, long and very thin. We have also tried common Bronze-wing eggs under Crested Pigeons, which the latter duly hatched but would not rear and when I was much younger I tried rearing Crested Pigeons under domestic White Fan tails residing in a pigeon cote. The eggs had been deserted and this was the main reason. The Fantails hatched and reared the two young Crested Pigeons until fledgling stage when they took off for the nearest tree and were never seen again either by me or by the Fantails. Since writing this article, the cock Stock Dove hybrid, paired to a small Rock Pigeon X Lavender Ice hen, at nine months old, has gone to nest. The hybrid which, at first glance, looks like a Blue Rock Pigeon, has a noticeably different courtship display. He bows like other members of the Dove family and makes a continuous cooing note, at the end of which he raises his tail, also very dovelike. He has full black bars on his wings and although he has more colour around the neck than a cock Stock Dove, it also does not join together under the throat. He has been very good at sharing incubation with the hen and both eggs have since proved fertile ; one chick was dead in the shell and the other is approximately 9-10 days old. This seems to be a high degree of fertility in a hybrid. 24 P. J. LEVI - THE SOUTHERN WHITE-BREASTED CRAKE OBSERVATIONS ON THE SOUTHERN WHITE¬ BREASTED CRAKE IN CAPTIVITY [Laterallus leucopyrrhus ) By Peter J. Levi (Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England) This article has been written as the result of observations on four of these birds in a large aviary in the Bird House at the London Zoo. The aviary is very picturesque, containing two large ponds surrounded by much peat and a large expanse of concrete, the former being adorned with two large trees and also many rocks among which the birds delight in playing a game of chase. Other occupants of the aviary include tanagers, bulbuls, starlings, birds of paradise, touracos, plovers, and also several other species of rails, etc. There have been nine of these birds in the Zoological Society’s collection. The structure of this species is similar to that of the more familiar male Little Crake ( Porzana parva), being somewhat like a miniature chicken in appearance with a short pointed bill, short neck, very short rounded wings, short tail, and comparatively long legs for wading in water and long toes specially adapted for walking on aquatic vegetation. The markings too are not unlike those of the commoner bird, although the upper-parts are more chestnut in tone, and coming from the head, extends to the sides of the breast (in the Little Crake it continues in a more or less straight line round to the shoulders) ; the under-parts are white with broad black vertical bars on the flanks (in the Little Crake this is slate-grey, with white bars on flanks and black and white on under- tail coverts). The bill is black with lemon-yellow base, iris crimson, legs and feet vermilion. When a group of birds have lived together for any length of time, they form what is known as a “ peck-order ”, i.e. as the result of consistent fighting, or, as in this case, consistently assertive behaviour, they result in a social hierarchy of dominance and submission ; the dominant bird (the winner of the greatest number of contests) is called the Alpha, and the most subordinate bird (the loser of the greatest number of contests) is called the Omega. In this particular aviary, a male Princess Stephanie’s Bird of Paradise seems to be the Alpha (this is probably because the others are frightened by its rustling flight and long tail — it seldom actually attacks them), and these crakes the Omegas. Timid though they are (though not so shy and retiring as many other crakes), they show a great reluctance to fly and will not do so unless necessity is absolute, and will normally run from danger, sometimes using the wings for added propellent. On the few occasions when it is necessary, however, it is only but a very weak effort, and for a very short distance, the legs being dangled ; they are very difficult P. J. LEVI - THE SOUTHERN WHITE-BREASTED CRAKE 25 Southern White-breasted Crake. to put up a second time. In this aviary they spend most of their time on the ground, but when two were kept in the Tropical House (next door to the Bird House) , they were more often sitting side by side in the tree trunk forks than on the ground (the branches in this aviary are perhaps not thick enough for them to sit comfortably in them). The gait is made up of rather long strides, with head bobbed, legs raised high, and toes drawn together with each elevation ; the head is usually held somewhat lowered. The tail is bobbed when nervous. When on the quest for food (which accounts for quite a large percentage of their waking hours), the bird looks toward the ground, head lowered, and occasionally prods a dead leaf or twig, even though consumption is obviously quite unintentional. When a titbit is located, however, the bird seizes it with a sharp stab of the bill, sometimes bobbing the tail. When bathing, the head is first ducked under water, it is then raised quickly, thus throwing water over the back, upon which the wings and tail are flapped vigorously, thus bathing the whole body ; this is followed by much preening, flapping of wings, and quivering of tail, and afterwards the wings are partly opened (so that the leading edges are at right angles to the body) to dry them, the inner secondaries overlapping on the back. When looking for food around the aviary, they were usually solitary, but when sunbathing, would usually gather together with their bodies touching and much social preening was done ; even when not grouped together one individual would some¬ times approach another and thrust its head under its companion’s chin, whereupon it was preened as required. They would sometimes 26 A. V. MARQUES - BREEDING RESULTS AT OLDHILL IN 1 965 stand on one leg when dozing, with bill tucked under back feathers ; dozing was also done when crouched right down on belly. These birds did not show a very wide vocabulary — indeed the only utterances that I ever heard, were a low squeak and a prolonged throaty chatter, the latter being delivered with neck extended. In the wild, leuc o pyrrhus , like other members of the Rallidae, exists on an omnivorous diet (which, incidentally, partly explains why the rail family is so widespread), but in the zoo they thrive on a mixture of boiled egg, carrots and rice, minced-meat, insect-mixture, and biscuit- meal ; they also relish seed (white millet and canary) , live house-flies, mealworms, and maggots. This species, which is also known as the Red and White Crake, was bred in Mr. Boehm’s aviaries. The Southern White-breasted Crake lives naturally in south-eastern South America. ^ ^ ^ BREEDING RESULTS AT OLDHILL IN 1965 By A. V. Marques (Studham, Bedfordshire, England) The following are some details of my breeding results at Oldhill Wood during 1965 : — Barnard’s Parrakeets, 4 ; Bauer’s, 2 ; Blue-bonnets, 1 1 ; Crimson- wings, 2 ; Green-winged Kings, 4 (in two rounds) ; Green Rosellas, 1 2 ; Kings, 3 (on breeding terms) ; Mealy Rosellas, 7 ; New Zealand Red-fronted, 3 ; New Zealand Yellow-fronted, 3 ; Pileated, 5 ; Princess of Wales, 2 ; Rock Peplars, 2 ; Pennant’s, 16 ; Yellow Red-rumps, 3. I bred fewer Bourke’s, Elegants, Splendids, Blue-wings, and Tur- quoisines than in previous years ; this I attribute, rightly or wrongly, to the changeable weather at the time when the Grass Parrakeets began to nest early in April. Interesting recent additions to the collection include two pairs of blue Quaker Parrakeets, two pairs of Timor Crimson- wings, three Hooded Parrakeets, a pair of Brown’s Rosellas, and a pair of Rock Grass Parrakeets. I was also lucky enough to obtain, through the good services of my friend Dr. Humberto Ferreira of Rio de Janeiro, a pair of the beautiful and rare Spix Macaws, as well as other South American birds. At the time of writing (20th December) there are two three-day old Hooded Parrakeets bred from a pair nesting inside a heated greenhouse, with access to an unheated flight covered in a plastic “ tent In another greenhouse, a pair of Red-fronted New Zealand Parrakeets are making a good job of rearing their three-week old chicks, and a pair of the Yellow-fronted have just hatched their clutch of four eggs. J. J. YE ALL AND - LONDON ZOO NOTES 27 All these pairs are supplied with extra lighting to enable them to feed their young for a longer period than would normally be possible at this time of the year. I would be interested to hear from any member of the Avicultural Society with previous experience of breeding these birds, for an exchange of views on the subject. * ❖ * LONDON ZOO NOTES By J. J. Yealland A specimen of Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha , the Thick-billed Parrot, has been deposited, the first of this species to be in the collection. The Thick-billed Parrot is the only member of its genus ; it inhabits the pine forests of the Mexican highlands and occasionally appears in the mountains of Arizona and New Mexico. The pinyon nut, seed of the pines, is one of the chief foods of this parrot. Blake {Birds of Mexico) mentions a second species, Rhynchopsitta terrisi, but this is not recognized by others so far as I have been able to trace. Specimens of Jerdon’s Imperial Pigeon {Ducula badia cuprea ) and a Little Scaly-bellied Green Woodpecker {Picus xanthopygceus) have also been received and are species not previously in the collection. Two Spur-winged Plovers and a pair of Siamese Fireback Pheasants bred by the Societe Royale de Zoologie d’Anvers, three Eider Ducks from Mr. Tom Spence, a pair of Tonkinese Red Junglefowl from Mr. Philip Wayre, a Blue and White Flycatcher and a Superb Glossy Starling from Mrs. D. Ashken, a pair of Bullfinches and a Tree Sparrow from Mr. F. C. Astles, a Saker Falcon, a Shikra, and a Tawny Eagle are other noteworthy arrivals. Four Black Swans and two Chinese Necklace Doves have been bred in the Gardens and the pair of Spotted Eagle-Owls, one received in 1952 and the other in 1954 appear to become more prolific with age, for after rearing two families this year, they are now nesting again. Two years ago they brought up a family during the winter. A Forster’s Milvago received in March, 1937, has died. 28 NEWS AND VIEWS NEWS AND VIEWS Donnell D. Whitsett, Winston Salem, N.G., reports a parrakeet cross of which I do not remember a previous instance — Red Rosella X Port Lincoln. Three young hybrids left the nest on 29th and 30th June and 1 st July, 1965. * * * The Simon Harvey Memorial Medal, awarded annually by the Avicultural Society of South Australia for the most outstanding breeding achievement of the year, has been awarded to A. Y. Pepper, Scarborough, Western Australia, for breeding the Scarlet Robin, Petroica multicolor , 1964-65. * * * The St. Louis Zoo reports the breeding of four Capueira Partridges, Odontophorus capueira. This is probably the first time this South-east Brazilian partridge has been bred in captivity. Another probable first is to the credit of the Nuremberg Zoo where three young Ural Owls, Strix uralensis, left the sitting-box on 25th May last year. * * * Mention of P. W. Louwman immediately conjures up visions of Wassenaar and its magnificent collection of birds. Many, of course, know that Mr. Louwman has one of the finest libraries of ornithological works in the world. But it may come as a surprise to some to learn that Mr. Louwman is a vintage car enthusiast. In his fifty-vehicle collection he has cars dating from 1898. * * * In the British Isles the Avocet, Recurvirostra avosetta, formerly bred from the Humber to Sussex, but it disappeared as a breeding species in 1842 or 1843. Then two pairs bred in Ireland in 1938, and in 1947 four pairs bred on Havergate Island and four at nearby Minsmere, in Suffolk. By 1957 the colony on Havergate Island had increased to about ninety pairs, and last year fifty-two pairs reared seventy-eight young. * * * W. R. Carthew, Vereeniging, South Africa, is to be congratulated on his success in breeding the Grey-necked Crowned Crane, Balearica regulorum. I believe there is only one previous record of success, that of Sir David Ezra, in Calcutta, in 1934. On that occasion two young ones were hatched but one was a weakling and soon died. The other was a strong, healthy bird and was six months old at the time of the account (see Avicult. Mag., 1935, 59 ; and two photographs of the young one with its parents). NEWS AND VIEWS 29 To the November, 1965, number of the National Geographic Magazine , Dr. Dillon Ripley, contributes an absorbingly interesting account “ Saving the Nene, World’s Rarest Goose It is illustrated by a very good series of photographs by Jerry Chong. Fifteen years ago there were fewer than fifty Nenes, but thanks to the dedication of a few, such as Herbert Shipman, Peter Scott, and Dr. Dillon Ripley, and Hawaii’s conservation officers, there are to-day more than 500 Nenes in the world. If the present programme is maintained for ten more years, conservationists believe that the world population will rise to a safe 2,000. * * * Several readers have inquired regarding the identity of “ Ringo ” mentioned in the “ Tail Piece ” to these notes in the last number of the Magazine. “ Ringo ” is a Thick-billed Parrakeet, Rhynchopsitta pachy- rhyncha. This species is now regarded as the sole remaining member of the Order Psittaciformes occurring in America. It breeds, so far as is known, only in the pine belt of the mountains of northern and middle Mexico, but it wanders sporadically, and at times abundantly, north to the mountains of south-central and south-eastern Arizona. Dr. Karl Plath once owned one of these rare parrakeets and his painting of it was reproduced in the April, 1927, number of the Magazine. * * * B. G. Donnelly, Port Elizabeth Museum ( The Ostrich , 1965, p. 145), records an interesting case of longevity in the Yellow-backed Bishop, Euplectes capensis. He writes : “ On 15 December, 1963, a hand- reared male Yellow-backed Bishop kept in captivity since February, 1945, died through inadvertent exposure. This extremely tame bird was caged throughout its life except for occasions when it was allowed to fly around in a house. Though it was crippled and flightless for the last five years of its existence, it still came into breeding plumage each year, retained its healthy appetite and remained in excellent condition. Brought in as a nestling by an African, it lived for eighteen years, ten months.” * * * Despite regulations which virtually prohibit the importation of birds into Australia from any part of the world except New Zealand a representative collection has been maintained at the Adelaide Zoolo¬ gical Gardens. The Eighty-seventh Annual Report of the Royal Zoological Society of South Australia , 7964-65 , says that excellent breeding results, possibly the best for several years, were achieved during the period under review. Nearly 200 birds of fifty-two different species or varieties were hatched and reared to independence. Amongst the psittacines there were six Red-capped, three Hooded, thirty-one Neophema of six species, including Rock, and a Scarlet X Blue and Yellow Macaw hybrid. An unusual hybrid was an Australian White Ibis X Straw-necked Ibis. 30 NEWS AND VIEWS The genus Coturnix , comprising the true quails, consists of but five species, one of which is extinct, with an additional nine races. David Seth-Smith was always particularly interested in quail of all species, and in the days before his long association with the Zoological Society of London they were well represented in his collection at Addiscombe. There he bred the Harlequin Quail, C. delegorguei , and the Stubble Quail, C. pectoralis, both in 1906, and the Rain Quail, C. coromandelica. The two first-named were first successes, but the last had been bred by his brother Leslie in 1903. The Harlequin is the most handsome of the four species and it is pleasing to note that Jeffrey Trollope has recently succeeded in rearing three. Four chicks were hatched but one disappeared a couple of days later. * * * During the spring, 1965, the Trumpeter Swans in the Philadelphia Zoo laid seven eggs. The first cygnet hatched on 25th June, to be soon followed by two more. The parents then wandered off with the three young ones. Two of the deserted eggs were removed to an electric incubator, and both were successfully hatched on 3rd July. They were introduced into the nest and very fortunately the parents accepted them. All five were successfully reared — the first Trumpeter Swans to be reared in captivity in the United States — a triumph for John A. Griswold, Curator of Birds. Within a few days of the first Trumpeter Swan cygnet being hatched in the Philadelphia Zoo another success was reported in the United States. Six cygnets were hatched in the City Park Zoo, Great Bend, Kansas, on 28th and 29th June, 1965. * * * The passing of the Dowager Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians is reason enough for the retelling of a special event in the history of the Society. When on a visit to Belgium in the autumn of 1947, Miss P. Barclay-Smith learnt from the late Madame Gustav Derscheid that Her Majesty would welcome a pair of Black Swans for the lakes at the Palace of Laeken. On her return to England Miss Barclay-Smith suggested to our President Mr. Ezra that it would be a very nice gesture if the Society were to present a pair to Her Majesty, as a token of friendship between Great Britain and Belgium. Mr. Ezra immediately agreed and, with his characteristic generosity, offered to defray all expenses. It was hoped to obtain a pair of swans from Chartwell, but Sir Winston was unwilling to part with any of his small stock. However, a brood of five was hatched at Leckford in the autumn, 1948. Mr. Terry Jones selected a pair and at the end of May, 1949, they were sent to the Antwerp Zoo where M. Walter Van den berg kindly took charge of them till they were taken to Laeken. When the Society’s small presentation party arrived they found that owing to REVIEW 31 illness the Queen was confined to her private apartments. Her Majesty, nevertheless, expressed the wish to have the swans presented to her personally, and so they were taken to her room in a basket. Fortunately the presentation passed off without mishap. The swans behaved perfectly and, much to the delight of the Queen, pecked delicately at her bed-cover thinking it was something good to eat. They were later released on one of the lakes at Laeken and settled down well. ❖ * * Tail Piece “ ioo Sparrows Wanted” Dr. Eugene Garbee, a wild life expert and president of Upper Iowa University is offering five cents each (4 d.) for 100 English sparrows. He wants them to appear as “ Fayette sparrow pot pie ” at the 14th annual wild game dinner he is cooking in Fayette next month.” Daily Telegraph , 22nd November, 1965. A. A. P. * * * REVIEW AUSTRALIAN FINCHES IN BUSH AND AVIARY. By K. Immelmann. Angus and Robertson, Ltd., Sydney, London, and Melbourne, 1965. Price 4.2s. In 1932 Neville Cayley’s book on Australian grassfinches, with the coloured plates which he had painted, was published. It contained not only descriptions of the birds in the wilds but also included the information available from aviculturalists, and it probably helped to make these birds some of the most popular of aviary inmates. In the period since its publication a great deal has been learned about these birds, much of it based on the study of species kept in aviaries in Britain and Europe. Dr. Immelmann has studied some species, the Zebra Finch in particular, as aviary subjects ; and in the present volume he has utilized this, together with all the additional information now available, and his study of the wild birds during a year in Australia, to produce a new book on the Australian grassfinches. The text has been entirely rewritten, but Cayley’s pleasant colour plates (with the exception of those of hybrids) have been retained. The amount of information now available has made it possible to include detailed data on such aspects as behaviour and courtship displays for all species, as well as up-to-date avicultural information on the keeping and breeding of each species. The general scope of the work can be seen from the 32 NOTES following subheadings in a typical chapter on one bird, the Masked Grassfinch : Names, Description, Distribution, Geographic variation, Field notes, Food and feeding habits, Drinking habits, Galls, Courtship and mating, Site and nature of nest, Breeding, social activities ; Aviary notes — Housing, Food, Breeding, Hybrids. This book contains the summarized results of a great deal of research into all aspects of the species concerned, including such things as mouth-markings in the young, and colour-inheritance in Zebra Finches. The insistence on unripe seed and insects as food for grass- finches in aviaries makes one wonder if a greater emphasis on these at an earlier date, rather than reliance on dry seed mixtures, might have prevented the virtual disappearance of some species from aviculture since the export ban. This is an excellent and valuable work, a “ must ” for any avi- culturalist interested in these birds. I was conscious of only two minor defects — the omission of the distribution maps present in Cayley’s work; and the use of the incorrect family name “ Spermestidae ” for the Estrildidae. C.J. O. H. * * * NOTES Hybrids Hyacinthine X Blue and Yellow Macaws There are at present at the Tracy Aviary, Salt Lake City, three hybrids between a male Hyacinthine and a female Blue and Yellow ( ararauna ) Macaw, reared during the last few years. They are all similar, large and more like the father in shape, dark blue, with an irregular dark yellow band on the underparts. Although all sorts of crosses and recrosses between ararauna, militaris, macao , and chloroptera Macaws have been obtained, particularly at Parrot Jungle, near Miami, Florida, I am not aware that hybrids between the Hyacinthine and another species have been recorded before. * * Jean Delacour. CORRESPONDENCE PSITTACINES OR PARROTS? With reference to “ News and Views ” in the last issue (Vol. 71, No. 6) surely the word “ parrot ” is the collective English name for the Psittacidae ? Fisher and Peterson in The World of Birds, Austin in Birds of the World, and Landsborough Thomson in A New Dictionary of Birds all list the different genera under the general heading “ Parrots ” and give valid reasons for doing so. “ Psittacines ” is too much of a tongue twister. “ Parrotlike ” is clumsy and as for “ Hookbills ” what about all the birds of prey ? I have always understood that a budgerigar is just as much a parrot as a macaw or a lory ; in the same way that a merganser, pochard, or scoter are all ducks. The Tropical Bird Gardens, Rode, Nr. Bath, Somerset. D. H. S. Risdon. CORRESPONDENCE 33 WHITE-GAPPED TANAGERS I am sorry I cannot add much to Mr. Cumming’s letter on the above other than to say that the nest of our White-capped Tanagers was very close to the roof of the aviary and well concealed, hence it was necessary to enter the flight to see into the nest. By that time the occupant or occupants were off ! I never suspected that the cock could have incubated the eggs as the hen always had the “ ruffled ” appearance of having been disturbed when I approached. However, I hope the same pair will breed again in the coming season and if so will keep a closer watch. Lena Sgamell. Woodbury Cottage, Broad Lane, Newdigate, Dorking, Surrey. YELLOW BANDED GOLDEN PHEASANTS Your contributor Mr. Keith Wilkins writes about the Yellow Banded Golden Pheasant saying that he hopes to clear up any misunderstanding on the matter, but the misunderstanding appears to be still in Australia. He states that he set out on the test mating programme and then informs us that he mated the Yellow Banded bird back to its mother and proceeded to line-breed for several generations. This process is of course the very opposite of test mating and he could have found out the genotype of his Yellow Banded cock by two very simple matings ; by mating the cock to a quite unrelated Golden hen (which surely could have been found without undue difficulty) . Results should have been as follows : — ( i ) If the bird was a dominant mutation at least 50 per cent of the young would be Yellow Banded like the father, on the other hand if it was a recessive mutation all the young would be normal in the first generation. Now if the original Banded cock is a recessive it must be a pure recessive otherwise it would appear normal. However, it is reasonable to assume that its two parents must each carry one recessive gene — thus if the Yellow cock was mated back to its mother 50 per cent should have been Banded in this instance, whether its mother was a dominant or a recessive. In other words the table displayed on page 185 (Nov. -Dec. Number, 1 965) equally well fits the hypothesis that the bird was a recessive derived from the latent gene remaining from a cross with a Lady Amherst Pheasant, possibly as many as fifteen generations back. The pale ruff is another factor which is encountered in cock Golden Pheasants that contain a trace of Lady Amherst. I would like to ask Mr. Wilkins the following questions : — ( 1 ) Do any of the normal Golden Pheasants that occurred in 1 960-6 1 generations have pale ruffs ? (2) How many hens were mated in each generation ? If one of the males with the Yellow Ruffs and Yellow Band is a pure dominant, which it must be to fit Mr. Wilkins hypothesis, then all the young produced from the mating of this bird with any unrelated normal Golden hen (all pure strain) will be (in the case of the males) Yellow Banded. Thus the hypothesis can be proved true or false in a matter of two years. Lastly, with regard to the penultimate paragraph of the article, it was never suggested that the cross with any Amherst had been a recent one and it may still be that the other characters have already begun to appear (i.e. the pale ruff) . Meanwhile I think we should all reserve our judgement either way until proper test matings have been carried out as outlined above. F. E. B. Johnson. Stagsden Bird Gardens, Bedford. 3 34 CORRESPONDENCE SEXING FAIRY BLUEBIRDS Since I wrote for the September-October number of the Magazine, giving details of the rearing of two young Fairy Bluebirds that year, it has become obvious that one can sex the youngsters at 2 to 3 months old. When they left the nest — although they were not nest mates — the two young looked identical in colour, having the overall smokey-blue colouring of the adult hen and none of the cobalt-blue back and black-breast colouring of the adult male. One of the second nest did appear to be slightly darker blue than the other, but this was only apparent in certain lights. However, now one can discern the outline of the black cheek marking of the male on the later hatched youngsters and the body colour has assumed a more cobalt colouring. There are also a few violet/cobalt feathers on the rump. The young hen — - an earlier hatched bird — is still the same overall smokey-blue colour. Both have a light brown eye iris, unlike the ruby-red eye of the adult. We also have a late brood of two young Blue-shouldered Mountain Tanagers. The only obvious sexual difference with these, when fledged, is size. In colour they are identical. They have none of the brilliant yellow head and body colour of the adult cock and hen. They have the strong black eye stripe but their body colour is a pale creamy yellow. The young hen is distinctly smaller with a finer beak. W. D. Cummings. Keston Foreign Bird Farm, Keston, Kent. The Editor does not accept responsibility for opinions expressed in articles, notes , or correspondence. A. A. PRESTWICH - PROTECTION OF BIRDS BILL 35 PROTECTION OF BIRDS BILL In March, 1964, the recommendations for suggested amendments to the Protection of Birds Act, 1 954, made by the Advisory Committees for the Protection of Birds in England and Wales and in Scotland were forwarded by the Home Office to both the Avicultural Society and the National Council for Aviculture, among many other interested organizations, for comment. Among the proposed amendments was one allowing the Home Office to grant licences for “ taking birds for the purpose of aviculture However, when the Bill to amend the 1 954 Act was introduced into the House of Lords by Lord Hurcomb in May, 1965, this provision, with some others, was dropped. The Bill passed through all stages in the House of Lords but, owing to the end of the Session, could not be introduced into the House of Commons. This omission of the provision allowing the granting of licences for taking birds for the purpose of aviculture was discussed at the Council meeting of the Avicultural Society on 15th November, 1965, and it was decided to form a Sub-Committee to go into the matter and Messrs. Colin Harrison, Claude Payne, and Philip Wayre were appointed. On Mr. Harrison’s departure for an expedition in Australia Mr. Derek Goodwin took his place. The National Council for Aviculture also appointed a Sub- Committee. Close liaison between the two was maintained and it was decided to arrange for an amendment to be put forward when the Bill came before the House of Commons. The Bill was introduced into the House of Commons during the present session by Colonel Sir Tufton Beamish, M.P., and passed its Second Reading on 28th January, 1966. Thanks to the good offices of Mr. Claude Payne, Mr. William Wilson, M.P. for Coventry South, has undertaken to put forward an amendment to reinstate the provision that licences may be granted for the taking of birds for the purpose of aviculture when the Bill is being discussed in Committee (the first opportunity that amendments can be put forward) . The aim of the amendment is to assist genuine breeders of British 36 A. A. PRESTWICH - PROTECTION OF BIRDS BILL birds and also to stop the illegal trapping of British birds for sale which has been growing during recent years, and it is hoped that all aviculturists will do everything in their power to achieve this end. A. A. Prestwich, Hon. Secretary. When Visiting the COTSWOLDS A VICULTURISTS ARE WELCOME TO Set in the charm oj an old English Garden at the lovely Village oj BO UR TON- ON- THE - WA TER ★ ★ ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ * * * * “I name ¥ * * * this ¥ ¥ * * Parrot ...” * ¥ * * ¥ Brief biographies of men and women in whose honour * * commemorative names have been given : together with * * a complete list of parrot-like birds — scientific names with ¥ * their derivations, and English names. ¥ * ¥ * Price 2 is., post free. ¥ ¥ 4c Arthur A. Prestwich ¥ 4c * EDENBRIDGE, KENT. ¥ * ¥ ¥ ★ ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★) f ¥ STUDIES ON GREAT CRESTED GREBES By K. E. L. SIMMONS Price 5/6 post free PUBLISHED BY THE AVIGULTURAL SOCIETY GALLEY ’S WOOD EDENBRIDGE, KENT BOOKS on BIRDS Catalogue on request WHELDON & WESLEY LTD. LYTTON LODGE, CODICOTE, Nr. HITCHIN, HERTS. Telephone : Codicote 370. AUSTRALIAN PARRAKEETS THEIR MAINTENANCE AND BREEDING IN EUROPE DR. H. D. GROEN English edition. Cloth bound volume, measuring io£ X 7J inches ; 237 pages with valuable information and including full-page coloured photographs of all species in the genus Platycercus, Barnardius, Psephotus ( Psephotellus , Northiella), Neophema, Polytelis, Alisterus , Aprosmictus, Purpureicephaliis and Lathamus. All photographs are printed on special art paper (Diamond, 150 gr./m.2) and in each case male and female are portrayed side by side, making identification and sexing very simple. Price : U.K. £3 3^. ; U.S.A. $9. Post free to anywhere in the world. Payment by international money order or by bank draft should accompany order. Obtainable only direct from the author: Dr. H. D. Groen, Haren (Gr.), Holland. Bank : Amsterdam-Rotterdam Bank, Haren (Gr.), Holland. SPECIAL mmo FOODS FAMOUS SINCE 1823 Universal Fortifier Perfort BEKFIN Fort-Egg and (Pictorial Packet) 3 oz. 1/2 4 oz. 1/6 (Insectivorous Colorfort | lb. 2/11 £lb. 2/9 i lb. 2/9 Red Packet) i lb. 3/- 1 lb. 5/3 1 lb. 5/3 1 lb. 5/3 * lb. 3/9 1 lb. 5/3 2 lb. 9/9 3i lb. 15/6 3-k lb. 15/6 1 lb. 7/3 3J lb. 17/- 3^ lb. 15/8 7 1b. 30/6 7 lb. 30/6 31 lb. 23/- 7 lb. 32/9 7 lb. 29/3 28 lb. 98/- 14 lb. 52/6 7 lb. 39/9 14 lb. 57/6 14 lb. 53/6 28 lb. 98/- 28 1b. 154/- 28 lb. 112/- 28 lb. 99/- C.L.O. SPECJAL Rearing and Condition MYNAH “ GREENSTUFF ” Food FOOD post paid 1 lb. 3/9 14 lb. 29/ 1 lb. 3/9 5/- A dehydrated form of green 2 lb. 6/9 28 lb. 52/6 2 lb. 7/3 9/3 food consisting of lettuce, 3? lb. 9/3 56 1b. 100/ - 3£ lb. !2/7i 14/8 spinach, carrot, etc., readily 7 1b. 16/9 7 lb. 24/6 27/6 taken by ail birds. Packets 1/3 & 3/10, also sold in bulk. All the above prices are carriage paid MEALWORMS “ MARBA ” DUTCH BRED “ SANTA ” GERMAN BRED (small type) (large type) Whether you prefer the small Dutch mealworm or the larger German type, we can give you the finest service obtainable, with shipments arriving twice weekly. Dispatch guaranteed same day as orders received. I oz. 3/- 2 oz. 5/3 4 oz. 8/9 8 oz. 15/6 I lb. 25/6 2 lb. 3/- 2 oz. 5/3 4 oz. 8/9 8 oz. 15/6 I lb. Also in original Boxes as imported Nett weight guaranteed 48/- 4 lb. 6 oz. 88/6 6£ lb. 125/6 All Carriage Paid. MAGGOTS We sell only the best liver-fed maggots, specially recleaned and ready for immediate use for bird feeding. Packed in bran. No mess or smell. 2 oz. 4 oz. 8 oz. I lb. 3/6 5/- 7/9 9/6 FEEDING SUNDRIES Dried Flies (Chinese) Silkworm pupae (Whole) ,, „ (Ground) Dried Dragonfly larvae .... Dried Shrimp (Fine, Medium, or Coarse) . Ant Eggs ...... Pure Dried Egg ..... Dried Rowan Berries (Whole) „ „ „ (Crushed) Pure Breadcrumbs (Fine, Medium, or Coarse), far superior to biscuit meal . 2 lb. 3/- ; 4 lb. 5/6 ; 14 lb. 17/6 “ Egg-crumbs,” guaranteed to consist of 90 per cent breadcrumbs and 10 per cent pure egg . . . 2 lb. 5/6 ; 4 lb. 10/6 ; 7 lb. 17/6 *lb. 1 lb. 5/~ 9/6 3/9 6/6 4/- 6/9 6/6 12/6 2/3 3/6 11/6 21/- 6/6 12/6 2/9 4/6 3/- 4/9 28 lb. 28/- ALL ABOVE PRICES ARE POST PAID E. W. COOMBS, LTD. CROSS STREET WORKS, CHATHAM, KENT Telephone : Medway 44969 Telegrams : Avicult, Chatham, Kent CANDIDATES FOR MEMBERSHIP Anthony Bourke, The Lodge, Clonsilla, Co. Dublin, Eire. Proposed by R. G. Kirkham. Parker Buck, Jr., 8423 Midland Road, Bellevue, Washington, U.S.A. Proposed by Charles G. Jones. Denis Bunn, 104 Salisbury Avenue, Barking, Essex. Proposed by Miss K. Bonner. Mrs. Merle S. Clark, 374 Buffalo Street, Box 163, Hamburg, N.Y. 14075, U.S.A. Proposed by A. A. Prestwich. Miss Pearl D’Aeth, Sandle Pet Hotel, Red House Farm, Shipdham, Thetford, Norfolk. Proposed by Miss K. Bonner. Raymond D. Darby, 33 Scribers Lane, Hall Green, Birmingham 28. Proposed by L. W. Hill. Charles Hawkes, i 10 Welwyn Park Avenue, Beverley High Road, Hull. Proposed by A. A. Prestwich. Frank Healey, 51 Cator Road, Sydenham, S.E. 26. Proposed by J. A. Swan. Miss Patricia E. Healey, 51 Cator Road, Sydenham, S.E. 26. Proposed by Mrs. J. A. Swan. H. R. Henshaw, 25 Riding Hill Road, Knowsley, Lancs. Proposed by R. L. Henshaw. E. C. Hillier, 57 St. Lukes Road, Milber, Newton Abbot, Devon. Proposed by W. H. Davey-Richards. Lars-Ake Jungbeck, Thomandersvag 2A, Lund, Sweden. Proposed by Thomas R. M. Brosset. W. G. Last, 9 Maylands Drive, Queensborough Lane, Braintree, Essex. Proposed by K. J. Lawrence. Julien Lion, 14 Uyerenboslaan, Bonheiden, Belgium. Proposed by Dr. L. A. Swaenepoel. Mrs. Robert McClintock, 5076 Evergreen Drive, North Olmsted, Ohio 44070, U.S.A. Proposed by A. A. Prestwich. Miss M. Olive Merry, Sunnycroft, 2B West Street, Blaby Leics. Proposed by A. A. Prestwich. H. F. Schwartz, Londrina, Caixa postal 865, Estado do Parand, Brazil. Proposed by A. A. Prestwich. W. S. M. Van Duran, Jan van Nassaustraat 51, The Hague, Holland. Proposed by F. T. Jones. J. A. J. Verstraeten, Kruisstraat 6, Grembergen (Dendermonde) , Belgium. Proposed by Mrs. C. M. Cooper. G. Walker, East Cliff Hotel, Dover, Kent. Proposed by Miss K. Bonner. Dr. Charles W. Westerbeck, 3714 Northland Drive, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. Proposed by Miss K. Bonner. NEW MEMBERS The fifteen Candidates for Membership in the November-December, 1965, number of the Avicultural Magazine were duly elected members of the Society. RE-ADMITTED J. W. Steinbeck, P.O. Box 1143, Walnut Creek, California, U.S.A. CHANGES OF ADDRESS Michael F. Coupe, to Jalna, Brimstage Road, Gayton, Heswall, Wirral, Cheshire. H. W. Humphrey, to Woodside, 180 Gravel Lane, Banks, Nr. Southport. A. C. Hunt, to Myrrlumbing Station, Via Charters Towers, Queensland, Australia. Norman Nicholson, to 3 Wynd Close, Hutton Rudby, Yarm on Tees, N.R. Yorkshire. Robin L. Restall, to Westbury, Lymbourne Close, Cheam, Surrey. J. Rodgers, to Riverside Cottage, Sidcliffe, Sidmouth Devon. A. Fred Sturgis, to Kearneysville, West Virginia, U.S.A. Rodman L. Tidrick, to Assistant Director, Denver Zoological Gardens, City Park, Denver, Colorado, U.S.A. C. H. Trevisick, to Harbour View, Ilfracombe, North Devon. DONATIONS (Colour Plate Fund) £ s. d. £ s. d. A. G. Arcq IO 0 W. Kloevekorn . . 1 IO 0 F. C. Astles 10 0 J. M. S. Lax . 1 0 0 A. G. Banks • 2 10 0 P. A. Lindsay . 1 0 0 B. N. Douetil 10 0 A. V. Marques . . 8 0 0 A, T. Elliott 1 IO 0 S. Murray . . 2 IO 0 W. Hacker 1 0 0 E. A. Read IO 0 R. L. Henshaw . IO 0 B. E. Reed IO 0 J. Z. Howell . . 1 IO 0 R. L. Restall 1 0 0 Dr. S. B. Kendall 1 I 0 M. G. Stern IO 0 H. G. Kenyon . IO 0 E. B. Tanner IO 0 Will you please donate your surplus books on birds to the Society for the benefit of the Colour Plate Fund ? MEMBERS’ ADVERTISEMENTS The charge for Members’ advertisements is threepence per word. Payment must accompany the advertisement, which must be sent on or before the 15th of the month to A. A. Prestwich, Galley’s Wood, Edenbridge, Kent. All members of the Society are entitled to use this column, but the Council reserves the right to refuse any advertisement they consider unsuitable. Wanted. Avicultural Magazine, volume 1, 1894-5 to volume vii, 1 901-2, inclusive, excepting volume v, 1898-9. J. H. Reay, Cranmore, The Close, Hillingdon, Middlesex. Wanted urgently. Funereal Cockatoo Male. Sir Crawford McCullagh, Bt., Lismara, Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland. STEPHEN AUSTIN AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, HERTFORD. n AVICULTURAL MAGAZINE PAGE 37 43 45 47 48 5i 53 55 58 59 60 61 61 62 63 66 67 67 , 1965 (; with plate), by D. H. S. Risdon and the White Sliced Loaf, by Sir Godfrey Davis . Breeding the Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis), by Dr. Kurt Kolar Breeding the Black-headed Mannikin ( Munia atricapilla) , by M. W. Stilwell Some Experiences in Keeping Sawbills ( with plates), by S. T, Johnstone . What Price “ Togetherness”,? by Professor Carl Naether Stagsden Bird Gardens (with plate), by F. E. B. Johnson Breeding Owls (with plate), by C. H. F. af Enehjelm .... A Collection of Parrot Finches, by John J. Walsh .... News from the Berlin Zoological Garden, by Dr. Heinz-Georg Klos . In Memoriam — Captain Richard S. de Quincey (1896-1965) London Zoo Notes, by J. J. Yealland ...... Council Meeting . . . . . . British Aviculturists’ Club ........ News and Views .......... Review ........... VOL. 72 No. 2 PRICE 7/6 M ARCH-APRIL 1966 THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY Founded 1894 President: Miss E. Maud Knobel. Hon. Secretary and Treasurer: A. A. Prestwich, Galley’s Wood, Nr. Eden- bridge, Kent. Assistant Secretary: Miss Kay Bonner. Membership Subscription is £2 per annum, due on 1st January each year, and payable in advance. Life Membership £25. Subscriptions, Change of Address, Names of Candidates for Membership, etc., should be sent to the Hon. Secretary. THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA Founded 1927 Hon. President: Dr. Jean Delacour. President: Mr. Paul Schneider. Secretary: Mrs. Velma M. McDaniels. 2265 West 239th Street, Torrance, California, U.S.A. The annual dues of the Society are $4.00 per year, payable in advance. The Society year begins 1st January, but new members may be admitted at any time. Members receive a monthly bulletin. Correspondence regarding membership, etc., should be directed to the Secretary. THE AVICULTURAL MAGAZINE The Magazine is published bi-monthly, and sent free to all members of the Avicultural Society. Members joining at any time during the year are entitled to the back numbers for the current year on the payment of subscription. All matter for publication in the Magazine should be addressed to : — The Editor: Miss Phyllis Barclay-Smith, M.B.E., 51 Warwick Avenue, London, W. 9. Telephone : Cunningham 3006. The price of the Magazine to non-members is ys. 6d., post free, per copy, or £2 5J. for the year. Orders for the Magazine, extra copies and back numbers (from 1917) should be sent to the publishers, Stephen Austin & Sons, Ltd., Caxton Hill, Ware Road, Hertford, England. Telephone : Hertford 2352/3/4. Toucans in the Snow, 1963 Avicultural Magazine THE JOURNAL OF THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY Vol. 72. — No. 2. — All rights reserved. MARCH-APRIL, 1966 THE TROPICAL BIRD GARDENS 1965 By D. H. S. Risdon (Rode, Somerset, England) 1 965 marks the end of our third summer since we officially opened in May, 1962. The first year was largely taken up with getting together a collection of birds as representative as possible. The second was spent consolidating what we had. The third has shown some substantial progress in that we are beginning to get some useful breeding results. At the time of going to press the collection now consists of some 700 birds of 150 different species, and this is being continually added to. The parrot collection was greatly enriched this year by the acquisi¬ tion of the whole of Gerald Kirkham’s collection from Dublin. This was transferred complete with thirty-three aviaries to Rode and was quite a major operation as temporary housing had to be found for the birds whilst the aviaries were in transit by sea and rail. We got over the problem by splitting the consignment into three separate lots, sending the first lot of aviaries in advance so that they could be re-erected and waiting for the first lot of birds. This collection has given us such treasures as Crimson-wings, Derbyans, Lutino Ringnecks, Leadbeater’s Cockatoos, Philippine Island, Citron Crested and Umbrella Cockatoos, Patagonian Conures, and Pennant’s Parrakeets. Many of these are not on show to visitors as it was thought more important to establish them as breeding stock away from disturbance. Other recent additions have been Pelicans, Spoonbills, Scarlet and Sacred Ibis, Lidth’s Jay, Hartlaub’s and Pinkcrested Touracos, and Giant Whydahs and Azure Jays. Although they have not always been successful, one of the most rewarding things I have done here has been my attempt to establish various species at liberty, or at least controlled liberty. I had long wanted to do this but the opportunity was not there until I came to Rode. One needs a fair acreage for one thing, well wooded and watered, and it is essential to be surrounded with open country — not built-up areas — if one is not to be a nuisance to one’s neighbours. All these things I bore in mind during our long search for a suitable site on which to start the Tropical Bird Gardens. 4 38 D. H. S. RISDON - THE TROPICAL BIRD GARDENS 1 965 To me one Golden Pheasant on the lawn against a background of green bushes which runs towards you and not away from you is worth half-a-dozen in an aviary forever running up and down the wire ; and a pair of macaws in flight like great blue butterflies against the sombre background of English conifers makes one’s heart miss a beat every time one sees them. We have done well with macaws of which we now have fifteen, some full- winged and some wing-clipped, but all free about the grounds during the day. Not all of them make good homers. The tamest and friendliest of them all is quite hopeless. Every year he grows his flight feathers anew and takes off in a straight line only stopping when he lands exhausted in the middle of a public highway miles away, or else he gets into the topmost branches of the highest tree he can find and stays there until rescued. The Blue-and- Yellows have raised a young one each year for two years although tragedy overtook this year’s offspring. The one bred the previous summer has remained wild and will not approach us, although it homes well, so this year I brought the young one into the house as soon as it was fledged, intending to keep it there for a week or two so that it could become accustomed to people. Two days later it died quite suddenly in a fit although apparently a perfect and healthy specimen. Young macaws seem to make the best liberty birds as they fly in groups and do not quarrel, but as they mature they become territorial and each pair attempts to fly other established pairs off the premises. We get over this by letting them out on alternate days. I think the Red-and- Yellow species is the most spectacular in flight, the vivid orange-red contrasting with the yellow patch in the blue wings shows up brilliantly against a green background. We have what appear to be two quite distinct colour phases of the Blue-and-Y ellow Macaw. The common one is turquoise with yellow breast and belly. The other, which I have not seen very often is a darker, almost royal, blue and the breast is a deep golden yellow. The difference is quite noticeable when the two races are seen together. There are also two types with the Scarlet or Red-and- Yellow. One has a much larger and more brilliant patch of yellow in the wings. At first I thought this might have to do with sex but now I doubt it. We have three — two with bright yellow wing patches and one with very little — but none of them will have anything to do with the others. We have two pairs of the Moluccans, one pair of which is tame and these are the most destructive of all parrots. Macaws are pretty bad but none of them can go through a solid piece of timber like a cockatoo. We have two pairs of the Moluccans, one pair of which is tame and allowed their liberty. We have to watch them, however, for in no time they will ring bark the limb of a tree and kill it. The cock who can fly D. H. S. RISDON - THE TROPICAL BIRD GARDENS 1 965 39 makes a bee-line for the house and stables whenever he can and proceeds to demolish the interior woodwork, but the thing that terrifies us all is when he lands and swings on the high tension overhead electric cable which supplies most of our source of heat and light, treating it like a trapeze. One slice from that great beak and . . . ! Considering their size and the strength of their beaks Moluccans seem the gentlest and most intelligent of all the cockatoos. Their great delight is to be petted and talked to. This is not cupboard-love, but genuine affection for people. One pair of Roseates reared three nice young ones last summer bringing our total up to seven of this species. Leadbeater’s raised our hopes by laying at least twice but did not sit properly. The same remarks apply to Citron Crests. Umbrellas spent a good deal of time in their barrel but that was as far as they went. We have a pair of the delightful little Philippine Island Cockatoos, but they made no attempt to nest. Besides the Moluccans we have tried two Greater Sulphur Crests at liberty. One “ Sigee ”, an inveterate feather plucker, is a good stayer and a beautiful flier, but is apt to become a nuisance as he takes a dislike to anyone who works here myself included. It is his special pleasure to dive-bomb us from ambush in the trees, usually when we are carrying something and have both hands full and are unable to defend ourselves. With strangers and visitors he is as good as gold especially with women, but at times these attacks on us become such a menace that he has to be confined to barracks for a while. He came to us as a feather-plucker and in spite of complete liberty his breast is still as bare as ever. The other one, “ George ”, a magnificent bird in perfect feather made a good liberty bird for a while and the two of them on the wing together gliding in and out of the trees made an unforgettable sight. Then after some months “ George ” decided to leave. He was plotted across country to Wooten-under-Edge about 30 miles away where he seemed to take up residence and it was a fairly easy matter to trap him in a Jackdaw cage- trap baited with another cockatoo. This is a bird of a much smaller race though not a Lesser Sulphur Crest. It gets on well with “ George ” and I rather hoped it might be a hen but it has black eyes. While most cockatoos can be sexed by the colour of the eyes I only ever remember seeing one Greater Sulphur Crest with brown irides. If they are subject to the same difference in sex there must be very few hens about. Breeding results among the rest of the parrot collection were average. Eclectus laid several clutches of infertile eggs. The hen is tame and I fear prefers the company of human beings to that of her mate. Black-capped Lories hatched a chick but failed to rear it. 40 D. H. S. RISDON - THE TROPICAL BIRD GARDENS 1 965 Swainson’s Lorrikeets reared one. Chattering Lories laid but did not hatch. Rosellas and Stanleys reared some nice young ones. Pennant’s and Barraband’s laid but reared nothing. Kings reared a young one which died after leaving the nest and the same thing happened with Princess of Wales. These young birds fledged in the pouring wet of last summer which may have had something to do with it. Ringnecks did well, all four pairs producing some good young including three lutinos. Derbyans reared two fine young ones as did the Crimson- wings. Greater Patagonian Conures reared four fine young which with last year’s brood brings our strength up to ten of these delightful birds. Their colouring may not be as bright as many other parrots, but what they lack in this way they more than make up for in character and intelligence. One of our pairs of Purple Glossy Starlings reared four good young in two broods. Last year they nested and partly reared a young one. This year they made a proper job of it with the help of regular supplies of maggots and mealworms throughout the day. Now at the time of writing in January the irides of the young ones have turned white. There is as yet no sign of the brilliant orange eyes so characteristic of the adults. Most of our insectivorous birds share large planted aviaries with other species which inevitably compete with them for the live food. Other¬ wise I think breeding successes would be greater. This applies particu¬ larly to Spreo Starlings which attempted to nest several times. As time progresses I hope to have more separate aviaries for breeding softbills for we have the ideal spot in which to liberate them whilst rearing young. Among the jays and pies of which we have quite a collection the Swainson’s Blue Jays have nested and laid several times but always the eggs have disappeared, presumably eaten by the parents. These are I think the most savage of a bloodthirsty family. When we first had them they shared a large enclosure with toucans. Blue Pies and birds of similar size. After they had savaged a toucan these were removed but some months later they set about a Blue Pie and so badly wounded it that it died. After this they have lived on their own. In spite of their evil natures they are birds of great beauty and character. European jays also nested this year, but again the eggs vanished after a week’s incubation. We reared a reasonable number of Mandarin and Carolina ducks. This year as an experiment I reared fifteen Mandarins full-winged on the lawn beside the house where there is a small pond. As they grew their flights they became airborne and started perching all over the place. Eventually they found their way down to the lake but each D. H. S. RISDON - THE TROPICAL BIRD GARDENS 1 965 4 1 morning would fly back to the house to be fed much to my delight. My joy was shortlived however. Just about the time when the young drakes were coming into colour they gradually ceased to come each day and reverted entirely to the lake where the pinioned waterfowl live. Each evening at dusk, and again sometimes at dawn, I hear Mandarins flying over, but their numbers have dwindled and I never see more than four or five birds on the wing. Barnacle Geese reared their usual quota of goslings. Emperors laid two clutches of infertile eggs. Common Shelduck behaved likewise. One of the highlights of 1 965 was the successful rearing of seven young Grey Peacock- Pheasants. The old pair started to lay in February and thereafter produced six clutches of two eggs at fortnightly intervals which we set under silkies. A nice batch of Swinhoe’s was reared as well as Golden, Amherst, Reeves’s, and Silvers. All our Silver Pheasants are now at liberty and when the hens hatch off we drive them into the nearest aviary for protection until the chicks are old enough to roost at night. As we all know Silver Pheasants are one of the most aggressive towards one another in an aviary, but their natures change almost from the moment they are free. In an aviary two cocks would murder one another yet our little flock of about a dozen birds includes four adult cocks in full plumage as well as several immature males. They keep together in a more or less loosely connected group and bicker a good deal among themselves, but there is little serious fighting because the vanquished one can get out of the way. Reeves’s are the same. In an aviary they not only fight, but nearly always ruin their tails and the hens are often wild and nervous. How¬ ever, the moment they are free the reverse seems to happen — they become tame and confiding — sometimes too much so for individual cocks get aggressive and start chasing visitors. They also act as policemen and many times I have seen them break up a fight between two Peafowl or two Silver Pheasants. The cocks develop their full tails at liberty and make a most spectacular sight in the evening as they take off for their roosting places. They are remarkably adroit at turning and twisting on the wing between tall trees, their long tails trailing like comets behind them. I have tried Goldens and Amhersts at liberty together but not very successfully. Amhersts are more aggressive than Goldens and seem to drive the Goldens away in the spring. We raise a number of both species each year releasing the cocks and keeping the hens in aviaries. I have tried letting out hens as well but they stay until the spring when they go off in search of nesting sites and are never seen again. A few young cocks stay, but many are driven off as the season advances. Those which stay long enough to assume adult plumage become more or less permanent residents so we always have a few about. The Golden 42 D. H. S. RISDON - THE TROPICAL BIRD GARDENS 1 965 Pheasant is a lovely thing in any circumstances but at liberty, doubtless due to the natural feeding, their colours seem to glow with an added lustre. The wet season was a disastrous one for the peafowl as their chicks hatched just about the time the rain started. As each hen brought off her brood she was shepherded carefully into the walled garden with her young to give them some protection, but the poor little things just drooped and died. The Cape Penguins continue to lay and hatch their chicks practically all the year round but always fail to rear them. This exasperating state of affairs has been going on for three years. We have sought the advice of Edinburgh, London, and Bristol Zoos. We have given them barrels to nest in. We have let them make their own burrows in the ground. We have tried additional feeding, even removing the chicks when they hatch and handfeeding them, with no success. Somewhere there is a missing link in the chain, but for the life of me I cannot find it. Had we had even partial success we could have doubled our little flock of eight birds. They have the freedom of the lake, but they are lazy birds and seldom make use of it except at feeding time when they become active, swimming and diving for sprats. We are finding that under the semi-natural conditions at Rode many of the birds which normally lose their colour in captivity are getting it back. What intrigues me is that they lose colour with their first moult and gradually get it back in successive years. This has happened with Flamingos, a Venezuelan Cardinal, and Hunting Cissas without any artificial feeding on our part. Our Flamingos are much admired for the brightness of their pink. Our ponds have natural bottoms and abound in freshwater shrimps and daphnia. The Cardinal when it first arrived was bright red. Its first moult with us it went the usual brick colour. This year it has regained its original vivid scarlet. The Hunting Cissas, of which we have four examples, all went blue soon after we had them and stayed so for a year. Since then they have become progressively greener and, whilst they have not regained the original golden-green of the wild bird, they are what I would call jade green. Scarlet Ibis completed their first moult with us last autumn, when they turned from scarlet to deep salmon- pink. It remains to be seen what happens next year. This makes me wonder whether loss of colour is due not so much to diet deficiency, but possibly some glandular or even psychological disturbance as a result of the profound change from the natural habitat to an artificial one. After a year or so the bird becomes adjusted to its new environment and regains its colour. Diet obviously does have an important influence on plumage colour but the fact remains that several of our species have regained it without any special help from us. This account would not be complete without reference to our collec- SIR GODFREY DAVIS - WHITEWORMS AND THE WHITE SLICED LOAF 43 tion of Touracos. We now have four species, namely the White¬ cheeked, Purple Crested, Pink Crested, and Hartlaub’s. So far none have attempted to breed but I live in hopes. With the possible excep¬ tion of White-cheeked which are fairly easy, I find sexing them almost impossible. * * * WHITEWORMS AND THE WHITE SLICED LOAF By Sir Godfrey Davis (Boughton Monchelsea, Kent, England) In my search for a suitable live food for the small waxbills, and particularly the lovely little Avadavat, I had heard about whiteworms, the great standby of the keepers of tropical fish. Until recently I have not been able to breed whiteworms successfully so as to assure a regular supply. I have from time to time purchased a pill box containing a nucleus, at first for 2 s. 6 d., then as the price of whiteworms rose with the cost of living (why, I have never been able to understand) for %s. 3 d. from a Pet shop. As this nucleus never seemed to increase sufficiently, probably due to the whiteworms’ efficient methods of birth control, I decided to make a real effort to overcome these little creatures’ apparent prejudice against large families. I had been told by one person he had had great success by keeping the little darlings in a greenhouse, feeding them upon porridge, bedded in moist earth in a wooden box, over which a piece of glass was placed as a cover. Over this glass was placed newspaper and in course of time, when the covering paper was removed, the glass would be covered with white- worms and all one had to do was to scrape the whiteworms off the glass with a spoon. I must have used the wrong brand of porridge or the wrong newspaper but with me the glass was never rendered opaque by whiteworms. They seemed just to disappear, so a further visit to the Pet shop and a further purchase was necessary. Then at long last, as a result of many trials and errors, I found the way. Nothing elaborate was required. It is true that under this house which I inhabit is a magnificent set of cellars. In fact I had sometimes thought what a wonderful refuge they would make for me and my beloved Yorkshire terrier Susie, so much wiser than Man himself, who, it would appear, as the result of his stupidity and greed would rain death of a particularly horrible kind upon this earth. But these magnifi¬ cent cellars were not really necessary for the success of this venture. One room was sufficient. But it must be dark and cool with but one electric light to be switched on when one came to nourish and to collect the harvest and prepare the ground for the next crop. 44 SIR GODFREY DAVIS - WHITEWORMS AND THE WHITE SLICED LOAF I used at first — I have since extended my operations — -just one of the wooden trays marked “ Holland ” which we use in many thousands when we send our 20 tons of strawberries to market. It is true that these trays are shallow, but this seems no drawback, and they have drainage, through the slight gaps where the thin boards do not fit close together, and they are easy to handle. And this is an advantage as the advancing years make the moving of weights less congenial. And it is to be noted that the earth which is to fill the shallow tray, as a home for the whiteworms, must be friable and remain so. The earth must be kept moist if the worms are to thrive. It must consist of a light loam and peat and silver sand. I make up my mixture according to the formula for John Innes Potting Compost. I stress the fact that the earth must be kept moist. If the earth is soaking wet the worms will drown. In this earth, then, I lay in shallow trenches dug with a dainty trowel intended for other uses my nucleus, my breeding stock of these small creatures and place upon them white bread, first soaked in water, and then squeezed so the surplus water flow away and then I soak this bread in milk and squeeze again. I then place this bread in suitable narrow lengths upon the worms. Then with this narrow trowel, meant for better things, I cover the bread with moistened friable earth. Over this I place newspaper to conserve the moisture. The worms seem to show no marked preference in reading matter. The Daily Telegraph and the Financial Times both seem equally well to serve their purpose. I then leave the little creatures to fulfil their destiny. Every other day with careful steps I descend to the darkness of the cellar and if the earth is drying out I water it with a dainty syringe, again intended for another purpose and replace the covering newsheet. After a week I have found the soaked bread has disappeared and the worms have greatly multiplied. I then feed again with another week’s supply. At first I was greatly puzzled as to how the food supply seemed so rapidly to disappear and how, after about a fortnight, the whiteworms used to disappear. I am not unused to disappearing tricks. I have often during the long years of my service seen the Indian Rope Trick. I remember one particularly gifted conjurer who used to bite off the head of a living snake (the poor thing was small and harmless) which he seemed to chew with great relish and then throw the body to the waiting mongoose. That, I thought is old Adam getting his own back. Then this same conjurer used to show some finely powdered glass to his gaping audience and he used to chew and swallow this. That, I thought, is one up on the ostrich. Then, this same gifted gentleman used to toss off the contents of a tumbler of water, in which swam some goldfish — it was true they were only tiny goldfish — and he then used to sneeze violently and the goldfish were wriggling on the floor. This, I realized, was the opposite of a disappearing trick ; it was indeed Jonah and DR. KURT KOLAR - BREEDING THE CATTLE EGRET 45 the Whale in reverse but I must tell this to make the picture whole. But all this had nothing on the disappearance of the white worms and the soaked bread. Then after profound meditation I tumbled to it. The whiteworms devoured their food supply and then starved to death. There was no sign of their remains or of their passing. Since then I feed them once a week until on the third week I gather in my harvest because the whiteworms having devoured their food supply, have not yet had time to die. I have found if I bury the soaked bread as near the bottom of the box as possible, the worms, presumably when full fed, come to the top and I can scrape them up with a spoon. Then, with this narrow trowel I gather up sufficient earth with worms to cover the bottom of a small earthenware saucer which I place in the waxbills’ cage ; one filled saucer for one cage, while in other trays similarly filled and nourished, other whiteworms thrive and multiply, ignorant of their unhappy destiny. If fellow members should want whiteworms in continuous supply I say, as it is written on a tombstone which recites all the good deeds of the departed “ Go thou and do likewise 55 . I almost forgot. Why did I write “ Whiteworms and the White Sliced Loaf 55 ? It is because I find a white sliced loaf the most con¬ venient to soak and squeeze and the easiest to conceal from my devoted housekeeper. * * ❖ BREEDING THE CATTLE EGRET (. Bubulcus ibis) By Dr. Kurt Kolar. (Biologische Station, Wilhelminenberg, Vienna, Austria) On 14th June, 1951, members of the “ Biologische Station Wilhel¬ minenberg, ” on a trip to Tunisia brought back some young cattle egrets from a colony at lake Aschkel. The birds were reared in the Station and were kept in complete freedom up to 14th August of the same year. But occasionally the Egrets flew off and, for instance, were sometimes found in a swimming-bath at a distance of two kilometres away, and were not able to find their way back to Wilhelminenberg. Therefore we trapped them on 14th August. The birds were mainly fed on fish from the North Sea, but in addition they had plenty of opportunities for obtaining insects them¬ selves. The Cattle Egret is not a highly specialized fish-eater, and prefers insects, lizards and mice. The African Cattle Egrets especially, are mainly to be found close by large mammals, such as elephants, rhinos, hippos and buffaloes. They hunt for the insects disturbed by these mammals and other small animals. Very often they catch various insects directly from the backs of buffaloes or elephants. At 46 DR. KURT KOLAR - BREEDING THE CATTLE EGRET Wilhelminenberg the members of the staff sometimes had to play the role of elephants, and our Cattle Egrets freed us of flies and mosquitoes in the above-mentioned manner. Already during the first year we observed the first breeding behaviour patterns. Such behaviour is very often to be found in different kinds of young animals which are in a phase of development similar to human adolescence. We kept the egrets in an aviary (15 by 8 by 5 metres) with an additional room for the winter. Half of this enclosure is grown over with elder-hedges (2 metres high). The Cattle Egret is the only species of heron able to breed in its first year of life. This fact is some explanation of their rapid spread over America and Australia. At the beginning of May, 1952, we put the egrets in their outdoor aviary and they were provided with small branches and short pieces of reed for nesting. A few days later they started nesting. On 9th June there were two eggs in one nest and, on 1st July, the first young Cattle Egret hatched. A few days later three other chicks hatched. All four birds were reared by their parents. Since then the Cattle Egrets breed regularly at Wilhelminenberg. During a great part of the year — from January to October — they are ready for breeding. On 1 7th January, 1962, one pair had built a nest in the winter-room. Young birds reared in the aviary do not construct their own nest in the following year, but use the nest of their parents. In order to introduce new blood on two occasions we added Cattle Egrets from Israel to our stock. Often the young ones hatched during a period of bad weather. In these cases we put the eggs in the incubator and reared the young birds artificially. There are several reasons for the successful breeding of our Cattle Egrets. In the first place it must be realized that in the wild this species nests in large colonies. One pair stimulates the other. There should be the same situation in the aviary, and therefore we always keep about thirty to forty of these birds. But breeding success mainly depends on the right food. During the summer our Cattle Egrets have opportunity to catch their flies from the fish-containers and in addition to this they can catch some mice in the enclosure. They are fed with fish from the North Sea, dead mice, and horse-meat. The fish are covered with a powder of various kinds of food-additives and vitamins. This mixture consists of (100 c.c.m. each) feeding-lime, dried cod-liver oil, bone-meal, blood-meal, fish-meal, wheat-germ, sea-weed meal, 50 c.c.m. dried barm, 4 tabloids vitamin Bi, 2 tabloids vitamin B2 and 2 tabloids “ Intervit Since 1952, 74 young birds hatched in our institute. M. W. STILWELL - BREEDING THE BLACK-HEADED MANNIKIN 47 BREEDING THE BLACK-HEADED MANNIKIN ( Munia atricapilla) By M. W. Stilwell (Lisbon, Portugal) You will be interested to know that a pair of Black-headed Mannikins [Munia atricapilla) have hatched and reared to maturity one offspring. The pair were housed in a large outdoor aviary ten by two by two metres, in which I keep a mixed collection of waxbills, mannikins, doves and finches, some fifty birds in all. I have bred regularly for the last few years Spice Finches ( Munia punctulata ) besides other species, so that when in mid-May last year I saw these and the Mannikins carrying about nesting material (grasses) I took little interest in the Mannikins, merely regarding their actions as being influenced by the Spice Finches and that they would not result in anything, as usual. In June, I went away for three weeks’ holiday in Spain and on my return noticed, what I took to be six young Spice Finches flying around, one of which was killed by a male Japanese Quail before it was able to fly properly, and later I found two fully fledged young dead below what I thought was a Spice Finch’s nest. About a fortnight later that is in early July, I noticed that one of the young was showing some white primary feathers and that its beak was heavier than the others; very quickly the beak began to turn blue-grey, the feet lead-grey and the nails to grow considerably from which I realised that this must be a young Mannikin, but as I also have Tri-Coloured Mannikins [Munia malacca ) , was uncertain with regard to the species and even thought it might be a case of cross-breeding. But now with the moult complete I find that this young bird is a Black-headed Mannikin, and from its behaviour a young male. With regard to food, I feed my birds on millet, hemp, large canary and a mixture of seeds obtained from a rice mill with bits of broken rice and paddy rice resulting from cleaning of the paddy before milling. I regularly give them lettuce and when available seeding grasses, as well as Stimulite No. i, but have never seen a Mannikin touch the insectile mixture, and only now and again the lettuce. The Mannikins have never shown much inclination for hawking insects in the air, so I must assume that they brought up the young almost entirely on seeds and some lettuce, and maybe odd insects picked up in the aviary. The young bird has now completely lost the white on his wings. Unfortunately, one of the parent birds has died, so I do not know if I will ever be able to repeat this success, as it is so difficult to get pairs to even build a nest. 48 S. T. JOHNSTONE - SOME EXPERIENCES IN KEEPING SAWBILLS SOME EXPERIENCES IN KEEPING SAWBILLS By S. T. Johnstone (Slimbridge, Glos., England) All four species of Merganser on the British list have long been represented in our Slimbridge collection. The original pair of Goosanders was caught at Staines reservoir, and a Red-breasted Merganser came from the Devon coast as long ago as 1947. A year or so later, a pair of Smew were caught for us in a Dutch decoy. The fourth member of the family, the beautiful Hooded Merganser, can scarcely be designated a British species. It is of course indigenous to North America and its claim to be on the British list is based on four identifications, the last being a female that was seen on the Shannon in the Eighties. I don’t imagine anyone had kept it for very long in captivity until Mr. Pilling of Seattle had a pair of “ pricked ” birds. These he force-fed for many days, his reward being that they sub¬ sequently laid a clutch of eggs. The young hatched and with great dexterity were reared. This success was repeated in succeeding years. The first representatives of the species at the New Grounds were a pair of these birds, presented to us by Mr. Pilling. Goosanders generally nest high up in holes in trees but they will also use well-hidden rock indentations and burrows. Red-breasted Mergansers prefer the two last sites. Smew like holes in trees and 1 remember one Scandinavian ornithologist telling me it was common to find Smew and Golden-eye using the same nest. Like the Smew, Hoodies like hollow trees. At Slimbridge our sawbills are perforce pinioned and in consequence their nesting proclivities are directed towards artificially prepared sites. Small cider-barrels are very durable provided attention is given annually to the metal bands. Sometimes we have used them standing vertically on the ground with a 4 inch diameter hole cut in the side of the upper half. Generally, however, the barrel is placed horizontally in a fork of a tree some 2 or 3 feet from the ground. The inside has a liberal layer of wood pulp, sawdust, soil or peat covered in dead leaves and grass, and a causeway in the form of a branch is placed up to the 4 inch hole which has now been cut in the barrel end. (We have orientated the opening to face toward or away from both water and light, but we have no evidence of the ducks’ predilection for either position.) In the case of Goosanders and Red-breasted Mergansers, we have found their eggs in barrels already containing those of Carolinas. I recall one case of a nest containing Goosander, Chiloe Wigeon, Marbled Teal, and Carolina eggs. On the other hand the Smew and Hooded Mergansers have always been most particular in selection of sites, and no other eggs have been found in their nests. Avicult. Mag Copyright ] [ Philippa Scott Goosanders Red-Breasted Mergansers [To face p. 48 Avicult. Mag Copyright ] [. Philippa Scott Smews Copyright ] [. Philippa Scott Hooded Mergansers [To face p. 49 S. T. JOHNSTONE - SOME EXPERIENCES IN KEEPING SAWBILLS 49 A comparison of eggs follows : — Size Colour Shape Texture Clutch Incuba¬ tion Goosander 66 X 46 mm. Cream Pointed Translucent 8-12 30 days Red-breasted Merganser . 63 X 45 mm. Buff Pointed Opaque 8-10 30 days Smew . 52 X 38 mm. White Ovoid Translucent 6-8 26 days Hooded Merganser . 52 X 47 mm. White Spherical Opaque 8-10 28 days Goosander eggs are rather like those of Shelduck in shape and colour. Red-breasted Mergansers’ are quite distinctive, dark buff and pointed at one end. The Smews are much like Carolina eggs in size, shape, and texture, furthermore the down is very similar and, bearing in mind Carolinas use of nesting boxes, one should take care to identify the sitting duck. Hooded Merganser eggs are quite distinctive, they are almost spherical and dead white in colour. Rearing I remember hatching a brood of ten Goosanders from wild eggs, that they fed immediately on the trout fry put into their water tray, but that in a short time they lost their waterproofing, and in conse¬ quence a number were lost from chilling. Those remaining were raised to the fully-feathered state by supplying only sufficient water for drinking purposes and by keeping the birds indoors. The ducks at this stage were conditioned to eat freshly killed eels cut into suitable sec¬ tions. They were released onto a main pond where they became fully waterproofed in 24 hours. Young reared from eggs laid by these birds showed no tendency to wet feather. By this time an electricity supply was available and we were able to give infra-red heat in cold and wet weather. Red-breasted Mergansers were first reared from eggs imported from Iceland. One recalls that we had not laid on our supply of trout fry and staff were fully engaged on fishing for sticklebacks. Initially these were fed to the babies from a pair of forceps. One snag with sticklebacks was their ability to stick out the prongs on their ventral surface to avoid being swallowed. Soon the Mergansers were feeding on elvers and strips of heart muscle and finally on freshly killed eels. We have not had much success with Hooded Mergansers and, al¬ though birds have laid freely and a number of young have been hatched, none of these have been persuaded to feed and have died after a few days. In fact, success with this species was not recorded until we obtained day-old ducklings and well-incubated eggs from the United States. The ducklings were given to a broody bantam that had hatched some Carolinas and were placed in a Wildfowl Trust brooder. 50 S. T. JOHNSTONE - SOME EXPERIENCES IN KEEPING SAWBILLS The food provided included turkey starter crumbs covered in chopped hard-boiled egg and a shallow tray of water and grit into which were put quantities of live fresh-water shrimps. Whilst the former was hardly eaten at all the shrimps were consumed in large numbers. After three days the smallest trout fry obtainable were added to the diet. Hence¬ forth, preference for the fish can be gauged by the fact that each bird was consuming thirty to forty fry a day. As with the other sawbills the trout were replaced with minced eel by the time the Hoodies were feathering. Our greatest success has been with probably the most beautiful member of the family — the Smew. Eggs were obtained from the wild- caught female in 1957 after she had been in captivity for four years. The eggs were found in one of the nesting-barrels and, until the bird was seen on the nest, were thought to be those of a Carolina. Incubation lasted twenty-six days and three of the five eggs hatched. The downy young of these delightful birds are almost indistinguishable, except in size, from those of the Golden-eyes, and in consequence it would seem that the Smew is a link between Mergus and Bucephala. The young were put with the bantam into a Wildfowl Trust brooder. All kinds of live food were made available for them, the larvae of chironomid, mosquito, dragonfly, water boatmen, and fresh- water shrimp. The last were preferred to all the others, a fortunate choice, for it was the only live food we could obtain in any quantity. Turkey starter and chopped egg were also provided and taken in small quantities. After three days trout fry were introduced and were devoured in large numbers. As the young birds grew, their intake of turkey starter crumbs increased and the trout were replaced by sections of small eels. The birds reared, breed annually, and the percentage reared has improved, although the diet has been simplified to consist of hard-boiled egg, turkey starter crumbs, trout fry, and minced eel. The clutches have never been less than five or exceeded seven in number. PROFESSOR CARL NAETHER - WHAT PRICE “ TOGETHERNESS ” ? 5 1 WHAT PRICE “ TOGETHERNESS 55 ? By Professor Carl Naether (Encino, California, U.S.A.) None of my dictionaries, not even the Concise Oxford, lists “ to¬ getherness ”, I was disappointed to learn, for it is such a common, even trite, term in vogue even before the population “ explosion ” made its debut. Well, trite though it may be, it applies with peculiar force to a habit of a pair of Australian Plumed Doves, which I imported some months ago from a Belgian bird-dealer. Even though it has been my privilege and pleasure to keep and observe at close range many a mated pair of foreign doves of many species, none, I can truthfully report, “ indulged ” in togetherness to the extent that these charming Plumed Doves have day in and day out month after month, ever since their arrival sometime last November. When they arrived here, after twenty-one days in quarantine in New York, where, incidentally they received conscientious care, it was cold, sunshine prevailing through the day and slight frost through the night. Though I placed the pair in a solidly covered pen upon arrival, the hen during the first night showed discomfort, the doves sleeping side by side — close together. Since they had undoubtedly been kept in heated quarters in quarantine, I promptly provided for some warmth in their pen by placing a ioo-watt electric bulb under an old brooder cover, which I kept burning day and night. To attract the doves to this cozy retreat, I moved all their feed dishes, containing various kinds of millet, so-called wild-bird seeds, and crushed sunflower seed, into the lighted area. The scheme succeeded : the very next night, the two birds slept, sitting closely side by side, in one of the feed dishes, which they sought out also later on cool days. But now let me explain their habit of being always together. In point of fact, these two birds are inseparable — where the one is — the hen, there the cock is also. If she decides to move about, he will follow her without delay. And always there is communication between the two, with the male calling out distinctly and his mate responding softly but surely every time. I assume that in their native habitat, where they sojourn in grasslands and low shrub¬ bery, the male bird often loses sight of his mate ; hence the frequent (and quite melodious) calling by both of them. I had occasion to separate the male not long ago in order to photograph him in a glassed- in cage especially made for this purpose. The result — the hen seemed disconsolate, and he extremely frightened. Being tame otherwise in the aviary, they gave me the impression that it would be a comparatively simple task to catch one of them quickly, and then to pose him or her suitably. However, the moment I stepped into their pen, catching-net in hand, the doves stopped running about, and in swift, powerful, but 52 PROFESSOR CARL N AETHER - WHAT PRICE “ TOGETHERNESS ” ? ponderous flight they boomed against the aviary wire, then dropped down only to disappear swiftly in the shrubbery, one of them crawling into a shallow hole. It was many hours before they left their hiding places. Ever since they have evinced a pronounced dislike of their keeper, shunning him the moment he comes into their aviary. Realizing only too well that such behaviour augurs ill so far as future breeding tendencies are concerned, he is determined to respect their sensitivity to being caught up and handled, their right to privacy in captivity. But what of the effect which seemingly the lighted bulb has had on these lovely little doves ? They had been in my possession only about ten days when I observed them building a nest : the hen was sitting in a flat, porcelain seed-dish, and the cock was fetching sticks and twigs, which she arranged round about her. No soft material, such as dry grasses and leaves, but only hard twigs and sticks were piled together atop of a layer of millet. Two days later, I found an egg in the nest — pure white, almost round, and smaller than the Ring Dove’s egg. Neither bird deigned to incubate, and no second egg was laid. Placing the egg under some Ring Doves, I soon found that it was infertile. After I took the nesting material away, the Plumed Doves, following ten days’ recess, built again, this time in another feed-dish, but laying two eggs — and leaving them without incubating a single day. The nest, it should be stated, was each time located directly underneath the lighted electric bulb. The doves’ third nest, strangely enough, must have been built during the night, since I noticed no nest-building activities during the day. The next morning, to my great surprise, as I went about feeding my birds and doves, I was on the point of emptying a shallow water-pan — it was about 2J inches deep and stood atop a low bench — when I saw that it was filled with numerous sticks and twigs — the Plumed Doves’ third nesting effort ! Here I undoubtedly missed the almost unique opportunity of seeing the hen Plumed Dove standing in the shallow water-pan, into which her faithful, co-operative mate would drop bits of nesting stuff, most of which, being very light, would float about for some time before sinking to the bottom. Of course, as a matter of fact, I did NOT see her standing in the water-pan : I only assume that instinctively she would have followed the same procedure of receiving the material from her mate and arranging it suitably, which she pursued when building the first two nests. Several days later, I found an egg laid on top of a cupboard, which also proved infertile. At this writing (end of January) the egg-laying has stopped. The doves are apparently becoming more and more acclimatized, for even though we still have frosty nights (it’s been a cold winter in Southern California !) and cool days, they seek the lighted, warm shelter only occasionally. They will not sleep in it as they did for some weeks, but away from it under some shrubbery. However, during the coldest F. E. B. JOHNSON — STAGSDEN BIRD GARDENS 53 part of the very early morning, both will be found sitting side by side in one of the feed dishes directly below the lighted bulb. It may perhaps be assumed, with some reasonableness, that the day- and-night burning of the ioo-watt light induced these doves to nest and to lay eggs several times. At no time, during weeks of observation, did the writer note mating activities, only continuous “ togetherness ”, with the male evidencing devoted fondness of his mate, always in a gentle sort of manner, never driving her, as is the instinctive tendency among other species of doves. This observer’s task now is to regain the “ confidence ” of these lovely creatures to the extent that they will once more become fairly tame and tractable, and perhaps nest and lay fertile eggs. He has not raised Plumed Doves in his many years of keeping foreign doves. What is more, they have raised their own young in very, very few American aviaries, and are quite scarce at this writing. * * * STAGSDEN BIRD GARDENS By F. E. B. Johnson (Stagsden, Bedford, England). About 1950 I was becoming increasingly disturbed by the fact that of the many beautiful birds that were in danger of extinction, the Phasianidae seemed particularly threatened, containing as it does numerous species that occupied a very limited range in the wild. With the increasing encroachment of civilization, the permanent loss of many of these was imminent. This is all very well known to aviculturists now, but fifteen years ago it seems to have occurred to only a few people. Obviously, unless something was done quickly by individual breeders, it was going to be too late to save many species. With this in mind, I bought a number of the rarer birds then still obtainable and started to breed them as a spare-time hobby. The nucleus of the original collection consisted of a pair of Tragopans, a pair of Elliot’s, and a pair of Copper Pheasants. Young birds from the original stock were sold each year to help defray expenses and to acquire additional stock, until eventually the collection became so large that it was a full-time occu¬ pation. Soon it became evident that it would be necessary to employ help, both to look after the birds and to assist with the increasing volume of correspondence, and other things indirectly connected with the enter¬ prise. I decided therefore that to meet these ever-increasing expenses the Gardens would have to be open to the public. I also felt that this might help to increase the popularity of pheasants — a surprising number of people have no idea that any species other than the common Ring-necked Pheasant of the British countryside exists. 5 54 F. E. B. JOHNSON - STAGSDEN BIRD GARDENS The collection now consists of forty-eight different species and varieties of pheasants and other gallinaceous birds, about thirty species of waterfowl, and some Australian parakeets, toucans, and several similar species of foreign birds. Also on view will be Budgerigars and Red factor Canaries, as well as domestic pigeons, poultry and bantams of the more attractive and un¬ usual breeds. I was sure that while these domestic birds are familiar enough to their devotees, they are not often on view to the general public, and many people would welcome the chance of seeing them. This has proved to be indeed the case. Many of them, particularly the old breeds of domestic poultry, are in great danger of dying out, as these days too few people have facilities for keeping them. It would be a pity to see them go, as they are very attractive. Up to the time when I decided to open to the public, this was, as I have said, entirely a breeding establishment, so we did not have to worry too much about appearances, but work is now going on to make the Gardens themselves more attractive to the public generally, while at the same time we are doing our best to retain the natural rural atmosphere. We are planting large numbers of roses both of the wild species and cultivars of the shrub type, in a setting of grass. Many ornamental shrubs have also been planted, and other plants will be added from time to time. I feel that the sympathy of the public towards conservation will be greatly enhanced when they can visit places like this, where birds are not only on show, but are being bred in large numbers. A great many pheasants are bred here each year — for example in 1965 we bred thirty-eight Hume’s Bar- tailed Pheasants, thirteen Satyr Tragopans, fifteen Himalayan Monals, and over thirty Copper Pheasants, to quote only some of the rarer examples. The sale and distribution of them in Great Britain, and to countries abroad, must surely ensure that very many small nucleus breeding stocks are established. Avicult. Mag, Copyright] [F. E. B. Johnson Satyr Tragopan [Tragopan satyr a) Copyright] [F. E. B. Johnson Himalayan Monol ( Lophophorus impeyanus ) Two of the species that are bred regularly at Stagsden Bird Gardens [To face p. 54 Avicult. Mag. Copyright] [Zoological Gardens, Helsingfors Family of Snowy Owls [T o face p. 55 C. H. F. AF ENEHJELM - BREEDING OWLS 55 BREEDING OWLS By C. H. F. af Enehjelm (Zoological Gardens, Helsingfors, Finland) Owls are fascinating birds, possessing many characters which recom¬ mend their keeping as aviary birds. They are intelligent, comparatively easy to keep, quite hardy and some species are good breeders in captivity. The sexing is not usually very easy, as there are no obvious secondary sex characters in most species. It is maintained that the hens are generally bigger than the cocks, but I have found that this has not been the case in most of my successful breeding pairs. I have, for instance, had more European Eagle-Owls in my care than most aviculturists, for the simple reason that I always buy all young birds offered to us, in order to save them from being killed and sold for set-up specimens. Unfortunately this beautiful bird is not yet completely protected in Finland, though now it is at least protected in the woods belonging to the government. Formerly many young birds were offered to us every year, nowadays, the number has decreased so that we have not had a single specimen in some years. I am afraid however that this must be considered as an indication of decrease of the species in the wild state. It is to be hoped that stricter protection of this species, as is fortunately the case with most other species of owls and birds of prey, will be given before it is too late. The size of the birds has varied considerably, without being a sure guide as to the sex. I have kept birds from the same nest in different aviaries in order to sex them, but even when birds from the same nest have been of different size, the hens, which have manifested their sex by laying eggs, have certainly not always been the largest birds of the brood. Breeding birds successfully is always to some extent the luck of the game, and to me the European Eagle-Owl ( Bubo bubo bubo ) is almost a classical example. Many years ago I had two very good breeding pairs, which reared two or three young ones every season. Through bad luck I lost one of the partners in each pair, and now I have not bred one for several years despite the fact that I have kept four or five pairs in separate aviaries for several years. On the other hand, I am glad to say that practically all pairs we have sent to other zoos have been successful breeders. In the East Berlin Zoo this year I saw an excellent aviary with six or seven birds, and as far as I remember at least two pairs had brought up young successfully. I have now put, what I hope to be, four pairs — eight birds in any case in a large aviary and shall be interested to see if I will be more successful next year. I have also four pairs in separate aviaries to make a new trial. I know another example of the same kind. Copenhagen Zoo got a pair of the Turckmenian Eagle-Owl (j Bubo bubo omissus ) from Trans- 56 C. H. F. AF ENEHJELM - BREEDING OWLS caspia. (See Peters’ Checklist , vol. iv, page 1 16.) This owl is somewhat lighter in colour than the nominate form, possibly even a bit larger. The pair bred successfully in Copenhagen and I got a pair of young from them in 1963, which bred successfully in 1965, and brought up two young, I believe Copenhagen was also successful with their pair later on. But the remaining birds of the original importation have not yet bred, as far as I know, in spite of very good accommodation. Almost an equivalent to my bad luck with the nominate form. I emphasize that it is absolutely impossible to discover any kind of difference in the parent birds. In 1963 we got a young pair of Kenya Eagle-Owls [Bubo capensis mackinderi) from Regent’s Park, as far as I know bred in 1962. The birds were kept inside in the winter in a rather small compartment, approximately twelve by ten by eight feet high. In this small aviary the birds started laying at the end of December, 1 964, and two young were hatched about 25th January and successfully raised. (I am sorry not to be able to give exact dates as I would not disturb the birds.) As far as I can determine the eggs are laid on alternate days and the hen pro¬ bably sits from the second egg, so that the young accordingly hatch at intervals. The period of incubation of the larger owls seems to be thirty-three to thirty-six days. The Eagle-Owls obviously reach maturity when two years old. In every case the nests have been placed on the ground in a protected corner of the covered part of the aviary. The nest has always been a rather flimsy affair built of twigs in an open cardboard, or wooden, box or in an enclosed part formed of stones. The cocks have been rather aggressive when the hen is sitting, mainly in the small indoor aviary. In 1955 I was successful in breeding five Little Owls (. Athene noctua ), but in the following winter the old hen died, and I have not been successful with that species since. (This breeding is described in detail in the Magazine 1957, pages 44-5.) It seems much more difficult to breed the smaller species of owls, and all my attempts with other small species have been failures. In 1959 we got a pair of Spotted Eagle-Owls, Bubo africanus , from Regent’s Park, where they were bred. This pair was very successful and brought up two or three young every winter in an indoor aviary, similar to that of the Kenya Eagle-Owls described above. When the hen died there was a halt in breeding for a couple of years, but this winter ( 1 965) two hens were sitting on eggs in corners of the compart¬ ment. Two young were successfully reared by one pair in spite of the fact that there were in all six birds in the aviary. This autumn I had, however, to separate the breeding pair, because they were chasing the other inmates of the aviary. This was actually my first breeding of owls to the second generation. (My first breeding of the species was described in the Magazine, i960, pages 155-6.) C. H. F. AF ENEHJELM - BREEDING OWLS 57 My greatest disappointment in breeding owls has been with the Great Grey Owl ( Strix nebulosa laponica), a species rarely seen in captivity. Formerly our Zoo had had single specimens, but in 1962 we got four young birds. They were still in nest feather, very dark grey, almost black, but moulted out into adult plumage in the course of the summer. When grown they were separated in, what I hoped to be, two pairs. Already in the spring, 1963, eggs were dropped from the perch. This was quite a surprise for me, as I had not expected such large owls to lay eggs when not a year old. The following spring, 1964, nest-boxes were erected in corners of the covered part of the aviary. The boxes were approximately fifteen by fifteen inches and six inches high, the bottom made of wire netting, covered with moss and twig. The boxes were protected by pine twigs nailed to the sides. The nests were accepted and in both compartments a bird sat on eggs, which un¬ fortunately turned out to be clear. Only two and three eggs respectively were laid. The same was the case in 1965, so my hopes for a first breeding were abandoned for two seasons. Still I hope for better luck next spring. Bird breeders have to be optimists. With the beautiful Snowy Owl (. Nyctea scandiaca) we had no luck for several years. Copenhagen Zoo has been successful with this owl for many years, and very kindly let us have two young birds, which, however, turned out to be two cocks. The Snowy Owl is one of the few species of owls where sexes can easily be distinguished in adult birds. The cock is practically pure white, the hen barred with grey on the breast, back and wings, and so are the young birds too. The hen also is a trifle larger than the cock. After several exchanges we got a young bird in 1963 which really was a hen. The pair was kept in a a compartment of our aviary for smaller birds of prey. The open flight is twenty by seven feet, and eight feet high, the covered part being seven by seven feet. In the inner compartment I erected a nest in a corner, consisting of a low box with some twigs on the bottom. This nest was, however, not accepted by the hen, who preferred to deposit her eggs on the floor, in a rather thick layer of sand. We put some flat stones around the nest, in order to keep the eggs together; this manipulation was fortunately accepted by the hen. The first egg was laid on 14th May, and six in all were laid at intervals of two to three days. Five young hatched out. The hen obviously did not sit from the first egg, because the first youngster was hatched on 30th June, two following next day, and a further two some days later. The smallest had disappeared at an early stage, obviously eaten by its parents or nest- mates. The youngest one of the remaining four did not seem to thrive, and was taken away and hand-reared. All the young, including the youngest, thrived very well and are all together in a separate compart¬ ment, the hand-reared one of course still being rather tame. As nestlings they are covered with very dark, almost black down, and the juvenile 58 JOHN J. WALSH - A COLLECTION OF PARROT FINCHES feathering is whitish grey, striped on the breast, like that of the old hen. When this was written on 17th December, 1965, they had, however, moulted out so far that three are considerably lighter on the breast than the fourth, which is obviously a hen. In the meantime I have got an adult wild-caught female, which I intend to pair with one of the young cocks. This female is of European origin, and a trifle bigger than the others, the parents of which came to Copenhagen Zoo from Greenland. This may of course be a chance, as no local race is recog¬ nized in spite of the large distribution of the species. As to feeding, all the smaller species get white mice, rats, cavies and rabbits and occasionally chickens’ heads ; the larger ones are given meat as a change of diet twice in the week. The birds seem to thrive very well on this diet. * * * A COLLECTION OF PARROT FINCHES By John J. Walsh (Drouin, Victoria, Australia) My favourite birds are the Parrot Finches and I can say that I have bred them all my life as I first started with them in 1929 at a very youthful age, and they have held my love through the years with their cheeky and lively behaviour. I first started with the Red-headed Parrot Finch but I now have three different species — Red-headed, Tricolour or Blue-headed, and Fiji or Peale’s. The Red-headed have bred well for me over the years, but the last two seasons’ result have been poor as the birds only made nests and had clear eggs. Blue-headed have been behaving better as each season they breed and rear some young. I find them very good feeders and they seldom fail to rear young once they are hatched. Peale’s are a fairly new species in this country and are probably the rarest and most sought-after by aviculturists. They have appealing ways and their colourful appearance makes them a true favourite. I have thirteen of these little fellows at present and hope to build up quite a stud of them before I release any to the public. They are rather shy breeders and need a lot of attention in the form of live food and seeding grasses. Plain cake is taken when young are in the nest and an egg-food mixture which I use for Canaries is also relished. Plain canary seed is possibly the main seed, with a little Jap millet and hemp and hulled oats being taken sparingly. I have reared six young this summer and the speed with which they become independent never fails to amaze me. One hen which I have had for three seasons has not reared a youngster yet, and another hen, the same age, has reared about eighteen young to maturity during the same time. I have lost DR. HEINZ-GEORG KLOS - NEWS FROM THE BERLIN ZOO 59 several young hens by not separating the sexes during the non-breeding season, so this year intend to endeavour to profit from my past mistakes. I also have several hybrids from a Fiji cock and a Blue-faced hen and these birds grow into very pretty attractive specimens showing some of both parents5 colour in varying degrees of intensity. I also keep a mixed collection of finches in an outdoor planted aviary 40 by 18 by 9 feet high ; in this collection are Red-billed Weavers, Silver and Tricolour Nuns, Gouldians, Bichenos, African Grey Canary, Grenadier Weaver, Redpolls, Diamond Sparrows, Goldfinches, Sydney Waxbills, Parson Finches, Cherry Finches, Rectorellas, etc. * ^ * NEWS FROM THE BERLIN ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN By Dr. Heinz-Georg Klos Director, Berlin Zoological Garden (Germany) Some interesting birds were acquired by the end of 1965. Among other birds and mammals two White-backed Black Cockatoos ( Calyptorhynchus baudinii), a rare species in captivity, arrived from Australia in exchange for zoo-bred animals, a welcome addition to the pair of Yellow-eared Cockatoos ( Calyptorhynchus funereus) already in the collection. Furthermore four Thick-billed Parrots ( Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha ) arrived, considered one of the rarest parrots in captivity which has been bred for the first time in the world at the San Diego Zoo last year. The Berlin Zoo’s collection of parrots now consists of sixty- one different species. A pair of White-backed Vultures was added to the birds of prey collection, obtained in exchange for two zoo-bred Great Eagle-Owls. Another Great Eagle-Owl hatched 1965 was donated to the “ Deutscher Naturschutzring,” the German wildlife conservation organization, which started in 1965 to reintroduce specimens of this endangered species into forests in southern Germany. From the Nuremberg Zoo we received a Booted Eagle ( Hieraaetus pennatus). A fine specimen of Bronze-winged Duck (Anas specularis) was imported from Chile in October. We are not sure if it is a male or a female. Very little is known of the life habits of this interesting species, rare in the wild and in captivity, and similar to the Mallards as well as to the Shelducks in appearance and behaviour. Bronze-winged Ducks were bred in captivity for the first time at the Wildfowl Trust in 1964. A young pair of Temminck’s Tragopans (Tragopan temmincki) was acquired in exchange for zoo-bred Green Peacocks and Ocellated Turkeys. We have also a pair of Satyr Tragopans. 6o IN MEMORIAM Other new arrivals include 3 Brown Pelicans, 2 Fulvous Tree Ducks, 2 Javan Tree Ducks, 2 Red Shovelers, 2 New Zealand Shovelers, 1 African Pochard, 4 Greater Scaups, 6 Mandarin Ducks, 1 Hawaiian Goose (on loan from the Wildfowl Trust), 1 Ross’s Goose, 1 Australian Shelduck, 2 Oystercatchers, 3 Ruffs, 2 Cuban Flamingos, 2 White Ibises, 1 Palawan Peacock Pheasant, 1 Common Peacock Pheasant, 2 Cochin-China Parrakeets, 2 Alexander Parrakeets, 1 Senegal Parrot, 2 Blue Jays, 1 Greater Hill Mynah, 2 Silky Hangnests, 1 Waxwing, and many others. The hatching of five Australian Black Swans in October may be worth mentioning. In spite of the unfavourable conditions during the winter months the cygnets are doing fine. * * * IN MEMORIAM Captain Richard S. de Quincey (1896-1965) There are very few left of my old bird friends to-day and the sudden death of Captain de Quincey has once more thinned out their already depleted numbers. He had kept birds since extreme youth and I believe he was the doyen of our Society, which he joined in 1913. He no doubt possessed the best private collection of small, delicate birds existing at the present time in England, and probably in the Old World. He always had a very large number of Humming Birds and Sunbirds, and he kept many small, unusual insectivorous and frugivorous species. His large birds were few, but very interesting and beautiful ; the rarer forms of Cotingas, Cuckoos, Motmots, Kingfishers, Touracos, and Trogons. He also had some ducks and geese on a pond. Everything was beauti¬ fully housed and cared for. Dick de Quincey was a man of great taste and culture. His place near Hereford, The Vern, was world famous for his herd of Hereford and Short-horn cattle, considered the best in the world. But it was also a beautiful home — the house was full of exquisite and valuable furniture and paintings of the past centuries, and the gardens were excellent. His numerous aviaries and greenhouses had been charmingly designed and planted, and never overcrowded. He was a real master in the art of keeping birds and growing plants, and also of displaying them. I used to spend a few days with him every summer, and I shall sadly miss my visits to The Vern, as no doubt will his other friends. His departure is a great loss to aviculturists, and to all who care for beauty. COUNCIL MEETING 6l LONDON ZOO NOTES By J. J. Yealland The Notes published in the last issue of the magazine (vol. 72, no. 1) contained a reference to Rhynchopsitta terrisi. In The Condor (57, p. 305, 1955) J- W. Hardy and R. W. Dickerman consider that terrisi is separ¬ able, but the relationship with pachyrhyncha is at the subspecific level. Arrivals during December, 1965, and January, 1966, include two species and one subspecies new to the collection. A pair of Fischer’s Starlings ( Spreo fischeri) represent a new species. They were presented together with a pair of Chestnut Sparrows ( Passer — formerly Sorella — eminibey) and a White-headed Buffalo Weaver by Mr. M. C. Harris. Another new species is the Grey-backed Thrush {Turdus dissimilis hortulorum) and the new subspecies is the Chinese Masked Hawfinch (. Eophona per sonata magnirostris) donated by Dr. K. C. Searle who also sent a pair of Red- tailed Thrushes ( Turdus naumanni ), two Kansu Babblers, a Yellow- crowned Bulbul, a Mongolian Lark and six Fohkien Grey-headed Crow-Tits {Paradoxornis gularis fokiensis) . Mrs. D. Ashken has presented a Hardwicke’s and a Golden- fronted Fruitsucker and other notable arrivals include two White Storks, two Inca Terns and six Alpine Choughs. Two Spotted Eagle-Owls have been bred in the Gardens. * * * COUNCIL MEETING A Council Meeting was held on 14th March, 1966, at the Windsor Hotel, Lancaster Gate, London, W.2. The following members were present : Mr. G. S. Mottershead, Vice-President in the Chair. Sir Crawford McCullagh, Bt., Vice-President. Miss P. Barclay-Smith, Miss R. Ezra, Mr. L. W. Hill, Mr. F. T. Jones, Mr. A. V. Marques, Mr. F. Mosford, Mr. K. A. Norris, Mr. W. R. Partridge, Mr. D. H. S. Risdon, Mr. R. C. J. Sawyer, Mrs. K. M. Scamell, Mr. N. R. Steel, Mr. P. L. Wayre, Mr. J. J. Yealland, and Mr. A. A. Prestwich, Hon. Secretary. Member of Council Mr. R. G. Kirkham resigned on taking up permanent residence in Kenya. Mrs. P. V. Upton was elected to fill the vacancy. 62 BRITISH AVICULTURISTS’ CLUB The Society’s Medal The Society’s Medal was awarded to : — Mrs. K. M. Scamell, for breeding the Black Bulbul Microscehs madagascariensis, in 1965. National Council of Aviculture Mr. B. H. Dulanty, Mr. K. A. Norris, and Mr. D. H. S. Risdon resigned as the Society’s delegates to the Executive Committee. Mr. A. V. Marques and Mr. N. R. Steel were elected to serve in their stead. Obituary Council has learned with profound regret of the deaths during the past year of the following members : — Hon. Life Members Captain R. S. de £L Quincey, 1913. Mr. D. G. Schuyl, 1914. Mr. R. Appleyard, 1947. Mr. M. C. Baxter, 1957. Mr. J. Mailer, 1964. Dr. M. A. Raeven, 1954. Mr. G. Reid, 1956. * Members Mrs. H. L. Schumacher, 1951. Mr. T. J. Sheridan, i960. Mr. J. G. Suthard, 1961. Mr. C. H. Svane, 1951. Major J. A. R. Wise, 1957. Arthur A. Prestwich, Hon. Secretary. * * BRITISH AVICULTURISTS5 CLUB The ninety-first meeting of the Club was held at the Windsor Hotel, Lancaster Gate, London, W.2, on Monday, 14th March, 1966, following a dinner at 7 p.m. Chairman : Mr. K. A. Norris. Members of the Club present : S. J. Allum, Miss P. Barclay-Smith, P. S. Bates, A. W. Bolton, W. J. Bourne, W. H. Brown, A. D. Caterer, R. D. Chancellor, R. A. Chester, C. W. Desmond, Mrs. W. Duggans, M. D. England, Miss R. Ezra, Mrs. R. Goodman, Dr. R. Gottlieb, H. J. Harman, L. W. Hill, Dr. E. Hindle, H. Horswell, F. E. B. Johnson, F. T. Jones, Dr. S. B. Kendall, C. Marler, A. V. Marques, R. F. Marshall, P. H. Maxwell, F. Mosford, G. S. Mottershead, S. Murray, Sir Crawford McCullagh, Bt., W. R. Partridge, A. A. Prestwich, J. H. Reay, R. L. Restall, D. H. S. Risdon, R. C. J. Sawyer, NEWS AND VIEWS 63 K. M. Scamell, Mrs. K. M. Scamell, Mrs. C. H. Seth-Smith, H. A. Snazle, N. R. Steel, J. A. Swan, Mrs. J. A. Swan, P. L. Wayre, J. J. Yealland. Members of the Club, forty-six ; guests, nineteen. M. D. England illustrated “ Hunting the Great Bustard in Portugal ” with many superb coloured slides. A very good idea of the area visited was given, together with some of the birds, a family of Blue Rock Thrushes Monticola solitarius deserving special mention. The Great Bustard Otis tarda was shown at the nest. * * Arthur A. Prestwich, Hon. Secretary. * NEWS AND VIEWS Lawrence Cahill, lately Director, Calgary Zoological Gardens, Canada, is now Curator, Dudley Zoo. * * * Paul Schneider has been elected President, Avicultural Society of America, with Mrs. Velma McDaniels as Secretary, 1966. * * * Just which is the most numerous species of bird in the British Isles ? I have seen claims advanced for the Blackbird, Starling, even House Sparrow. Now The Guinness Book of Records , 1965, gives the Chaffinch, closely followed by the Wood Pigeon. * Hs * Bryan Reed writes of his Scarlet-chested Sunbirds : “ The youngster began moulting on 25th October, 1965, and is attaining its adult plumage by a very gradual moult. It is a cock and its chest is now (January, 1966) nearly all in colour. The rest of the youngster is the same colour as the hen only darker.” * * * The Victoria Medal of Honour which was established by the Royal Horticultural Society “ to enable the Council to confer conspicuous honour on those British Horticulturists resident in the United Kingdom whom it might from time to time consider deserving of special honour at the hands of the Society ” has been awarded to Dr. T. T. Barnard. * ❖ * Ralph C. Small, in charge of the parrots and parrakeets at the Chicago Zoological Park, reports that the following birds were sucess- fully reared last year : Red and Yellow X Blue and Yellow Macaw, two ; Hawk-headed Parrot, three single young reared in three nests ; Crimson-winged Parrakeet, one ; Nyasa Lovebird, about fifty, including two lutino ; Swainson’s Lorikeet, five. 64 NEWS AND VIEWS It is heartening to read in Australian Aviculture , 1965, p. 155, a report by Ivor Gould of the very considerable success achieved by New Zealand aviculturists in increasing the population of the New Zealand Red-fronted (Kakariki) Parrakeet. Some seven or eight years ago a census showed 103 of these birds then in captivity. Two years ago the total had risen to 2,500. * * * John A. Fell, Gippsland, Victoria, reports that for him the 1964-65 breeding season was not particularly good. Nevertheless, quite a number of birds were reared: Red-rumped Parrakeet, one ; Red- rumped X Blue-bonnet, two ; Cockatiel, three ; Eastern Rosella, three ; Adelaide Rosella, one ; Pale-headed Rosella, two ; Western Rosella, one ; Blue- winged Grass Parrakeet, three ; Turquoisine, ten ; Bourkes, four ; Peach-faced Lovebird, fourteen ; bush Budgerigar, five ; Senegal Dove, three ; Crested Pigeon, one ; and a number of Barbary Doves, including two mutations. * * * B. M. Killick writes : “ I have just borrowed Seth-Smith’s Parrakeets and on looking at the plate showing a White-eared Gonure and a Pearly I find that I have been keeping Pearlies and not White-eared, as I thought, since 1962. I bred five youngsters in 1963, none in 1964, but five again last year. Three of the 1963 birds are at Leeds Castle.” I do not think this Conure has been bred in recent years and Killick’s 1963 success could very well rank as a “ first ”. * * * W. R. Carthew sends a further note on his Grey-necked Crowned Cranes. He writes : “I must now advise you that the Crowned Cranes hatched on 24th January, dz to a.m. Giving a period of twenty- eight days incubation almost to the minute. As mentioned, the first egg laid was infertile as I expected. The other two hatched under exactly the same conditions as the previous hatching (hen standing watching whilst chicks broke out of shell). Unfortunately the hen has lost one of the chicks, but the other is doing fine.” * * * Dr. Jean Delacour (1965, p. 188) mentions a brief visit to the amazing collection of the brothers Callegari, near Ravenna. I have recently heard from Eugenio Callegari that their Acorn Woodpeckers, Melanerpes formicivorus, twice reared young last year. At the end of July one young one was reared; and in the middle of September two of three hatched. Oliver L. Austin, Birds of The World , p. 193, says : “ . . . the Acorn Woodpecker, is a provident species that stores food for future use. It drills holes just the right size in the bark and sticks acorns in them to eat when times are leaner. Tree trunks are often riddled with its empty storage holes.” NEWS AND VIEWS 65 Dr. L. A. Swaenepoel writes : “ I was lucky enough, or should I say unlucky enough (for, as the late Duke of Bedford once said, the price was heroic) to obtain from a dealer a female albino African Grey Parrot. She was a lovely bird, definitely masculine in appearance owing to a huge beak. Wholly white with a brilliant red tail and de-coloured beak and feet. The eyes were brilliant pinkish-red. This unique bird died two days later, despite our every care. The post-mortem examination showed severe alterations of liver and kidneys, very much resembling ‘ infectious hepatitis ’, but though many examinations and cultures were made no vibrionic germs could be detected. There was also a severe haemorrhagic enteritis.” * * * Walther Langberg, Copenhagen, sends his breeding results, 1965. Crimson- winged, three pairs reared a total of ten young ; Splendid Grass Parrakeet, five pairs reared about twenty-five young ; Blue¬ winged, one ; Bourkes and Turquoisine did well. The old pair of Grey Parrots that bred for the first time in 1956 and have had young ones many times since, reared three young. Many young Bicheno’s Finches and Peak’s Parrot Finches were reared ; and at the time of the report two pairs of Painted Finches had young in the nest. Walther Langberg writes of his Turquoisines : “A normal pair reared two dilute young ones. There were four in the nest and when I went to ring them at about a week old I noticed that two had red eyes and two normal dark eyes. When they left the nest the two dilute youngsters, a male and a female, were paler than usual. Their eyes were then dark. The other two young ones were quite normal in colour. A later clutch gave three young, all females and all normal.” * * * Paul Schneider, California, reports : “ The 1965 breeding season was a fair one for me. Twelve Cuban Blue-headed Quail Doves were reared by two pairs. Their basic diet has been 20 per cent protein chicken feed in pellet form. Also reared were a pair of Satyr Tragopans, a pair of Impeyans, and nine Green Jungle Fowl. Amongst the parrakeets were three lutino Ring-necked and one blue ; the latter was lost after five months due, I suspect, to cat trouble ; four yellow Red-rumped, three males and one female ; five Many-coloured and six Bourkes were also reared. Five Rock Peplars, four in one nest, proved to be males. The lone female was from a 1964 female and an older male. This male was from a pair of birds I sold four years ago to a friend. The pair always had infertile eggs. I swapped my friend males and he produced for me with a year old hen ; his pair also produced. So, I guess that just because you have a true pair it does not necessarily mean they will reproduce.” A. A. P. 66 REVIEW REVIEW HANDBOOK OF FOREIGN BIRDS, VOLS. i AND 2. By A. Rutgers. Edited by K. Norris. Blandford Press, Ltd., London, 1965. Price Vol. 1 185., Vol. 2 195. 6 d. The first of these two volumes deals with pheasants and other galli- formes, pigeons, waterfowl, and parrots, including the Budgerigar ; the second with the passerines. All the species usually obtainable (and many that are not) are dealt with and in both volumes the majority of species are illustrated with coloured photographs. A few give a faulty idea of what they are like (e.g. the nearly white Red-eared Waxbills on plate 22) and some are of birds in rather poor plumage state but in most are good. Each volume begins with chapters on general topics — housing, feeding, etc., and then deals separately with each species. In many cases two races of a species are dealt with under separate headings, which may be useful if, as is sometimes claimed, one is easier to keep than the other. Much of the information and advice given is sound but I was perturbed by sometimes coming on statements which, like the clock that struck thirteen, were not only intrinsically wrong but cast doubt on all that had gone before. Finding a few statements that I know to be incorrect made me, perhaps unjustly, suspect the accuracy of many that I did not know to be right. Throughout the book the terms “ variety 55 and “ species 55 are used as though they were synonymous and the different races of, for example, the Avadavat, are referred to as “ species 55 although their correct (racial) status is indicated in the scientific names given. It occurred to me that some of the lapses could perhaps have been due to mistranslation or faulty “ telescoping 33 of the original German. I have not, however, had the opportunity to compare the English and German editions. In spite of the above flaws the books can be warmly recommended. I particularly liked the general tone and spirit of the introductory chapters. In these the author’s humanity and love of birds is very apparent and, unlike so many writers on bird keeping, he clearly shows that most birds cannot be kept successfully unless one is willing to devote a good deal of time and care to them. D. G. CORRESPONDENCE 67 NOTES A CRANE WITH A FALSE LEG I remember the late Sir David Ezra’s Crowned Cranes in Calcutta very well and wonder what eventually happened to the young one. One of the parent birds, either just before or just after hatching, twisted its foot and was very lame and we thought an amputation might be necessary. Sir David was very interested as I had a Sams Crane reared from a chick which broke a leg below the knee. I amputated and made a series of wooden bamboo legs for him tipped with a rubber knob. After wearing the leg for about nine or ten years he was attacked by dogs or jackals in my garden and had his wing broken on the same side as his wooden leg. I again amputated but this was too much as he was unbalanced now. He walked in a straight line with ease but anything more complicated resulted in collapse and he lay there until I put him upright again. This sight became too heartbreaking to endure so I destroyed him. He was incredibly tame all his life but dangerous with strangers whom he recognized instantly. He was very fond of my Oorah bearer and stood guard all night outside his godown (quarters) and attacked anyone who tried to get too near the door. His clarion calls, particularly in the monsoon, in the early mornings annoyed my neighbours who, however, always liked to see old peg leg dancing and throwing up a hibiscus twig with a flower at the end. Herbert Fooks. RED-BREASTED BLUE-BILL I saw this species regularly I think it was in Benin, when I was a forest officer there. I offered rewards for nests to the local lads of the village without results. As Mr. Harrison remarks, the cocks when not feeding seemed to spend an enormous time jumping up and down with a blade of grass or feather in their bills, presumably for courtship practice or exercise as they were at it most of the year. The peculiar noises they made were as Harrison describes and like most of the waxbills an enormous amount of effort seemed to be expended in “ singing ” with negligible results. Herbert Fooks. * * * CORRESPONDENCE WANTON CRUELTY BY BIRD DEALERS Could Not Some “ Newcomers ” to the Trade be Inspected ? For the last 45 years I have always been interested in the way that bird dealers keep their birds. A few weeks ago, however, I received a bird which was unable to fly as all primaries had been cut off very short. It had bird excreta on its back which could not have happened in transit, it was very lame in one leg, both nostrils were closed, and one eye was damaged in the lid. The bird was miserably dishevelled yet refused to take a bath or preen during the two days it survived. Its tongue too protruded and could not be withdrawn. The point is that this bird should never have been put on rail ; the sender must have known its chances of survival were odds against. I have found also that the correct identification of some of the dealers’ wares is shaky. I saw advertised ( Chloropsis aurifrons) the Golden-fronted Fruitsucker and received (C. icterocephala chlorocephala ) the Burmese form which is quite different. Again a hen Jerdon’s turned out to be Hardwick’s. Both these, however, were in good order on arrival. It is the condition and treatment of weak birds in the shops to which I wish to draw attention. Gould not “ newcomers ” to the trade be inspected periodically or given a trial period or an “ L ” licence before receiving a full trade licence ? High Hay Bridge Herbert Fooks. SOUTH-BY-U LVERSTON Lancs. [It is cases such as this which bring aviculture into disrepute and give good grounds to those who wish to see the keeping of birds in captivity entirely prohibited. Mr. Fooks has kept birds for 50 years and is not likely to make irresponsible accusations. — Ed.] THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT C00O50000005Cf00 co coi^r^O O >o io loco 05 r" m t>» co io CO f f'' CO CL iOUNh Hi COLO CO LOCO •-< S< O' CM « - CO 05 CO LO CO Set in the charm oj an old English Garden at the lovely Village oj BO UR TON- ON- THE - WA TER 6 ★ ★ ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ 4c * * 4C c r T 4c * “1 name * * 4C this * * 4c * Parrot . . * * * 4c 4c Brief biographies of men and women in whose honour 4c 4c commemorative names have been given : together with 4c * a complete list of parrot-like birds — scientific names with 4c * their derivations, and English names. 4c * 4c 4C Price 2 is., post free. 4c * * Arthur A. Prestwich 4c 4c * EDENBRIDGE, KENT. 4c 4c 4c 4C ★ ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★) f 4c STUDIES ON GREAT CRESTED GREBES By K. E. L. SIMMONS Price 5/6 post free @ PUBLISHED BY THE AVIGULTURAL SOCIETY galley’s wood EDENBRIDGE, KENT BOOKS on BIRDS AUSTRALIAN PARRAKEETS THEIR MAINTENANCE AND BREEDING IN EUROPE DR. H. D. GROEN English edition. Cloth bound volume, measuring io£ X inches ; 237 pages with valuable information and including full-page coloured photographs of all species in the genus Platycercus, Barnardius, Psephotus ( Psephotellus , Northiella), Neophema, Polytelis, Alisterus, Aprosmictus, Purpureicephalus and Lathamus. All photographs are printed on special art paper (Diamond, 150 gr./m.2) and in each case male and female are portrayed side by side, making identification and sexing very simple. Price : U.K. £3 35. ; U.S.A. $9. Post free to anywhere in the world. Payment by international money order or by bank draft should accompany order. Obtainable only direct from the author: Dr. H. D. Groen, Haren (Gr.), Holland. Bank : Amsterdam-Rotterdam Bank, Haren (Gr.), Holland. SPECIAL BIRO p FOODS M i famous SINCE 1823 Universal Fortifier Perfort BEKFIN Fort-Egg and (Pictorial Packet) 3 oz. 1/2 4 oz. 1/6 (Insectivorous Colorfort J lb. 2/11 Jib. 2/9 * lb. 2/9 Red Packet) i lb. 3/- 1 lb. 5/3 1 lb. 5/3 1 lb. 5/3 Jib. 3/9 1 lb. 5/3 2 lb. 9/9 3J lb. 15/6 3J lb. 15/6 1 lb. 7/3 3J lb. 17/- 3J lb. 15/8 7 lb. 30/6 7 lb. 30/6 3J lb. 23/- 7 lb. 32/9 7 lb. 29/3 28 lb. 98/- 14 lb. 52/6 7 lb. 39/9 14 lb. 57/6 14 lb. 53/6 28 lb. 98/- 28 lb. 154/- 28 1b. 112/- 28 lb. 99/- C.L.O. SPECSAL Rearing and Condition MYNAH “ GREENSTUFF ” Food FOOD post paid 1 lb. 3/9 14 lb. 29/- 1 lb. 3/9 5/- A dehydrated form of green 2 lb. 6/9 28 lb. 52/6 2 lb. 7/3 9/3 food consisting of lettuce, 3J lb. 9/3 56 lb. 100/- 3J lb. I2/7J 14/8 spinach. carrot, etc., readily 7 1b. 16/9 7 lb. 24/6 27/6 taken by all birds. Packets 1/3 & 3/10, also sold in bulk. All the above prices are carriage paid MEALWORMS “ MARBA ” DUTCH BRED “ SANTA ” GERMAN BRED (small type) (large type) Whether you prefer the small Dutch mealworm or the larger German type, we can give you the finest service obtainable, with shipments arriving twice weekly. Dispatch guaranteed same day as orders received. 1 oz. 3/3 2 oz. S/6 4 oz. 9/3 8 oz. 16/3 I lb. 27/- Also in original Boxes as imported Nett weight guaranteed 2 1b. 50/- 4 lb. 6 oz. 92/6 6J lb. 131/6 All Carriage Paid. MAGGOTS We sell only the best liver-fed maggots, specially recleaned and ready for immediate use for bird feeding. Packed in bran. No mess or smell. 2 oz. 4 oz. 8 oz. I lb. 3/6 5/- 7/9 9/6 FEEDING SUNDRIES Dried Flies (Chinese) Silkworm pupae (Whole) „ „ (Ground) Dried Dragonfly larvae .... Dried Shrimp (Fine, Medium, or Coarse) . Ant Eggs ...... Pure Dried Egg ..... Dried Rowan Berries (Whole) „ „ „ (Crushed) Pure Breadcrumbs (Fine, Medium, or Coarse), far superior to biscuit meal . 2 lb. 3/- ; 4 lb. 5/6 ; 14 lb. 17/6 ; 28 lb. 28/- “ Egg-crumbs,” guaranteed to consist of 90 per cent breadcrumbs and 10 per cent pure egg . . 2 lb. 5/6 ; 4 lb. 10/6 ; 7 lb. 17/6 ALL ABOVE PRICES ARE POST PAID Jib. 1 lb. 5/- 9/6 3/9 6/6 V- 6/9 6/6 12/6 2/3 3/6 11/6 21/- 6/6 12/6 2/9 4/6 3/- 4/9 E. W. COOMBS, LTD. CROSS STREET WORKS, CHATHAM, KENT Telephone : Medway 44969 Telegrams : Avicult, Chatham , Kent CANDIDATES FOR MEMBERSHIP Michael J. Bateman, Toll House, Great North Road, Southoe, Hunts. Proposed by Miss K. Bonner. Major the Rt. Hon. The Earl of Bessborough, Stansted Park, Rowlands Castle, Hants. Proposed by Philip Wayre. Arthur J. Bretnall, Jr., 315 Avon Road, F 195, Devon, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Proposed by Joshua Z. Howell. Mrs. F. G. Buckley, Laboratory of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14850, U.S.A. Proposed by Professor Wm. C. Dilger. G. M. Dent-Brocklehurst, Sudeley Castle, Winchcombe, Cheltenham, Glos. Proposed by L. W. Hill. W. L. Derwood Cable, 3639 W. 132nd Street, Hawthorne, California 90250, U.S.A. Proposed by Mrs Velma McDaniels. James Farrell, 69 Oakley Road, Luton, Beds. Proposed by A. V. Marques. Mrs. Susanna Gallatin, Danbury, Nebraska 69026, U.S.A. Proposed by Professor C. Naether. Peter Hounsom, Woodsway, Orestan Lane, Effingham, Leatherhead. Proposed by Miss R. Low. Kenneth J. Mackie, Gwydir Street, Moree, New South Wales, Australia. Proposed by A. A. Prestwich. W. P. Macveigh, 16 Batu Ferringhi, Penang, Malaysia. Proposed by A. A. Prestwich. Ralph H. Morgan, 40 Fairfield Street, Montclair, New Jersey 07042, U.S.A. Proposed by Miss K. Bonner. George Pritchard, 36 Coed Isaf Road, Maesycoed, Pontypridd, Glamorgan, South Wales. Proposed by Miss K. Bonner. I. J. Roberts, Coombehurst Prep. School, Cliddesden Road, Basingstoke. Proposed by M. F. Draper. Sgt. Paul Russell, 8 Linden Close, Ludgershall, Andover, Hants. Proposed by Miss K. Bonner. Manfred Schreiber, 75 Karlsruhe, Kriegsstrasse 133, W. Germany. Proposed by A. Rutgers. Richard C. Steele, 150 Girton Road, Cambridge. Proposed by A. A. Prestwich. John Tucker, Ashford House, Cannington, Bridgwater, Somerset. Proposed by Mrs. S. M. Anderdon. Arthur L. Tyler, 32 Walnut Street, Oakland, New Jersey 07436, U.S.A. Proposed by Ralf Masure. William L. Weatherly, Blythvale, Streatham, Victoria, Australia. Proposed by W. Robert Hawkes. Miss Dorothy Wilkinson, 3 Elm Grove, Beechwood Road, East Saltney, Chester. Proposed by F. Davies. The Reverend Ivan J. Wilson, The Manse, Kilrea, Co. Derry, Northern Ireland. Proposed by Sir Crawford McCullagh, Bt. John C. Wilson, 4 Park Close, Old Catton, Norwich, Norfolk. Nor. 75N. Proposed by G. Shearing. Thomas Wright, 66 Russel Street, Falkirk, Scotland. Proposed by A. A. Prestwich. NEW MEMBERS The twenty-one Candidates for Membership in the January-February, 1966, number of the Avicultural Magazine were duly elected members of the Society. CHANGES OF ADDRESS Hudson Bancroft, to 41 B Clarendon Road, St. Annes-on-Sea, Lancs. Dr. F. G. A. Beckett, to Barnacre, 10a Egremont Street, Ely, Cambs. Major A. G. Clark, to 5 St. James Park, Chelmsford, Essex. John H. B. Crofts, to Church Farm, Emneth, Norfolk. Herbert Kay, to Force Forge House, Satterthwaite, Nr. Ulverston, C. Eugene Knoder, to Route 2, Box 261, Laurel, Maryland 20810, U.S.A. William R. Lasky, to 19130 Sherman Way, Apartment 5, Reseda, California, U, Professor P. Mantegazza, to Via Tamagno 3, Milano, Italy. S.A. CORRECTED ADDRESS W. G. Last, i Maylands Drive, Queenborough Lane, Braintree. , Essex, NOT 9 Maylands Drive. DONATIONS (Colour Plate Fund) £ s- d. £ s. d. Mrs. D. Ashken 1 0 0 D. W. Muirhead 5 O Miss R. Bissell 1 10 0 Dr. E. P. McCabe . 1 10 O G. Blundell . 1 0 0 A. J. O’Brien 1 10 O R. D. Chancellor 10 0 P. G. Paris 1 0 0 Mrs. W. Duggans 1 0 0 Dr. M. P. Sholar 1 10 0 F. Dutton 10 0 L. N. Taylor . . 1 10 O Mrs. J. W. Flintoft 1 10 0 J. O. Wahlgren 1 10 O J. Kingston . 1 0 0 J. D. Willmott . 2 0 O F. Y. Larkin . 1 0 0 J.J. Yealland . 2 0 O MEMBERS’ ADVERTISEMENTS Wanted. Beebe, A Monograph of the Pheasants, 4 vols, 1918-22. Please send full particulars and price to : — Franz Kraus, (8021) Neuried b. Munchen, West Germany. Wanted. Ripley, The Trail of the Money Bird; Ripley, Search for the Spiney Babbler; Cayley, What Bird is that? — A. Birtles, 169 Royds Street, Rochdale. STEPHEN AUSTIN AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, HERTFORD. W. VM ?V AVICULTURAL MAGAZINE PAGE The'Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker ( Picoides arcticus ) ( with coloured plate), by D. M. Reid-Henry ........... 69 Breeding the Hawk-headed Parrot ( Deroptyus accipitrinus) , by Ralph C. Small 71 Enjoying a Diversified Congregation of Softbills, by Professor Carl Naether 73 The Breeding of the Californian Scrub Jay ( Aphelocoma coerulescens calif ornica) , by W. R. Partridge ........... 76 Breeding of the Acorn Woodpecker, by Eugenio Callegari . . . 78 Breeding of Red-faced Mousebirds (Colius indicus ), by Dr. Herbert Schifter . 79 Breeding the Violet-eared Waxbill, by A. W. Richards. . . . .84 Notes on a Collection of Parrots and Doves in Florida, by Newton Capron . 85 News from the Berlin Zoological Garden, by Dr. Heinz-Georg Klos . . 86 News from Chester Zoo, by M. F. Coupe ....... 87 London Zoo Notes, by J. J. Yealland ....... 88 News and Views ........... 88 Correspondence ........... 91 VOL. 72 No. 3 PRICE 7/6 MAY-JUNE THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY Founded 1894 President: Miss E. Maud Knobel. Hon. Secretary and Treasurer: A. A. Prestwich, Galley’s Wood, Nr. Eden- bridge, Kent. Assistant Secretary: Miss Kay Bonner. Membership Subscription is £2 per annum, due on 1st January each year, and payable in advance. Life Membership £25. Subscriptions, Change of Address, Names of Candidates for Membership, etc., should be sent to the Hon. Secretary. THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA Founded 1927 Hon. President: Dr. Jean Delacour. President: Mr. Paul Schneider. Secretary: Mrs. Velma M. McDaniels. 2265 West 239th Street, Torrance, California, U.S.A. The annual dues of the Society are $4.00 per year, payable in advance. The Society year begins 1st January, but new members may be admitted at any time. Members receive a monthly bulletin. Correspondence regarding membership, etc., should be directed to the Secretary. THE AVICULTURAL MAGAZINE The Magazine is published bi-monthly, and sent free to all members of the Avicultural Society. Members joining at any time during the year are entitled to the back numbers for the current year on the payment of subscription. All matter for publication in the Magazine should be addressed to : — The Editor: Miss Phyllis Barclay-Smith, M.B.E., 51 Warwick Avenue, London, W. 9. Telephone : Cunningham 3006. The price of the Magazine to non-members is 7 s. 6d.f post free, per copy, or £2 5J. for the year. Orders for the Magazine, extra copies and back numbers (from 1917) should be sent to the publishers, Stephen Austin & Sons, Ltd., Caxton Hill, Ware Road, Hertford, England. Telephone : Hertford 2352/3/4. 1 Avicult. Mag. Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker [Frontispiece Avicultural Magazine THE JOURNAL OF THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY Vol. 72.— No. 3. — All rights reserved. MAY-JUNE, 1966 THE ARCTIC THREE-TOED WOODPECKER ( Picoides arcticus ) By D. M. Reid-Henry (Woodford, London, England) This species is in size similar to the European Great Spotted Wood¬ pecker, Dendrocopus major , but in appearance and habit is very different. Moreover, it is a bird which prefers coniferous forest to a great extent, and therefore is to be found as quite common in the vast areas of pine and larch stands in the northern and western areas of the North American continent. There is another species of the three-toed woodpecker in North America which, although more scarce, claims the name P. tridactylus. This latter is also to be found through northern Asia and Europe. They are superficially similar, but may easily be distinguished by the colour of the back which, as may be seen from the accompanying coloured plate of P. arcticus , is all glossy black. P. tridactylus has a white, or a barred black-and-white back taking the form of a central pale streak. There are comparatively few male woodpeckers in the world which entirely lack crimson markings, particularly on the head ; and this lack of red in the males of these two species makes them quite distinct from any other American woodpecker. The strong bars of black on the flanks of both sexes in each case is a further, perhaps even more useful point of separation from other species. The feeding habits of the three-toed woodpeckers differ from those of others of the family in that they prefer to use their bills to lever off pieces of rotten bark rather than to break directly into the wood by hammering. They work with great industry and will strip a bough of its bark in an astonishingly short time. If the tree should quickly prove to be not dead enough for the stripping to be easy, they move on and continue their efforts more productively elsewhere. As a result of this behaviour it is an easy matter to trace the presence of the bird in an area from the amount of freshly stripped bark lying around the base of the trees. 7 70 D. M. REID-HENRY - THE ARCTIC THREE-TOED WOODPECKER The nesting of this bird is little different from the general practice amongst woodpeckers, but it is interesting to see in Richard Pough’s account ( Audubon Bird Guide) that the hole is often drilled low down in the tree or post used. Two to fifteen feet is the height he gives, and one is forced to wonder how any hole so near to the ground can possibly escape attention from undesirable visitors. The absence of the small hind toe of these birds leads one to conjec¬ ture about the worth of a hind toe to a woodpecker. It does not serve as a prop, as I have noticed when studying wild and captive birds ; the tail takes over that function. It is weak ; and when the bird is climbing, the three useful toes are used in the main to hang from, whilst the hind toe is often twisted round to appear outside the tarsus rather than inside, as it would tend to be if it were being used with any strength. I have noticed this in the cases of three captive birds of differing genera and in every case where the Great Spotted Woodpecker is concerned, whether wild or captive. A possible conclusion is that this hind toe is in point of fact now redundant for many woodpeckers and that the three-toed species have had the sense to dispense with the encumbrance. It remains to be seen in the future generations whether other species will also become “ three- toed ” as a result of the process of evolution. RALPH C. SMALL - BREEDING THE HAWK-HEADED PARROT 71 BREEDING THE HAWK-HEADED PARROT ( Deroptyus accipitrinus) By Ralph C. Small (Parrot Keeper, Chicago Zoological Park, U.S.A.) We received a pair of Hawk-headed Parrots in April, 1961. These were young birds, tame and talking, but the female was not quite as tame as the male. They were kept inside for about seven months of the year and in outside flights during the warmer months. The pair started to pluck their feathers a few months after arrival, but when nesting started, they stopped plucking. After they finished the third nest, they started plucking again. While they were incubating and while young were in the nest they were so mean they forgot all about plucking. Since the nest-box was removed and the last baby, they have tamed down again. However, I have not heard them talking. The inside temperature of the building was kept at 750 during colder weather, but would go to ioo° or a little more on the hottest summer days. The cage was 5 by 5 by 7 feet high. Tree branches were inside for perches. The nest-box was 11 inches high by 12 inches wide and 24 inches long with a 3! inch entrance hole. The box was hung at about 30 degrees angle and about 4 to 5 inches of tan bark was used for filler. They kicked most of this out before nesting started. While the young were in nest they ate a lot of roasted peanuts and huge quantities of fruit and especially liked raw carrots and some raw heart. It seems in this pair that the feather plucking was due to boredom more than any other reason. So with this pair family life seems to have agreed with them. Grain Fed . — Four parts large white millet : 4 parts canary seed ; 1 part sunflower ; J part raw peanuts (hulled). Approximately six roasted peanuts per day. Fruit given daily. — Escarole ; carrots ; apples ; oranges ; bananas ; grapes ; soaked raisins. All of this sprinkled with Di-calcium and a vitamin mineral supplement. The daily water supply contained 0.06 cc. to a pint of water of Vi-Syneral and a pinch of Di-calcium, mixed well. 1964. 23rd October. 25th October. 5th November. 1 8th November. 20th to 25th November. Hawk-Headed Parrot Put nest box in cage 5 by 5 by 7 feet high. Box 24 inches long by 1 1 by 1 1 inches. 3f inch hole. Filled with 4 inches of tan bark. Box set at 30 degrees angle. Cage inside building. Going in and out of box. Breeding attempted. Breeding attempted. Breeding daily — looked good. RALPH C. SMALL - BREEDING THE HAWK-HEADED PARROT 72 7th December. 1 1 th December. 15th December. 1965- 5 th January. 29th January. 6 th February. 23rd February. 27th February 28th February. 6th March. 13th March. 20th, 22nd, 28th, 30th May, 4th, 5th June. 27 th May. 14th, 17th, 2 1 st, 26th April. 15th April. 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th, 30th April, 1 st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 8th May. 10th May. 15 th May. 25th June. 7th July. 1 2 th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 20th, 2 1st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 28th, 29th, 30th July, 1st, 2nd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 13th, 14th, 15th 1 6th, August. 13th July. 5th August. 1 8th August. 22nd August. 31st August. 15th September 1 8th September. 19th September. 23rd September. 3rd October. 6th October. 6th November. 1 2 th, 14th, 15th, 1 6th, 22nd, 27th November. 23rd November. 3rd December. Not breeding as often. Spending more time in box. Seems like they have kicked most of the tan bark out of the box. Believe sitting — 23 days after first good breeding. Female sits in box most of the time. Comes off 5 to 10 minutes to eat and male fights with her till she returns to nest. Both parents are very mean. One or more babies about 2 weeks old. Male got out and attacked male Red and Yellow Macaw. Checked box. Looks like getting ready to breed again. Baby in front of hole for the first time. Believe 49 days old. Breeding looked good. Fight a lot. Breeding. Attempted breeding. Baby out for first time. Breeding. Baby eating for first time, 14 days after leaving nest. Breeding. Moved baby to another cage 18 days after it started eating. Breeding. Getting mean again. Pretty sure sitting again, but not sitting tight. One baby pin feathers about J inch long. Breeding. Breeding. Saw baby in hole first time. Baby out first time. 23 days after seeing it in the hole for first time. Saw baby eating for first time. 13 days after leaving nest box. Possibly starting to nest. Men working in building disturbing birds. Not breeding same as normal. Female starting to spend a lot of time in box. Removed baby from second nest. Heard baby crying. Never heard baby Hawk-headed Parrot cry before. Male feeding female. Heard baby crying again. Breeding. They seem to be craving meat. Feeding pieces of heart. Baby at hole for first time. Breeding. Baby out for first time. 17 days after seeing it in hole for first time. Took baby away from parents. PROFESSOR CARL NAETHER - A CONGREGATION OF SOFTBILLS 73 ENJOYING A DIVERSIFIED CONGREGATION OF SOFTBILLS By Professor Carl Naether (Encino, Calfornia, U.S.A.) Why is it that our otherwise so informative magazine brings us so very few reports of members maintaining mixed collections of softbills ? In all probability, there are many more members keeping such collections than members attempting seriously to breed certain foreign softbills in their aviaries. Keeping a diversified group of insect- and fruit-eaters can yield a good deal of worth-while information on their habits as well as much personal satisfaction and enjoyment gained from watching a selected group of miscellaneous birds thrive in an atmosphere of amity and well-being. I know this to be true, because I have for the past twenty-five years or so indulged in reserving a portion of my aviary for just such a group of softbills — wholly for the purpose of observing and of enjoying them day in and day out, and not for breeding them, as I do various species of more or less rare foreign doves and pigeons. In my experience it has been, and it is still, quite remarkable what a truly wide variety of softbills can be kept together the whole year through in peace and harmony. But let me be specific : in an aviary, 8 feet high, 8 feet wide, and 1 6 feet deep, twenty-five birds belonging to nearly as many species, keep friendly, if at times spirited, company with one another. They are absolutely safe from the usual enemies that trouble avian birds so commonly — and unnecessarily. A solid roof over the entire enclosure keeps inimical nocturnal visitors, such as cats, opposums, owls, et al., away. The wire-netting covering the front and one of the sides of the aviary is of such small mesh as to prevent even young mice, snakes, and lizards from gaining entrance, or cats and squirrels from penetrating it with their sharp, long claws. Moreover, a concrete foundation sunk 1 6 inches into the ground safeguards the aviary occupants from any and all burrowing animals, particularly rats. Finally, an almost ever- blooming lantana hedge extends around the outside bottom front of the aviary to a height of 3 feet, thus effectively keeping cats and other marauders from seeing the birds within the aviary, instead of tempting them to jump up, even to crawl up, on the wire-netting. In the seven years during which this bird enclosure has been in constant service, neither injury to, nor loss of birds due to interference from outside enemies has been the case. That net result, so beneficial to my birds in keeping them wholly out of harm’s way, has, needless to emphasize, been a distinct satisfaction to me, for it has always been my contention that the first and foremost responsibility of any keeper of live birds is to provide for their complete safety and security both day and night. Being not harassed at any time, my twenty-five softbills 74 PROFESSOR CARL NAETHER - A CONGREGATION OF SOFTBILLS are a contented, if not indeed a happy lot. Widely varying in size and in colour, as well as in individual behaviour, most of them are alert and active during the greater part of the day — flying about to their hearts’ content, bathing on the leaves of evergreen plants or in the water-pans, and, of course, patronizing feeders and drinkers innumerable times daily. And what a cosmopolitan assemblage it happens to be ! Diminutive Yuhinas, a true pair of nigrimentum and one of flavicollis, imported from India seven years ago, the first mentioned coming fearlessly to me at feeding time to “ serenade ” me with their soft, sweet song, always eager for the first bit of sweet grape or the first tiny mealworm offered. Ever alert, black headcrests raised in the excitement, plumage soft and glossy, the pair flits from plant to plant, male and female in continual “ singing ” communication and contact with each other. Somewhat similarly behaved, but much larger, stronger, and bolder birds are the colourful Silver-eared Mesias. Unusually swift and dexterous flyers, they will pounce on a mealworm tossed amidst shrubs in a second’s time, their wild, penetrating cries ringing in the air. Assuredly, they are among the most fearless members of the group, and perhaps also the most active — or restless. Apparently a true pair, they may be seen together most of the time ; they even built a nest of sorts in the shrub¬ bery last year, lining it partially with bits from a paper towel. Also always on the go is a White-capped Redstart, he with the ever- whipping, blood-red tail and the jet-black, velvety plumage, topped by the snow-white cap. His song is a meagre gurgling of mixed sounds, low and not especially euphonious. But what this Indian bird lacks in musical accompliments, he makes up in feathery beauty. Moreover, he is one of the most curious tenants of the aviary, flying to the feed table the moment I am about to get things ready, there to eye me and my doings fixedly until I leave. A husky chap, this Redstart gets along splendidly with his fellow occupants, even with those boasting a some¬ what similarly coloured plumage. Among certain softbills I keep, such as various Solitaires, there is a strong tendency not to tolerate birds of like or similar colour, even though of entirely different species, but to pursue them relentlessly ; hence I keep the Solitaires separately — with some doves. Of course, I keep a number of Pekin Robins in the collection — those rather colourful and tuneful clowns that enliven any feathered congregation. Among larger softbills which I enjoy watching a Scimitar Babbler stands out — he with the very long, sickle-shaped bill, by means of which he digs and digs — in the feed dishes’ contents as well as in the soil — an exceedingly nimble jumper from branch to branch and also an elusive aviary occupant, usually hiding in the shrubbery, whence now and then he emits his loud, shrill cries. Likewise fairly large, of thrush size, is a yellow-legged Blackbird from South America, my first one of this PROFESSOR CARL NAETHER - A CONGREGATION OF SOFTBILLS 75 species. Now quite tame and friendly, he has yet to prove his ability as a songster — my reason for getting and keeping him. To lend conspicuous colour, as well as a tropical atmosphere, to my congregation of long-lived feathered friends, I keep some varieties of Honey-creepers — their shining blue-black patterns vieing strongly with the predominantly brown patterns of most of the other aviary birds. Honey-creepers, I have found, are quite durable and easily cared for. Their daily diet consists of sponge-cake in honey water, fruit flies and small mealworms ; and, of course, sweet, ripe fruits of different sorts, both summer and winter. Diminutive White Eyes thrive on the same diet. Lively decorative effects in the aviary are further provided by Mrs. Wilson’s Tanagers, Red-rump Tanagers, as well as several Orioles, whose bright yellow- and-black plumage helps to “ light up ” the entire avian assembly. Finally, I must not neglect to mention a number of the Japanese Brown Titmice — the clowns of the collection that enliven the whole atmosphere with their amusing antics, of which, seemingly, they never tire. Most agreeable busybodies, they are also very curious and very tame — a delight to keep and to observe. Since the twenty-five birds occupying my aviary have lived and thrived in congenial co-existence now for many years and without being in the least crowded, it would be unwise to add to their number, for to crowd too many birds into limited space subjects them to almost constant harassment — puts them inevitably on the defensive all day long, thus preventing them from revealing their true natural behaviour — and, of course, from being at all happy and contented. If in past years I felt that I had to introduce a new bird to the group, then I placed him in a cage, which I set in the aviary, so that he might acquaint himself gradually with his new environment and especially with its tenants, thus becoming used to them, and they to him. Even following his release from the cage, he would bear watching for several days, for birds are territorially-minded even in captivity, each favouring certain perches and other preferred locations within the aviary, where rivals are not at all welcome. All in all, my feathered flock of softbills affords me daily hours of welcome relaxation and genuine pleasure. I never tire of being in¬ trigued — and entranced — by their comings and goings, their more or less natural, instinctive conduct in captive, pleasant surroundings, which enables me to know them better and better. How eagerly and how generously they “ reimburse 55 me for the care I am privileged to give them day in and day out year after year ! 76 W. R. PARTRIDGE - THE CALIFORNIAN SCRUB JAY THE BREEDING OF THE CALIFORNIAN SCRUB JAY (. Aphelocoma coerulescens californica ) By W. R. Partridge (Lower Haselor, Evesham, Worcestershire) Not many birds come to this country from North America these days, so I was fortunate to obtain a pair of Californian Scrub Jays ( Aphelo¬ coma coerulescens californica ) from Mr. Alan Griffiths, who had two pairs in the spring of 1964. The pair he retained for himself nested and hatched one youngster, which was lost when about a week old. The Scrub Jay has a wide distribution across the southern United States, from California in the west to Florida in the east, being repre¬ sented by several sub-species. On receiving my pair they were put straight out into a planted aviary 22 by 8 feet, with inside shelter 10 by 8 feet. A pair of Bob- White Quail, which already occupied the aviary, were left in it, and they and the Jays lived peacefully together for a considerable time, until the Jays started to go to nest, when the Quail were both killed by the Jays on the same day. It was late in April when the Jays started to construct a nest of twigs in a snowberry bush, about 4 feet from the ground in the thickest part of the bush. The hen started sitting about two weeks after nest con¬ struction, and was not seen off the nest again for about three weeks, when she was again seen in the flight. On inspection, the nest was empty. Although no eggs were found, I have to assume by the length of time the hen was sitting, that some must have been laid, and subsequently eaten. The pair were left in the aviary until early in December, when the hen was seen to have a swelling on her foot and was brought into the bird room and treated, and in March when again able to perch normally, she was returned to the aviary. In the middle of April, 1965, the birds were again found to be carrying twigs from the snowberry bush in the flight, into the shelter. The place they chose to build the nest was on a wire platform, inside the shelter, which had originally been used by doves, now removed from this aviary. The nest was made entirely of twigs, and although they had been given an abundance of fine roots, they made no use of them for lining the nest as most jays do. The hen started sitting on 25th April, and was not seen off the nest until 5th May, when the nest was found to contain seven eggs. She was a very tight sitter and never left the nest, even when food was given, although one had to pass within about 2 feet of the nest in the shelter. The next time she was seen off the nest was on 21st May, and it was then found to contain one young bird, three or four days old, and six unhatched eggs. From this stage onwards, she left the nest W. R. PARTRIDGE - THE CALIFORNIAN SCRUB JAY 77 each time anyone passed through the shelter. No more eggs were hatched. At first the youngster seemed to grow very slowly, and was very little larger after a week than when it was first seen, but from this stage it grew rapidly, and first left the nest on iith June. This was a little premature, and it was replaced, and remained in the nest for almost another week. It then spent the next ten days on the floor of the shelter and on low perches, before it found its way out of the entrance hole which was 5 feet above the ground, into the outside flight. From this stage it rapidly gained strength in its wings, and was soon flying as well as its parents. When it first emerged, the youngster was overall a pale lightish brown, lighter towards the abdomen, with light blue wings and tail. After some weeks it gradually attained a blue head and neck, and white streaks on the throat, as in the adult. By mid-September it was practically indistinguishable from its parents, except that the blue of the parents was perhaps a little brighter. These Jays were fed on a basic diet of a proprietary softbill food, moistened Saval No. 1 puppy meal, with minced meat and soft sweet apple each day. They were also given maggots and mealworms, and after the hen started sitting they were given as many as they would eat. A description of the above birds is as follows : The sexes are alike in colouring, but the cock has a bolder head than the hen. Head, back of neck, wings, rump and tail blue, throat and chest white streaked bluish grey. Back greyish brown, and the underparts are a pale brownish grey. There is a white stripe above and behind the eye, and a darker shade of blue on the cheeks. The adults are about 12 inches in length. The young bird reared is believed to be a female. Additional Mote, 13th May , 1966. — The pair of Scrub Jays have again selected the same place to nest and have a youngster about a fortnight old. As described, W. R. Partridge has bred the Californian Scrub Jay (. Aphelocoma coerulescens calif ornica) . It is believed that this may be a first success. Any member or reader knowing of a previous breeding of this species in Great Britain or Northern Ireland is requested to communi¬ cate at once with the Hon. Secretary. 78 EUGENIO CALLEGARI - BREEDING OF THE ACORN WOODPECKER BREEDING OF THE ACORN WOODPECKER By Eugenio Callegari (Ravenna, Italy) About three years ago I bought a pair of Acorn Woodpeckers. After a short time of observation I housed them in an aviary together with three more woodpeckers, two Golden-backed and a Scaly-bellied. The newcomers in the cage tolerated their companions perfectly well and never tried to attack them, but when about a year later I housed in the same cage a Yellow-fronted Woodpecker, they attacked it furiously so that I was forced to take it out quickly to prevent them from killing it. In July, 1964, I put four Great Spotted Woodpeckers into a neigh¬ bouring aviary and for over two months the cock made continuous attempts to attack the new woodpeckers whenever they alighted on the partition between the two cages. Early in the spring of 1965, the Scaly-bellied Woodpecker died of an illness and shortly after the Acorn Woodpeckers killed the two Golden-backed which they had tolerated up to that time. They perched on two trunks dug into the soil, which were both eaten out by their pecking activity, but the base of one of them afforded a nesting hole. One day I noticed a hole dug in the ground and the man in charge of the birds assured me that the hole had been dug by the birds and that they used to dig such holes which he filled in again. As I had never heard of these birds nesting in captivity I was far from suspecting they were just about to breed. At that time I left on a trip to Lapland and on my return, exactly on 6th August, the man informed me that he had one day noticed a fully- fledged little bird. He had moreover found their nest dug at the base of one of the trunks about 20 cm. from the ground on the more hidden side of it, so that it could be spotted only after careful inspection. While cleaning the place, the man in charge of the birds had never found dead fledglings, which leads me to think that the brood consisted of one. Two days after I realized that though still feeding their young, they were engaged in brooding again. It was not easy to watch because whenever one tried to get near the cage the non-brooding woodpecker would utter a warning scream so that the brooding one left off brooding and both pretended they were unengaged. After a time, however, the peeping of the young was heard. From the sound it was easy to guess there was more than one, so I hurriedly separated the fledgling of the previous brood lest they might kill it. A few days later a still blind fledgling was found dead on the ground. Later on, two more emerged, so I gathered that the second brood consisted of three fledglings, one of which was dead. The three fledglings now enjoy perfect health and they live separated from their parents ; they are three hens. What most amazes me is that a woodpecker has bred twice in the same season. DR. H. SCHIFTER - BREEDING OF RED-FACED MOUSEBIRDS 79 BREEDING OF RED-FACED MOUSEBIRDS ( Colius indicus) By Dr. Herbert Schifter (Vienna, Austria) Mousebirds are only rarely kept by aviculturists and even in zoos they are unusual inhabitants of the bird houses, but they are very remarkable birds with strange habits and anatomical peculiarities. The six species of Mousebirds form a group of their own ( Coliidae ) and they are not closely related to any other birds. All species are distri¬ buted in Africa south of the Sahara desert and live in small flocks of usually from five to twenty birds. They are about the size of a Starling but have very long tails measuring up to 250 mm. Mousebirds are excellent climbers and their feet are highly adapted to be used in this way. There are two groups of Mousebirds which differ in a striking way ; therefore they are sometimes arranged in two genera ( Colius and Urocolius) but more often the two groups are only given subgeneric rank. I think — especially basing on my studies of the development of the fledgelings — there are enough differences to separate Urocolius from Colius. The two species of Urocolius are characterized by red bills which are black only at the tip and by red “ spectacles ”, bare skin around the eyes. They also have a metallic bluish or greenish tinge on their feathers and a very long, pointed tail. The two species of the subgenus (or genus) Urocolius are the Red-faced Mousebird ( Colius indicus) and the Blue-naped Mousebird ( Colius macrourus). The Red-faced Mousebird which in German is often called “ Spectacled Mousebird ” comes from the Southern third of Africa, while the similar, but smaller, Blue-naped Mousebird which is characterized by a blue patch on the neck is distributed north of the Congo basin from Senegal to Kenya and Tanzania. There are some geographical races of both species differing in the colour of the front, the throat, and the belly. The best known species of the second group is the Speckled Mousebird ( Colius striatus) which has a very wide distribution from South Africa to Abyssinia and Nigeria. The remaining three species are the White- backed Mousebird ( Colius colius) from South Africa, the Red-backed Mousebird ( Colius castanotus) from Angola, and the White-headed Mousebird ( Colius leucocephalus) from Kenya and Tanzania. In spite of the fact that mousebirds have been imported to Europe as long ago as the seventies and eighties of the 1 9th century, only a few records of successful breeding of these birds exist. The first species to be bred seems to be the Speckled Mousebird ( Colius striatus) . According to a note by Mr. Prestwich in Foreign Birds , Vol. 24 (1958), p. 280, this species was bred in England in 1912 and 1914 ; other records of breeding the Speckled Mousebird are to be found in the German journal Gejiederte Welt , 1938, pp. 413-5, in Foreign Birds , 1958, 80 DR. H. SCHIFTER - BREEDING OF RED-FACED MOUSEBIRDS pp. 246-7 (Report of Mrs. D. K. Draper on breeding the Natal Striped Coly), and in i960 again in the Gejiederte Welt (A. V. Nielsen on breeding Colius striatus in Denmark). Since 19623 Speckled Colies have also been bred at the Zoo of San Diego, California, U.S.A. (Kenton C. Lint, International Zoo Yearbook, Vol. IV, pp. 94-5). So the Speckled Mousebird is the species whose breeding biology is best known of all members of the family. There seem to be no significant differences between the various subspecies of Colius striatus. On the contrary the Blue-naped Mousebird ( Colius macrourus) does not seem to have been bred before 1955 when Dr. Bieler reported the hatching and rearing of a young bird of this species in his aviaries (see Gejiederte Welt, 1955, pp. 181-2). On successfully breeding the Red¬ faced Mousebird ( Colius indicus) I have not been able to find a previous breeding record on the continent, and Mr. Prestwich and Mr. Yealland have informed me that they do not know of any successful breeding in Great Britain. So it may be that the breeding of this handsome species is a first, at least in Austria and Germany. But I would like very much to hear of any previous breeding and other experiences with different kinds of mousebirds because I am very anxious to have further informa¬ tion even on the not so well-known species. Because the mousebirds are not often imported it was not easy to get specimens of different species of this family ; but when I started my studies in 1961 I was so lucky to receive specimens of three species. The first ones I got were the Red-faced Mousebirds about which I record here ; the two other species which I could acquire and also successfully breed, beginning in 1962, were the Blue-naped and the Speckled Mousebird. Now after experiences of five years I can also record the breeding of specimens which had been reared in my aviaries ; and now at last I have got nice and tame pets by taking some young out of the nests before they flew. But at first my Red-faced Mousebirds were very shy though they were in excellent condition. I housed them in an indoor aviary measuring nearly 10 feet in length and 6 feet in width, and about 8 feet high. In this aviary the colies were kept by themselves. The specimens of the other two species I housed in similar aviaries. In 1961 I could not observe any pair formation or display behaviour but the birds did well and even became accustomed to captivity and human approach, but were still frightened when I had to enter the aviary. From the eight specimens of the Red-faced Mousebird which I received in 1961 I transferred two birds to the Vienna Zoo of Schonbrunn where they had also some experience of keeping colies, one specimen of Colius indicus having lived there for more than four years. Another of my birds died from an injury through which it had lost one leg. The remaining five birds proved to be two pairs and a single male which lived peacefully together with the breeding pairs. DR. H. SGHIFTER - BREEDING OF RED-FACED MOUSEBIRDS 8l The first breeding attempts I observed in the spring of 1962 when I had kept the birds for already a whole year, but the first successful hatching of a young bird occurred only in June, 1962. Already some months before I had placed some baskets in the aviary woven from “ Peddigrohr ” which is very good for making baskets for waxbills and other birds. In the wild Mousebirds breed in a thorn tree, generally in the thickest forest, where they build their nests which are shallow cups or mere platforms of sticks and rootlets. In the indoor aviaries I could not provide them with such nesting sites, but I was very happy to see that they used the baskets I had fixed in the aviary. The birds took small twigs and grass into these baskets and lined the nests with some green leaves. Before fixing the baskets I had observed where the birds had tried to deposit dry and green leaves of lettuce, small twigs, and other nesting materials. Then when I fixed the baskets at these places the birds seemed to be very pleased to be able to build their nests in the baskets. In the following years they often bred two, or even three, times in the same nest, but sometimes they also changed from one basket to another. From time to time I had to take out the baskets to clean them because the mousebirds did not keep them clean. In 1964 when young pairs of mousebirds were breeding too I fixed more baskets in the aviary ; from this time I had always five or six baskets in the aviary. The first breeding in June, 1962, was a very exciting event. The birds were extremely timid and left the nest as soon as I approached the aviary. So I did not dare to control the nest regularly, but a fort¬ night after they had begun to breed I first discovered a little naked fledgeling in the nest. One of the old birds always stayed in the nest with the young so that I could not see anything of it until 16th July, when the young looked out of the basket. It was well feathered and was already looking like a mousebird but was much smaller than the adult birds. Only two days later the young mousebird left the nest for the first time but it was not able to return to the basket. Though it made some attempts to fly, it always fell down to the ground where I finally picked it up and put it back in the nest. But something was wrong with this first mousebird because it became weaker and weaker during the following days and finally died about four weeks old on 29th July. Through this failure (I think there was a lack of vitamins which I could prevent in the following breeding attempts) I was very discouraged, but the breeding pair did not mind at all. Only three weeks later, in August, 1962, they began to breed again in another basket which I had fixed on a higher branch where the birds were not so easily disturbed as in their first low nesting site. As in the first case only one young mousebird hatched, but this time the fledgeling seemed to develop much better and soon it looked out of the basket beside the old bird which always stayed with it in the nest. On 17th September, the young left the nest for the first time ; it 82 DR. H. SGHIFTER - BREEDING OF RED-FACED MOUSEBIRDS could now already fly though it was only half the size of the adult birds and had very short wings. Wherever it went it was always accompanied by one of the parents, or by both, and it was never left alone for the next few days. It already looked like a mousebird though it had only a short tail and small crown feathers which it erected when I approached the aviary and the parents became excited. It was very interesting to observe the young during the following weeks, but it grew quickly and after another four weeks it had reached full size. Now it was distinguishable from the adult birds only by its yellowish- green bill, its dark, bluish “ spectacles ” and the dark feet. After leaving the nest the young was fed for about a month but it stayed with its parents even after this time and accompanied them too when they had begun to breed again at the end of October, 1962. During this breeding the birds were disturbed by the other breed¬ ing pair and left the eggs after only half the incubation period. But in 1963 they bred six times and reared eight young. The adult birds were now not so timid as in the previous year so that I could dare to control the nests regularly to determine the incubation period, which is extremely short only lasting about twelve days. I was also able to observe the development of the fledgelings which hatch as tiny naked creatures with their eyes still closed weighing not more than about 2 g. I could also weigh and measure them regularly ; for this procedure I had to take them out of the nests, but I always was anxious to put them back as quick as possible. I then was very pleased when the parents soon returned to the nest and their young ; at least the birds became so used to the daily procedure that I had nearly no losses. I could also take photographs of the development of the young mousebirds (see plate) . My second pair of the Red-faced Mousebird too nested for the first time successfully in 1962, but after some attempts it was not before December that they reared their first young ; but already this time three young hatched, a rare event as Red-eyed Mousebirds usually have a clutch of two eggs. Unluckily one young died just after leaving the nest for the first time ; but the other two young were successfully reared. In 1963, this pair bred again too, but in March only a single young was reared. In July two young hatched but none was reared ; and a few days after this event I observed that the male of the second pair was replaced by the single male which had always lived in the aviary together with the breeding pairs and their young. In 1963, the newly formed pair bred only once and reared two young, but in the following year this pair was as successful as the other pair rearing a number of young colies. The replaced male then lived peacefully together with the other birds until 1965, when it was growing older and had difficulties in flying and climbing because it had lost some of its claws. I then Avicult. Mag. Red-faced Mousebirds ( Colius indicus ) with young. Copyright ] [Dr. H. Schifter Young Red-faced Mousebird, two weeks old. [To face p. 82 DR. H. SGHIFTER - BREEDING OF RED-FACED MOUSEBIRDS 83 separated this old bird but to-day it is still living as do three other specimens of the Red-faced Mousebirds received five years ago in 1961. Only one of the imported birds has recently died after nearly four years and ten months in my aviaries. The remaining birds at least have reached an age of about six years ; and the “ old ” male may even be older. In 1964, not only my old pairs of Colius indicus bred successfully, but also a pair of young birds reared in my aviaries in the previous year continued the success of their parents ; the first breeding attempts were already made in autumn 1963, but it was not before July, 1964, that young second-generation mousebirds of this species hatched. The young pair bred in the same aviary as the old pairs in which the birds lived since 1961. Though I had meanwhile transferred some of the young Red-faced Mousebirds to the Zoo of Schonbrunn (Vienna) and to another zoo, there were always between ten and twelve specimens living in the same aviary. Surprisingly enough there were no quarrels between the different pairs ; and only occasionally young birds were persecuted when they approached the nest of another pair. But even more often I have seen young mousebirds sitting in the nests of another pair beside the breeding bird. Up to date nearly forty specimens of the Red-eyed Mousebirds have been reared ; and also I have taken a number of embryos out of the eggs during various stages of develop¬ ment for further studies. After five years of keeping mousebirds I would like to say that these birds are very satisfying inhabitants of bird houses if their requirements are fulfilled. As birds of African origin they like a warm place though they can endure lower temperatures too if it is not wet ; but only if it is warm enough will they behave and breed in a satisfactory way. My birds mainly feed on bananas ; and in addition to the bananas, which I give them all the year, they feed on apples, pears, and other sweet fruit, and a lot of green food, especially lettuce. They do not take live insects such as mealworms or grasshoppers but they like fresh ant pupae especially for rearing their young. Another food they like very much is white bread in milk and they get it every day. To provide them with vitamins I use especially Protovit and Sanostol which are both mixtures of various vitamins, and besides this the birds regularly drink honey water. The daily quantities of food they need are considerable as is usual in fruit-eaters, and therefore, also their droppings. But it is still very interesting for me to observe their strange habits which differ so much from all other birds so that their real affinities to other bird groups are not clear up to date. My own opinion after observing their development and their behaviour is nearly the same as the opinion of the leading authorities of bird systematics : to leave them as a group of their own which is apparently not closely related to any other birds. * * Hs 84 A. W. RICHARDS - BREEDING THE VIOLET-EARED WAXBILL BREEDING THE VIOLET-EARED WAXBILL By A. W. Richards (North Ryde, N.S.W., Australia) Although the Violet-eared Waxbill has been bred on several j occasions before I am none the less very pleased at having bred this very beautiful bird last season, and I thought a report on this might ; interest members. Housing : the birds were housed in an aviary 32 by 12 by 8 feet of which the house occupies 8 feet at one end. The flight is partly covered on the south-east side the rest being fully exposed and naturally planted, the plants including cotoneaster hawthorn, privet, and several types of grass ; the covered part of the south wall is stuffed with ti tree as are all walls of the house except the front which is covered in rigid plastic sheeting. Feeding : Birds are fed on the usual finch mixture, with occasionally a piece of cake, and live food (white ants) are fed regularly. Nesting : The first nest was built in the shelter and both birds shared nesting duties and sat fairly tight ; however, the eggs (four) proved to be clear, approximate date 4th October, 1963 ; the birds did not hesitate to rebuild in another part of the house and again sat tight and on 1 1 th November I found two young in the nest ; on 13th November on inspection I found the nest swarming with small black ants and, of course, the young had been killed. I thought this would be the end of nesting activities, but the birds built another nest and although it was outside in a clump of ti tree I left well alone and did not interfere in any way. On 13th December four young were flying, the period from first egg to flying day being only thirty days. The four young were well cared for by both parents and proved to be three cocks and one hen. Having three nests I thought the birds would be through for the season ; however, they had a spree until April (it is then starting to get a little cooler) and then decided to set up house again. On my return from holiday on 1 1 th April I found the birds alternately missing and found they had built in the same bush. I did not hold much hope for another breeding success as the weather proved to be shocking and the aviaries were practically flooded. On 24th April both birds were very excited and I guessed the young had hatched ; on 10th May one young was found dead in the flight and I would say he had been battered to death by the con¬ tinuous rain. On 12th May another youngster was flying and I kept putting him (as it turned out) into the shelter out of the rain. The youngster finally became independent. The nest contained one addled egg (again approximately thirty days). Incidentally, at the same time the last brood left I also had young Black-cheeked Waxbills leave the nest but these unfortunately succumbed to the weather. In August I had to catch the old hen and also the daughter (now with her own mate) as both were egg-bound. However, both only laid one egg and I put them in their respective aviaries after one day. At the NEWTON GAPRON - A COLLECTION OF PARROTS AND DOVES 85 time of writing the old hen is very eggy and I expect her to lay any day ; however, the nights are pretty cold and I may have to catch her up again. The daughter has not attempted since laying in August. * * * NOTES ON A COLLECTION OF PARROTS AND DOVES IN FLORIDA By Newton Capron (Lake Worth, Florida, U.S.A.) Breeding activity seems delayed this year. My hen King started things going with four eggs, at about the same time as a younger pair of blue Ringnecks. As usual, the King refused to sit but this time decided to co-operate to a certain extent ; she sat on the eggs during the day and left the nest, to roost, at night. The blue Ringnecks’ eggs were not fertile so the King’s eggs were placed under her and she hatched two youngsters which are about half-grown and still in the nest. The King has now started a second nest and perhaps she will sit properly. This is her third year of nesting and her improvement in laying her eggs in the nest-box instead of off the perch is ioo per cent. Many-colours, usually the first to start, waited until late February and then after a couple of weeks lost interest. Now (April 12th) they are looking into the boxes again. I am afraid my old pair of Princess of Wales’s will not produce anything this year as the male seems to be showing his age. They had four infertile eggs and should start again soon as he is feeding her. They have produced approximately seventy young over the past several years. I think with a young male the hen will still produce. Bourkes have been a total washout so far. Australian Crimson- wings are fooling around and fooling is a good word for it as that is about all they ever do. The hen goes into the box each day and re-arranges one or two wood chips and for this daily activity I supply South American grapes and out of season melon. It taxes one’s patience, especially when it goes on for years. One flight at least is most satisfactory. It contains an Ixora coccinea which is a bush about 3 feet wide and nearly 6 feet high and is quite dense. Nesting in this bush, and at the time of writing with young in each nest, are pairs of Green-wing Doves, silver Diamond Doves, and Cordon-bleus, also in the flight is a Bachelor Cape Dove which bothers none of the others. I will not get any medals for this group but the combination is very interesting to watch. Mountain Witch Doves have built a nest and it is more of a nest than any of my other doves build. It is actually shaped and with quite a hollow centre. They used pine needles on top of the sticks. 86 DR. HEINZ-GEORG KLOS - THE BERLIN ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN It is in a box open only in front and about 4 feet above the ground under an open-fronted shelter. Two or three palm fronds give a semblance of privacy. Both birds call and the male seems to have a slightly higher pitched call than the hen ; also he seems just slightly smaller. Now and then he gets quite rough and pulls out her feathers. At other times they do a strange dance — circling around each other for a few moments — and then he feeds her. Most interesting to watch. * * * NEWS FROM THE BERLIN ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN By Dr. Heinz-Georg Klos Director Berlin Zoological Garden (Germany) At the end of 1965, there were 2,583 specimens of birds in 702 different species at the Berlin Zoo. All the aviaries, cages, and ponds are now well stocked so that there was no need to acquire many individuals during the first months of 1966. Among new arrivals the following are the most important : two Bearded Vultures, a female Satyr Tragopan, one Red-billed Hornbill, two White-winged Trumpeters, a couple of New Zealand Scaups (. Aythya novaeseelandiae\ a species which has been very seldom exhibited in Zoological Gardens, and a couple of South American Crested Ducks ( Lophonetta specularioides alticola). As usual, the months of February, March, and April were very suc¬ cessful for breeding interesting species. In our owl collection, consisting of twenty species, the Great Eagle-Owls tried as they did in former years and we got three young ones from them. In March a Horned Owl hatched. In our rich collection of waterfowl the following hatchings may be noteworthy : five Cereopsis Geese and four Egyptian Geese. There were also hatched two black Swans, two Jackass Penguins, and two Humboldt Penguins. In the Bird House the Red-whiskered Bulbuls raised three young, and the Australian Black-breasted Plovers also had three young ones. The extremely rare Kagus from New Caledonia laid one egg and we hope that this time we will be luckier than the last year when three young hatched, but died after a few hours. At the beginning of April, our Flamingo Colony was starting nesting and laying eggs and we are sure that the good results we had with this species will be repeated. M. F. COUPE - NEWS FROM CHESTER ZOO 87 NEWS FROM CHESTER ZOO By M. F. Coupe Spring seems to be with us now and the more delicate species are being moved outside from their heated winter quarters. The Bird Keepers have been extremely busy replacing branches, erecting nest- boxes, and segregating breeding pairs, especially parrakeets in the Bird House. The winter months are always very quiet in the bird section and this year has been no exception. We have had several new arrivals including Derbyan Parrakeets, Philippine Ducks, Canary-winged Parrakeets, Jungle, Bank, and Common Mynahs, White-cheeked Touracos, and Versicolor Teal. Chester Zoo’s building staff have recently finished rewiring the aviaries and installing oil-fired heating in the parrot house. This has given keepers a chance to refurnish the aviaries with fresh branches of good size. During 1965 we successfully bred and reared a Kiskadee Flycatcher in the Tropical House. The Kiskadees were subsequently moved to the Temperate Bird House and later went to nest in a hollow log about 14 feet above the ground. This time four youngsters left the nest on the 8th March but unfortunately accidents befell three of them. The remaining youngster is looking very healthy and at the time of writing the parents are going to nest again. Many other species in the Tropical and Temperate Bird House have paired and are nest-building. The Red-crested Touracos have selected a nesting site in the rock-work above the waterfall in the Temperate Bird House and Tri-colour Nuns are very busy building among the bamboo plants inside the Alligator enclosure in the Tropical House. A consignment of New Guinea fauna is welcome in any zoological gardens and on 23rd March we received such a consignment. The consignment included many birds, the most notable of these were : Red-sided Eclectus Parrots, Blue-eyed Cockatoos, Louisiade Black- capped Lories, Louisiade Lorikeets, Nicobar Pigeons, and Plicated Hornbills. The weather suddenly turned cold the day after their arrival and so many of them are still in the hospital. However, we hope to put them on exhibition in the near future. 88 J. J. YEALLAND - LONDON ZOO NOTES LONDON ZOO NOTES By J. J. Yealland During 1964 a male Crested Screamer ( Chauna torquata) was sent on loan, so as to make up a pair, to the Wildfowl Trust and in that year a chick was hatched, but it did not survive. During 1965 the pair succeeded in rearing one chick and this, a fine specimen, has been received here in exchange for its father. The first breeding in this country of the Crested Screamer appears to be that of 1904 in these Gardens. An Indian Pipit ( Anthus novaeseelandiae rufulus ), a subspecies new to the collection, has been presented by Messrs. G. H. and J. R. Newmark and other notable gifts are a Green Pheasant from Mr. F. E. B. Johnson, a Perfect Lorikeet ( Trichoglossus euteles) from Mr. W. H. Brown, a tame Partridge from Mr. B. P. Meade, and from Dr. K. C. Searle a collection consisting of a Falcated Teal, six Collared or Necklaced Laughing Thrushes, two Rufous and one Masked Laughing Thrushes. Demoiselle Cranes, West African Wood Owls, a pair of Flame- crowned Woodpeckers, a pair of Grey-winged Blackbirds, and a Hunting Cissa have also been received ; three Black Swans have been bred in the Gardens and Blacksmith Plovers, Cereopsis Geese, Night Herons, Speckled Pigeons, and some owls are nesting. * * * NEWS AND VIEWS The Rt. Hon. the Earl of Bessborough has been elected a Vice- President, Ornamental Pheasant Trust. * * * Vice-President G. S. Mottershead has been elected an Honorary Member of the Royal Zoological Society of Ireland. $ * * The Bronze Medal of the Avicultural Society of South Australia has been awarded to John L. Mitchell, for breeding the Varied Lorikeet ( Psitteuteles versicolor) . * * * The most exciting avicultural event this year so far is the hatching of two young by Mrs. K. M. Scamell’s Violet-eared Humming Birds ( Colibri coruscans ), on 8th and 9th April. Very unfortunately they did not survive ; one died after thirteen days and the other fourteen. NEWS AND VIEWS 89 Don G. Davis, Director, Cheyenne Mountain Zoological Park, Colorado, has been elected President, American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums ; with William G. Conway, Director, New York Zoological Park, as President-elect. * * * Under the Chairmanship of its President, Professor O. E. Lowenstein, the Institute of Biology held a dinner on 21st March to celebrate the 80th birthday of its Founder- President, Dr. Edward Hindle, F.R.S. ❖ * * The gold medal for conservation, newly created by the San Diego Zoological Society on the occasion of its jubilee, was awarded to Mr. Jean Delacour on 23rd February, 1966. Other medals were given to Sir Edward Hallstrom, Hon. Director of Taronga Zoo Park, Sydney, and to Mr. Fairfield Osborn, President of the New York Zoological Society. * * * B. V. Ramanjulu reports that the pair of Purple-naped or Purple- capped Tories in the Indian Ornithological Garden, hatched two young ones on 23rd and 24th March — five days old at date of report. * * * The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has announced that a pair of Ospreys has returned to the Society’s reserve at Loch Garten, Inverness-shire, for the eighth successive year. * ❖ * Many writers, when referring to the geographical area over which Floras and Faunas extend, use the Latin habitat (it inhabits). While by no means incorrect, it is perhaps better to confine the use of this word to indicate the kind of locality in which a plant or animal naturally grows or lives, such as sea-shore, chalk hills, forest, etc. * * * A member takes me to task because I said (p. 29) that the Thick¬ billed Parrot is now regarded as the sole remaining member of the Order Psittaciformes “ occurring in America I should properly have said in the United States of America. It is indeed comforting to know that these notes are read by at least one member and that that member should take the trouble to correct me. * * * Prices realized by fine bird books, especially when they are John Gould’s, are always of interest. At Sotheby’s on 21st March, The Birds of Australia fetched £4,500 ; The Birds of Asia, £3,800 ; and A Monograph of the Trochilidae , £2,800. 9° NEWS AND VIEWS At present one of the foremost antiquarian booksellers is offering the first named at £6,000 ; the third at £3,600 ; and Birds of New Guinea , £3,5°°- Quaritch is offering a set of the major works of Gould, forty-three volumes, for £25,000 ($70,000.00). Go on, treat yourself ! * * * In 1964, A. V. Griffiths’s Blue-eyed Cockatoos successfully reared a young one — the event gaining the award of the Society’s Medal. Last year the pair’s breeding results were rather erratic. The hen laid in the spring but the eggs did not hatch. For some unaccountable reason they nested again in the autumn and one young one left the nest on New Year’s eve ! Alan Griffiths says : “It appears to be reasonably fit and is feeding itself, but for some unknown reason is unable to fly. I hope it will eventually become airborne as I believe it is a hen. It has a much smaller head and beak than the previous one.” * * * Whooping Crane. The U.S. Secretary of the Interior has announced that forty-four Cranes are wintering at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Texas. This figure beats last year’s record by two. The forty-four consist of thirty-six adults and eight young. The number of adults represents a loss of six from last year. One dead male was found in western Texas ; it is thought that it had struck a power line. The fate of the five others is unknown. With seven Cranes in captivity the world population is believed to be fifty-one. “Josephine,” mother of four of the Whooping Cranes at present in the Audubon Park Zoo, New Orleans, died last September. In 1940 a hurricane scattered a small wild flock and the two survivors were added to the Zoo collection. “Josephine ” was then considered to have been between two and three years old, so at the time of her death she was about twenty-eight. * * * Aratinga guarouba is, of course, the Golden or Queen of Bavaria’s Conure. It derives its specific name from the South American “ Guaruba ” or “ Guarajuba ”, meaning “ Yellow bird ”. Then how does the Queen of Bavaria enter into the common name ? This thought is prompted by the fact that Madame A. Billot, President d’Honneur de la Ligue Fran^aise pour la Protection des Oiseaux, informs me that she has three of these very charming parrakeets, a male and two females, and would very much like to know the connection. It was, I believe, Dr. W. T. Greene, of Parrots in Captivity fame who first used this name in 1887. In 1824 Johannes Baptist von Spix, himself a Bavarian, named this parrakeet Aratinga carolinae augustae in honour of “ Queen Carolina CORRESPONDENCE 91 Augusta of Bavaria, patroness of the arts and sciences ”. Carolina Augusta (Karoline Friederike Wilhelmine), Princess of Baden (1776- 1841), was the daughter of the Hereditary Prince Karl Ludwig of Baden. In 1 797 she married the Elector Maximilian Joseph von Bayern as his second wife. When, in 1806, Napoleon raised Maximilian to the rank of King, Caroline became the first Queen of Bavaria. ❖ * * Widows or Whydahs ? It was Edwards (Nat. Hist. Birds , 1, p. 86) who in 1745 first figured one of the what we now call the Viduine Weavers. He then said that he was informed that “ the Portuguese call this bird the Widow, from the Colour and long Train The prevailingly black plumage and flowing tail of the male are maybe reason enough for a fancied resemblance to widow’s weeds. Subse¬ quently, Linnaeus first Latinized “ widow ” in 1776 when he named the Pin-tailed Emberiza vidua ; and Cuvier adopted it as a generic name in 1817. Whydah or Whidah is a port in Dahomey, West Africa, and the name may have been adopted on the assumption that this was its place of origin. The port also gives its name to a West African goat Capra reversa , and was also an obsolete common name for the White- bellied Amethyst Starling, Cinnyricinclus leucogaster. The French name for the port is Ouidah (pronounced Wee' da) . There is here certainly a distinct similarity to widow. The French make no attempt to adapt Ouidah in any way but call this group Les Veuves (the Widows). A. A. P. CORRESPONDENCE BREEDING GREY-NECKED CROWNED CRANES With reference to the report about the “ Breeding of Grey-necked Crowned Cranes (. Balearica regulorumy , by W. R. Carthew, and to the remarks in News and Views on page 28, I think perhaps the following paper will be of interest : “ Briitende Kronen- kraniche (Balearica gibbericeps Rchw) im Budapester Zoo.” By F. A. Cerva, Budapest. In Der Zpologische Garten , Vol. 4, Leipzig, 1931 (pp. 9-13) ; concerning the successful breeding the Crowned Crane (B. gibbericeps) in the Zoological Garden, Budapest, in 1918. Two young hatched, but at three months they were killed by a sudden change of weather. The author (Cerva) also mentions the probable successful cross-breeding (hybridization) of Balearica regulorum Bennet X Crowned Crane from West Africa at the Amsterdam Zoo (Artis-zoo) but does not state the year. With regard to the state¬ ment on page 28 about the breeding of Ural owls (Strix uralensis) in the Nuremberg Zoo (Tiergarten, 1965 ; it was not three, but two young birds which left left the sitting box (May, 1965). The birds developed very well ; one of them is now in the Zoological Garden of Berlin (West) and the ether in the “ Tierpark ” Berlin (East). Some days ago (8th March) my old breeding-pair had the first egg of this season in the box, I hope it is fertile ! Dr. Alfred Seitz, Director. Zoological Garden, 85, Nuremberg (Germany). 92 CORRESPONDENCE IMPROVEMENT IN THE DESIGN OF CAGES The suggestions made by Viscount Chaplin and Mr. C. J. O. Harrison for the improvement in design of cages used for the keeping of birds in dwelling houses may, i we must all hope, bring about a much needed change. Since the early days of bird¬ keeping the design of such cages has been ornamental with, evidently, little regard for j the welfare of the occupants. The dealers’ excuse that the makers dictate the design is not acceptable. It is true that domesticated species such as canaries and budgerigars may live and thrive under less than ideal conditions and the fact that they have become domesticated owes a great deal to their adaptability, but many others need to be given the best of treatment and accommodation if they are to thrive. In addition to supplying suitable cages, dealers should be compelled to provide proper advice on the care of the birds sold by them. No doubt some already do this, but there are some who do not even identify their birds correctly, so can scarcely be expected to give the right advice on their care. We all know that mortality among the newly imported birds is far higher than it would be if they were properly accommo¬ dated and cared for from the time of capture. Those who keep live animals of whatever kind have a duty to care for them properly whether they are rare or common and this duty is equally incumbent on those who deal in them. J. J. Yealland. Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London, N.W. i. The Editor does not accept responsibility for opinions expressed in articles, notes, or correspondence. When Visiting the COTSWOLDS AVICULTURISTS ARE WELCOME TO •P <> Set in the charm oj an old English Garden at the lovely Village oj BOURTON-ON-THE- WATER ★ ★ ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ ¥ * ¥ ¥ r f T ¥ ¥ “1 name ¥ ¥ * this ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ Parrot ...” ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ Brief biographies of men and women in whose honour ¥ ¥ commemorative names have been given : together with ¥ ¥ a complete list of parrot-like birds— scientific names with ¥ ¥ their derivations, and English names. ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ Price 2 is., post free. ¥ ¥ * Arthur A. Prestwich ¥ ¥ ¥ EDENBRIDGE, KENT. ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ Visit STAGSDEN BIRD GARDENS The largest private collection of ornamental game birds in the British Isles, also Waterfowl and Rare Breeds of Poultry, etc. Open every day 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Send 3/- for the 40 page brochure Stagsden is 5 miles west of Bedford on the A422. The Gardens are 150 yards north of Stagsden Church. F. E. B. JOHNSON Stagsden Bird Gardens Stagsden, Bedford Tel. : Oakley 2745 BOOKS on BIRDS Catalogue on request WHELDON & WESLEY LTD. LYTTON LODGE, CODICOTE, Nr. HITCHIN, HERTS. Telephone: Codicote 370. AUSTRALIAN PARRAKEETS THEIR MAINTENANCE AND BREEDING IN EUROPE DR. H. D. GROEN Second English edition. Cloth bound volume, measuring io£ X inches ; 237 pages with valuable information and including full-page coloured photographs of all species in the genus Platycercus, Barnardius, Psephotus ( Psephotellus , Northiella) , Neophema , Polytelis , Alisterus , Aprosmictus, Purpureicephalus and Lathamus. All photographs are printed on special art paper (Diamond, 150 gr./m.2) and in each case male and female are portrayed side by side, making identification and sexing very simple. Price : U.K. £3 3 s. ; U.S.A. $9. Post free to anywhere in the world. Payment by international money order or by bank draft should accompany order. Obtainable only direct from the author : Dr. H. D. Groen, Haren (Gr.), Holland. Bank : Amsterdam-Rotterdam Bank, Haren (Gr.), Holland. SPECIAL BIRD FOODS FAMOUS SINCE 1823 Universal Fortifier Perfort BEKFIN Fort-Egg and ’ictorial Packet) 3 oz. 1/2 4 oz. 1/6 (Insectivorous Colorfort * lb. 2/11 *lb. 2/9 * lb. 2/9 Red Packet) * lb. 3/- 1 lb. 5/3 1 lb. 5/3 1 lb. 5/3 i lb. 3/9 1 lb. 5/3 2 lb. 9/9 3* lb. 15/6 3* lb. 15/6 1 lb. 7/3 3* lb. 17/- 3* lb. 15/8 7 lb. 30/6 7 lb. 30/6 3* lb. 23/- 7 lb. 32/9 7 lb. 29/3 28 lb. 98/- 14 lb. 52/6 7 lb. 39/9 14 lb. 57/6 14 lb. 53/6 28 lb. 98/- 28 1b. 154/- 28 1b. 112/- 28 lb. 99/- C.L.O. SPECIAL Rearing and Condition MYNAH “ GREENSTUFF ” Food FOOD 1 lb. 3/9 14 lb. 29/- 1 lb. 3/9 post paid 5/- A dehydrated form of green 2 1b. 6/9 28 lb. 52/6 2 lb. 7/3 9/3 food consisting of lettuce. 3* lb. 9/3 56 lb. 100/- 3* lb. 12/7* 14/8 spinach, carrot, etc., readily 7 lb. 16/9 7 lb. 24/6 27/6 taken by all birds. Packets 1/3 & 3/10, also sold in bulk. All the above prices are carriage paid MEALWORMS “ MARBA ” DUTCH BRED “ SANTA ” GERMAN BRED (small type) (large type) Whether you prefer the small Dutch mealworm or the larger German type, we can give you the finest service obtainable, with shipments arriving twice weekly. Dispatch guaranteed same day as orders received. 1 oz. 3/3 2 oz. 5/6 4 oz. 9/3 8 oz. 16/3 I lb. 27/- Also in original Boxes as imported Nett weight guaranteed 2 1b. 50/- 4 1b. 6 oz. 92/6 6* lb. 131/6 All Carriage Paid. MAGGOTS We sell only the best liver-fed maggots, specially recleaned and ready for immediate use for bird feeding. Packed in bran. No mess or smell. 2 oz. 4 oz. 8 oz. I lb. 3/6 5/- 7/9 9/6 FEEDING SUNDRIES Dried Flies (Chinese) . . .... Silkworm pupae (Whole) ....... „ „ (Ground) ....... Dried Dragonfly larvae ........ Dried Shrimp (Fine, Medium, or Coarse) ..... Ant Eggs .......... Pure Dried Egg ......... Dried Rowan Berries (Whole) ... . . ,, „ „ (Crushed) ...... Pure Breadcrumbs (Fine, Medium, or Coarse), far superior to *lb. 1 lb. 5/- 9/6 3/9 6/6 4/- 6/9 6/6 12/6 2/3 3/6 11/6 21/- 6/6 12/6 2/9 4/6 3/- 4/9 biscuit meal . 2 lb. 3/- ; 4 lb. 5/6 ; 14 lb. 17/6 ; 28 lb. 28/- “ Egg-crumbs,” guaranteed to consist of 90 per cent breadcrumbs and 10 per cent pure egg . 2 lb. 5/6 ; 4 lb. 10/6 ; 7 lb. 17/6 ALL ABOVE PRICES ARE POST PAID E. W. COOMBS, LTD. CROSS STREET WORKS, CHATHAM, KENT Telephone : Medway 44969 Telegrams : Avicult, Chatham, Kent CANDIDATES FOR MEMBERSHIP D. Ashton, 316 Robin Hood Lane, Hall Green, Birmingham 28. Proposed by W. R. Partridge. P. J. Becker, 272 Little Brays, Harlow, Essex. Proposed by A. A. Prestwich. Denis W. Beel, Christian Malford, Chippenham, Wilts. Proposed by W. R. Partridge. Madame A. Billot, 4 rue Paul Ollendorff, 92 Saint-Cloud (Hauts de Seine), France. Proposed by A. A. Prestwich. John W. Blackmore, 74 Oxstalls Drive, Longlevens, Gloucester. Proposed by L. W. Hill. Bernard Crabtree, 26 Long Lane, Banks, Nr. Southport. Proposed by H. W. Humphrey. Stanley Drewery, 54 Red Cat Lane, Burscough, Lancs. Proposed by H. W. Humphrey. Mario M. de Melo Duarte, Rua do Senhor 531, Senhora da Hora, Matosinttos, Portugal. Proposed by A. V. Marques. Gerald Greenwold, Jr., St. Michaels Dairy, Spring Lane, Eight Ash Green, Colchester. Proposed by Miss K. Bonner. C. G. Hodkin, 59 Rackford Road, North Anston, Nr. Sheffield. Proposed by H. W. Humphrey. Lady Mason, Chaldens, Broadbridge Heath, Nr. Horsham, Sussex. Proposed by Miss K. Bonner. Jeremy N. McCabe, West Lawns, Mill Street, Loose, Maidstone, Kent. Proposed by Miss K. Bonner. Ingemar Nilsson, Piteagatan 13, Halsingborg, Sweden. Proposed by Miss K. Bonner. Malcolm Peaker, Department of Zoology, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. Proposed by A. A. Prestwich. Gordon B. Sherman, 6746 South Pennett Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60649, U.S.A. Proposed by W. D. Cummings. Sqn.-Ldr. Hubert J. West, 50 Lower Chedworth, Nr. Cheltenham, Glos. Proposed by L. W. Hill. Mrs. William M. Winsted, Mello Tone Aviary, Walton, Oregon 97490, U.S.A. Proposed by A. A. Prestwich. NEW MEMBERS The twenty-four Candidates for Membership in the March-April, 1966, number of the Avicultural Magazine were duly elected members of the Society. RE-ADMITTED R. E. Greed, Director, Bristol, Clifton and West of England Zoological Society, Bristol 8. CHANGES OF ADDRESS Russell Aiuto, to Department of Biology, Albion College, Albion, Michigan 49224, U.S.A. Horace Brown, to 57 Horbling Lane, Stickney, Boston, Lines. W. G. Brown, to Manse Cottage, Rhynd, By Perth, Scotland. G. Bernard Van Cleve, to 348 So. Highland Avenue, Apt. 202, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15206, U.S.A. Mario C. Fernandes, to R. Santos Pousada, 785-4° Esq., Porto, Portugal. Major W. B. Henderson, to Casa Rannock, Carretera Escas, La Massana, Principat d’Andorra. J. J. C. Mallinson, to Clos Tranquil, High Street, St. Aubin’s, Jersey, Channel Islands. P. H. Maxwell, to Flat 31, 32 Grosvenor Street, London, W.i. Dr. Norman G. B. McLetchie, to Locke’s Hill Farm, RFD 4, Laconia, New Hamp¬ shire, U.S.A. Charles J. Pearson, to 1200 South Highland Avenue, Apartment 164, Fullerton, California 92632, U.S.A. Frank H. H. Reitz, to 20 The Threshold, Jurby, Isle of Man. Jon. B. Sigurdsson, to Holtsgata 22, IV, Reykjavik, Iceland. Keith R. Smith, to 1 7 Denwood Bank, Warton, Nr. Preston. H. Waller, to Wayside, Greenway, Frinton-on-Sea, Essex. B. M. Williams, to Kamundu Estate, P.O. Box 50, Kiambu, Kenya, East Africa. DONATIONS (Colour Plate Fund) £ s. d. £ s. d. H. Bancroft 10 0 Dr. P. Mantegazza . 10 0 Mrs. E. J. Birchall . 1 0 0 Sir Crawford McCullagh, Bt. 5 0 0 D. F. Castle . 1 0 0 C. J. Pearson . 8 0 Dr. H. W. Clarke . 10 0 0 Mrs. F. Poe 1 10 0 J. E. Collins . 1 0 0 Miss I. Stoney . 1 3 0 L. Cox . 10 0 J. A. Swan 4 0 0 F. Danhier 10 0 J. H. Swift 10 0 R. Grantham . 10 0 G. Touchard . 1 0 0 A. V. Griffiths . 1 I 0 J. J. Walsh 10 0 G. J. Irving 1 I 0 B. M. Williams 1 0 0 Mrs. C. B. Madigan . 2 0 0 D. W. Young . 2 10 0 Will you please donate your surplus books on birds to the Society for the benefit of the Colour Plate Fund. MEMBERS’ ADVERTISEMENTS The charge for Members' advertisements is threepence per word. Payment must accompany the advertisement , which must be sent on or before the 15th of the month to A. A. Prestwick, Galley’s Wood, Edenbridge, Kent. All members of the Society are entitled to use this column , but the Council reserves the right to refuse any advertisement they consider unsuitable. Wanted. Avicultural Magazine, a good run before and including 1949. — G. de Goederen, Postjesweg 289, Amsterdam- W, Holland. Wanted. Rosie Alderson, My Foreign Doves and Pigeons. — Hon. Secretary, Galley’s Wood, Edenbridge, Kent. STEPHEN AUSTIN AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, HERTFORD. AVICULTURAL MAGAZINE PAGE Random Notes on Hill Mynas (with coloured plate), by D. M. Reid-Henry . Keeping Doves and Pigeons : Some Suggestions, by Derek Goodwin . Rothschild’s Grackles at Semi-Liberty, by A. W. E. Fletcher ' Breeding of the Royal Parrot Finch ( Erythrura cyanovirens regia), by J. Dalborg- Johansen ............ A Personal Observation of the Chinese Painted Quail, by Sheila M. Rogerson The Breeding of Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher ( Muscicapa tickelliae ), by The Rev. Canon Lowe . . British Aviculturists’ Club ......... London Zoo Notes, by J. J. Yealland ....... News and Views ........... Correspondence ........... 93 96 106 108 112 1 15 117 118 ”9 121 PRICE 7/6 JULY-AUGUST 1966 VOL. 72 No. 4 THE AVI CULTURAL SOCIETY Founded 1894 President: Miss E, Maud Knobel. Hon, Secretary and Treasurer: A. A, Prestwich, Galley’s Wood, Nr. Eden- bridge, Kent. Assistant Secretary: Miss Kay Bonner. Membership Subscription is £ 2 per annum, due on 1st January each year, and payable in advance. Life Membership £25. Subscriptions, Change of Address, Names of Candidates for Membership, etc., should be sent to the Hon. Secretary. THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA Founded 1927 Hon. President: Dr. Jean Delacour. President: Mr. Paul Schneider. Secretary: Mrs. Velma M. McDaniels. 2265 West 239th Street, Torrance, California, U.S.A. The annual dues of the Society are $4.00 per year, payable in advance. The Society year begins 1st January, but new members may be admitted at any time. Members receive a monthly bulletin. Correspondence regarding membership, etc., should be directed to the Secretary. THE AVICULTURAL MAGAZINE The Magazine is published bi-monthly, and sent free to all members of the Avicultural Society. Members joining at any time during the year are entitled to the back numbers for the current year on the payment of subscription. All matter for publication in the Magazine should be addressed to : — The Editor: Miss Phyllis Barclay-Smith, M.B.E., 51 Warwick Avenue, London, W. 9. Telephone : Cunningham 3006. The price of the Magazine to non-members is 7 s. 6d., post free, per copy, or £ 2 5 s. for the year. Orders for the Magazine, extra copies and back numbers (from 1917) should be sent to the publishers, Stephen Austin & Sons, Ltd., Caxton Hill, Ware Road, Hertford, England. Telephone : Hertford 2352/3/4. Avic. Mag. Hill Myna Avicultural Magazine THE JOURNAL OF THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY Vol. 72. — No. 4. — All rights reserved. JULY- AUGUST, 1966 RANDOM NOTES ON HILL MYNAS By D. M. Reid-Henry (Woodford Green, Essex, England) The Hill Myna ( Eulabes religiosa) is a widely distributed species occupying suitable localities throughout India, Ceylon, and South- East Asia. It also occurs on many islands of Malaysia and on Palawan Island, South-West Philippines. Numerous races have been described upon the basis of size, extent of the peculiar and somewhat extravagant head wattles, and other details. The most ornately decorated one, and incidentally the smallest, is that found in South India and Ceylon. This bird ( Eulabes religiosa indica Cuvier) is the subject of the accompanying coloured plate, and to give an idea of its size, it is rather bigger than a Common Starling and much more stoutly built. The largest member of the species is found in Nias Island, and is named E. religiosa robusta. It is a hulking creature, and not so popular on this account as a pet. Of the other sub-species, however, enormous numbers are taken while quite young and hand-reared on lentil paste and fruit before being shipped to Europe and America. In the latter continent vast numbers are sold annually and considerable sums are paid for them. The reason for this as most people will know, is the facility with which they can be trained to whistle in human style and to mimic the human voice. They are frequently kept as household pets in India, and it is a common sight to see one in a small basket-cage hanging over the door of a road-side shop where it whistles and “ talks ” to the world in general. These road-side pets are not ill-treated in the sense of torment, but they are often badly cramped for space and the cages are frequently very dirty. The bird’s plumage is consequently rather untidy, but in general they are not otherwise in poor condition. They are fed almost entirely upon Suttoo and pieces of banana or mango. I once came upon a myna in the Calcutta bird market which was obviously about to give up the ghost ; and because the bird’s general appearance was anything but what one would expect of a very sick bird, I paid rather closer attention to it than I would normally have done. Upon close examination I noticed something protruding from the bird’s mouth and that there was great difficulty in its breathing. This “ something ” was too short to identify without handling the bird, so I went to the Baboo (Proprietor) and brought him out to see the bird’s condition. He was not helpful and dismissed the case as just 10 94 D. M. REID-HENRY - RANDOM NOTES ON HILL MYNAS another impending mortality ; so in some desperation on the poor creature’s behalf, I inquired for the price at which he would sell the myna to me. Upon being told the price was 15 Rupees (about 22 shillings) I was in no mood to buy what I myself thought was a nearly dead bird. However, after watching the sufferings for a short while I could stand the situation no longer, and opening the cage I brought the bird out, and saw that the obstruction was an end of straw-stalk. I took hold of this and began to pull the thing gently from the throat. It was over 2 feet long ; and when it was finally removed, the bird was replaced in the cage and began eagerly to feed, as obviously there was nothing otherwise wrong. This inability to do anything for suffering animals is very prevalent in the East. For some reason Oriental people are loath to touch an obviously sick creature, and tend to dismiss the subsequent death as inevitable. The same thing too frequently applies in the case of sick people and many family bereavements could have been avoided with a little less prejudice and a little more compassion. They are adept at making obeisance to the seemingly hopeless case, but few of them will ever lift a hand to administer a merciful coup de grace to an injured creature. However, to return to the myna, I entered into a somewhat heated discussion with the Baboo, and finally bought the bird for about half the price he wanted. It was the only Hill Myna I ever had and it turned out a fine bird in every way. I later released it in the hills near to Ranchi when I received an order to move to Singapore. In captivity these birds are more usually caged than given the freedom of a garden aviary so that seldom are they encouraged to breed. But they have bred in captivity although how often or in what conditions I cannot say. In the wild state they choose a hole or crack in a tree limb usually at a fair height from the ground, and there raise their two youngsters upon fruit and odd scraps of live food. The nest-site is usually a “ bone of contention ” between several pairs of these and other mynas, as well as parrakeets and hornbills. Normally, however, the Small Grey Hornbill ( Tockus birostris) seeks a larger hole than would interest the myna, who likes the entrance to be on the tight-fitting style. Birds who use holes other than self-excavated ones are very careful in their selection of a suitable nest-site. Mynas will inspect a hole carefully for hours before they decide on its merits. Parrakeets are just as careful because so often any natural hole may quite easily be already occupied by a large snake, blood-sucker lizard, or other enemy, and in the wild there is seldom room for repentance of a mistake. To digress for a moment, it is interesting to consider that hornbills need large holes in which to breed, and it is well known that such a hole could easily be invaded by a large snake. Therefore nature has D. M. REID-HENRY - RANDOM NOTES ON HILL MYNAS 95 sensibly ordained that when a hornbill has decided upon her home and she has laid her eggs in the selected place, the large hole becomes a small one ! So small does it become in fact that the female bird can only just pass out the tip of her beak to receive the food her faithful spouse regularly brings. This process of shrinkage is brought about by the birds themselves walling up the entrance with mud and excreta until the space left is only large enough for the aforesaid feeding. When the house has served its purpose, the mud is hacked away and — Presto ! — a large part of her moult is complete, although the feathers are very caked and dirty. Whistler says that during this period of incarceration she becomes very fat, and upon emerging she can hardly fly ! This is indeed a hardship for a bird who makes hard work of flight anyway. Even more remarkable perhaps is the fact that once the female is out of the nest, the hole is then walled up again until the young are fledged. Then they are released and can fly well at once. Hill Mynas, like so many others of the starling tribe are very quarrelsome birds, and they dwell in small parties so that they never lack opponents. When they are not having a free-for-all they delight to sit comfortably hunched up on one leg while they survey the rest of the world about its business, and sing avian ditties about everything in general. During the heat of the day only are they silent, but even then they cannot resist imitating the call of some other hapless bird who is seeking a lost mate, and thus they make their recreation out of another’s troubles. It is this characteristic of mimicry above all else that has attracted the attention of mankind, and so we make him give us sport. But none the less there have been many occasions when his ability to mimic a human voice to perfection has caused acute embarrassment, and even fear as he recalls the spectral voice of some departed soul. It is a vengeance on us, and there is good justice in it but he does not know this, and neither does he care, for a myna is above all else a philosopher, and views his imprisonment with no apparent distaste, no matter the degree of squalor in which he may be forced to dwell. It is perhaps ironic that we imprison the myna to amuse us with his vocal accomplishment, whereas in reality he draws aside the veil to reveal the shallowness of man. For who but humans could take any pleasure out of the meaningless repetition of noises which can have no sense for the bird ? Ah ! — hut perhaps in the passing of time and the process of natural selection the myna might evolve to understand the words it says : then we humans will be even more interested to listen in on a “ suttoo party On reflection, perhaps it is well that not many are bred in captivity, for we might learn things about ourselves we do not want to know, and that would never do. 96 DEREK GOODWIN - KEEPING DOVES AND PIGEONS : SOME SUGGESTIONS KEEPING DOVES AND PIGEONS : SOME SUGGESTIONS By Derek Goodwin This is written for those who wish to keep pigeons or doves in order to study them or to enjoy their beauty or, I hope, both. I have myself only kept a limited number of species. I did, however, have some success with them and therefore feel justified in giving a few general hints on the subject that I think may help both prospective avicul- turists and any doves they may acquire. I have repeated a few points I may have mentioned in previous articles but have not included the fostering of wild species under domestic doves and training them to fly at liberty (or rather attempting to do so) as I discussed these subjects rather fully in the Avicultural Magazine for 1955. The following remarks apply to wild species and not to the domesticated forms of the Rock Pigeon or to the Barbary Dove, which do not present the same problems or present them only to a much lesser degree. As aviary birds pigeons have many good points. They also have some drawbacks. On the credit side many of them are easy to feed, extremely hardy, and long-lived ; non-aggressive towards birds of other families, extremely beautiful of form, colour and voice, and very ready to breed in captivity. Their drawbacks are that they tend to be nervous and timid and, if suddenly frightened, to fly wildly about. In so doing they are likely to injure their heads against the wire and to disturb any other birds housed with them. Even pigeons that are quite tame with their owner and hardly ever panic by day, may do so at night if disturbed by cats or owls. Nothing is more harrowing for both the pigeons and their owner than these night panics. A single dove fluttering wildly against the wires at night will spread the panic to all others within hearing. Panicking by day can usually be avoided or reduced to a minimum by the following means : (1) Avoid suddenly appearing at close quarters. With birds that are timid, let them see you approach from a distance. (2) Until the birds are used to their aviary and its limitations thread or fix a lattice-like arrangement of sticks or rope across those areas of wire-netting that would otherwise appear to give an unrestricted fly- way . (3) If hawks or cats are troublesome and cannot be eliminated owing to legal or sentimental reasons, a double layer of netting, the outer one about a foot from the inner one and/or a plastic cover over the top of the aviary flight may help matters. (4) Night panicking can often be prevented by encouraging the pigeons to roost under cover where they cannot be seen by an owl flying overhead or a cat passing by. This is fairly easy to achieve with tame hand-reared specimens which, if they are always brought into the shelter at evening to roost DEREK GOODWIN - KEEPING DOVES AND PIGEONS : SOME SUGGESTIONS 97 when they first start to fly, usually get the habit of doing so and continue it in adult life. It is less easy to achieve with doves that have been wild-caught or fully reared by their own parents. It may, however, be possible to entice or drive them into the shelter before dusk. Failing this one can catch them on their roosting perches at dusk or after, and carry them into the shelter. Preferably the shelter should have a light which can be dimmed and this can be put on for a while when the birds are put in after dark. Sometimes the birds panic at night, for some cause which cannot be eliminated, even when roosting in the shelter. Then the only thing to do is to catch them each evening and put them into a basket or baskets for the night. The ordinary pigeon baskets used for transporting domestic pigeons serve very well for this purpose. All this may sound a lot of trouble, and indeed it is, but there is no alternative. To keep pigeons under conditions in which they panic and injure themselves night after night is a positive cruelty not made more justifiable for being often practised by eminent zoological societies. However, given luck, forethought, or favourable conditions the problem of night panics may seldom or never arise. The question of handling pigeons may well be discussed here. It is pertinent not only for aviculturists but for anyone who may be handling wild pigeons for ringing purposes. Most domestic pigeons, and some very tame hand-reared individuals of wild species, show little fear when handled. The majority of pigeons, even otherwise very tame specimens, are, however, frightened when handled although they quickly recover their composure on being released. When a pigeon is frightened the slightest pull or drawing pressure on its plumage will cause the feathers to be shed. This is, of course, a defence mechanism which in a wild state may save a bird seized by a predator if the latter has not got a good grip on it. Only the “ expendable 5 5 portions of the plumage are shed in this manner. The primary wing feathers, essential for escaping purposes, need a strong tug to remove them. Feathers are not shed in response to very slight pulling pressure unless the bird is frightened (or the feathers about to moult anyway). An absolutely tame pigeon that has no fear at all of being handled can be held by the tail, and even though it tries to fly away the tail does not come out as it would, at the first pull, were a timid pigeon so held. A pigeon should never be held by a leg or a wing nor, so far as possible, should it ever be given a chance to flap or struggle while held. Quite apart from feather loss or injury which are likely to result a bird allowed to struggle violently will, especially if it manages to get half free at some point, be far more frightened by the experience. The method used by pigeon-fanciers in which the bird is held partly sup¬ ported on the palm of the hand with its feet, wing-tips, and tail gripped together between thumb and index finger is not to be recommended for use with wild pigeons by the inexperienced. A timid bird is often 98 DEREK GOODWIN - KEEPING DOVES AND PIGEONS *. SOME SUGGESTIONS difficult to place in this position and very liable to pull one or both wings free and lose its tail as a result. If the pigeon is once properly gripped in this way and then immediately held with its breast against the holder’s body this method is, however, quite satisfactory. A safer way is to enclose the bird around the folded wings with one hand (or both if it is a very large species) and hold it against one’s body, allowing it to have its legs free but using sufficient force to keep its wings closed and counter any pushes from its feet. In the case of very small species the hand may encircle the bird and it be allowed to grasp a finger. In the dark pigeons that are tame, and quite often even individuals that are not tame, can be lifted by placing a finger against the lower part of the breast and then lifting gently but firmly. If all goes well the bird will step up onto the finger and if one moves very slowly and carefully can be carried into a shelter and placed on the desired perch. This latter being effected by placing its breast against the perch or ledge and lowering the supporting finger. Sometimes with timid individuals it helps to shine a small torch on the bird during the proceedings, but care must be taken not to illuminate yourself or even your hand. The purpose of the torch-beam on it being rather to prevent the pigeon seeing you than to dazzle it. Some pigeons, however, are more liable to panic if a torch is shone on them than otherwise. But this is such an excellent method of carrying pigeons, preventing any damage to the plumage and tending to decrease the birds’ timidity rather than otherwise, that it ought always to be attempted before resorting to actually catching roosting birds. According to the Victorians, £C horses sweat, gentlemen perspire, ladies glow.” Unfortunately, even the ££ glow ” of the most ladylike hand may destroy the bloom of a pigeon’s plumage if often applied to it, leaving a dark, greasy stain. This can be prevented by dusting the hands with powdered chalk, talcum powder, or even flour just before handling the bird. This is, of course, in those cases where the pigeon must be handled at daily or frequent intervals. If they are continually seeing people who do not molest them, most pigeons, like other birds, soon become fairly tame. Where, however, as must often be the case, the owner can only spend short periods daily with or near them they remain rather wild. In such cases feeding them (with scattered food so that they can get some of it without coming very near) only while their owner is present may help. That is, if he can spend half an hour or so twice or thrice a day sitting quietly in or near their aviary. A few tame hungry domestic Barbary Doves are often a great assistance to ££ show the way ”, provided the wild species concerned are somewhat similar in size (or larger) and food tastes. Care should be taken that Barbary Doves are not left with birds they are inclined to be aggressive to or vice versa. Young Barbary Doves are preferable to adults for this reason. DEREK GOODWIN - KEEPING DOVES AND PIGEONS : SOME SUGGESTIONS 99 Generally speaking the larger species of pigeons are, if wild caught, more timid and difficult to tame than smaller species. However, they are easier to rear by hand and hand-reared young ones if taken early enough from their parents usually remain extremely tame for life. Given, of course, that they are encouraged to be so. So that provided the adults breed, as they usually will if fit, however timid they are, one can always obtain tame individuals by hand-rearing some of their young. If it is desired to have the birds completely and permanently tame they must be taken from their parents as soon as the feathers of the back and wings are beginning to break out of their sheaths. This will be at between the fifth and tenth day in most species. Young taken at this stage usually suffer a slight check in growth and condition but if well fed and not allowed to get chilled they recover and develop into good specimens. If they are left till well-feathered before taking them from their parents they are easily hand-reared without any check. But in most of such cases you will have had your trouble in vain since as soon as they can fly such late-taken hand-reared young will start to show fear and unless one can be with them all day long, will soon be no tamer than if they had been left to their parents to rear. Young pigeons taken prior to fledging may miss parental brooding at first. One should not, therefore, try to “ copy Nature 55 by dumping them on a platform of twigs, but construct a snug artificial nest for them. If they show signs of discomfort through cold, covering them with a loose cloth or putting beside them a slightly older young Domestic Pigeon may be resorted to. Once they are well-feathered a pigeon- basket with a thick layer of peat moss or similar material on the floor is ideal. They can see through the slats and thus get used to strange sights and people if the basket is often moved about. They should also be handled and carried about on the hand as much as possible. The more this is done at an early age the less nervous of strangers and novel scenes will they be in after life. Some people find it difficult to feed young pigeons, but it is easy. Wait till the young bird’s crop is empty (but do not let a young pigeon remain any length of time in this condition) before starting, as if it is hungry it will be more co-operative. Grasp the base of its bill gently between thumb and forefinger of one hand, with the other gently prise open the mandibles and put some food into the mouth. The bird will swallow it eagerly, and when this has been repeated a few times it will gape open its bill as soon as it feels the pressure of thumb and finger on either side. It seems to aid peristalsis if during the feeding one “ pumps ” the young bird’s head, by means of the hand holding its bill-base, up and down in a similar manner to the head of the feeding parent. Either because the hand-feeding does not supply quite the right stimuli or because it is less comfortable than the natural way pigeons being so fed will often cease to gape before their crops are 100 DEREK GOODWIN - KEEPING DOVES AND PIGEONS SOME SUGGESTIONS much more than half full. If this happens with small young that are going to be left some time before the next feed one should continue to feed as long as the young swallow readily when food is put into their mouths. One will, of course, be easily able to avoid over- filling the crop, presuming one has some experience of naturally reared pigeons. After feeding give the bird a drink, and some five minutes later let it drink again if it will. To do this hold its bill as described and insert it into a cup of warm water (or other liquid) . As soon as it feels liquid over its nostrils the squab will drink eagerly if thirsty or withdraw its head if it is not. I have dealt with several species of Columba and Streptopelia in this manner. I found, however, a little difficulty in manipulating the small delicate bills of some nestling Ceylonese Spotted Doves which were the smallest species I have hand-reared. I was unable to manage Diamond Dove nestlings and had to return them to their parents. Probably people with small and delicate hands would be able to feed such small species. I do not propose to discuss details of building or designing aviaries, never having been much of an architect or carpenter myself. Ideally aviaries should be as large as possible with the sheltered part well lighted and with a large door or window (easily closed) for the pigeons to fly through. It is quite wrong to suppose that birds are apt to become wilder in a large aviary than in a small one. Usually the reverse is true, as being able to fly to a distance tends to allay their fears. A pigeon allowed to fly at complete liberty nearly always becomes tamer and less “ panicky ” than it was when in confinement. The only drawbacks of very large aviaries are that it is often difficult to catch a bird in an emergency and that if the shelter is not as high as the rest of the aviary the pigeons are less likely to enter it voluntarily to roost. If well lighted (and the provision of extra windows or open fronts is usually easy) large sheds, barns, stables and the like may often be converted into very suitable aviaries. Indeed, pigeons (and other birds) often nest more successfully in such enclosures, which are virtually well lighted rooms, than they do in outdoor aviaries. The reason for this is, I think, that they see less to frighten or disquiet them under such circumstances. One of the best ways to “ steady down ” timid pigeons is to be with them a good deal in an artificially lighted room (or other place) after dark or before dawn. Not being able to see anything beyond their enclosure they are very unlikely to flutter wildly about and, under such circumstances, often become quite at ease and will display in one’s immediate presence after quite a short time. The best covering for the floor of the sheltered part of the aviary — or for any room or large cage — is coarse sawdust. If this is put down thickly , at least four inches thick that is, it will not blow about. If a DEREK GOODWIN - KEEPING DOVES AND PIGEONS I SOME SUGGESTIONS IOI little of some small seed, such as panicum or Indian millet, which seed-eating pigeons like, is scattered and buried among the sawdust the pigeons (I am, of course, referring to seed-eating species) will get a lot of exercise and interest searching for it. The droppings can be quickly and easily removed by riddling the top layer of sawdust through a sieve every few days, and it can be completely renewed as often as deemed necessary. Neither the flight nor the sheltered part of an aviary should be too cluttered up with perches, the latter should rather be arranged so as to allow the maximum possible amount of flight for the captives. Gener¬ ally a perch or two at either end of the aviary, fairly high, and near them some thick conifer boughs arranged to form sheltering bowers, will be sufficient. In the case of species that dwell much in thick cover, however, then some planted bushed or some “ artificial undergrowth ” made of conifer boughs would be desirable. In a very large aviary grass-plots and growing trees and shrubs are useful and aesthetically pleasing ; in a small enclosure they usually become merely insanitary eyesores that clutter up the available flying space. Natural branches usually make the best perches. They should be of varying thickness but at least some should be of a good thickness. Larch poles about two inches or more in circumference make good perches for most species. A few ledges should also be fixed up, both in sunny and sheltered positions, as many pigeons like to perch and lie on broad ledges, especially when sun-bathing. It is usually considered necessary that wild pigeons should have access to an outside flight where they can get direct sunlight. Certainly most captive specimens in outside flights one sees in zoos are in better condition (if they have not injured their heads in nocturnal panics) than those housed entirely indoors. I think this is due to the direct sunlight being able to make up for some dietary deficiencies and the fact that the outdoor aviaries are usually bigger and so the inmates have more flying exercise. I have kept Diamond Doves inside a room where they got no direct sunlight at all, although they could — and did — sunbathe behind the window panes. They kept in perfect health and reared fine strong young ones. I took care to give them an adequate diet and attribute to this the lack of ill-effects from their indoor life. It is possible that adequate feeding would counteract the evil effects of lack of direct sunshine in other species also. Admittedly, the Diamond Dove is one of the less demanding species nutritionally, but it does suggest that the role of sunlight (apart from the pleasure of its warmth and light which can be enjoyed through glass as well as in the open) may be replaceable by an adequate supply of “ sunshine vitamins ” in the food. But of course if one can give the pigeons access to direct sunlight one should do so “ to be on the safe side ”. As a general rule those species of pigeons which, when wild, feed 102 DEREK GOODWIN - KEEPING DOVES AND PIGEONS ! SOME SUGGESTIONS largely on seeds do well on a staple diet of seeds when in captivity. The Diamond Dove and other small species thrive on small yellow millet (the kind often called “ panicum ”) together with some canary seed and maw seed. Larger species (such as most of the turtledoves) will do as well on a diet largely of wheat or dari (which is less costly than millet or canary seed), but should have some millet, especially when rearing young. A little maw seed, lentils, hemp or freshly chopped-up peanuts should also be given them, quite generous amounts when they are rearing young or moulting as these seeds are richer in fats and proteins. The larger species may have wheat, lentils, tares, maple peas, and whole yellow maize as one would give to Domestic Pigeons. All seed given should, of course, be of good quality. For this reason it is, in my opinion, very unwise to give kibbled maize (called “ cracked corn 55 in America), or any ready-broken peanuts or other grains. It should be obvious to anyone with the slightest knowledge of their own species that it is not likely to be the best maize or peanuts that get cracked up commercially and, once cracked or kibbled, grains are far more liable to go bad or musty, with disastrous results. If the pigeon cannot or will not swallow whole maize it is better without any maize at all. Some modern workers on bird nutrition tell us pigeons must have maize. This is nonsense. Thousands of wild pigeons never see a grain of maize all their lives. Until after the dis¬ covery of America no pigeon in the Old World — wild or domestic — ever ate a grain of maize. They were none the worse for it. If it is feared that unless maize is fed (to species that cannot or will not swallow it whole) the diet will be lacking in Vitamin A, this can be remedied by judicious use of halibut oil. The latter is an excellent source of A and D vitamins and can be fed by mixing a few drops with a handful of seed so that each seed has a little adhering to it, or by smearing a drop on a peanut and feeding it to the bird. As a precaution against Vitamin D deficiency it is as well to give seeds thus treated at least once weekly in the winter months and throughout the year to birds kept indoors. Peanuts are much liked by all seed-eating pigeons once they have been persuaded to start eating them. Species of the size of a Barbary Dove upwards can swallow them whole (shelled), but for smaller species they must be broken up. Their fondness for them makes peanuts excellent food for use as a “ titbit ” when one visits the pigeons to help to keep them tame. Often it is difficult to get pigeons to start eating them. Keeping them a little hungry and then introducing both peanuts and a hungry pigeon of (preferably) the same or a closely allied species that does eat them is usually an effective way of starting them off. Failing this, leaving a constant supply of peanuts (frequently changed as they soon go bad) in front of them may achieve results. Green food, such as young leaves of cabbage, lettuce, dandelion, and DEREK GOODWIN - KEEPING DOVES AND PIGEONS : SOME SUGGESTIONS I03 clover, or young shoots of grass, is an excellent addition if the pigeons will eat it, as most will. Pigeons cannot bite or tear bits of leaf from a movable piece of vegetation. So green food fed to them should be clamped between two bricks or otherwise firmly fixed. Arboreal species will eat the young budding leaves and flower buds of such trees as hawthorn, ash, and beech. Berries such as elder berries are also liked by some seed-eating species. Any completely new foods are best given in small quantities at first and a watch kept on the result. Foods which one species of pigeon can eat with impunity may be harmful to another. Chopped-up mild or cream cheese and/or bread and milk made to a moist crumbly consistency are often valuable additions, in small quantities, especially when the birds are rearing young. When they have young many pigeons will eat such foods eagerly even if they refuse them at other times. Those species of pigeons which appear to be largely insectivorous in a wild state should be offered gentles and mealworms, as well as, if possible, smooth caterpillars, ant pupae or any other non-poisonous insects they will take. Some of them may take minced raw meat. A very successful breeder of Bleeding-heart Pigeons finds that these birds need plenty of animal protein and thrive best if given, inter alia , a generous daily allowance of minced raw meat. Grit and minerals are necessary. I always gave my pigeons the pigeon grit that is sold commercially, plus some fine gravel or coarse sand and Kilpatrick’s Pigeon Minerals. These latter are sold by a firm of that name in Belfast. They look rather like iron filings and have a slightly salty taste. I always intended to have them analysed but never got around to doing so. All species of pigeons that I have kept have eaten these (Kilpatrick’s) minerals in considerable amounts when they were feeding young. Even individuals that were flying at full liberty, and so able to supplement their rations with wild foods, did so. I have not kept any of the fruit pigeons. Many that I have seen in captivity in zoos have been in rather poor condition. It is usual to feed these birds on chopped-up fruits which are best (provided the pigeons will eat them so treated) dried off with a little biscuit-meal to avoid soiling the feathers around the bird’s mouth with juice. In a natural state, of course, these birds pluck and swallow whole fruits and berries. Some of them tear pieces from larger fruits but these are generally of a less juicy and sticky nature than cultivated fruits. Boiled maize is also given to fruit pigeons and the few people who have bred them successfully have usually given them bread and milk when they had young. There is clearly much room for experiment in the feeding of captive fruit pigeons. I make a few suggestions which I think might prove useful although I have not had personal experience of keeping these birds : — 104 DEREK GOODWIN - KEEPING DOVES AND PIGEONS : SOME SUGGESTIONS (1) The diet should be supplemented where possible with wild fruits and berries, given on the branch. (2) For the green pigeons ( Treron species) which digest the seeds of wild figs they largely eat ; soaked millet or wheat might be added to the diet, possibly enclosed in a bit of date or fig. (3) It should not be assumed that fruit pigeons do not need grit or minerals. Some of them are known to take such substances when wild. (4) When wild fruit pigeons show much activity in gathering food. The possibilities of getting them to do so in captivity might be explored. Fixing favourite items of food so that the pigeons had to clamber among branches and/or hang head down to reach them, might be contrived. (5) The possibility of partly supplementing the fruit diet by cubes of wholemeal bread made moist with some reliable “ artificial nectar ” as given to nectar-feeding birds, might be tried out. Being highly arboreal fruit pigeons are often reluctant to come to the ground for food in captivity. Probably because when hungry they do not (as ground feeding species do) “ expect ” to find food at ground level. Their food and water, therefore, should be made available to them at perch level. With all kinds of pigeons care must be taken that newly arrived birds can find their food and water. Seed and grain are much better scattered on some clean and clearly visible part of the aviary floor (which can easily be cleaned daily) than put in a container. Even if one wishes to give the food in dishes some must still be scattered around conspicuously at first to enable the bird to find its source. Most species of pigeons are very keen on sun-bathing and water¬ bathing. The need for suitable ledges in the sun has already been mentioned. For water-bathing a large dish (the bigger the better) or small pool should be provided. Most species prefer to bathe in water that is not very deep, about deep enough to reach the feathers of the pigeon’s underparts when it is standing fairly erect is usually right. If a dish is used it should be of terra cotta or some other material not too smooth and slippery White or glass dishes are to be avoided as often pigeons (and other birds) fear to step into water if they cannot see the bottom clearly Many wild pigeons and even young domestic pigeons have difficulty in learning to jump up on to the edge of a dish to enter it. This is, no doubt, because when in bathing mood their instinct is to walk down into the water. Surrounding the dish with some bricks (or any similar objects) that come level with its rim will get over this difficulty. In a natural state pigeons often bathe in rain showers and have special movements of lying on one side and lifting the wing for use in DEREK GOODWIN - KEEPING DOVES AND PIGEONS : SOME SUGGESTIONS 105 this position. In captivity many species will soon learn to accept a gentle spraying from a hose as a rain-shower substitute. Although, so far as England is concerned at any rate, if they are in an outdoor aviary they will get enough of the real thing in most years. So far as is known to me dust-bathing is indulged in only by the Spectacled Ground Dove. Possibly some of the other lesser-known species from dry countries will be found to have the habit too. The oft-repeated statements that such species as Rock Pigeons and Turtle Doves dust-bathe are certainly untrue. Many observers seeing pigeons lying on the ground sun-bathing in warm (and sometimes dusty) situations have often wrongly thought they were dusting themselves. However, with any species it can do no harm to supply facilities for dust-bathing “just in case ”. It is pleasant to see captive birds nesting in natural-looking sites and building their own nests, but it is seldom possible for them to do so successfully unless they are alone in an aviary with suitable trees and nesting materials. Generally one will have to compromise and supply artificial sites. For branch-nesting species shallow baskets, saucer¬ shaped pads of heather or wickerwork, or small seed-boxes supply what the pigeons consider ideal sites. They should be fixed in situations where they are, so far as possible, protected from heavy rain and where the sitting bird will not be easily visible to prowling cats or owls flying overhead. If a pair of doves choose a site in the branches where they cannot build a nest, a basket (or the like) fixed in the exact spot will usually be enthusiastically accepted by them. For nesting materials twigs, heather stems, and rootlets, as “ wiry ” as possible and of varying size should be supplied. For all ground feeding species they can be scattered on the floor. For arboreal species it would be better to tie them to perches or to the wire near a perch in such a way that the individual twigs could be easily pulled loose by the male. Dead grass stems and dead leaves could also be provided. For hole-nesting species nest-boxes, either with a hole for entrance or with the front only half-boarded up, are readily accepted. They should have some clean sawdust in them fairly deep as some hole-nesting species make only scanty nests at times. As a general rule a breeding pair of pigeons will need an enclosure to themselves. Only if one can afford enormous enclosures can success usually be otherwise obtained. Pairs of the more aggressive species will seldom settle down to breed unless they have killed or completely cowed any others of their kind sharing their quarters. In less aggressive species enforced proximity may induce a certain mutual tolerance, but if it does so the resultant interest and interference in each other’s family-life can be as harmful — so far as successful breeding results are concerned — as outright aggression. Birds of other families are usually ignored and if they do not interfere with the pigeons can be safely 106 A. W. E. FLETCHER - ROTHSCHILD’S GRACKLES AT SEMI-LIBERTY housed with them. These remarks about incompatibility and the converse are, of course, generalizations. There seems to be room for experiment and enterprise in the matter of keeping wild pigeons. In particular in the matter of discovering really suitable diets for some of the less often kept species and/or means of providing adequate exercise. Many of the problems involved vary greatly in different parts of the world. Places with warm climates and plenty of sunshine enable many species of birds to be kept with far less attention to housing and diet than would be needful in colder and less sunny areas. I would urge all aviculturists who keep wild pigeons to make careful notes on their behaviour as about many species little is known. Scientific name of species mentioned in text (in “ order of appearance ”) : Rock Pigeon, Columba livia ; Barbary Dove, Streptopelia “ risoria ” ; Ceylonese Spotted Dove, Streptopelia chinensis ceylonensis ; Diamond Dove, Geopelia cuneata ; Bleeding-heart Pigeon, Gallicolumba luzonica ; Spectacled Ground Dove, Metriopelia ceciliae. * * * ROTHSCHILD’S GRACKLES AT SEMI-LIBERTY By A. W. E. Fletcher (Helsby, Cheshire, England) About two years ago I acquired a small collection of softbills, largely because it included a pair of Rothschild’s Grackles, which I have wanted to keep for many years. The whole collection was housed in an old conservatory, thirty feet long by twelve feet wide and roofed over with wire-netting eight feet high. The sides of the conservatory are partly lined with plywood and the remainder with wire-netting, and there is a small outside flight (twelve feet by six feet) for use in fine weather. The conservatory is planted with a grapevine, various flowering shrubs, and clumps of herbaceous perennials, with a large shallow earthenware sink for bathing and drinking, and the outside flight contains a large privet bush. Various nest-boxes of different types are provided. The rest of the collection is of no concern here, but during the summer of 1 965 the Grackles came into marvellous condition. They appeared to be a true pair, as one spent a great deal of its time “ singing ” in a manner very reminiscent of our common Starling, but although they were occasionally seen carrying nesting material, no serious attempt was made to breed. One day early in September when I went into the aviary to feed the birds, only one Grackle was to be seen and a little time later the other was spotted sitting outside on the ridge of the conservatory. I should A. W. E. FLETCHER - ROTHSCHILD’S GRACKLES AT SEMI-LIBERTY IO7 add that the conservatory ventilators are kept open, the upper part being occupied by a flock of fantail pigeons ! The appropriate action was taken and a catching cage baited with mealworms placed on the roof of an adjoining aviary, but a thorough search of the wire-netting lining failed to reveal any gap through which the bird could have escaped. By nightfall the escapee was still at large, and I retired indoors thoroughly depressed. But worse was still to come. On visiting the aviaries the following morning both Grackles were at large and as soon as I appeared they flew off to the top of a large copper beech in the next garden three hundred yards away. At this point I wrote them off, but the same afternoon a quiet inspection revealed them inside the top half of the conservatory. They seemed quite at home with the fantail pigeons, but were obviously anxious to get at the mealworms and fruit inside the aviary below. The next morning one was back inside and the small gap in the netting had been located. But as neither bird had been near the catching cage it was too risky to mend the gap while one Grackle was still at large. This state of affairs continued for some days but when finally both Grackles were found inside the aviary, I was so intrigued that I decided to leave the gap and see what happened. During December, February, and March the birds spent most of their time inside, only venturing out if the sun was shining, but since mid-April (this is written on May 25th) both birds have been out daily, entering the aviary for a short time only, early in the morning when feeding takes place. For the rest of the day they are prominent in the garden. The sight of a Rothschild’s Grackle sitting on one’s chimney¬ pot and chattering away to itself as if it has never lived anywhere else is quite enthralling. In fact they do not remain close at hand, and have been reported in a neighbour’s garden nearly half a mile away. Normally both birds when at liberty keep close together, but for the last week, although both birds have been in the aviary for morning feed, only one has been seen in the garden. As there are several starling- size nest-boxes among the forty odd nest-boxes in my garden, perhaps something interesting is happening. The birds are in tip-top condition as can be imagined, and though still keen on their mealworms and orange, they are more or less ignoring the proprietary soft food, so a good deal of natural food must be being taken. I was not even annoyed when I saw the two of them attacking apple blossom. To conclude, the enjoyment of seeing these birds for more than eight months completely at home in a Cheshire garden more than makes up for the risk of losing them, which must almost certainly be inevitable. io8 J. DALBORG-JOHANSEN - BREEDING OF THE ROYAL PARROT FINCH BREEDING OF THE ROYAL PARROT FINCH ( Erythrura cyanovirens regia ) By J. Dalborg-Johansen (Odense, Denmark) Rare specimens amongst the imported birds have always had an exciting effect on the buyers of birds and it is, therefore, hardly surprising that I, who have always regarded the Parrot Finch family as one of my favourites was extremely interested, when in January, 1 963, T found the Royal Parrot Finch on the price-list from an English bird importer. With the help of good friends I managed to order two pairs and I waited in anxiety for their arrival. But as it so often happens (also from Danish dealers) the birds existed only on paper and nine months passed before I received the message that they had arrived in England. It was certainly not without anxious feelings that I left for Copen¬ hagen to receive the Royal Parrot Finches on 15th September because the small amount of literature I had found about this parrot finch breed described it as being delicate and eating hardly anything but fruit (specially ripe figs). “ The Royals 55 arrived in Kastrup in one of the usual English cardboard boxes, but through the breathing-holes I was able to ascertain that all four were alive and when I shortly after moved them to a box-cage they seemed lively and in good con¬ dition, except for slightly damaged plumage especially round the beak. On my return home I placed all the four birds together in a small aviary. In the beginning they were very shy and restless, but they readily went to food and water. The feeding had, of course, caused me some considerable worry but my worries had been unnecessary as I found that they could be fed in exactly the same way as the other known species of Erythrura such as Red-headed and Three-coloured. Their food consisted of various sorts of millet, canary-seed, millet sprays, and soft food mixed from sprouted seed, chopped egg, coarse universal food (Sluis), bread-crumbs, and grated carrot. They prefer the soft food and next the canary-seed. According to several authors fruit should be the Royal Parrot Finch’s main food, however, they only ate a little sweet apple and nibbled oranges, but not more than my Red-headed Parrot Finches. Greens are hardly touched at all. The Royal Parrot Finch comes from New Hebrides where they, according to H. Bregulla in Die Gejiederte Welt , live in the mountain woods and preferably eat ripe figs. I did not give my birds figs at all, because I thought that the ripe figs in the New Hebrides are completely different from the dried sticky figs it is possible to buy in this country. They would very quickly change the branches and feeding cups to a sticky mess and make cleaning difficult. Fortunately, the Royals do not seem to miss the fig feed, or perhaps rather the fig pips which they pick out with their strong beaks, and are in a very good condition. J. DALBORG-JOHANSEN - BREEDING OF THE ROYAL PARROT FINCH 109 Shortly after their arrival the four Royals started moulting and they did not gain their beauty until the spring, 1964, because all through the winter months they were moulting slightly, especially on their heads. I think it is about time to give a description of this beautiful species. The Royal Parrot Finch is the biggest and most powerful of the Erythrura. Its plump body, short tail, and strong beak and legs almost gives the impression of a Hawfinch, but the strong red and blue colours make it beautiful. Description Head, forehead, crown, neck, and cheeks, scarlet ; throat and chest, deep blue ; back and wing-coverts, deep green ; wing flight feathers, brown with green outer vane ; belly and under-rump, greyish-green ; upper rump and upper tail-coverts, strong red ; tail feathers greyish- brown with red outer vane, the middle feathers slightly prolonged on the older male birds. While the distinctions between the red and the blue colours are sharp, the blue colour on the chest gradually turns into the greyish-green on the belly. The beak is large and greyish-black, legs and feet are brown. The claws are strong, they grow rather quickly and have to be cut. Differences in Sex According to the literature male and female should be alike, but in my opinion there are some clear differences. The fully coloured males are stronger and livelier than the females, the beak seems bigger, the blue colour deeper and more shiny, and it stretches right back between the legs. Furthermore, like the rest of the Erythrura species the males have a song, a long rolling tone which is a little deeper and more melodious than that of Erythrura psittacea and Erythrura trichroa. The frequency of the song can be rather varied. Although I listened eagerly, I did not hear the old male sing for the first time until the female had been brooding for some time, while the two young males sang frequently long before they were fully coloured. In the middle of April I separated the four imported birds in two “ pairs ”, at that time I could only feel sure about the one pair which consisted of the strongest and the weakest coloured of the four. Each pair was placed in a small aviary ( 1 • 3 by o • 9 by o • 6 metres) in the bird room. Two wicker-nests were hung up in each aviary, one on the bare wall and the other in a tuft of pine-tree branches. The tuft, however, was quickly destroyed by the birds ; they took off all the needles in a couple of hours. Furthermore, I placed without great expectations, a bunch of coconut fibres, dried grass, and moss in a corner. To my great surprise both pairs had spread all the nest materials over the floor, the very next day, and three days later the certain pair had I 10 J. DALBORG-JOHANSEN— BREEDING OF THE ROYAL PARROT FINCH built a very untidy nest from coconut fibres in the wicker-nest on the wall. Unfortunately, I had to join a congress for Zoo-vets in Vienna, so I was forced to leave the exciting events for a time. A friend of mine looked after my birds and on 1 1 th May found by nest-control three eggs in the Royals’ nest. A couple of days later the birds seemed to have lost interest in the eggs and the nest, and the eggs were transferred to a pair of Bengalese which had just started brooding. It really was extremely lucky because at the time I only had the one pair and four unsexed young birds. The Bengalese brooded steadily on the three eggs which were all fertile, and on 27th May one young hatched (the two others had died in the eggs at rather a late stage). The youngster was quite big, yellowish-red with yellow beak and two papillae (blue) on each side of the beak. It was looked after very well and left the nest 22nd June. The immature feathering was dull dark green with blue head and neck and yellow beak. The big yellow beak and the dark colour of the feathers reminded me of a young eagle, when begging food from the much smaller “ foster-parents ” at the opening of the nest. Meanwhile, the pair had repaired the nest and the first of four eggs was laid 21st May. This time they brooded steadily from 23rd May. The female brooded most of the time during the day, only replaced by the male, when she ate, drank, and bathed. During the night both birds as a rule were in the nest. On 7th June it was obvious that there must be young ones, both parents often went to the soft food, and there were piping noises from the nest. On 8th June everything was all right, there were distinct noises of youngsters. The following day, however, both birds, which since the brooding started had only left the nest one at a time, were flying around restlessly in the aviary, when I came in the morning and on the floor I found a dead youngster (which by the way had been well fed). At the end of an hour the parents were still agitated and they showed no sign of interest in their nest. I, therefore, removed the nest and found two live youngsters and a very dark egg. What could I do? Youngsters and egg were wrapped in a handkerchief and placed in my pocket while a telephone hunt started to find a suitable pair of foster birds. Personally I only had the one pair which looked after the first young Royal and a pair of young Bengalese which had just laid their first egg. The telephone hunt lengthened out and my pocket was not the best brooding machine, so I decided after all to put the youngsters and the egg into the nest of the young Bengalese, without any hope at all as they had not even started brooding yet. To my astonishment they went into the nest after a great deal of agitation and neckstretching, and stayed there. My astonishment grew, when two hours later I found J. DALBORG-JOHANSEN - BREEDING OF THE ROYAL PARROT FINCH I I I three well-fed young Royals under the Bengalese. The last egg had by some miracle also hatched. The three youngsters were looked after in the best possible way and left the nest on 5th July in perfect feather condition. On 25th June the female was brooding again steadily on four eggs as I discovered later, and this time everything went according to programme. On 10th July noises were heard the first time from the nest, and by careful nest control while the parents were flying, on 1 6th July, I saw two well-fed youngsters. After that there was no more nest control but noises from the nest gradually grew louder, and the parents fed well. The youngsters left the nest 5th August, but they were fed for another three weeks especially by the male. The female gave no sign of starting a new family. The parents and their young agreed well together, even when the youngsters were about 8 weeks old and started getting red feathers on their heads. The food consisted of the above-mentioned soft food mixture with plenty of chopped eggs, sprouted millet, and canary seed. I did not see them eat fruit at all and the young birds only took a little apple. Later on all the six young birds were moved to a bigger aviary where they were flying together with youngsters from Red-headed Parrot Finch, Gouldians, and various small insect- and fruit-eaters ; they were very peaceful towards the others but chased each other from time to time. The time taken to moult into full colour varied considerably, but averaged about two to three months. The young Royals managed the moulting well and have developed into beautiful strong birds and it looks as if they will be three males and three females, judging from colour and behaviour. If this proves to be true it means that it is possible to sex this species as soon as the birds have left the nest because the blue colour on the head is stronger and more widespread on the males. Finally a few figures (these must be taken with a certain reservation resulting from experiences with only one pair of Royal Parrot Finches). Size of eggs, 14 by 18 mm. ; colour, white with a faint rose ; size of clutch, three to four eggs ; brooding time, 15 days. The youngsters stay in the nest twenty-six to twenty-eight days, and are completely independent at the age of seven weeks. The coming into colour starts at the age of seven to eight weeks and lasts approximately two to three months. I 12 SHEILA M. ROGERSON - OBSERVATION OF THE CHINESE PAINTED QUAIL A PERSONAL OBSERVATION OF THE CHINESE PAINTED QUAIL By Sheila M. Rogerson (Whitegate, Cheshire, England) I was introduced to Chinese Painted Quail three years ago and shortly afterwards a young pair arrived to make their home in a large flight which had at one time been a rarely used summer-house. The house makes an ideal winter shelter for them during the worst of the weather and outside they have the added pleasure of grass, soil, a rockery and a shallow pool. Perhaps a planted aviary would have been more suitable for them but never-the-less, it has given me the oppor¬ tunity to observe them closely at all times. No other ground birds have been introduced and at present they peacefully share the aviary with a pair of Rosella Parrakeets. Chinese Painted Quail are most delightful birds, little more than a small ball of feathers. The cock reminds one of a black and white minstrel as he has a broad white band edged with black immediately under his beak. He is gaily painted with slate blue and rich mahogany, his wings being mottled and striated with varying shades of brown and grey. In comparison the hen lacks all the vivid colouring of the cock but she in her turn is exquisitely marked with fawns and browns. Our particular pair are completely unafraid and I am told that in old China they were kept as household birds. The Chinese placed them in the deep sleeves of their gowns, the high body temperature of the Quail providing warmth to the hands on the cold wintry days. They are however, most difficult to catch, and entertainment runs high when watching my husband on his hands and knees, the Quail always one move ahead of him. Mating activity begins in the spring heralded with the cock’s courting display. He fluffs out his feathers, lowers his wings and darts rapidly at the hen who, woman-like, pretends she never even noticed. Undaunted he repeats this demonstration and finally gains her co¬ operation. She proceeds to lay several eggs which are dotted about on the ground in no particular pattern. These eggs are obviously not intended for incubation as both birds spend many industrious moments rolling them around the aviary and in doing so, they eventually crack. Apparently this procedure is quite normal as in the wild, these cracked eggs provide an ideal breeding ground for flies whose larvae provide a nutritious source of food for the Quail chicks on hatching. Sure enough a second clutch was laid in a nesting site chosen by the cock. He prepared an entrance tunnel leading to a rough nest in a large clump of grass which was growing on the rockery. This evidently was acceptable to the hen who completed the nest and laid an egg each day until there were six. They are a little larger than a Budgerigar’s egg, more pointed at one end and are faintly mottled with fawn and brown SHEILA M. ROGERSON - OBSERVATION OF THE CHINESE PAINTED QUAIL I I 3 on a pale olive green. The hen began the incubation and proved herself an excellent sitter only leaving the nest for a hasty visit to the shelter for food and water and the occasional tit-bit which the cock found for her. This unselfish act is typical of these little birds and all his life, these tasty morsels are offered to his wife or children only rarely indulging in a quick snack on his own. At the onset of the incubation the cock selected a large flat stone in the corner of the aviary on which he stood guard every day. He began to utter a low, husky, two-note sound which I feel is to exclaim danger to any other Quail entering his territory. A series of these “ crows ” are uttered at various intervals throughout the day interspersed with his familiar high descending call “ I got six eggs ”. The hen also calls but never crows. On the eighteenth morning the cock Quail entered the nest for the first time, obviously to assist with the hatching, as shortly afterwards a neat mound of shells were placed outside the nest. Within an hour, a tiny fluffy chick ran out, only to be hustled back by a harassed father who was clucking just like a broody hen. Young Chinese Painted Quail are exactly like good sized bumble bees and begin to grow real feathers only after their first week. They can run about from hatching and peck their own food. Every few minutes they return to either parent for warmth and completely disappear into their feathers. All that can be seen is an occasional tiny leg which has lost its footing. The cock is equally efficient at looking after his family and in fact often takes on more than his fair share of the duties. When the chicks are three weeks old it is possible to sex them accur¬ ately as all the cocks develop the characteristic white throat feathers. Unhappily they also develop definite suicidal tendencies and will readily drown themselves in less than half an inch of water. They can squeeze through most netting during their first few days of life and later on they will trap themselves in the most unusual places and ex¬ haust themselves in an effort to rejoin the rest of the family. They are experts at finding that small gap in the aviary boundary (which you didn’t even know was there) and if they are over enthusiastic in stretching their tiny wings, or are suddenly frightened, they rise straight up into the air like little helicopters and often land in the strangest places for Quail. We have found them on high shelves and ledges from which they are too scared to jump down again. A regular watch must be taken as they soon chill and die. My kitchen often becomes an emergency ward and many little Quail have been “ cooked ” back to life on my cooker and dosed with brandy and warm milk. This remedy is an excellent pick-me-up and in no time they are running around the aviary, jumping up and down in high glee, like little fleas. The family keep together en bloc and certain places become the I 14 SHEILA M. ROGERSON - OBSERVATION OF THE CHINESE PAINTED QUAIL chosen ground for different activities. The look-out stone now became a favourite resting place, all the birds tightly packed in a circle, tails to the centre. The soil in one corner of the flight quickly dries in the warmth of the sun and great enjoyment is experienced in a communal dust bath. They scratch the soil to a fine tilth and scatter it into their feathers. Much preening takes place and frequent rests are taken during this vigorous activity. It is quite alarming at first to see them resting during these baths as they lie motionless on their sides, their orange legs outstretched as though completely lifeless. Then up they jump, full of life again, on to some other pastime. This dry bathing appears to be their only method of keeping clean. A second family is planned almost before the first is a fortnight old. The same pattern is continued and the rolling eggs are laid before the second nest is chosen. This time the chicks help with the rolling some¬ times gathering two or three together and sitting on them for brief spells. When the hen begins the second incubation period, the chicks accompany her but they soon tire of this and eventually leave their mother in peace. The cock is banned entirely from the nest and is quickly “ shown the door ” if he ventures too close. If the family is still together when the second chicks are hatched, the older chicks help to bring up their tiny brothers and sisters offering them tit-bits and brooding them as efficiently as the adults. However, they are inclined to be a little rough with them so perhaps it is wiser to remove the first family when the second is imminent. Barring accidents, successful rearing of Chinese Painted Quail depends first on keeping the chicks dry in the early stages and secondly, on a regular supply of live food. No ant is safe in our garden as my husband turns every stone in a constant search for a nest of ants, the eggs of which are eagerly disposed of by the tiniest chick. The adults enjoy a few maggots daily but they are quite adept at finding their own supply of spiders, flies and small worms from the aviary, particularly if some rotting compost or manure is placed in an unobtrusive corner. During the winter months these Quail remain happy and thrive well providing they are kept in a dry and frost free shelter. Boredom can be kept at bay by covering the floor with a thick layer of dry compost which is industriously turned over in an expectant search. When access to the flight is denied them, it is essential that an abundant supply of grit is offered as these birds do not shell the seed and require the grit to assist the digestion of their food. Their basic diet consists of panicum millet, a small amount of maw seed and of course, clean fresh water. They sleep on the floor and a pile of soft hay in a favourite corner will ensure a cosy sleeping place. Chinese Painted Quail are certainly a challenge to keep and breed, but the immense pleasure of watching a family of these birds is worth all the care and attention which they require. REV. CANON LOWE— BREEDING OF TICKELL’S BLUE FLYCATCHER I 15 THE BREEDING OF TICKELL’S BLUE FLYCATCHER ( Muscicapa tickelliae) By The Rev. Canon Lowe (Backford, Chester, England) Into a heavily planted aviary were placed during the first week in March a pair of Tickell’s Blue Flycatchers. They had wintered in a large double-compartment cage, a wire partition dividing them. The hen is exceptionally tame and takes mealworms from one’s fingers indoors and in the aviary. The aviary is 12 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 6 ft. 6in. high. In one corner is a small shelter on legs, 4 feet long, 2ft. 6in. wide, and 3 feet high, with two doors— one at the side that is always open, the other in front is always shut — and at the side is a glass panel protected on the outside by wire. When first introduced into the aviary both birds clicked a great deal and wagged their tails sideways, but did not attempt to fight, as softbills of opposite sexes so often do. The weather was kind and the birds got a good deal of sun on their backs. They roosted in the inner compartment, but not together. March, April, and May passed and nothing happened, except that the herbaceous plants and other greenstuff had produced a nice little jungle, and a small heap of pig manure was introduced to encourage insects. During the first week in June it was noticed that the cock Tickell had altered the whole contour of his body ; from being a blue Robin he now became a round ball with a head and a tail, the lower light buff area very noticeable together with the deeper colour on the chest, and at the same time the hen began to carry grass bents. It was two or three days before we discovered the nesting site. The back of the aviary consists of a wall upon which another 3 feet height of wood has been placed to gain height, and 2ft. 6 in. of boarding makes a roof, so that in very wet weather the birds can keep dry. Box and gorse branches form perching accommodation at the back of the aviary. The nest was being built on top of a gorse branch, about 6 feet from the ground. On 7th June the nest was almost complete and on 9th June we saw the birds pair for the first time. There is a curious ritual about this activity. Before pairing the hen sings and calls, she appears to elongate herself, the tail is raised in a half fan, and she quivers her wings. The cock flies straight on to her back. After pairing the cock faces the hen, throws his head up, elongates himself, and the chestnut throat patch is very noticeable. He holds this remarkable posture for as long as 10 to 15 seconds. The hen appears to do all the nest building, though the cock follows her about with his curious ball or blown-up appearance. I 1 6 REV. CANON LOWE - BREEDING OF TICKELL’s BLUE FLYCATCHER On ioth June the first egg was felt in the nest. Because the hen was so very tame I risked examining the egg. It was a self-coloured egg, darkish fawn, rather like an English Robin but with no blotches and a little larger. On 13th June there were four eggs in the nest. This could only be ascertained by touch as it was not possible to look down into the nest with any comfort. One must assume the first egg was laid on 9th June. The nest was then left strictly alone. On the afternoon of 25th June, when the hen had come off to feed, the interior of the nest was examined by touch and the nest seemed full of young. A hasty retreat was beaten. It seemed remarkable that there had been quite so short an incuba¬ tion period, but the hen might have started to sit tight on 12th June, particularly as we discovered about the third or fourth day that the nest contained three young and one egg. Both parents were first class in their attention to their children, and fed them assiduously on gentles and mealworms, and once a dessert of spiders, but supply could not be sustained. We cut the mealworms up at first, but gave that up as the birds seemed to prefer feeding whole mealworms, and one supposes they know how to administer a mealworm to an infant Tickell. As the babies grew it was apparent that all was well, as the almost black fluff appeared plentiful and dry. The colour round the beak was yellow ; the colour of the gape was not seen. About the sixth or seventh day nest sanitation was begun, and left as far away as possible from the nest. In common with so many softbills there was always a bit of a ritual about this. It did not occur every time a parent visited the nest to feed, and I never saw the cock do it, always the hen, and her method of flight altered as she flew away. All the faeces were placed on a large flat stone, so they were easy to examine, and always they were beautifully black and white. Once a half digested maggot was discovered. We never saw the hen feed maggots ; the cock fed maggots and mealworms. On 5th July the nest was empty and the parents were in a very nervy state, clicking and singing incessantly, beaks full of mealworms, and diving to the bottom of various clumps of Michaelmas daisies and golden rod and dive-bombing a perfectly innocent pair of Japanese Quail, whose main object in life is to appear invisible. By 5.30 on 5th July I could bear it no longer, I found all three babies and put them in the inner compartment, blocking the side entrance, though leaving about 4 inches from the top to allow the parents to enter and to allow the babies to go out when they became airborne. The babies were very good at being caught, making no protest, though the parents hated it. But the babies were safe under cover, and I am not absolutely certain I trust Japanese Quail. It was anyhow a comforting sight to see three tiny figures sitting on a very BRITISH AVICULTURISTS’ CLUB I 17 low branch fast asleep and the parents surely grateful to know where all the family was. The babies are a greyish brown on the back, buffish fronts with a little striation on upper breast. Very like infant Robins ; no trace of blue. Our troubles are not over. A pair of Wren Babblers have con¬ structed a charming little nest of bamboo leaves with a little roof also of bamboo leaves in a bamboo clump. All four eggs are fertile ; the eggs are an off-white, finely freckled with small pinkish-mauve dots on the thick end. But food is going to be a problem. The Tickell’s nest was examined. The cup was deep, main structure consisted of moss and dead grass, lined with rootlets. Hair and feathers were offered, but ignored. The hen Tickell did not brood chicks at night after the fifth day. 2 1st July. The three young Tickells are now feeding themselves though occasionally parents feed. There are signs that they may be going to nest again. When the young left the nest they appeared very small, but now are about three-quarters size of parents. The wings and tail would appear to have a wash of blue over them. The Wren-Babblers duly hatched four young, but threw them out of the nest on the second day, which was inconvenient for all concerned ! A second nest has now been built, again with old bamboo leaves. Mr. W. Timmis, of the North of England Zoological Society, has seen the young Tickells as an independent observer. As described, The Rev. Canon Lowe has bred Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher ( Muscicapa tickelliae). It is believed that this may be a first success. Any member or reader knowing of a previous breeding of this species in Great Britain or Northern Ireland is requested to communi¬ cate at once with the Hon. Secretary. * * * BRITISH AVICULTURISTS’ CLUB The ig66-y Session Dinners and meetings during the 1966-7 session have been arranged for the following dates : Monday, 19th September, 1966. Monday, 21st November, 1966. Monday, 13th March, 1967. The Dinners will be held at the Windsor Hotel, Lancaster Gate, London, W. 2. Arthur A. Prestwich, Hon. Secretary. I 1 8 J. J. YEALLAND - LONDON ZOO NOTES LONDON ZOO NOTES By J. J- Yealland The plumage of the White Pelican is said to assume a pink tinge in the breeding season and it appears that this colour is due to a carotenoid pigment taken by the bird in its food. Early this year we gave some canthaxanthin in the food of our White Pelicans and within three or four weeks, without moulting, the birds became a delicate shade of pink. What evidently happens is that the carotenoid affects the colour of the preen-gland oil and so the plumage becomes tinted as preening proceeds. The tip of the bill is seen to be quite red from the same cause and an old bird (which came in 1922) is not so pink as two younger ones, possibly because it may not preen itself as much as they. If the colour is seasonal, it is presumably due to some change in the diet or to a change in the pigment content of the natural food, but how lasting the anointed colour is one cannot say, but I suspect that it either fades quickly or is washed off in the course of bathing. Among birds presented by Dr. K. C. Searle is a specimen of Fire¬ breasted Flowerpecker ( Dicaeum ignipectus ignipectus ), a species new to the collection as are two owls that he sent as juveniles in 1965, for they have proved to be Glaucidium cuculoides whitelyi , Whitely’s Barred Owlet. Others from the same donor are a pair of Garganey, a Falcated Teal, five Masked Faughing Thrushes, a Rufous Faughing Thrush, and a Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker ( Dicaeum cruentatum ) . Other presentations include six Picazuro Pigeons from Mr. Tom Spence who bred them, a Large-billed Hawk or Buzzard ( Buteo magnirostris) , an Ornate Lorikeet, two Aharoni’s Eagle Owls [Bubo bubo interp 0 situs) , an Eastern Grey Plantain-eater ( Crinifer africanus zonurus ) and an Eastern Kingbird ( Tyranus tyranus I . Two immature Double-crested Cormorants ( Phalacrocorax auritus Jloridanus ), a Red-legged Thrush (Turdus plumbeus rubripes), both species new to the collection, a Red-bellied Woodpecker, and two Tawny- shouldered Blackbirds (Agelaius humeralis) have been received in exchange from the Havana Zoo. Other arrivals of note are two Gannets, three pairs of Ruffs, and four White Storks. Among the birds bred in the Gardens are two Night Herons, four Kenya Eagle-Owls, four Sonnerat’s Junglefowl, and two Crested Pigeons. Chinese Pond Herons are nesting as are Cormorants, Great Black-backed and Herring Gulls, Princess of Wales’ Parrakeets as well as some of the geese and pheasants. Baillon’s Aracaris nested twice at the Bird House, but each time the two eggs disappeared after being- incubated for some days. Humboldt’s and Black-footed Penguins hatched chicks, but they did not long survive. NEWS AND VIEWS "9 NEWS AND VIEWS Rodman L. Tidrick, formerly a zoologist at the Lincoln Park Zoological Gardens, Chicago, is now Assistant Director, Denver Zoological Gardens, Colorado. * * * The Zoological Society of London has awarded its Silver Medal to David Attenborough for his contribution to the understanding and appreciation of zoology and natural history. * * ❖ The Bronze Medal of the Avicultural Society of South Australia has been awarded to J. and S. Smith, for breeding the Plum-headed Parrakeet Psittacula cyanocephala. * * * An Australian Pelican “ Percy ” died in the Wellington Zoological Garden, New Zealand, in August, 1964. It was well over sixty years old having been in the Garden since it was first opened in 1904, prior to which it had been in the London Zoo. * * * I have learnt, somewhat belatedly, that a signal honour has been bestowed on Lee S. Crandall, General Curator Emeritus, New York Zoological Park — the Everly Gold Medal of the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums. The award for “ distinctive excellence ” was presented by Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson during the Association’s Conference at Milwaukee, 20th September, 1965. ❖ In an American magazine I have just read : “A birdman is an ornithologist but a bird woman is an aviatress.” At first I feared that someone had invented a rather fanciful name for a lady member of a society such as ours. But my fears were groundless because I find that this name, together with aviatrix, is the feminine equivalent of aviator. * $ 3s Londoners are fortunate in that if they wish to see pelicans they do not necessarily have to go to the zoo — a small pelicanry is maintained in St. James’s Park. Two Eastern White Pelicans have just joined the four others on the lake in the Park. They were a gift from H.H. The Ameer of Bahawalpur and arrived in England only a short time before his death. * * * C. A. Van Ee, Director, Zoological Gardens, Bloemfontein, South Africa, contributes an important paper on the breeding behaviour of the Blue or Stanley Crane Tetrapteryx paradisea to The Ostrich , March, 1966. The study relates to six pairs of cranes, five in the Zoo and one 120 NEWS AND VIEWS in its natural surroundings, during the years 1959-1964. Young ones were fully reared but the number is not stated. ❖ * * A Moorhen ( Gallinula chloropus) and three chicks frequent one of our ponds, and one with two chicks another. I do not remember seeing other than very small broods. The number of eggs, according to Witherby, is “usually 5 to 11, sometimes only 2 to 4, occasionally up to 21, and 26 once recorded ”. Probably the higher numbers are due to two hens laying in the same nest. I think all the Moorhens I have observed must have been in the 2 to 4 group. The name is apparently derived from the Anglo-Saxon mor , meaning morass or bog. William Turner published his Avium Praecipuarum . . . Historia in 1544. Visions of England of a bygone age are conjured up by Turner when he alludes to the “ water hen or Mot hen ” as generally haunting “ Moats which surrounded the houses of the great ”! * * * The Narina Trogon Apaloderma narina is one of the most beautiful and brilliantly coloured birds found in Africa. Stark and Sclater [Birds of South Africa , vol. Ill, p. 122) say that “ The Narina, so called by Levaillant after a Hottentot beauty for whom he professed great admiration ”. Several later writers have repeated this assertion — one even going so far as to say it is supposed to have been named in honour of Levaillant’s Hottentot mistress. I have never been able to discover anything in confirmation of these colourful assertions. Levaillant himself gives no hint. In Ois, d’Afr., vol. V, p. 104 (1806) he says that the “ Couroucou d’Afrique to which I give the name of narina which, in the Hottentot language, signifies flower 55 . If there was a “ Girl Friday ” Narina it is probably just coincidence that she was so-named. * * * The breeding results, 1965, in the penguin colonies at the Scottish National Zoological Park, Edinburgh, were rather disappointing. Gentoo Penguin : twenty- two nests were occupied, eleven chicks were hatched but only five were reared. Considerable disturbance was caused by breeding participation of the 1963 consignment ; five eggs were stolen from nests ; and several days of continuous storm caused several nests to become water-logged with consequent chilling of the eggs. Chilling and damp also interfered with the rearing of the young. King Penguin : fourteen eggs were laid but only one chick was hatched and reared. Again the weather conditions were thought to be responsible. At the end of the year there were thirty-seven King, fifty-seven Gentoo, one Rockhopper, and one Jackass Penguin in the Collection. CORRESPONDENCE I 2 I Sacred Ibis successfully hatched two chicks, but they were unfortun¬ ately blown from the nest. ^ ^ It was Thomas Fuller, Of Travelling , “ The Holy and Profane State ” (1642) who wrote : “ Know most of the rooms of thy native country before thou goest over the threshold thereof.” This might have been written for the benefit of the modern type of holiday-maker who per¬ haps has never previously been further afield than the nearest seaside and yet flies to the Continent for his holiday. It applies equally well to the majority of bird-keepers : especially to the present writer. Having spent the greater part of my life in the care and breeding of exotic species I have greatly neglected the study of our native birds. Now, retired from keeping I have ample opportunity for the all- embracing activity called “ bird- watching ”. And what pleasure I am deriving from it ! Being country-bred I am afraid I have always taken our birds rather for granted. But, as quoth the Raven, “ Never no more.” A. A. P. * * * CORRESPONDENCE IMPROVEMENT IN DESIGN OF BIRD CAGES Mr. J. J. Yealland writing further on the suggestions for the improvement in the design of cages, made by Viscount Chaplin and Mr. C. J. O. Harrison is of course quite right in his comments, particularly in his last paragraph, which I quote, “ Those who keep live animals of whatever kind have a duty to care for them properly whether they are rare or common and this duty is equally incumbent on those who deal in them.” Sufficient is said here except when one looks at the address from which Mr. Yealland presumably writes, namely The Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London, N.W. 1 and I am stung to comment. Zoological gardens are the principal criteria by which wild creatures in captivity are judged by ordinary visitors, ardent naturalists and “ born free ” conservationists alike. In my opinion the preservation of fauna, particularly birds in some of our leading zoos leaves a great deal to be desired, and possibly does greater damage to the image of aviculture in this country than all the deplorable foreign bird stands at each National exhibition of Cage Birds and all illegal bird trapping put together. The “ concentration camp ” method of animal presentation at the Regent’s Park Zoo still exists in the Bird House and to an even greater extent in that abhorrent building called the Parrot House. It is always with grief that I come away from that place knowing of the many wasted and perverted lives that exist within. From my earlier days as an aviculturist to the present day I have become increasingly aware of the need for aviculture to mature into something rather more worth while than the keeping of a collection of feathered pets merely to gratify one’s particular need. I now hold the view, and would wish to apply it to all public and private collections alike that no wild creature should be kept in captivity unless provision is made for the particular species to reproduce itself in conditions where reasonable free movement is possible. In a way, I suppose, I am apologising for keeping wild creatures in captivity at all, am conscious of my failures with certain species and yet am seeking to justify my pleasure from aviculture by proving its value in just one field, conservation. 122 CORRESPONDENCE I do believe that many avian species will become extinct within my lifetime, unless a “ real ” approach involving aviculture and education is made (possibly the most important part of the conservation project is the need to make everyone feel responsible for conservation). Aviculture when applied to conservation does work; there are many instances, and the result can be additional nuclei of breeding stock safe-guarding a natural dwindling population. No serious conservationist or aviculturist can seriously doubt this but there remains a great deal of spade work to convince a large proportion of nature lovers of the true value of aviculture and similarly a large number of “ bird keepers ” to convince of their responsibilities towards their stock. This has moved rather from the main point of the letter but if I may corrupt a proverb slightly I should ask Mr. Yealland to remember that perhaps even the servants of those who dwell in glass houses should not throw stones. D. T. Spilsbury. WlTHERSFIELD, 5, Lambourne Ave., Malvern Link, Worcs. ADMIRAL GEORGE CHURCHILL In a recent letter an official of the Lord Chamberlain’s Office writes : “ I do not know if you know the paintings in the royal collection by Bogdani which illustrate in great detail the birds in an aviary which belonged to Admiral George Churchill, brother of the great Duke of Marlborough. We are planning to have in The Queen’s Gallery this autumn an exhibition of birds and animals and we hope to show in the exhibition some of these fascinating canvases. The birds have been almost completely identified by Mr. Goodwin, but I wonder if anything is known about this aviary. Printed authorities on George Churchill merely state that in the last years of his life he devoted much time to it. On his death he bequeathed it to the Duke of Ormond and Lord Torrington. It would be very interesting to know when the Admiral began to build up the collection. It must have been housed somewhere near the present Frogmore House.” Derek Goodwin informs me that the birds depicted are assorted mixtures of wild species such as Ruff and Goldfinch and Common Shelduck, together with domesticated varieties of pigeons and ducks, and poultry. I have not been able to trace mention of the Admiral and his avian interests in such books as I have. If any reader knows of sources of information I would be pleased to hear from him. Arthur A. Prestwich. Edenbridge, Kent. When Visiting the COTSWOLDS A VICULTURISTS ARE WELCOME TO •P Set in the charm oj an old English Garden at the lovely Village oj BOURTON-ON- THE - WA TER ★ ★ ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ * * * * c f T * * “ 1 name * * * this * * * Parrot ...” * * * * * Brief biographies of men and women in whose honour * * commemorative names have been given : together with * * a complete list of parrot-like birds — scientific names with * their derivations, and English names. * * * * Price 2 is., post free. * * 4c Arthur A. Prestwich * 4c * EDENBRIDGE, KENT. * * * * ★ ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★* * Visit STAGSDEN BIRD GARDENS The largest private collection of ornamental game birds in the British Isles, also Waterfowl and Rare Breeds of Poultry, etc. Open every day 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Send 3/- for the 40 page brochure Stagsden is 5 miles west of Bedford on the A422. The Gardens are 1 50 yards north of Stagsden Church. F. E. B. JOHNSON Stagsden Bird Gardens Stagsden, Bedford Tel. : Oakley 2745 AUSTRALIAN PARRAKEETS THEIR MAINTENANCE AND BREEDING IN EUROPE DR. H. D. GROEN Second English edition. Cloth bound volume, measuring io£ X 7^ inches ; 237 pages with valuable information and including full-page coloured photographs of all species in the genus Platycercus , Barnardius , Psephotus ( Psephotellus , Northiella ) , Neophema , Polytelis , Alisterus , Aprosmictus, Purpureicephalus and Lathamus. All photographs are printed on special art paper (Diamond, 150 gr./m.2) and in each case male and female are portrayed side by side, making identification and sexing very simple. Price : U.K. £3 3^. ; U.S.A. $9. Post free to anywhere in the world. Payment by international money order or by bank draft should accompany order. Obtainable only direct from the author: Dr. H. D. Groen, Haren (Gr.), Holland. Bank : Amsterdam-Rotterdam Bank, Haren (Gr.), Holland. 12 SPECIAL BIRD FOODS FAMOUS SINCE 1823 Universal Fortifier Perfort BEKFIN Fort-Egg and (Pictorial Packet) 3 oz. 1/2 4 oz. 1/6 (insectivorous Colorfort 1 lb. 2/11 lib. 2/9 1 lb. 2/9 Red Packet) 1 lb. 3/- 1 lb. 5/3 1 lb. 5/3 1 lb. 5/3 1 lb. 3/9 1 lb. 5/3 2 lb. 9/9 3* lb. 15/6 31 lb. 15/6 1 lb. 7/3 31 lb. 17/- 31 lb. 15/8 7 lb. 30/6 7 lb. 30/6 31 lb. 23/- 7 lb. 32/9 7 lb. 29/3 28 lb. 98/- 14 lb. 52/6 7 lb. 39/9 14 lb. 57/6 14 lb. 53/6 28 lb. 98/- 28 lb. 154/- 28 1b. 112/- 28 lb. 99/- C.L.O. SPECIAL Rearing and Condition MYNAH “ GREENSTUFF Food FOOD post paid 1 lb. 3/9 14 lb. 29/- 1 lb. 3/9 5/- A dehydrated form of green 2 lb. 6/9 28 lb. 52/6 2 lb. 7/3 9/3 food consisting of lettuce, 31 lb. 7 lb. 9/3 16/9 56 lb. 100/- 31 lb. 7 lb. 12/71 24/6 14/8 27/6 spinach, carrot, etc., readily taken by all birds. Packets 1/3 & 3/10, also sold in bulk. All the above prices are carriage paid MEALWORMS “ MARBA ” DUTCH BRED «• SANTA ” GERMAN BRED (small type) (large type) Whether you prefer the small Dutch mealworm or the larger German type, we can give you the finest service obtainable, with shipments arriving twice weekly. Dispatch guaranteed same day as orders received. 1 oz. 3/3 2 oz. S/6 4 oz. 9/3 8 oz. 16/3 I lb. 27/- Also in original Boxes as imported Nett weight guaranteed 2 1b. 50/- 4 1b. 6 oz. 92/6 611b. 131/6 All Carriage Paid. MAGGOTS We sell only the best liver-fed maggots, specially recleaned and ready for immediate use for bird feeding. Packed in bran. No mess or smell. 2 oz. 4 oz. 8 oz. I lb. 3/6 5/- 7/9 9/6 FEEDING SUNDRIES Dried Flies (Chinese) Silkworm pupae (Whole) „ „ (Ground) Dried Dragonfly larvae .... Dried Shrimp (Fine, Medium, or Coarse) . Ant Eggs ...... Pure Dried Egg ..... Dried Rowan Berries (Whole) „ „ „ (Crushed) Pure Breadcrumbs (Fine, Medium, or Coarse), far superior to biscuit meal . 2 lb. 3/- ; 4 lb. 5/6 ; 14 lb. 17/6 " Egg-crumbs,” guaranteed to consist of 90 per cent breadcrumbs and 10 per cent pure egg . . .2 lb. 5/6 ; 4 lb. 10/6 ; 7 lb. 17/6 ALL ABOVE PRICES ARE POST PAID lib. 1 lb. s/~ 9/6 3/9 6/6 4/- 6/9 6/6 12/6 2/3 3/6 11/6 21/- 6/6 12/6 2/9 4/6 3/- 4/9 28 lb. 28/- E. W. COOMBS, LTD. CROSS STREET WORKS, CHATHAM, KENT Telephone : Medway 44969 Telegrams : Avicult, Chatham, Kent CANDIDATES FOR MEMBERSHIP G. Michael Flieg, Assistant Curator, St. Louis Zoological Park, Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, U.S.A. Proposed by Henry Sanders, Jr. Alan Howard, i 7 Lawson Street, Southport, Lancs. Proposed by J. K. Evans. David P. King, c/o Mr. and Mrs. D. Morris, Crovis Mills Road, R.R.I. Belmont, Colchester County, Nova Scotia, Canada. Proposed by Malcolm Ellis. Ernest A. Marsh, c/o Zoological Society of London, Regents Park, London, N.W. 1. Proposed by Malcolm Ellis. Dr. Herbert Schifter, iioo Vienna, Schautagasse 62, Austria. Proposed by A. A. Prestwich. Charles H. Smith, 7 Cleve Road, Albany Park, Sidcup, Kent. Proposed by Mrs. W. Duggans. Mrs. Noreen Stevens, 80 Gaul Road, March, Cambs. Proposed by A. A. Prestwich. Mrs. G. Swaenepoel, 25 Steenweg op Hondzocht, Lembeek, (Bt), Belgium. Proposed by Dr. L. A. Swaenepoel. Dr. Samuel H. Tucker, 2212 Lombard Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19146, U.S.A. Proposed by Miss K. Bonner. Mrs. G. Vis-Hulshof, Troelstrastraat 10, Hardinxveld-Giessendam, Holland, Proposed by G. F. Mees. J. R. Wood, 33 Ellenborough Road, Bishop Cleeve, Cheltenham. Proposed by W. R. Partridge. NEW MEMBERS The seventeen Candidates for Membership in the May-June, 1 966, number of the Avicultural Magazine were duly elected members of the Society. CHANGES OF ADDRESS John W. Blackmore, to Cotswold Aviaries, 7 Cotswold Gardens, Longlevens, Gloucester. John T. Higginbotham, Jr., to 3310 Cedar Plaza Lane, Apt. 132, Dallas, Texas 75235, U.S.A. The Reverend Neville Morton, to 19 Park View Avenue, Branston, Lincoln. H. Stiven, to 39 Dukes Road, Lindfield, Sussex. Dr. T. G. Taylor, to 22 Cluny Drive, Edinburgh 10, Scotland. DONATIONS (Colour Plate Fund) £ s. d. F. W. Behrent 15 0 Dr. H. W. Clarke 5 0 0 E. J. T. Housden 1 0 0 D. R. Moore 1 0 0 Dr. L. A. Swaenepoel . 2 0 0 Ray Thomas . 8 0 0 H. P. Williams . 10 0 Will members please donate their surplus books on birds to the Society for the benefit of the Colour Plate Fund. STEPHEN AUSTIN AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, HERTFORD. AVICULTURAL MAGAZINE CONTENTS The Indian Ornithological Garden Revisited (i with plate), by K. S. Dharma- KUMARSINJHI ........... Cross-bred Mynas at Chester Zoo, by M. F. Coupe ..... Breeding the Golden-crested Myna ( Mino coronatus ), by W. R. Partridge A Further Note on the Black or Common Francolin ( Francolinus francolinus ), by Kerry Muller .......... Breeding the Pileated Song Sparrow ( ^onotrichia capensis ) , by Herbert Murray Some Final Observations on the Mating Behaviour of Snow Pigeon X Blue, Barless Strasser, Male ( with plate), by Professor Carl Naether . Hand-feeding Purple Martins ( Prague subis) , by Norman P. Sholar News from the Zoological Gardens of Berlin, by Dr. Heinz-Georg Klgs News from Chester Zoo, by M. F. Coupe London Zoo Notes, by J. J. Yealland News and Views .... Reviews ..... Corrigendum ..... PAGE 123 127 128 130 133 134 137 138 139 139 143 144 VOL. 72 No. 5 PRICE 7/6 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 1966 THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY Founded 1894 President: Miss E. Maud Knobel. Hon. Secretary and Treasurer: A. A. Prestwich, Galley’s Wood, Nr. Eden- bridge, Kent. Assistant Secretary: Miss Kay Bonner. Membership Subscription is £2 per annum, due on 1st January each year, and payable in advance. Life Membership £25. Subscriptions, Change of Address. Names of Candidates for Membership, etc., should be sent to the Hon. Secretary. THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA Founded 1927 Hon. President: Dr. Jean Delacour. President: Mr. Paul Schneider. Secretary: Mrs. Velma M. McDaniels. 2265 West 239th Street, Torrance, California, U.S.A. The annual dues of the Society are $4.00 per year, payable in advance. The Society year begins 1st January, but new members may be admitted at any time. Members receive a monthly bulletin. Correspondence regarding membership, etc. should be directed to the Secretary. THE AVICULTURAL MAGAZINE The Magazine is published bi-monthly, and sent free to all members of the Avicultural Society. Members joining at any time during the year are entitled to the back numbers for the current year on the payment of subscription. All matter for publication in the Magazine should be addressed to : — The Editor: Miss Phyllis Barclay-Smith, M.B.E., 51 Warwick Avenue London, W. 9. Telephone : Cunningham 3006. The price of the Magazine to non-members is 7 s. 6d ., post free, per copy, or £2 5J. for the year. Orders for the Magazine, extra copies and back numbers (from 1917) should be sent to the publishers, Stephen Austin & Sons, Ltd., Caxton Hill, Ware Road, Hertford, England. Telephone : Hertford 2352/3/4. Avicult. Mag. 1966. [. Frontispiece Mr. G. C. Jain and Painted Storks. Indian Ornithological Garden. Avicultural Magazine THE JOURNAL OF THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY Vol. 72. — No. 5. — All rights reserved. SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER, 1966 THE INDIAN ORNITHOLOGICAL GARDEN REVISITED By K. S. Dharmakumarsinjhi (Dil Bahar, Bhavnagar, India) I revisited the Garden at the end of June, 1966, after almost a year. For those who do not know of Mr. G. C. Jain and his aviaries, I should like to give a brief description. Mr. G. C. Jain is primarily a business¬ man of Bombay with many hobbies, but his recent interest has been to promote Indian aviculture and acquaint himself with the birds of the world. With this idea in view, a few years ago he started bird-keeping at Dhrangadhra, where he has his chemical factory. Dhrangadhra is a small town in North Saurashtra, Gujarat State, almost bordering the Little Rann of Kutch. The climate is dry and hot during summer and coldish during winter, with an average rainfall of about 1 5 inches. The Bird-Zoo as the Garden is officially called is established in the premises of the Chemical Compound where Mr. Jain, the proprietor, resides when on tour. The aviaries are well-planned as they do not protrude into the garden or house. In front of the house there is a large spacious lawn and beyond this, near the compound wall, are a line of aviaries facing the house. There are shady Neem trees on the side of the lawn and a few spreading Ficus trees, one of which has a pool under it for Storks and Flamingos. The front western aviaries contain Parrots and Parrakeets and are shaded by a line of large Peltoforum trees which have golden yellow flowers and which form an excellent background to the vista. The Psittacidae have done very well and I saw some fine hybrids, Red-breasted Parrakeet X Rose-ringed Parrakeet which had been bred here. The climate seems to have suited this family and all the birds were in perfect condition and plumage, including the Macaws, which beautify the garden immensely. On the south side of the compound wall, there is a row of aviaries which hold mostly Indian Pheasants, Toucans, and Hornbills. In front of these is a small Japanese Garden with a pond and fountain on which is an old Japanese man astride a huge carp set in bronze from whose mouth the fountain water flows. Close to these aviaries is another section where birds of prey are housed. I saw Bonelli’s Eagle, Tawny Eagle, Great Indian Horned Owl, Kestrel, Shikra, White-eyed Buzzard-Eagle and Barn Owl. In one large cage are kept White Peafowl. Behind this are 13 124 K* s- DHARMAKUMARSINJHI - INDIAN ORNITHOLOGICAL GARDEN kept Thrushes, Babblers, Crows and Tree-Pies. I saw a brown House Crow, a quite unusual colour mutant. Following the south section of aviaries towards the east, one sees another line of Pheasantries, where species like Crossoptilons, Reeves’s, the rare Swinhoe’s and the yellow Ghigi and Golden and Lady Amherst’s pheasants are kept, also Ring-Necks. Then one comes to a large high aviary in which a landscape garden has been artificially set up. The background portrays a mountain cliff with holes and cavities and a waterfall. The water falls from rock to rock leading to a small pool in the centre of the aviary in which waterfowl such as Lesser Whistling Teal, Pintail, Wigeon, White-Eyes, Nukta, Spotbill, Ruddy Shelduck, and Bar-headed Goose amuse themselves. In the rocky shelf I saw Himalayan and Malabar Whistling Thrushes, a glittering Monal, White-throated Ground Thrush, Common, Grey-headed, and Bank Mynas, and even a pair of Indian Rollers. Small Grey and White Wagtails, Pipits, Buntings and Indian Robins delighted in perching on rock eminences and entering the cavities in search of shade and food. This large aviary is planted with evergreen trees in which I saw Black Bulbuls, Touracos, Green Fruit Pigeon, Median White Egret, Purple Heron and others. The trees are the roost of a pair of African Crowned Cranes. All the birds are full winged. On the floor, Red-wattled Lapwings, Indian Stone Curlew and Demoiselle Cranes walk. The rear part of this huge cage is kept for sick birds and those which show aggressiveness. It is a separate depart¬ ment. Adjoining the main bungalow and behind a Japanese portico and garden where a purple Bauhinia tree blossoms in winter is the most outstanding feature of Mr. Jain’s garden ; the small flight community aviary. This is the most remarkable exhibit I have ever seen depicting co-existence. For no aviculturist would dare to keep together so many different species of birds at the risk of their fighting and being killed. The beauty of this aviary is that owing to the wide mixture and quantity of birds, they seem to have equal rights in the aviary which prevents them from exerting their rights of territory. At feeding time, abundant food supply enables all the birds to feed contentedly. Moreover, an electric bulb lit at dusk and kept burning the night over attracts innumerable insects, especially during the monsoon. Hence natural food is plentiful. In winter and summer, mealworms which Mr. Jain had flown over from Europe, and are bred here, are given to almost all the softbills. This unique aviary has a rockery from where a trickle of water flows down to a small bird-bath and is planted with small shrubs and dry branches for perches and roosts. Nest-boxes of varying sizes are also placed near the roof and on wooden columns. I listened to the songs of Chloropsises, Shama, Cardinals, Barbets, and many small birds, and talked to a talking Hill Myna. The aviary is an amazing potpourri K. S. DHARMAKUMARSINJHI - INDIAN ORNITHOLOGICAL GARDEN 1 25 of avian life that one can see flitting about as if under a mountain stream. It is indeed an astonishing and bizarre sight for any visitor. I was amused to watch a Banded Crake search for food in quickening step amidst the rocks and a White-breasted Waterhen standing near the bird-bath preening itself. Once or twice I heard an alarm call of the Red- wattled Lapwing or from the Yellow- wattled Lapwing as some bird of prey flew past the aviary. There was a sudden hush as all birds kept silent and immobile, but just for a few seconds, more in curiosity than in fear, since most of them were aware of their safety. This is an ideal aviary to study bird-behaviour in relation to each species. Bad manners appear seldom except when at feeding time two birds compete for the same food from finger tips. Competition for roosting is almost eliminated by the number and variety of roosting sites. I cannot restrain myself but give the list of birds housed in this aviary which draws the attention of most foreign visitors. Coppersmith, Fairy Blue Bird, Yellow- wattled Lapwing, Greater Himalayan Barbet, Shama, Streaked Laughing Thrush, Little Spider Hunter, Banded Crake, Glossy Starling, Silver-eared Mesia, Indian Robin, Maroon Oriole, Golden Oriole, White-capped Redstart, Yellow-eyed Babbler, Pied Myna, Pekin Robin, Blue-headed Rock Thrush, Greater Hill Myna, Rosy Pastor, Mountain Thrush, White- throated Ground Thrush, a Saffron Finch, Jerdon’s Chloropsis, Orange-bellied Chloropsis, Red-crested Cardinals, Cinnamon Tree Sparrow, Lineated Barbet, Blue-breasted Barbet, Small Green Barbet, Scarlet Finch, African Weaver Bird, Bronze-winged Jacana, Virginian Cardinal, Siskin, Goldfinch, Hedge Sparrow, Red-wattled Lapwing, White-Eye, Red-headed Laughing Thrush, Striated Weaver Bird, Red-headed Bunting, Common Babbler, Watercock, White-breasted Waterhen, Painted Sandgrouse, Rain Quail, Black-headed Nuns, Red-whiskered Bulbul, House Sparrow, Maharatta Woodpecker, Blackbird, Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch, Redstart, Gold-crested Myna, Longtail Finch, Yellow-cheeked Tit, White-cheeked Touraco, Pygmy Woodpecker, Ruddy Ground Dove, Blue-headed Dove, Bronze¬ winged Dove, Nicobar Pigeon, Crested Dove, Galapagos Dove, Bleeding Hearts, Brahminy Myna, Wryneck, Common Pitta, Layard Parakeet, Golden-backed Woodpecker, and a Great Yellow-naped Woodpecker. At the rear of the house there are small isolated aviaries and rows in which I saw Toucans, Grey Jungle Fowl, Imperial Fruit Pigeon, Pied Imperial Pigeon, Crested Doves, Emerald Doves, Burmese Peafowl, Toucans and there were smaller birds like Namaqua Doves breeding. On the other side of the house were more aviaries, which held Black Francolins, Bob White, Crested Mountain Quail, Red and Painted Spur Fowl, Bush-Quails, and a variety of Bulbuls. Now coming again to the front side, I saw Diamond Doves breeding, pied, 126 K. S. DHARMAKUMARSINJHI - INDIAN ORNITHOLOGICAL GARDEN lutino and albino Budgerigars, and bright little birds as Painted, Indigo, Rainbow Buntings, Cordon Blues, Gouldian Finches and Saffron Finches all together. I saw oddities such as Yokohama Fowl, Muscovy Ducks, Chinese Bantams and the like. This is not even a small part of the birds that are in the Garden. I had arrived after the first rainfall and it was dry and sultry. The Jains, their friends and I sat on the lawn under the shade of a “ Neem ” tree eating breakfast and listening to the calls of Cockatoos, Grey Parrots and chattering of Parrakeets and Lories. I saw wild Rose- ringed Parrakeets alighting in front of the aviaries on the ground and on the netting flirting with their brethren inside. The garden attracts wild birds and I saw Red-vented Bulbuls making their nests in hedges and White-throated Munias coming down to make friends with the multicolored finches. In the backyard of the vegetable garden during a morning stroll I flushed a covey of Grey Francolins, and listened to the booming call of a Bustard-Quail. The Koels were flying from tree to tree searching for an entrance to a Crow’s nest ; Franklin’s Wren Warblers, Tailor Birds and Brown-backed Robins hopped from one hedgerow to another seeking food. Soon the time for feeding the White and Painted Storks arrived and I requested the owner of the Bird Garden to feed them. The Painted Storks have been hand-reared from birds caught from the nest, and though they are fully fledged and flying at liberty, they have not assumed their full nuptial plumage, although they are in their second year. Traces of pink tertiaries are seen, but the deep beautiful glossy green of the wing coverts and secondaries are not as bright as they should be. The Painted Storks delighted us in picking food out of the shallow pool as if they were probing for food in a village pond. They kept walking in the shallow pool with their mandibles partly open and snatching up food that was cast for them. They also came near to take food from the hand. The White Storks were not quite so friendly as they had been brought in adult stage. These storks are migrants to Saurashtra and come in some numbers in the grasslands of Gujarat in October, feeding much upon locusts and their larvae. The Indian Ornithological Garden is a private enterprise and entirely the creation of Mr. Gian Chand Jain who now has acquired considerable knowledge regarding aviculture. He has a fine collection of bird books including a near complete set of Avicultural Magazines which he reads through slowly but surely. Furthermore, the non- profit-making garden permits visitors free entry and produces a bi¬ monthly journal, the Peacock, which has fast become popular. Issues at present are sent free to those interested in having them and are exchanged with various ornithological and zoo periodicals. The Bird Garden is no doubt one of the largest in India and it is remarkable that such an interest is sustained in this country when we see such hobbies M. F. COUPE - CROSS-BRED MYNAS AT CHESTER ZOO 127 fast disappearing. Mr. Jain is a dynamic personality and his ambition has no limits. He hopes to save vanishing Indian birds by breeding them in his Garden and is keen on collecting rare birds. The lack of expert personnel to manage all this is a frustrating problem and often adverse conditions threaten the supply of essential bird foods. Un¬ daunted and unhesitatingly, Mr. Jain seeks the advice of experts from India and abroad to improve his pet project. While enjoying his kind hospitality we were struck with the sudden death of the Hon. Director, Mr. B. V. Ramanjulu, who had devoted himself to the management of the Bird-Zoo. This is a great blow for us, and the Garden has lost a sincere and hard-working friend who will always be remembered. Under his supervision the Garden has a total of 1,114 to JjUg birds, 354 species of 45 Families in 13 Orders, a very handsome collection of aviary birds indeed ! * * CROSS-BRED MYNAS AT CHESTER ZOO By M. F. Coupe (Chester, England) A cock Pagoda ( Temenuchus pagodarum) and hen Grey-headed (Sturnia malabarica ) Myna, both at liberty in the Temperate Bird House, reared two young which left the nest on 4th June, 1966. The nesting site was rather unusual — a hole in a circular pole supporting the roof at a height of 9 feet from the ground. The entrance- hole was very small indeed, the Pagoda Myna having quite a struggle to enter. The pole is hollow right down to the ground so we assume the birds must have wedged some material cross-ways. The smallness of the hole and the fact that the edges stand out about an inch precluded any inspection of the nest or eggs. Both parents fed the youngsters on a diet of maggots, flies and small pieces of meat, whilst in the nest and fcr several days afterwards. Food was first seen being carried to the youngsters on 17th May and they finally left the nest eighteen days later. The young are now fully independent. They resemble the Grey¬ headed Myna in size and general colouration but have a dark grey cap and more grey coloured underparts. Mr. Prestwich tells me the only record of this cross is a note by Dr. Hopkinson in which he says : “ Whitley reared one in 1927, which I saw in August, fully feathered and in perfect condition. Head grey, intermediate in colour between the black and pale-grey caps of the parents. Four more were reared in 1928, and all five were still alive in 1930.” 128 W. R. PARTRIDGE - BREEDING THE GOLDEN-CRESTED MYNA BREEDING THE GOLDEN-CRESTED MYNA (Mino coronatus) By W. R. Partridge (Lower Haselor, Evesham, Worcestershire) The Golden-crested Myna ( Mino coronatus ), also classified by authorities in the genus Ampeliceps , is a most striking bird in appearance. The male has a clear yellow head, face and throat, orange bill, legs and feet, on an otherwise all-black body with the exception of a yellow patch on the wing. There is also a small area of yellow skin surrounding the eye. The female differs from the male in having the yellow on the head only coming down to the eye, which has no yellow skin surround¬ ing it, but grey ; a little yellow on the chin, but none on the throat, also the crest is shorter and the head and beak are slightly narrower than in the male. This is quite apparent in the young, even a few days before they leave the nest. Adult birds are about 8J inches in length. Whilst the Golden-crested Myna is most commonly found in northern Thailand, it is also found in smaller numbers in Vietnam, Laos, the Malay Peninsula, and is a resident of the Tenasserim district of Burma. It was in the spring of 1964 that I purchased four young Golden- crested Mynas, which were kept caged until June and then turned out into an open, planted aviary with shelter, where they remained until early the following spring. Two were then removed and the cock left with the hen he appeared to have chosen. Late in April they went to nest in a hollow log hung horizontally, about 5 feet from the ground, and laid four eggs which proved to be infertile. After the eggs were removed they went to nest for a second time, again without success. This year ( 1 966) the pair again went to nest in the same log, in April, and on 9th May I removed one clear and two addled eggs from the nest. The latter had probably been too long chilled fairly early during incubation, as the hen always left the nest at the sound of anyone approaching the aviary and sometimes took a long time to return. On 22nd May the hen was missing, and the cock spending most of the time sitting near, or on, the log the nest was in. The pair which had been rather wild until this time, became steadier, the hen not leaving the nest to anything like the extent she had done in the past. I did not inspect the nest until 5th May, which I estimated to be fourteen or fifteen days after incubation had started, and I was pleased to find one chick hatched and three eggs. On the following day, 6th May, I again inspected the nest and found a second chick had hatched. The two remaining eggs did not hatch and later proved to be infertile. Both chicks were reared and left the nest on 1st July, when twenty-five and twenty-six days old. The chicks, which were completely devoid of any body-fluff when W. R. PARTRIDGE - BREEDING THE GOLDEN-CRESTED MYNA 1 29 hatched, had pink skin which darkened considerably as they grew, and yellow gapes. At twelve days quill feathers were beginning to show, and at twenty-two days one chick showed distinct beginnings of a yellow cap. This chick also had a stronger head and beak than the other, and I was fairly certain they were a male and female. Now, at the time of writing this article, three weeks after they have left the nest, I think there is no doubt. There is one chick showing a broad band of yellow reaching from the beak to a line slightly behind the eye, the other showing very little yellow, just above the beak. These chicks were feeding well ten days after leaving the nest, and are certainly self-supporting, although still with the parents. The nest in the log was constructed of a few twigs and very little grass, and placed right at the end of the log, furthest from the entrance hole. Very little material was added for the second nest. The hen alone incubated the eggs, but for the first week or ten days after hatching, I saw the cock leave the nesting log on several occasions, and assume he was either feeding the hen or assisting with feeding the young, but cannot be certain, as I never saw him carrying food or entering the nest. I think the first assumption the more likely, as the hen hardly left the nest for the first few days after hatching, and after eight or ten days I never observed him coming out of the nest again. Both birds have proved excellent parents. The food given throughout the rearing period was minced raw meat, maggots, sweet apple, insectivorous food, and soaked biscuit-meal. Only live food was fed for the first few days. The eggs were blue-green in colour with brown blotches of varying size, these being larger and more numerous at the thicker end of the eggs, in most cases, but one in the last nest having equally large blotch markings on the middle and thin end. In every case except the one mentioned above, markings were fewer and smaller round the middle and thin end of the eggs. Throughout the breeding this aviary was shared by a pair of Red Ground Doves and a pair of Cayenne Seedeaters. The first reported breeding of the Golden-crested Myna was by Mr. Boehm, Trenton, N.J., U.S.A., in 1964, and an article on this breeding by Mr. Charles Everitt, was published in this Magazine for November-December, 1964. As described, W. R. Partridge has bred the Golden-crested Myna, Mino coronatus. It is believed that this may be a first success. Any member or reader knowing of a previous breeding of this species in Great Britain or Northern Ireland is requested to communicate at once with the Hon. Secretary. 130 K. MULLER - THE BLACK OR COMMON FRANCOLIN A FURTHER NOTE ON THE BLACK OR COMMON FRANCOLIN (. Francolinus francolinus) By Kerry Muller, Manager, Bird Division, National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C., U.S.A.) In December, 1963, the National Zoological Park received four pairs of Black Francolins from Calcutta, and on joining the Zoo staff in 1965, I was impressed with the beautiful appearance of these birds. Having never before seen this species, I checked the literature and rediscovered “ The Black Francolin ” published in the January-February, 1963, issue of Avicultural Magazine. In his article Mr. Yealland gives a fine account of the range, diet, and egg description of this species ; however, a description of the bird itself is lacking. Thus, the following may be of some benefit and interest to aviculturists. In size, the species is just slightly larger than the familiar Indian Chukar Partridge, although it usually appears larger because of its outstanding coloration. Males are predominantly black with prominent white cheeks and a rich chestnut band encircling the neck. There are conspicuous white spots on the black background of the flanks and nape. The rump and upper tail-coverts are narrowly barred horizon¬ tally with alternating black and white. Feathers on the top of the head, back, shoulders and upper wing are black with a broad fulvous edge, appearing predominantly fulvous. The beak is black, and the feet and legs are red. The females are slightly smaller than males and closely resemble the Gray Partridge, Francolinus pondicerianus. They can be differentiated immediately, however, by the same barred pattern as the males on rump and upper tail plus a chestnut patch on the nape. The Black Francolins at the National Zoo are all housed together in the large indoor Tropical Flight Room (rain forest), and they have proved compatible, keeping together in a flock. During the breeding season they pair and take up separate territories, but no serious fighting has ever occurred. They remain quite wild under these conditions, as is expected of wild-caught birds. For a season one of the birds was housed outdoors in a large flight cage and survived the Washington winter in good condition despite a 3-ft. snowstorm and temperatures as low as 8° F. Although the National Zoo has not reared this species to date, Black Francolins are being raised with no apparent difficulty by private breeders in the United States. I personally hope to see this species better established in captivity in the near future, for they are one of the most beautiful francolins and should be a welcome addition to any collection. H. MURRAY - BREEDING THE PILEATED SONG SPARROW 31 BREEDING THE PILEATED SONG SPARROW (Z onotrichia capensis) By Herbert Murray (Brentwood, Essex, England) This little bird — about the size and build of a Reed Bunting — comes from Brazil and is a neat, attractive bird although not brightly coloured. The back is brown and the breast is grey and the head — which carries a semi-erectile crest — has a definite dark stripe between two brighter streaks, a rufous patch is on the neck. In habits it is rather similar to the Red-breasted Finch although its display is nothing nearly as impressive or indeed as explosive as that of the Red-breasted Finch. Basically the Pileated Song Sparrow is very close to the general run of European Buntings but there are of course several differences in habits. Out of the breeding season the food consists largely of seed but live food is appreciated and eaten. One habit of the bird when feeding is a quick jerk backward which although not a scratch in the accepted sense has the same effect. Once this bird is acclimatized and provided it has a warm shelter heat is not essential ; it seems hardy and as said before is a neat and attractive inmate of an aviary. I had a few pairs sent to me last year and I put a pair in a large aviary and they went to nest but nothing hatched. Pairs can be sexed when adult but there is not much difference between the sexes. This year I put two pairs down in separate aviaries and have managed to rear one young bird from each pair so far. It is in the actual nesting of the bird that some curious traits are observed. Firstly, I have never known a South American bird that bothered about having its nest or young looked at. With Tanagers for example, I always look closely and see that the young are all right every day. But this little bird when nesting is the most shy and secretive bird I have ever struck — much worse than any European Finch that I have ever bred and I think that I have perhaps caused birds to desert by just an occasional look at the nests. Why this should be when everything else from South America is so indifferent is rather hard to say. The nest is a rather deep cup built of grass and roots and is usually about five feet above ground. The same nest is used throughout the season. The eggs are grey heavily splotched with dark grey and a rusty ring at the larger end, number one to three. The young are covered in dark charcoal-grey down almost black and have yellow patches at the sides of the mouth. The young are fed on live food, and I should imagine also by 132 H. MURRAY - BREEDING THE PILEATED SONG SPARROW regurgitation, but they are difficult birds to watch owing to their nervous¬ ness when they have young. When anybody goes into their aviaries — and these are very large in my case — a constant alarm call is given. When eggs are in the nest the hen slips off as soon as anyone approaches and one gets the impression that they must be badly harried in their own country. The young birds when they fly — which seems a good three to four weeks after hatching and much longer than any comparable birds I know — are rather jolly little chaps similar in plumage to their parents but without the rufous patch on their necks and with the breast heavily spotted. They are most carefully hidden and looked after by their parents who attack savagely and will indeed kill any bird about the same size that comes too near. I do not know where the “ Song Sparrow ” comes in as I have always found them rather quiet. As some readers may know over the last two years I have managed to get a colony breeding of the African Golden Sparrow going and indeed last year reared about 25. As they were destructive of other birds nests I disposed of all except an odd pair that have reared young this year. In my opinion these are colony nesting birds and the commencement of breeding would probably require a colony, but the ones that have bred this year were born in the aviary and indeed are not yet in full adult plumage themselves. This has been a very poor breeding season as far as I am concerned with nothing very much to show at the end of it. As described, H. Murray has bred the Pileated Song Sparrow Zonotrichia capensis. It is believed that this may be a first success. Any member or reader knowing of a previous breeding of this species in Great Britain or Northern Ireland is requested to communi¬ cate at once with the Hon. Secretary. * * * Avictjlt. Mag. 1966. [To face p. 133 Snow Pigeon x Blue, Barless Female, Blue Barless Strasser Five-week-old squab produced Strasser, the male parent. — the female parent. by parent birds. CARL NAETHER FINAL OBSERVATIONS ON MATING BEHAVIOR 1 33 SOME FINAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE MATING BEHAVIOR OF SNOW PIGEON x BLUE, BARLESS STRASSER, MALE By Professor Carl Naether, Encino, California The hybrid pigeon, above referred to, mated to a blue, barless Strasser female, fertilized four sets of eggs, all of which produced seemingly healthy squabs. However, all except one, as shown in the accompanying illustration, died at an early age, usually from one week to ten days after hatching. In all instances, they appeared to be normal in bodily structure and were well fed. In one case, they died on the same day ; in the remaining cases, deaths occurred at a few days’ interval. The hybrid parent male, described in some detail in Avicultural Magazine for December, 1965, in other words, proved entirely fertile in all his matings. In the various nestings, he showed at first a certain reluctance to share in the brooding of the eggs, leaving them the moment I approached the aviary in which the pair was kept. However, with successive broodings, he became much tamer, remaining on the nest, where he took his regular turns at incubation. His wild, snow pigeon ancestry seemed to manifest itself in vicious wingflaps at my passing the nest site and “ snort-like ” thrusts of coos — behaviour of which he never tired. He had inherited the sharp “ kuck, kuck, kuck ”, oft repeated, from his Snow Pigeon father. Incidentally, this wild pigeon sound resembles considerably the so-called drumming of our domestic Trumpeter Pigeon, suggesting a possible inheritance from very early ancestors. As suggested by the illustration, the only surviving squab fathered by the hybrid male, boasts a soft, rather light blue, with complete absence of wing-bars, which figured so prominently in the male parent’s wing-pattern, they being black there, and also in the Snow Pigeon’s three broad bands of brown running across the median and greater coverts and the secondaries. Apparently, the influence of the barless mother, the Strasser, has made itself felt here very conspicuously. As in the hybrid male, the youngster would suggest a reversion to the blue ancestral rock pigeon, with a remarkable absence of white, which forms so large a part of the plumage coloration in both the Snow Pigeon and in the Strasser. Incidentally, this rather rare hybrid, at the age of five weeks, is very plump and heavy and short. During his sojourn in the nest, he showed strong defensive tendencies, as with neck and breast feathers almost standing upright, he would rear up to peck vigorously at my “ threatening ” hand again and again. Being well fed by both parents, he remained in the nest-box nearly five weeks. Certainly, in so far as plumage colour, bodily structure, and size are concerned, as well as kinds of ancestry, this hybrid youngster is unique ! i34 N. P. SHOLAR - HAND-FEEDING PURPLE MARTINS HAND-FEEDING PURPLE MARTINS (. Progne suhis ) By Norman P. Sholar (Mooresville, North Carolina, U.S.A.) The Purple Martin is the largest of the swallows and being a swallow it is one of the most graceful of birds in its manner of flight and actions. The male is a very deep purple being closer to black but with the definite purple gloss that shows up when the sun shines on it. The female is duller and shows a greyish white on the underside. The young resemble the female until the first moult. The tail is forked. Another characteristic common to swallows is that in most cases they nest in colonies, sometimes as many as a hundred pairs if food and accommodation are available. They take all their food on the wing having very large mouths to catch the various insects they relish. Their feet are very small and weak for the size of the birds, reminding one of the small feet of the Fairy Bluebird. Water is obtained by swooping down over open water and skimming with mouth open, similar to the action of the Chimney Swift. The Purple Martins migrate from Brazil in late December and early January. They reach the United States from early January, taking a leisurely time to reach their home of the year before. They arrive in North Carolina during the first two or three weeks of March, the time being determined to a large degree by the weather they encounter on the way. After raising their young they again depart in August for the return to Brazil. This article is not meant to describe the physical features of the Purple Martin and the writer refers the reader to any of the well- known books on North American Birds for a more detailed description. The main purpose of this article is to give the readers an account of hand-rearing two Purple Martins and some interesting facts from this experience. I have attempted for over eighteen years to attract Purple Martins to my yard. I have placed hollow gourds and martin castles with no results as far as getting martins to remain and nest. Once they nest they will return unfailingly year after year to the place where they were born, provided there are enough houses or gourds to go round. This year, 1966, I tried a new approach in the hope that I will have the Purple Martins next year; however, only time will tell whether success will come or not. A friend who lives some six miles from my home has many martins and I asked him to let me have several very young martins that were still a couple of weeks from leaving the gourds. He let me have four from different nests. These were brought home and placed in a box with a cloth in the bottom so that the young would have something to hold to and to keep their feet from N. P. SHOLAR - HAND-FEEDING PURPLE MARTINS 35 spraddling or spreading out. The young would not open their mouths as is the case with most baby birds when food is offered. Even though they would be hungry they still would not open their mouths so we resorted to forcing their mouths open and feeding with our fingers a dehydrated puppy food that is known as Friskies in this country. This is a 24 per cent protein food which includes 7 per cent fat and many necessary elements for proper growth. The food is in the form of small pellets and just the right size for the small birds. The pellets were soaked in water and then a pellet at a time was placed in each mouth. Knowing that the martin is a most heavy eater of insects we gave them many meal-worms plus the meal-worm beetle plus the pupa stage of the meal-worm. The four ate so much that I could not supply enough live food to keep more than two of the birds alive. After increasing the live food the other two progressed very favourably. They much preferred the live food to the other. However, I forced the eating of the dog food soaked in water so that they might have moisture of some kind. The meal-worm beetles were dipped in pure honey before being forced into the mouth. Purple Martins eat many bees while raising young, therefore I thought that the honey would be a desired addition to their diet. The force-feeding was continued for over a week before the babies would even open their mouths for food. I can assure you that they are large eaters and I hardly see how the two parents feed four or five ! During the second week I placed the two babies in a cage in the yard where they could see their surroundings and the martin houses and gourds. Anyone familiar with training flying tipplers and racing pigeons will see the need of this procedure of familiarizing the birds with their immediate locality. They remained in the cage another ten days staying out night and day. They soon began to sit on a small perch and to exercise their wings. All the time we were still supplying all the beetles and worms they would take, plus the beetles dipped in honey. At the end of ten days the young were released one at a time. The first one flew towards a tree and attempted to land on the leaves which it couldn’t hold on to ; therefore it fell, then flew to another tree and made a poor attempt at alighting. After the young finally was able to catch on to a limb it remained for a long time, being exhausted — all the time making its call-note to the other one still not released. The one in the cage would also make a call-note and they soon were able to stay in contact with each other. The one that was free finally came down and tried to alight near the cage, but there wasn’t anything for him to alight on, so I placed a long pipe from an eight foot stepladder over to the cage hoping he would alight on it. Instead he would land on the very top of the stepladder every time. He would again take off flying weakly to another tree and resting, but would return to the top of the stepladder calling to the other bird. 136 N. P. SHOLAR - HAND-FEEDING PURPLE MARTINS I opened the cage door and released the other martin and it did as the other one, making first one attempt after another to land on the leaves but of course it could not hold on. I watched them carefully every chance I could get and they remained in the area all the time. They did not know how to secure their own food and since I was their adopted mama they had learned to know that when I was around they could expect to get food. After they had been without food most of the afternoon one came down to the stepladder and I climbed up and began feeding it. It wasn’t long before the other one came down for the same treatment. After feeding they would take off and fly weakly around and finally both landed on a high pole that I have in the yard with a martin house on top. The pole is 32 feet high. They soon learned that this was a much better place to perch than on the leaves. They also learned always to come down to the top of the step- ladder for food. Late in the afternoon they were fed very heavily. They took off in a very weak flying manner and they soon were out of hearing and sight. They did not come back that night. Early the next morning just at sunrise I heard what I thought was one of the martins and went out to see. Sure enough both were sitting on top of the stepladder flapping their wings as young birds do wanting something to eat. They saw me coming and flew to me circling my head and going back to the top of the stepladder. I again fed them and they ate a hearty meal. This being Sunday I spent most of the day feeding the martins on their perch. Their flight became more powerful and skilful. For the next two weeks the martins would fly higher and higher and would sail in a most graceful manner, then swoop down and go back up to a very high altitude It seemed just impossible that those birds that I could barely see would come down to me and recognize me. At the top of their flight they would fold their wings and drop very rapidly towards the vicinity of our home and would alight first on the high pole and then come down to the top of the stepladder. During all this time I only saw one of them take an insect on the wing. Each evening they would go away but would be back the next morning. This had become home to them and my plan was working as I had hoped. After the second week they were flying farther and farther away and remaining away as much as three or four hours. Then they would return bringing some martin friends with them. This was also part of the hoped for plan. Soon after they brought back the visiting martins I noticed that they were not as hungry and they must have learned from their visiting friends how to catch their food on the wing. The closest pond of water is a quarter of a mile from our place so they must have learned also how to get a drink. When the visiting martins would leave our vicinity my two decoys would remain. This is the last week of August, 1966, and my two martins have now HEINZ-GEORG KLOS - NEWS FROM BERLIN ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS I 37 migrated. You may rest assured that come next March I will be out listening to see if the two hand-reared martins know where home is, and we are hoping after 18 years to get Purple Martins to take up residence with us. If this does not occur I will next year again take some young and attempt the whole thing again. * * * NEWS FROM THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF BERLIN By Dr. Heinz-Georg Klos (Director, Berlin Zoological Gardens, Germany) The famous Berlin crane collection consisting of seven species has been increased by a pair of the rare African Wattled Cranes ( Bugeranus carunculatus) . These wonderful birds are very seldom seen in Zoological Gardens and they were represented here for the last time fifty-five years ago. Also from Africa we got a pair of the nice White-quilled Bustards ( Afrotis afra afraoides) and a pair of Crested Bustards ( Lophotis r. ruficrista). As we succeeded in breeding the Great Bustard {Otis tarda) last year there is some hope that also these African species will breed one day. From a German aviculturist living in Manila we got among other birds two Scale-feathered Cuckoos (. Phoenicophaeus cummingi), a species which to our knowledge never before had come to Germany, and two young Calaos ( Buceros hydrocorax). Further we obtained two White-crested Hornbills ( Berenicornis comatus) from Borneo. The first specimen of this species to be exhibited in Europe was the famous “ Marylin ” which came to us as a gift from Mrs. Barbara Harrisson in 1961. It has lived here for four years. Among the most outstanding events of the last months we have to mention a shipment from Dr. Sten Bergman, Sweden, consisting of a pair of Twelve-wired Birds of Paradise ( Seleucides ignotus), a male Lesser Bird of Paradise ( Paradisaea minor ) and two female King Birds of Paradise ( Cicinnurus regius) which had hatched in Dr. Bergman’s home. Everybody who knows how difficult it is to get Birds of Paradise nowadays will understand that we are extremely grateful to the famous Swedish zoologist and that we appreciate very much his generosity. Breeding has been most successful in spite of the bad weather conditions. In our Flamingo colony three European and one Chilean Flamingo hatched and were raised successfully. Our Rheas produced 2 1 young ones. A rare event was the very difficult hand-rearing of a Red-cheeked Ibis ( Geronticus eremita) (hatched in an incubator) whose parents originate from Basel Zoo. Among other hatchings we only mention the following: 11 Green Peafowl, 12 Ocellated Turkeys, 10 Reeves’s Pheasants, 15 Californian Quails, 3 Emperor Geese, 2 Lesser Snow Geese, and 3 Derbian Parakeets. 138 M. F. COUPE - NEWS FROM CHESTER ZOO NEWS FROM CHESTER ZOO By M. F. Coupe Well over one hundred Members of the Avicultural Society and guests came on a visit to the Zoo on 29th June. For many of them it was the first time they had seen the new Temperate Bird House (Avicul¬ tural Magazine, Vol. 71, No. 5, page 154), which had not been opened at the time of their last visit in June, 1965. Of course the Tropical House was a big attraction and members who had visited the building last year were impressed by the rapid growth of the plants— the Banana tree is now nearly up to the 40-ft. apex of the roof. Since the Avicultural visit we have been busy re-labelling the Temperate Bird House. Previously lists of the birds at liberty with their country of origin had been displayed in various parts of the building. The new system provides easy identification of the twenty- eight species at liberty within the confines of the building. Each label gives common and Latin names and distribution area of each species together with a coloured illustration of every bird. The labels printed on cardboard and painted on in poster paint are covered with trans¬ parent fablon and slotted into a board. The advantage of this system is that the interested members of the public are able to identify each species at a glance and birds which are transferred can easily have their label removed from the board. A number of new birds have arrived since members visited the Zoo. Two Grey- winged Trumpeters have been placed in an aviary in the Temperate Bird House. A pair of Red-headed Buntings have been released within the confines of the Temperate Bird House. Two very interesting species of doves were presented to us in a consignment from South America. Four Rufous Doves (Columba cayennensis cayennensis) and three Grey Ground Doves ( Columbigallina passerina griseolo) arrived — both these species are little larger than a sparrow and very attractive indeed. Arrivals since the last issue of the Avicultural Magazine include among others : Chilean Flamingos, Whooper Swan, Laysan Teal, American and European Wigeon, Satin Bower Bird, Demoiselle Cranes, Cinereous Vultures, Scarlet Gocks-of-the-Rock, Yellow- tailed, Red-tailed, and White-tailed Black Cockatoos, Hummingbirds, and Red-billed Toucans. A number of birds have hatched and reared young but these will be summarized later in the year. NEWS AND VIEWS *39 LONDON ZOO NOTES By J. J. Yealland Through the kind co-operation of the Wildfowl Trust, two specimens of Phoenicoparrus andinus , the Andean Flamingo, have been received. These represent a genus not previously in the collection. A new subspecies is the Laysan Duck [Anas platyrhynchos laysanensis) , a pair, bred at Slimbridge, being received in exchange. In 1923 there were thought to be only fourteen specimens left on Laysan, but the number had increased to thirty- three by 1950. In 1958 a pair was received at Slimbridge from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and many have been bred in captivity in the United States, at Slimbridge, and elsewhere. A number of interesting birds have been received in exchange from Dr. C. Fernando Costa’s collection at Estoril. These include two Black-bellied Sandgrouse (. Pterocles orientalis orientalis ), a Yellow¬ shouldered Parrot ( Amazona barbadensis ), a Mealy Parrot (A. farinosa), a Ruppell’s Parrot ( Poicephala ruppelli ), some tanagers including the Festive (T. cyanocephala) and an Azure-winged Magpie ( Cyanopica cyana cooki). Two Ross’s Turacos ( Musophaga violacea rossae ) have been presented by Mr. A. V. Marques ; a Great-billed or Black-tipped Crested Turaco [T. macrorhynchus) has also been presented. Birds bred in the Gardens include Barnacle Geese, Tonkinese Junglefowl, Great Black-backed and Herring Gulls, Princess of Wales’s Parrakeets, two Great and a Spotted Eagle-Owl. A Swainson’s X Edwards’s Lorikeet died in the nest after several weeks. A Reeve laid two eggs in long grass in the Waders’ Aviary, but they were somehow broken. * * * NEWS AND VIEWS W. P. Macveigh, Penang, Malaysia, has a problem. He writes : “ I would be glad of any advice on the hand-rearing of Fruit Doves of the genus Ptilinopus. The problem is not to get them to feed when they are young — that is easy — but they refuse to take food on their own when adult and have to be hand fed ! ” ^ ^ Dr. John Berry has devoted many years to the experimental breeding of geese. In a recent letter he writes : “ The geese at Tayfield were badly beaten up by a gang of hooligans on Sunday afternoon, 22nd May. They stoned the nests and killed at least eleven adults and almost all the goslings. Many geese flew away and a month later most of them are still absent.” ^ ^ ^ 14 140 NEWS AND VIEWS In Bokmakierie , June, 1966, there is a photograph and note by R. A. Jubb, on a pair of Yellow-billed Duck ( Anas undulata). The interesting point about these birds is that they were deposited at Scott’s Farm, Grahamstown, Cape, in 1917. These ducks are now nearly fifty years old : they are in good health although nearly blind. Scott’s Farm has been in the Blackbeard family for over a century and for the past fifty years Miss Gladys Blackbeard has maintained it as a sanctuary for displaced and maimed creatures. * * * Some readers may recollect that I have a more than passing interest in the Red-faced Lovebird. Consequently, I am always especially pleased to record any breeding of this somewhat unpredictable little parrot. J. V. Rouillard has sent me a colour transparency of a young one reared last year in his aviary at Stanger, Natal. It left the nest in July (in the middle of winter) fully fledged but unable to fly, and during the first ten days all its tail-feathers were shed. It unfortunately died in November. It never acquired the power of flight but appeared quite fit and crawled all over the aviary, just making very short, descending flights now and again. * * * Ben Heddle, King Island, Tasmania, has been particularly successful in breeding Long-billed Corella X Galah hybrids. In Great Britain we more usually refer to them as Slender-billed Kakatoe tenuirostris and Roseate K. roseicapilla Cockatoos. The pair nested in a 12 J gallon petrol drum nailed on to a post, with the open end facing upwards. In 1964, three young were hatched and reared, one male (soon killed by the male parent) and two females ; 1965, again three were hatched and reared. Hybrids of this parentage were bred in the Adelaide Zoo about 1944, but I am not certain which was the male parent : and F. Fahey, Northmead, N.S.W., had a hybrid “ Corella (short-faced) X Galah ” in his possession in 1950 or perhaps earlier. * * * Fom time to time we read of bizarre friendships between birds. Such an one is blossoming in Mrs. Grace Wheatley’s sub- tropical bird-room. Mrs. Wheatley writes : “I love breeding Chinese Quail. My latest cock killed his hen and as I was annoyed I didn’t rush off to replace her. Ah ! I thought, now I shall have to endure the awful mournful noise the cock makes ! But no, not a sound. On investigation I found that he had made great friends with a wee hen Yellow-breasted Waxbill. He brings her treasures to eat and at night she crouches under his wing. He has absolutely adopted her, and her mate perches disconsolately over their heads. She is, of course, almost invisible beside him. I have never seen anything so quaint in all my years of keeping and breeding tropical birds.” NEWS AND VIEWS 14 The late J. C. Laid lay, of “ The Care and Propagation of Ornamental Waterfowl ” fame, had an ambition to see the Mandarin Duck estab¬ lished on the Tay and form a colony as they have done at Virginia Water, Surrey. It is pleasing to hear from Mrs. Eve Laidlay that she is doing everything possible to further the project. Mrs. Laidlay writes : “In February there were seventeen full- winged Mandarin on the River. They always come to our ponds to feed and this year three full- winged ducks laid in the boxes in the garden rather than in the eighteen or so high boxes in neighbouring trees. I have a total of 76 Mandarin on our half-acre plot ! And I look forward to seeing them all in colour. A Maned Goose was allowed to hatch and has been an excellent mother to a very healthy, independant Mandarin, now two weeks old. They seem pretty hardy despite torrential and incessant rain.” * * * G. Eickert, Redcastle, Victoria, has bred four Rosella X Red- rumped Parrakeet hybrids, described as “ similar to a Murray Rosella with crimson forehead and red rumps ”. This is a sufficiently unusual cross to warrant the event being recorded. It was apparently first obtained in England in 1881, two reared, and 1882, three reared. The breeder was an unidentified gentleman who signed his reports “ Vicar ”. Success of varying degree was obtained at the London Zoo in 1947-49 : in 1903 two hybrids were exhibited on deposit. * * * George Auld, Blacksmiths, N.S.W., made something of a speciality of this cross. In the 1944-45 season he bred five hybrids, and in the 1 945-46 fourteen, six Rosella X Red-rumped (two from each of three nests) and eight Red-rumped X Rosella (two nests of four each) . The next season the Red-rumped X Rosella mating was again used and young reared, the reverse cross being dropped because of the inferior colour of the youngsters. It was then decided to test the fertility of the hybrids and the nicest hybrid cock was mated to a hen Many-coloured — two young were reared : “ In build and general colour they were mainly Many-coloured with distinct evidence of the Redrump, but no trace of Rosella.” * * * “For the study of British and Foreign Birds in freedom and captivity.” During the seventy years that have passed since the foundation of the Society the membership has included many distinguished aviculturists, ornithologists and field-naturalists. But how many members have made a sustained study of British birds in captivity and by their breeding made a worthwhile contribution to ornithological knowledge? It would seem regrettably few. Pre-eminent was W, E, Teschemaker who, while resident in Devon, 142 NEWS AND VIEWS was awarded no less than twenty-four of the Society’s Medals for a first breeding, during 1905-13. This number included such British species as Hedge Sparrow (1906), Blackcap (1909), Hawfinch (1911) and Whinchat (1912). Then there were J. L. Bonhote, E. G. B. Meade- Waldo and W. H. St. Quintin, V. A. V. Carr who in 1938 bred the Ring Ouzel, and R. C. Tout. Amongst the greats of the present day must be included A. H. Scott who over a long period has bred some 2,500 British birds, including over 1,000 abnormally-coloured Greenfinches and Sparrows : F. C. Astles who seems to make the breeding of rare British species almost a matter of course : T. S. Thomson with a full two acres under netting, mainly devoted to British birds : and Frank Meaden, of Waxwing fame. Who else might be included in this select number ? * * * One hundred and thirty members and guests attended the Tenth Annual Lunch, at the invitation of the Chairman and Council of the North of England Zoological Society, through the Director-Secretary Mr. G. S. Mottershead, at the Zoological Gardens, Chester, on 29th June, 1966. Miss Geraldine Russell Allen, Chairman of the North of England Zoological Society, presided at the lunch and welcomed the visitors, and the Rev. Canon J. R. Lowe, the senior member of our Society present, thanked the Chairman and Council on behalf of our members. The weather was again perfect and the gardens were just at their very best. It is always pleasing to remember that whereas Mr. Mottershead is in the very forefront of directors of zoological gardens he is still, as always, an aviculturist at heart. This is evidenced by the unremitting care bestowed on the birds themselves and to their housing under the most favourable conditions possible. Naturally, the Temperate Bird House, which had not been opened at the time of the last visit, and the Tropical House, now more mature, were the main focus of attention. The motto of the Chester Zoo is “ Always building ”, symbolized by the Beaver. In recognition of her many years devoted service to the Zoo the Hon. Secretary informally presented Mrs. Mottershead with a gold brooch in the form of a Beaver, as “ a token of the admiration and affection of the Avicultural Society ”. It should perhaps be mentioned that the brooch was specially made in Canada through the good offices of Mr. Gerald T. lies, Managing Director, Zoological Society of Montreal. Once again I have to repeat what I have said on so many previous occasions. The warmest thanks of all members present are accorded to Mr. and Mrs. G. S. Mottershead, Mr. and Mrs. G. F. Williams, Miss A. L. Howard, and indeed the entire staff, for their untiring efforts to make the visitors welcome and so make their visit so very enjoyable and memorable. A. A. P. REVIEWS T43 REVIEWS THE LIVING AIR. The Memoirs of an Ornithologist. By Jean Delacour. Published by Country Life, Ltd. London, 1966. Price 45J. net. A small boy of three years old, in a blue and white striped dressing- gown was recovering from a long illness — beside his bed was a box in which lived a white, downy chick, his greatest treasure. He followed every one of its movements and reactions, and his eyes seldom wandered from it. Later the chick grew up to be a large, bearded, white hen with black tail and neck ; it also became historical, for it was the first bird kept by the leading aviculturist of our time. Jean Delacour was not only a born naturalist but a born aviculturist and by the age of ten had established a considerable collection of birds. This he had to do on his own efforts which included the amassing of the necessary wealth to buy birds and plants which he achieved by being top of his class at school and thus gaining a money award from his mother. With his great knowledge and love of plants, and deep appreciation of beauty, he was well equipped to know how to house and show birds to the best advantage and his descriptions of his hopes and despair about his birds will raise a kindred feeling in the hearts of all avicul- turists. His indomitable courage and philosophy made it possible for him to build up the collection at Cleres after the famous collection at Villers- Bretonneux had been destroyed in the First World War and, yet again, to re-establish the collection at Cleres destroyed in the Second World War. Monsieur Delacour’s accounts of his travels to all parts of the globe are fascinating and give a vivid picture of these remote and interesting places. His links with England are very close and his autobiography is also an account of aviculture and aviculturists during the last 60 years. This book, charmingly written, with the sense of humour which characterizes our illustrious Vice-President, is one that can be read again and again with undiminished interest and pleasure. P. B-S. BIRDS IN COLOUR. Illustrated by Karl Aage Tinggard, with description by Bruce Campbell. Blandford Press, London, 1966. Price 21s. The claims made for this book in the “ blurb ” on the jacket and the foreword are that the beautiful paintings (of 256 British species) will both make it a welcome addition to the library of the experienced bird-addict and also enable beginners to recognize the birds they see. i44 REVIEWS Even in our modern ultra-conformist society we are not (yet) all expected to have identical responses where art and beauty are con¬ cerned, so the fact that most of the illustrations did not thrill me aesthetically is no condemnation of them. Those who buy a book for the beauty of its illustrations would, obviously, be fools if they allowed themselves to be influenced by any other person’s criteria of beauty. The case is different with regard to the use of the illustrations for identification purposes. Here a fault is that, in many cases (e.g. Linnet, Brambling, Turnstone), only the adult male in full breeding plumage is shown ; the one plumage phase that a raw beginner could identify without much trouble from a written description ! No doubt modern techniques of colour reproduction and not the artist are responsible for the black-backed Mistle Thrush, the Willow Warbler with bright yellow underparts, and a few others of like ilk, but whatever the cause they detract from the book’s value to the beginner. In some species (e.g. Nuthatch, Bullfinch) the Scandinavian rather than the British forms appear to have been depicted and the long-standing bird-artists’ convention that doves of the genus Streptopelia have a powdery white cere like that of some Columba species is rigidly adhered to. The picture of the Collared Dove, as it appears in my review copy, manages to combine the diagnostic features of two other species, the black facial streak and dark brown eye of Streptopelia capicola and the pale creamy colouration of the domestic Barbary Dove, S. “ risoria The black-and-white sketches of birds of prey in flight, in similar style to those of the well-known “ Peterson Field Guide ”, are likely to be of real help in the field. The text is adequate so far as it goes and indeed implies one real addition to ornithological knowledge, that the Turtledove dust bathes (p. 195). The reviewer feels that this discovery should have been recorded, with all the evidence, in some journal such as British Birds rather than just in a “ throw away ” line in a book of this nature. D. G. * * * CORRIGENDUM No. 4, Vol. 72 (July-August number, 1966), page 121, Correspon¬ dence “ Improvement in design of Bird Cages In third line of second paragraph “ In my opinion preservation of fauna ” should read “ In my opinion presentation of fauna ”, When Visiting the COTSWOLDS A VICULTURISTS ARE WELCOME TO Set in the charm oj an old English Garden at the lovely Village oj BO UR TON- ON- THE - WA TER ★ ★ ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ * * * * tt T * ¥ “I name * * ¥ this * * ¥ ¥ Parrot . . ¥ ¥ * ¥ * Brief biographies of men and women in whose honour ¥ * commemorative names have been given : together with ¥ * a complete list of parrot-like birds — scientific names with ¥ ¥ their derivations, and English names. ¥ ¥ ¥ * Price 2 is., post free. ¥ * Arthur A. Prestwich ¥ * * EDENBRIDGE, KENT. ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ Christmas Greeting Cards The British Section, International Council for Bird Preservation, has this year issued a greeting card. The subject is Britain’s National Bird, the Robin, reproduced from a natural colour photograph by John Markham, F.R.P.S. The sale of this card will help to support the activities of the I.C.B.P., which are very much in the Society’s interest, and it is hoped that members will support this new venture. The price of the cards is Is. each, including envelope ; or if sent by post, postage and packing are as follows : 1 dozen Is.; 2 dozen 2s.; 3 dozen and over 3s. Please send orders to : — The Secretariat, British Section, International Council for Bird Preservation, c/o British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road, London, S.W. 7. THE ORIGINAL BIRD PAINTINGS OF JOHN JAMES AUDUBON, 2 vols., 25 gns. the set Special "Easy payments" offer to readers of this journal If preferred (and subject to early reservation) we can supply on the basis of £5 5s. with order, and balance by four monthly payments of £5 5s. each, by Bankers Order. This offer is available to customers in U.K. only, or where arrange¬ ments can be made for payments through a bank in Great Britain. Special order form sent on re¬ quest To: SOUTHERN BOOKSELLERS & PUBLISHING COMPANY, 35 Woodland Vale Road, St. Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex. BOOKS on BIRDS Catalogue on request WHELDON & WESLEY LTD. LYTTON LODGE, CODICOTE, Nr. HITCHIN, HERTS. Telephone : Codicote 370. AUSTRALIAN PARRAKEETS THEIR MAINTENANCE AND BREEDING IN EUROPE DR. H. D. GROEN Second English edition. Cloth bound volume, measuring io|- X inches ; 237 pages with valuable information and including full-page coloured photographs of all species in the genus Platycercus, Barnardius, Psephotus ( Psephotellus , Northiella) , Neophema, Polytelis, Alisterus, Aprosmictus, Purpureicephalus and Lathamus. All photographs are printed on special art paper (Diamond, 150 gr./m.2) and in each case male and female are portrayed side by side, making identification and sexing very simple. Price : U.K. £3 3 s. ; U.S.A. $9. Post free to anywhere in the world. Payment by international money order or by bank draft should accompany order. Obtainable only direct from the author : Dr. H. D. Groen, Haren (Gr.), Holland. Bank : Amsterdam-Rotterdam Bank, Haren (Gr.), Holland. 15 SPECIAL BIRD POODS FAMOUS SINCE 1823 Universal Fortifier (Pictorial Packet) 3 oz. 1/2 4 lb. 2/1 1 4 lb. 2/9 1 lb. 5/3 l lb. 5/3 2 lb. 9/9 34 lb. 15/6 34 lb. 15/8 7 lb. 30/6 7 lb. 29/3 28 lb. 98/- 14 lb. 53/6 28 lb. 99/- C.L.O. Rearing and Condition Food Perfort 4 oz. 1/6 4 lb. 2/9 I lb. 5/3 34 lb. 15/6 7 lb. 30/6 14 lb. 52/6 28 lb. 98/- SPECIAL MYNAH FOOD BEKFIN (Insectivorous Red Packet) 4 lb. 3/9 I lb. 7/3 34 lb. 23/- 7 lb. 39/9 28 1b. 154/- Fort-Egg and Colorfort 4 lb. 3/- 1 lb. 5/3 34 lb. 17/- 7 lb. 32/9 14 lb. 57/6 28 lb. 1 12/- “ GREENSTUFF ” post paid 1 lb. 3/9 14 lb. 29/- 1 lb. 3/9 5/- 2 lb. 6/9 28 lb. 52/6 2 lb. 7/3 9/3 34 lb. 7 lb. 9/3 16/9 56 lb. 100/- 34 lb. 7 lb. 12/74 24/6 14/8 27/6 A dehydrated form of green food consisting of lettuce, spinach, carrot, etc., readily taken by all birds. Packets 1/3 & 3/10, also sold in bulk. All the above prices are carriage paid HEALWORMS “ MARBA ” DUTCH BRED “ SANTA ’’ GERMAN BRED (small type) (large type) Whether you prefer the small Dutch mealworm or the larger German type, we can give you the finest service obtainable, with shipments arriving twice weekly. Dispatch guaranteed same day as orders received. 1 oz. 3/3 2 oz. 5/6 4 oz. 9/3 8 oz. 16/3 Mb. 27/- Also in original Boxes as imported Nett weight guaranteed 2 1b. 50/- 4 1b. 6 oz. 92/6 64 1b. 131/6 All Carriage Paid. MAGGOTS We sell only the best liver-fed maggots, specially recleaned and ready for immediate use for bird feeding. Packed in bran. No mess or smell. 2 oz. 4 oz. 8 oz. I lb. 3/6 5/- 7/9 9/6 FEEDING SUNDRIES 4 1b. 1 lb. Dried Flies (Chinese) . 5/- 9/6 Silkworm pupae (Whole) . 3/9 6/6 „ „ (Ground) . 4/- 6/9 Dried Dragonfly larvae . . 6/6 12/6 Dried Shrimp (Fine, Medium, or Coarse) . 2/3 3/6 Ant Eggs ..... . 11/6 21/- Pure Dried Egg .... . 6/6 12/6 Dried Rowan Berries (Whole) . 2/9 4/6 „ ,, „ (Crushed) Pure Breadcrumbs (Fine, Medium, or . 3/- 4/9 Coarse), far superior to biscuit meal .... . 2 1b. 3/-; 4 1b. 5/6 ; 14 lb. 17/6 ; 28 lb. 28/- “ Egg-crumbs,” guaranteed to consist of 90 per cent breadcrumbs and 10 per cent pure egg . . 2 lb. 5/6 ; 4 lb. 10/6 ; 7 lb. 17/6 ALL ABOVE PRICES ARE POST PAID E. W. COOMBS, LTD. CROSS STREET WORKS, CHATHAM, KENT Telephone : Medway 44969 Telegrams : Avicult, Chatham, Kent CANDIDATES FOR MEMBERSHIP Dr. Fairfax Bell, P.O. Kaimosi, Kenya. Proposed by P. L. Wayre. Dr, William G. Buchanan, 14779 Harold Avenue, San Leandro, California 94578, U.S.A. Proposed by Mrs. Velma McDaniels. Ronald W. Godwin, Overton Lodge Hotel, St. George’s Road, Cheltenham, Glos. Proposed by W. R. Partridge. J. C. Lien, 3032 Volk Avenue, Long Beach, California 90808, U.S.A. Proposed by A. A. Prestwich. Miss Elizabeth Magian, Withinlea, Ley Lane, Marple Bridge, Cheshire. Proposed by Miss K. Bonner. Purnendro Mullick, 46 Muktaram Babu Street, Marble Palace, Calcutta 7, West Bengal, India. Proposed by A. A. Prestwich. William A. Newlands, Burgate Manor, Fordingbridge, Hampshire. Proposed by D. M. Reid-Henry. Barry J. O’Hara, 5 Linley Drive, Boston, Lines. Proposed by R. T. Kyme. P. Postma, Hoofdstraat 28, Gorredijk, Holland. Proposed by Dr. A. Rutgers. A. W. Seymour, 16 Fern Drive, Taplow, Nr. Maidenhead, Berks. Proposed by L. W. Hill. J. van Woudenberg, P.O.B. 5 1 6, Paramaribo, Surinam, South America. Proposed by A. A. Prestwich. Ivor Watkins, Bon-Vista, Victoria Road, Bulwark, Chepstow, Mon. Proposed by Miss K. Bonner. NEW MEMBERS The eleven Candidates for Membership in the July- August, 1966, number of the Avicultural Magazine were duly elected members of the Society. CHANGES OF ADDRESS Alan J. Aveling, to Westdown, 5 Westfield Road, Woking, Surrey. A. B. Barrett, to White Croft, Saxon Street, Wood Ditton, Nr. Newmarket, Suffolk. Mrs. Francine G. Buckley, to Department of Biology, Old Dominion College, Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.A. D, E. Hyland, to P.O. Box 173, Ficksburg, O.F.S., South Africa. Wei-ching Lao, to Flat “ B ”, 3rd floor, “ Venus Court ”, 5 King Tak Street, off Perth Street, Kowloon, Hong Kong. J. D. Lindsay, to 2 Saville Court, Brompton Square, Brompton Road, London, S. W. 7. J-G. Nicoullaud, to 8 Place Anatole France, Tours, (Indre et Loire) 37, France. James B. Richards, to P.O. Box 63, West Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Mrs. Heather Seth-Smith, to Flat 1 , 64 Warren Road, Guildford, Surrey. William H. Timmis, to The Zoological Gardens, Chester. DONATIONS (Colour Plate Fund) £ s. d. I. A. Aird . . . 100 H. F. Leeming . . 10 o H. Sanders . . .100 Will members please donate their surplus books on birds to the Society for the benefit of the Colour Plate Fund. Donations of books have been made by Peter Glover, R. G. Phillips, and Mrs. R. Sinclair. MEMBERS’ ADVERTISEMENTS The charge for Members ’ advertisements is fourpence per word. Payment must accompany the advertisement , which must be sent on or before the 15th of the month to A. A. Prestwich, Galley’s Wood, Nr. Edenbridge, Kent. All members of the Society are entitled to use this column, but the Council reserves the right to refuse any advertisements they consider unsuitable. For sale. Red-crested Pochard ; Cape and Cinnamon Teal ; Bahamas ; Barnacles; and long and curly feathered Sebastopol Geese. — Mrs. B. E. T. Michell, Whitehall Lodge, Ifield, Crawley, Sussex. Wanted for private collection : Stuffed Mountain Witch Dove ( Geotrygon versicolor ) adult and undamaged. — Letters to “ Littera Scripta Manet ”, Publishers, Lochemseweg 49-51, Gorssel, Holland. Wanted to purchase. Many-coloured and Bauer’s Parrakeets, in pairs or single. Buyer will collect. — -Julien Verstraeten, Kruisstraat 6, Grembergen (O.VL), Belgium, Adult pair Malabars, 1 966 Mealy and Golden-mantle Rosellas. Exchange Australian parrakeets or sell. G. Shearing, 12 Mottram Close, West Earlham, Norwich. WATERFOWL RINGS Members are reminded that the Society’s special blue rings are always available. All waterfowl in collections, both public and private, should carry them. Size. 2-3 3 4 4-5 5 Teal . Wigeon Mallard, Pintail, etc. Smaller geese Greylag Price per dozen, s. d. 7 o 8 o 9 o 10 o 13 o Orders for rings should be addressed to the Hon. Secretary, Galley’s Wood, Edenbridge, Kent. MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR BIRD CAGES By Viscount Chaplin and C. J. O. Harrison Free reprints of the standards published in the January-February, 1 966, number of the Magazine are now available. Members are asked to assist in the distribution. Please state number of folders required. The Hon Secretary, Galley’s Wood, Edenbridge, Kent. STEPHEN AUSTIN AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, HERTFORD. n f'j l M > Egg, 19. ,, ,, „ ,, Feeding, 18, 19. ,, ,, ,, ,, Nest, 19. Coturnix delegorguei, Breeding of, 5. Crake, Southern White-breasted, In captivity, 24. Crandall, Lee S., Awarded medal, 1 19. Crane, Bennet X Crowned, 91. ,, Blue, Breeding behaviour, 1 19. ,, Grey-necked Crowned, Breeding of, 1, 28, 91. ,, ,, ,, ,, Chicks, 2. » „ >, „ Eggs, 1. ,, ,, ,, ,, Incubation, 2, 64. ,, ,, ,, „ Nest, 1. ,, Sarus, with false leg, 67. ,, Whooping, World population of, 90. 84 INDEX Crax fasciolata sclateri, Probable first breeding of, 168. Curassow, Sclater’s Crested, Probable first breeding, 168. ,, ,, ,, Chicks, 169. £?■ >> „ Eggs, 168. ,, ,, ,, Food, 169. de Quincey, Captain Richard S., In memoriam, 60. Delacour, J., Awarded medal, 89. Deroptyus accipitrinus, Breeding of, 71. Dove, Fruit, A feeding problem, 139. ,, Plumed, Togetherness in, 51. Doves, Notes on a collection of, 85. ,, Notes for keeping foreign, 22. ,, Suggestions for keeping of, 96, 179. Duck, Mandarin, Formation of a colony on the Tay, 141. ,, Yellow-billed, Longevity note, 140, 175- Egret, Cattle, Breeding the, 45. Erythrura cyanovirens regia, Breeding of, 108. Films and Lectures : — “ Hunting the Great Bustard in Portugal,” 63. “ A wind on the heath,” 174. Finch, Parrot, Note on a collection, 58. ,, Red-crested, Probable first breeding, 149. ,, Chicks, 150, 15 1. „ Eggs, 151. „ Food, 150, 151. ,, Individual birds, 149. „ Nesting, 150. ,, Voice, 151. Parrot, Breeding the, 108. ,, Description, 109. >, Eggs, hi. ,, Food, 108. ,, Nest, 109. ,, Young, 109, hi. Tickell’s Blue, Probable first breeding, 115. „ Aviary, 115. ,, Behaviour, 115. ,, Food, 1 16. ,, Incubation, 1 16. ,, Nest, 1 15, 1 17. ,, Young, 1 16. Medal award for breeding, U3- Francolin, Black or Common, Note on, 130. 55 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 55 55 5 5 5 5 55 5 5 55 5 5 55 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 , , Royal 5 5 55 5 5 55 55 55 55 55 55 55 55 55 55 55 55 Flycatcher, 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 55 55 55 55 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 55 5 5 5 5 55 55 55 Grackle, Rothschild’s, At semi-liberty, 106. Habitat, Use of term, 89. Hallstrom, Sir Edward, Awarded medal, 89. Hindle, Edward, 80th birthday celeb¬ rated, 89. ,, ,, Elected Hon. Life Member, US- Humming Bird, Violet-eared, Breeding the, 88. ,, ,, ,, Unsuccessful attempts at breeding the, 160. Hybrids : — Cockatoo, Leadbeater’s X Greater Sulphur Crested, 176. ,, Long-billed Corella X Galah 140. Conure, Nanday X Jendaya, 176. Crane, Bennet X Crowned, 9 1 . Ibis, Australian White X Straw¬ necked, 29. Lorikeet, Forsten X Scaly-breasted, 174- Lory, Black-capped X Purple-capped, 174- Macaw, Hyacinthine X Blue and Yellow, 32. ,, Red and Yellow X Blue and Yellow, 63. ,, Scarlet X Blue and Yellow, 29. Myna, Pagoda X Grey-headed, 127. Parrakeet, Red Rosella X Port Lin¬ coln, 28. ,, Red-breasted X Rose-ringed, 123. ,, Rosella X Red-rumped, 141. Parrot, Festive X jamaican Amazon, 176. Ibis, Australian White X Straw necked, 29- Indian Bird-Zoo, The bird collection at the, 123. Jay, Californian Scrub, Probable first breeding, 76. „ »> » >, Aviary, 76. >, „ „ „ Food, 77. „ » „ „ Young, 77. ,, ,, ,, Medal award for breeding, 173- Kookaburras, Bred in U.S. Nat. Zool. Park, 175. Geese at Tayfield molested, 139. Gould, J., Present prices of his mono¬ graphs, 89. Laterallus leucopyrrhus, In captivity, 24. London Zoo notes, 27, 61, 88, 118, 139, 172. INDEX 185 Lorikeet, Forsten X Scaly-breasted, 174. ,, Massena’s, Probable first breeding, 155. „ 55 » 55 Aviary, 155. ,, ,, ,, ,, Chick, 15b. ,, ,, ,, „ Food, 156. 55 Nest, 155" ,, Varied, Medal award for breeding, 88. Lory, Black-capped X Purple-capped, 174. ,, Purple-naped, Hatched, 89. Louwman, P. W. , A vintage car enthu¬ siast, 28. Lovebird, Red-faced, Bred but died, 140. Lowe, Rev. Canon J. R., Awarded medal, 173. Lucas, Charles, Visits England, 175. Macaw, Hyacinthine X Blue and Yellow, 32. ,, Red and Yellow X Blue and Yellow, 63. ,, Scarlet X Blue and Yellow, 29. McKechnie, R. W., Awarded medal, ^74- Maggots, Production of, 3. Mannikin, Black-headed, Breeding the, 47- 55 .55 55 Feeding, 47. Martin, Purple, Hand-rearing of, 134. 5, 55 Feeding, 134. Mino coronatus, Probable first breeding, 128. Mitchell, J. L., Awarded medal, 88. Moorhen, Size of brood, 120. Mottershead, G. S., Elected Hon. Member Royal Zool. Soc. Ireland, 88. Mousebird, Red-faced, Breeding the, 79. 55 55 55 55 Aviary, 80. 55 55 55 55 Fledglings, 80, 82. 55 55 55 55 Food, 83. ,, ,, ,, ,, Incubation, 82. ,, ,, ,, ,, Nest, 81. Munia atricapilla, Breeding of, 47. Muscicapa tickelliae, Probable first breeding, 115. Myna, Golden-crested, Probable first breeding, 128. ,, ,, ,, ,, Chicks, 128. 55 55 55 55 Eggs, 129. 55 55 55 55 Food, 129. ,, ,, ,, ,, Incubation, 128. ,, Hill, Note on the, 93. ,, Pagoda X Grey-headed, 127. Nene, Conservation of, 29. New York Zool. Park., Avicultural news, 171- North of England Zoological Society, Annual lunch, 142. Obituary : — - Captain Richard S. de Quincey, 60, 62. R. Appleyard, 62. M. C. Baxter, 62. J. Mailer, 62. M. A. Raeven, 62. G. Reid, 62. Mrs. H. L. Schumacher, 62. D. G. Schuyl, 62. T. J. Sheridan, 62. J. G. Suthard, 62. G. H. Svane, 62. J. A. R. Wise, 62. Oenanthe oenanthe, Probable first breeding of, 153- Oldhill Wood, Breeding results, 26. Osborn, Fairfield, Awarded medal, 89. Osprey, Gales destroy nests, 1 75. ,, Pair at Loch Garten, 89. Owl, Ural, Probable first breeding, 28. , , , , Breeding of, 91. Owls, Breeding, 55. Parrakeet, Carolina, Records of breeding, 20. ,, Plum-headed, Medal award for breeding, 1 1 9. ,, Red-breasted X Rose-ringed, 123. ,, Red Rosella X Port Lincoln, 28. ,, Red-fronted X Rose-ringed, 123. ,, Rosella X Red-rumped, 141. ,, Thick-billed, A rare species, 29, 89. Parrot, African Grey, Cause of death, 65. ,, Festive X Jamaican Amazon, 176. , , Hawk-headed, Breeding the, 7 1 . „ ,, „ „ Food, 71. ,, Thick-billed, Occurs in U.S.A., 89. Parrot, Collective name for Psittacidae, 32- Parrot-like birds, Prices in Australia, 1 77. Parrots and Miscellaneous Birds (Pro¬ hibition of Importation) Order, 1953, Revocation of, 182. ,, Notes on a collection of, 85. Partridge, Capueira, Probable first breeding, 28. Partridge, W. R., Awarded medal, 173. Pelican, Australian, Longevity note, 1 19. ,, Eastern White, In St. James’s Park, XI9- Penguins, Breeding results Scottish Nat. Zool. Park, 120. Pepper, A. Y., Awarded medal, 28. Pheasant, Ijima’s Copper, Bred in Kelling Park Aviaries, 175. ,, Swinhoe’s, Ornamental Pheasant Trust sending to Taiwan, 176. ,, Yellow-banded Golden, The mating of, 33. Picoides arcticus, Note on ,69. INDEX 1 86 Pigeon, Snow X Blue, Barless Strasser male, Mating behaviour, 133. ,, Torres Strait, Medal award for breeding, 174. Pigeons, Suggestions for the keeping of, 96, 179- Pipreola jucunda, Breeding of, 18. Plover, Piping, Incubation and rearing, 145- „ ,3 3, ,> Eggs, 145. 33 ,, „ ,3 Feeding, 146. ,3 ,3 ,, ,3 Nests, 145. Progne subis , Hand-rearing of, 1 34. Protection of Birds Bill, 35, 181. Quail, Chinese Painted, Observations on the keeping of, 1 12, 170. ,, 33 33 Quaint association with Yellow-breasted Waxbill, 140. ,, Harlequin, Breeding of, 5, 30. ,, ,, ,, Chicks, 6. 33 33 3, Eggs, 6. Reviews :• — Australian finches in bush and aviary (K. Immelmann), 31. Handbook of foreign birds. Vols. 1 and 2 (A. Rutgers. Edited by K. Norris), 66. The living air. The memoirs of an orni¬ thologist (Jean Delacour), 143. Birds in colour (Karl Aage Tinggard), x43- Common cagebirds in America (V. Clear) , 178. The Ivory Spoonbill (James Tanner), The Roseate Spoonbill (Robert P. Allen), The Californian Condor (Carl B. Koford), 179. Shell Nature Books. British Bird series. DCL 701 Sea birds ; DCL 702 Garden and Park birds ; DCL 703 Woodland birds (Shell-Mex and B.P., Ltd.), 179. Ripley, Dillon, Reminiscences of the 1966 season, 158. Robin, Scarlet, Medal award for breeding, 28. Royal Horticultural Society, New medal established, 63. San Diego Zool. Soc., Medal awards, 89. Sawbills, The keeping of at Slimbridge, 48. 33 33 33 33 Eggs, Comparison of, 49- 33 33 33 33 Rearing, 49. Scamell, K. M., Awarded medal, 62. Smith, Messrs. J. and S., Awarded medal, 1 19. Softbills, Note on a collection, 73. Sparrow, Java, Information needed about breeding, 180. ,, Pileated Song, Probable first breeding, 131. 33 3, ,3 3, Food, 131. ,, ,, „ ,, Nest, 131. 33 33 33 33 Young, 132. Sparrows, Wanted, 31. Spermophaga haernatina, Behaviour of, 16. Stagsden Bird Gardens, 53. Sunbird, Scarlet-chested, Moulting in the, 63. Swan, Black, Presentation to Dowager Queen Elizabeth of the Belgians, 30. ,, Trumpeter, Reared in Philadel¬ phia Zoo, 30. Tanager, White-capped, Incubation of eggs, 33- Tidrick, R. L., New appointment, 119. Tit, Long-tailed, Probable first breeding, 147. 3, 3, 33 33 Aviary, 147. 33 33 33 33 Nest, 147. Trichoglossus haematod massena, Probable first breeding of, 155. Trogon, Narina, Derivation of name, 120. Tropical Bird Gardens, Rode, Breeding results, 39. ,, ,, ,, ,, Review for 1965, 37. Tropical bird house, Establishing a, 12. Waxbill, Violet-eared, Breeding the, 84. ,, „ ,, „ Aviary, 84. 33 33 ,, ,3 Food, 84. Wheatear, Probable first breeding, 153. 33 33 33 Aviary, 153. „ „ „ Chicks, 153, 154. „ ,, „ Food, 153. Whiteworms, How to breed, 43. Whydahs, Possible adaptation in name, 91- Widows, Possible name adapted to whydahs, 91. Woodpecker, Acorn, Breeding the, 78. 33 33 33 Aviary, 78. „ „ „ Fledglings, 78. „ ,, ,, Nest, 78. ,, ,, Reared, 64, 174. ,, Arctic Three-toed, Note on, 69. Zonotrichia capensis, Probable first breeding, 131. Zoological Soc. London, Award of Silver Medal, 119. When Visiting the COTSWOLDS AVICULTURISTS ARE WELCOME TO Set in the charm oj an old English Garden at the lovely Village oj BOURTON-ON-THE- WATER ★ ★ ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ 4c * 4c * 4C “I name 4c 4c * * this 4c 4c * 4c Parrot . . 4c 4c 4c 4c * Brief biographies of men and women in whose honour 4c * commemorative names have been given : together with 4c * a complete list of parrot-like birds — scientific names with 4c * their derivations, and English names. 4c 4c 4c 4c Price 2 is., post free. 4c * 4c Arthur A. Prestwich 4c 4c * EDENBRIDGE, KENT. 4c * 4c 4c 4c STUDIES ON GREAT CRESTED GREBES By K. E. L. SIMMONS Price 5/6 post free • PUBLISHED BY THE AVIGULTURAL SOCIETY GALLEY 5S WOOD EDENBRIDGE, KENT AUSTRALIAN PARRAKEETS THEIR MAINTENANCE AND BREEDING IN EUROPE DR. H. D. GROEN Second English edition. Cloth bound volume, measuring io£ X 7^ inches ; 237 pages with valuable information and including full-page coloured photographs of all species in the genus Platycercus , Barnardius , Psephotus ( Psephotellus , Northiella ) , Neophema, Polytelis, Alisterus, Aprosmictus, Purpureicephalus and Lathamus. All photographs are printed on special art paper (Diamond, 150 gr./m.2) and in each case male and female are portrayed side by side, making identification and sexing very simple. Price : U.K. £3 3 s. ; U.S.A. $9. Post free to anywhere in the world. Payment by international money order or by bank draft should accompany order. Obtainable only direct from the author: Dr. H. D. Groen, Haren (Gr.), Holland. Bank : Amsterdam-Rotterdam Bank, Haren (Gr.), Holland. SPECIAL BIRD FOODS FAMOUS SINCE 1823 Universal Fortifier Perfort BEKFIN Fort-Egg and (Pictorial Packet) 3 oz. 1/2 4 oz. 1/6 (Insectivorous Colorfort ilb. 2/11 ilb. 2/9 i lb. 2/9 Red Packet) i lb. 3/- 1 lb. 5/3 1 lb. 5/3 1 lb. 5/3 ilb. 3/9 1 lb. 5/3 2 lb. 9/9 3i lb. 15/6 3i lb. 15/6 1 lb. 7/3 3i lb. 17/- 3* lb. 15/8 7 lb. 30/6 7 lb. 30/6 3i lb. 23/- 7 lb. 32/9 7 lb. 29/3 28 lb. 98/- 14 lb. 52/6 7 lb. 39/9 14 lb. 57/6 14 lb. 53/6 28 lb. 98/- 28 lb. 154/- 28 lb. 1 12/- 28 lb. 99/- C.L.O. SPECIAL Rearing and Condition MYNAH “ GREENSTUFF' Food FOOD 1 lb. 3/9 14 lb. 29/- 1 lb. 3/9 2 lb. 6/9 28 lb. 52/6 2 lb. 7/3 3i lb. 7 lb. 9/3 16/9 56 lb. 100/- 3i lb. 7 lb. 12/7* 24/6 post paid 5/- A dehydrated form of green 9/3 food consisting of lettuce, 14/8 spinach, carrot, etc., readily 27/6 taken by all birds. Packets 1/3 & 3/10, also sold in bulk. All the above prices are carriage paid MEALWORMS “ MARBA ” DUTCH BRED “ SANTA ” GERMAN BRED (small type) (large type) Whether you prefer the small Dutch mealworm or the larger German type, we can give you the finest service obtainable, with shipments arriving twice weekly. Dispatch guaranteed same day as orders received. 1 oz. 3/3 2 oz. 5/6 4 oz. 9/3 8 oz. 16/3 I lb. 27/- Also in original Boxes as imported Nett weight guaranteed 2 1b. 50/- 4 1b. 6 oz. 92/6 6* lb. 131/6 All Carriage Paid. MAGGOTS We sell only the best liver-fed maggots, specially recleaned and ready for immediate use for bird feeding. Packed in bran. No mess or smell. 2 oz. 4 oz. 8 oz. I lb. 3/6 5/- 7/9 9/6 FEEDING SUNDRIES ilb. 1 lb. Dried Flies (Chinese) 5/- 9/6 Silkworm pupae (Whole) 3/9 6/6 „ „ (Ground) 4/- 6/9 Dried Dragonfly larvae . 6/6 12/6 Dried Shrimp (Fine, Medium, or Coarse) 2/3 3/6 Ant Eggs . 11/6 21/- Pure Dried Egg .... 6/6 12/6 Dried Rowan Berries (Whole) 2/9 4/6 „ „ „ (Crushed) 3/- 4/9 Pure Breadcrumbs (Fine, Medium, or Coarse), , far superior to biscuit meal .... . 2 lb. 3/- ; ; 4 lb. 5/6 ; 14 lb. 17/6 ; 28 lb. 2 “ Egg-crumbs,” guaranteed to consist of 90 per cent breadcrumbs and 10 per cent pure egg . 2 lb. 5/6 ; ; 4 lb. 10/6 ; 7 lb . 17/6 ALL ABOVE PRICES ARE POST PAID E. W. COOMBS, LTD. CROSS STREET WORKS, CHATHAM, KENT Telephone : Medway 44969 Telegrams : Avicult, Chatham, Kent CANDIDATES FOR MEMBERSHIP Robert G. Couture, Curator of Birds, Staff Ornithologist, Cascade Road, Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A. Proposed by A. A. Prestwich. Gordon Durrington, 30 George Street, Leighton Buzzard, Beds. Proposed by A. A. Prestwich. Major Iain Grahame, Daw’s Hall, Lamarsh, Bures, Suffolk. Proposed by J. J. Yealland. I. G. Hale, Penscynor House, Cilfrew Heath, Glamorgan, S. Wales. Proposed by D. H. S. Risdon. Neil P. Hartley, P.O. Box 313, Kitwe, Zambia. Proposed by Miss K. Bonner. Dr. C. Stuart Houston, 863 University Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Proposed by W. C. Hall. James Leathem, 521-B East 85 Street, New York, N.Y. 10028, U.S.A. Proposed by Mrs. Velma McDaniels. Harry Mekin, Lawford House, Field Place, Kirkby in Ashfield, Notts. Proposed by L. Knowles. Miss Myrtle C. Richards, 14157 Van Owen Street, Van Nuys, California 91405, U.S.A. Proposed by Don Hultman. Gordon H. Talbot, Manor Farm, West Lydford, Somerton, Somerset. Proposed by A. A. Prestwich. Harrie Verheyen, Meterikseweg 80, Horst, Holland. Proposed by Miss K. Bonner. James V. Wood, 5 Elphin View, Husthwaite, York. Proposed by D. R. Moore. NEW MEMBERS The twelve Candidates for Membership in the September-October, 1 966, number of the Avicultural Magazine were duly elected members of the Society. CHANGES OF ADDRESS W. D. Cummings, to 41 Pindon Street, Papagou, Athens, Greece. Alan Howard, 47 Lawson Street, Southport, Lancs. A. D. Irvin, to 10 Manor Crescent, Compton, Newbury, Berks. David P. King, to Apartment 3, 2080 Lincoln Avenue, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Charles J. Pearson, to 2830 Echo Hill Way, Orange, California 92667, U.S.A. Lord G. Percy, to Druminnor Cottage, Rhynie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Miss I. Stoney, to The Old Rectory, Mellis, Eye, Suffolk. F. W. Underwood, to The Morning Glory Cafe, Great South Road, Ngaruawahia New Zealand. DONATIONS (Colour Plate Fund) W. J. Bourne M. K. Clark Natal Zoological Gardens J. Verstraeten £ s. d 10 0 200 10 o I o o Will members please donate their surplus books on birds to the Society for the benefit of the Colour Plate Fund ? Donations of books have been made by J. Bramley and R. Waterhouse. THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA Founded 1927 Hon. President: Dr. Jean Delacour. President: Mr. Paul Schneider. Secretary: Mr. Don Hultman, 4405 Lowell Avenue, La Crescenta. California 91014. U.S.A. The annual dues of the Society are $4.00 per year, payable in advance. The Society year begins rst January, but new members may be admitted at any time. Members receive a monthly bulletin. Correspondence regarding membership, etc. should be directed to the Secretary. MEMBERS’ ADVERTISEMENTS The Charge for Members' advertisements is fourpence per word. Payment must accompany the advertisement , which must be sent on or before the 15th of the month to A. A. Prestwich, Galley’s Wood, Nr. Edenbridge, Kent. All members of the Society are entitled to use this column , but the Council reserves the right to refuse any advertisements they consider unsuitable. Perfect pair of Superb Spreos, prolific breeders. Would like to exchange for interesting thrushes, or similar. R. L. Restall, Westbury, Lymbourne Close, Cheam, Surrey. Wanted : Elliott’s Monograph of the Pheasants. Please send full particulars and price to Edward R. FitzSimmons, Financial Center Building, Oakland, California, 94612, U.S.A. WATERFOWL RINGS Members are reminded that the Society’s special blue rings are always available. All waterfowl in collections, both public and private, should carry them. Price per dozen. 1 Size. 2-3 Teal .... s. 7 d. 0 3 Wigeon 8 0 4 Mallard, Pintail, etc. 9 0 4-5 Smaller geese 10 0 5 Greylag 13 0 Orders for rings should be addressed to Hon. Secretary, Galley’s Wood, Edenbridge, Kent. LIST OF MEMBERS A List of Members will be published in the January-February, 1967, number of the Magazine. It is particularly requested that members will inform the Hon. Secretary of any error in their addresses or descriptions in order that it may be corrected. Members in the United States are asked to notify their zip code. The Post Office will not deliver the Magazine without this designation. STEPHEN AUSTIN AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, HERTFORD. ®Z«i wii§ Mh, *L m W&M mm X&&§? 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