Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library.
Contributed by Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley.
| www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Transcription
RR's Sleeping Quarters.
(Not to scale. If the shelf
were about twice as long as
shown proportions would be
about right).
This rough sketch shows diagrammatically the present stage reached
in the evolution of a sleeping place satisfactory to A and T, under
the roof in the S.W. corner of cage B (p.1003). They soon began to
show preference for this corner, even when there was only a perch
there, thus conforming to Rhody's specification which calls for a
clear outlook to the west, into an open space, with tail support.
(They used the wire mesh as tail support until above arrangement was
installed several weeks ago). A flat surface is preferred for sup-
port; but in a bush or a tree, a limb or a twig is used. I believe
that there is more to this than mere support and that protection
from the rear (and from drafts) also enters.
There is an alternative sleeping place used by Terry frequent-
ly, in fact more often than this shelf. It consists of a sort of
nest hung from the roof about 2 feet from the shelf. If it were not
for Archie's presence I think he would use the shelf more. A good
deal depends upon A's attitude toward him at the time of going to
bed, probably. However, he is using the shelf more frequently now.
The western side of the arrangement is closed in differently from
time to time, sometimes all glass, or all wood, or different pro-
portions of the two together. This seems to affect A's decision as
to which corner he will take: East or West. If A takes the East, T
is almost certain to take the hanging nest, but if A takes the west
corner, T is apt to take the east and they will sleep facing each
other.
They do not put their heads under their feathers when they sleep.