RARE HYBRID BIRD

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27990, 9 June 1956, Page 4

RARE HYBRID BIRD

AUCKLAND BREEDER’S ' SUCCESS “The Press" Special Service AUCKLAND, June 8. Probably Auckland’s most patient man is Mr Alex Clark, of Mt. Eden, who for 20 years has been breeding birds and has now succeeded in crossing a green finch cock and a chaffinch hen to produce a male hybrid. There are only three or four male green finch cock-chaffinch hen hybrids in the world. There are about 20 female hybrids from this cross in the world and Mr Clark has one of those too. He bred it five years ago. The male hybrid, named Dave by Mr Clark’s wife, is the most prized, and the only male bird of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. Over the last four years he has had 16 eggs of the necessary type laid in his aviary. None of these was fertile. After Dave was hatched Mr Clark had to feed him every hour during the day for three weeks on caterpillars, spiders, maggots, worms and flies. He “cleaned’’ his own property of caterpillars, and had to go to neighbours, searching every bush and shrub in what seemed a losing battle to keep up with Dave’s appetite. He kept up the supply of maggots by breeding them on sour milk and bread. The spiders and flies were soon cleared out, and the garden supply of worms dwindled.

However, after what Mr Clark describes as “three agonising weeks,” Dave was a plump, healthy little chick. Asked how much he thought Dave worth, Mr Clark said: “No one has enough to buy him.”