//-3 U 1 i tfO fie • THE AviealtaFal Magazine, BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF FOREIGN AND BRITISH BIRDS IN FREEDOM AND CAPTIVITY. Edited by D. SETH-SMITH, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. NEW SERIES, VOL. II. NOVEMBER, 1903, TO OCTOBER, 1904. Xonfcon : R. H. PORTER, 7, Princes Street, Cavendish Square, W. 1904. CONTENTS. ui. Title Page Contents .. Council’s Report Alphabetical List oe Contributors List of Plates Illustrations in the text Errata List of Members, October, 1903 Rules of the Avicultural Society The Society’s Medal Magazine Index iii. iv. vii. xv. 15 IS 373 XV. Report of the Council. REPORT OF THE COUNCIL FOR THE YEAR '9°3-4- Iii presenting the tenth annual volume of the Avicultural Magazine, the second of the new series, it is with much satis¬ faction, mingled with a feeling of relief, that we are able to announce that, in spite of many difficulties, the high standard attained in the last volume, lias been maintained in the present one. It was found that the funds of the Society did not admit of our giving a coloured plate with each monthly number, unless we reduced the quality of the illustrations, which we considered most undesirable. We have therefore issued eight coloured plates, and all have been of the highest quality. Our artists, Messrs. Gronvold and Goodchild, have admirably accomplished the work entrusted to them. Besides the coloured plates several good black and white ones have been published, and no monthly number has been without at least one good plate, coloured or otherwise. Messrs. Newman and Meade- Waldo very kindly defrayed the entire cost of the plates which accompanied their respective articles in the April and July numbers. As regards the coloured plates for the next volume, we have invited members to suggest suitable subjects, and several good suggestions have been received, which are being carefully considered by the Executive Committee. Some sixty new members have joined the Society this year, and our membership is now above four hundred; so that in spite of some having deserted us, we may say that our Society is very flourishing. This year we have had the pleasure of electing as an Honorary Member Dr. F. DuCane Godman, D.C.L., F.R.S., F.Z.S., &c., President of the British Ornithologist’s Union, whose devotion to ornithology is well known. New members have joined us from India, the Argentine Republic, New Zealand, and other distant parts, so that our Report of the Council. v connection with abroad is well kept up; while members of older standing, who have returned from abroad, have contributed articles relating their experiences. Last April we had to announce, with much regret the resignation of Mr. Reginald Phieeipps from the "post of Honorary Business Secretary, which he had most ably held. He has been one of the chief helpers of the Society since it commenced its career ten years ago, both by his literary and pecuniary contributions. We hope that we may soon have some more of his very interesting and instructive articles in our agazine. The office of Hon. Business Secretary has been filled by Mr. T. H. Newman, F.Z.S. At the Animal Meeting of the Council, held in June it was found necessary to revise the Rules, which were thought’ to be inadequate to the present state of the Societv, The matter was very carefully considered, and we believe that as amended they will tend towards better and smoother working of the Society than heretofore. The sale of the Magazine to non-members for the past year compares favourably with other years, and our Publisher who is responsible for all numbers sold to the outside public’ . COntmUeS’ both by bri”g>ng the Magazine before the general notice, and by ably managing all such other business as falls to e lot of a Publisher, to be of great service to the Society. The finances of the Society have this year caused some anxiety owing to our desire to keep the present volume up to e highest standard. In order to prevent a serious deficit we decided, as before mentioned, to have only eight coloured plates year and to start a fund to help towards the illustrations, ii** fUnd baS beeu most generously supported, and up to the moment of writing ^28 10s. 6d. has been received. We take this opportunity of heartily thanking those members whose liberality has set the Society once more on a firm financial basis and who have shown by their ready response that they have the welfare of the Society at heart. We hope that next year bv increase of our membership, the financial position of our Society may be placed on an even firmer footing ; and we would ask all vi. Report of the Council. our members to do their best to make the Magazine known, and to introduce new members. The past summer has been an exceedingly genial one, and we are not surprised to note that several of our members have done well in breeding rare and interesting birds in their aviaries. A word of especial praise is due to our esteemed Honorary Mem¬ ber, Dr. Albert Gunther, M.D., Pli.D., F.R.S., &c.. for having succeeded in breeding the Red-backed Shrike. We believe that there is still a considerable field for study offered by the more interesting British and European birds, which are liable to be somewhat neglected on account of the very proper desire to keep the less known foreigners. At the time of writing we hear that Mrs. Johnstone has a fine young Touracou, which is being most carefully tended by its parents, and we look forward with pleasure to the article which is shortly to appear on the subject in our pages. Finally, we would sincerely thank all those members, whether officers or otherwise, who have worked so well for the Society and its Magazine ; we are especially indebted to Mr. Arthur Gill for his kindness in giving Post mortem reports, and in handing over, for the benefit of the Society, the fees he receives for sending replies by post. ( Signed ) T. H. Newman. A. G. Butler. E. G. B. Meade-Waldo. J. Lewis Bonhote. Rosie Alderson. F. L. Blathwayt. O. E. Cresswell. John Sergeant. Charles D. Farrar. Frank Finn. G. E. Shelley. Arthur Gill. Wesley T. Page. Russell Humphrys. D. Seth-Smith. Alphabetical List of Contributors. vii. ALPHABETICAL LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS. The asterisk denotes in the Correspondence Columns. Anderson, Miss R. Nesting of the White-fronted or Violet Dove, 28 ♦Marking Rings for Parrakeets, &c., 83 ♦Doves Eating Worms, &c., 83 Nesting of the Rufous Dove, 270 ♦Appreciation of Kindness by Robins, 283 Attewell, Harold E. ♦Cage-bred Aztec Conures, 51 Astley, The Rev. Hubert D., M.A., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ♦What Tanager ? 116 Baldelli, La Contessa Tommast. ♦The Plumed Ground Dove, 230 Bathe, Frank. ♦The Worries of Aviaries, 52 ♦Breeding Budgerigars, 280 ♦The Diamond Dove, 370 BERTLING, A. E. L. On the nesting habits of the Brush Turkey, 217 ♦Bower-birds’ preference to particular colours, 235 On the hatching and rearing of the Brush Turkeys at the Zoo, 294. BlaThwayT, The Rev. F. L-, M.B.O.U. Rambles amongst the Wild Birds (No. iii.), 30 Bonhote, J. Lewis, M.A., F.L.S., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ♦Pectoral Rails, 56 The Bahama Amazon Parrot, 239 Bowie, Miss Helen. ♦The White-throated and Rufous-breasted Thickheads, 229 viii. Alphabetical List of Contributors. Brampton, Miss Emily. Bengalese as Cage-birds, 134 ♦Food for Nestlings, 173 Butler, Arthur G., Ph.D., F.L.S., F.Z.S. ♦Aurora Finches Nesting, 56 The Smaller Red-headed Cardinals, 63 More attempts to breed the Tambourine Dove, 100 ♦Sponge-cake for Insectivorous Birds, 114 ♦What Tanager ? 116 ♦Rearing young Saffron- and Ribbon-finches, 116 ♦Hybrid Munias, 140 ♦Feather-plucking, 140 ♦Food for Jay, 144 ♦Bower Birds, 144 ♦Diamond Finches ; Yellow Sparrows, &c., 171 ♦A White-tailed Whydah, 172 ♦Violet-eared Waxbills, Pectoral and Gouldian Finches, 175 On the difficulty of sexing Bicheuo’s Finch, 219 ♦The Plumed Ground Dove, 230 ♦Aspect of the Southport Corporation Aviary, 232 ♦Breeding Cherry-Finches, 234 ♦Breeding Zebra-Finches, 235 Notes on Albinism and Melanism in Birds, 242 Notes on the nesting of the Red-headed or Dominican Cardinal, 267 ♦Yew trees and Birds, 281 ♦Hooded Siskins : Breeding with Mules, 282 ♦Rearing Dippers and Hooded Crows, 282 ♦A Finch-Dark, 304 ♦Breeding St. Helena Seedeaters, 305 Characters in Birds’ Wings, 319 ♦Melanism in Gouldian Finches, 331 The Orange-billed Tanager, 335 CASTLE-SLOANE, C., F.Z.S. My Aviary, 165 Talpacoti Doves breeding in Captivity, 353 Catleugh, W. T. ♦The Influence of Diet on the Avian Death-rate, 51 ♦Yellow Budgerigars, 82 ♦Red-faced Lovebirds, 282 CHARRINGTON, Mrs. A. C. Notes on some Birds of the White Nile, 315, 370 Chawner, Miss E. F. ♦Amazon Parrot with Tumour, 253 Connell, Mrs. K. ♦Rearing Virginian Cardinals, 53 Alphabetical List of Contributors. Cresweee, W. Geo., M.D., F.Z.S. ♦The Influence of Diet on the Avian Death-rate, 49, 79 ♦The administration of Medicine to Birds, 78 *Tlie Council of the Societ}', 119 Dareing, J. efoeeiott, F.Z.S. ♦Rearing Dippers and Hooded Crows, 282 Dawnay, The Lady Adelaide. ♦Breeding Zebra Finches, 235 Duneeaeh, The Lady. *Breeding Results, 82 ♦Aviaries belongiug to Lady Dunleath, 113 Dui'l'ON, The Hon. and Rev. Canon. Review of Parrakeets, 76 Guilding’s Amazon Parrot, 121 ♦Notes on Parrakeets, 143 ♦Treatment of Le Vaillant’s Parrot, 207 ♦Aspect of the Southport Corporation Aviary, 232 Edge, The Rev. H. P. Ring-necked Parrakeets at large in Hampshire, 107 Farrar, The Rev. C. D. White-crested Thrushes, 297 The Rearing of the Sandpiper, 321 FasEY, Wm. R. *Parrakeet Notes, 304 Nesting of the Yellow-rumped Parrakeet, 353 Feilding, Lady Louisa. ♦Pectoral Rails, 56 ♦Bower Birds, 144 Finn, Frank, B.A., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. The Nesting of the Silver-eared Mesia (Note on), 42 Bird Notes from the Zoological Gardens, 71, 106 The Summer or Carolina Duck, 89 Further Notes on Carolina Ducks, 139 ♦The Mandarin Duck, 174 ♦Shama and Dyal Bird, 233 ♦Ornamental Waterfowl, 233 ♦The Stripe-throated Siva, 233 ♦Birds for Park Aviary, 305 ix. X. Alphabetical List of Contributors. Fillmer, Horatio R. *Tke Management of the Avicultnral Society, 367 Fitz-Gerald, Miss Dorothy. The Malabar Thrush, 129 Gill, Arthur, M.R.C.V.S. *The Influence of Diet on the Avian Death-rate, 49 ^Treatment of Indian Oriole, 55 Post mortem Examinations, 59, 87, 120, 148, 178, 210, 237, 257, 284, 309. 334. 37i *The Administration of Medicine to Birds, 144 *Amazou Parrot with tumour, 253 Gorter, Mrs. ^Silkworms ; The Cedar Bird ; Cirl Bunting’s Song, 20S Gunther, Albert, M.A., M.D., F.R.S., &c. (H011. Member Avic. Soc.) On the Breeding in Captivity of the Red-backed .Shrike, 339 Hamilton, Miss D. ^Hybrid Munias, 140 *The Great-billed Parrakeet, 369 Hamilton, Mrs. ^Treatment, of Indian Oriole, 54 Harewood, F. *Whooper Swans nesting in Captivity, 333 Hawke, The Hon. Mary C. ^Passerine Parrakeets, Cordon Bleus, 205 Horsbrugh, Captain R. Boyd, A.S.C., M.B.O.U. Some Field Notes in South Africa, 94 Horton, L. W. *Tlie Management of the Avicultural Society, 367. Humphrys, Russell. The Rufous-bellied Niltava, 21 A Ramble in Ceylon, 124 Heselton, H. C. *Birds of Cuba and Jamaica, 254 Ingram, Sir William, Bart. ^Melanism in Gouldian Finches, 331 Alphabetical List of Contributors. xi. Johnstone, Mrs. E. J. Breeding of the Rock Pebbler Parrakeet, 66 ♦Identification of Lorikeet, 205 Leeder, J. Viner. ♦Ornamental Waterfowl, 233 Meade-Waedo, E. G. B., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. Nesting Boxes for Wild Birds, 259 MerrylKES, Miss E. ♦My experience of the nesting of the Grey Singing-finch, 303 MOERSCHEEE, F. ♦Aurora-Finches Nesting, 56 ♦Shania and D3-al Bird, 232 Morse, D. S. ♦White-eared Conures Nesting, 175 ♦Treatment of Le Vaillant’s Amazon Parrot, 206 Newman, T. H., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. On some Turtle-dove Hybrids and their fertility, 191 Norman, Miss M. ♦Hooded Siskin Mules : Breeding with Mules, 282 O’Reiei.y, Nicholas S. ♦Breeding St. Helena Seed-eaters, 305 Percivae, Walter G. ♦The Nile Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, 118 ♦Sparrows nesting in Nile Ferry-boats; Winter quarters of the Common Quail, 231 Phieeipps, Reginald. The Silver-eared Mesia, 36 ♦Hen Shania ; The Great Racket-tailed Drongo, 84 The Spotted Ground Bird, 149 The White-throated Ground-Thrush, 179 ♦Sparrows nesting in Nile Ferry-boats, &c., 231 Porter, G. C. The Breeding of the Red-faced Lovebird, 350 Rabbich, H. B. ♦Hybrid Nutnieg-fincli x Silver-bill, 115 xii. Alphabetical List of Contributors. Rathborne, Mrs. Rock Thrushes at Riva, 214 Rathborne, Henry B. ♦A Fincli-Lark, 304 Renshaw, Graham, M.D. The Lesser Bird of Paradise, 26 Roberts, Norman B. *Tlie Little Lorikeet, 142 RoThERa, Chas. L., B.A. ♦Red-faced Lovebirds, 253 Rudkin, F. H. ♦Singing-Finches breeding, 332 ST. Quintin, W. H., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. Nesting of the Waxwing in Confinement, 22 The Australian Brush Turkey, 160 ♦Crossbills, 176 The Great Bustard, 188 ♦The Little Button-Quail, 208 Ravens breeding in Captivity, 292, 371 Salter, Albert J. ♦Homing instinct in Pennant’s Parrakeets, 81 SCLATER, Dr. P. L., M.A., F.R.S. (Hon. Member Avicultural Society). ♦West Indian Parrots, 281 • ScoTT, Professor, W. F. D. An Account of some experiments in rearing wild Finches by Foster parent birds, 354 Sergeant, John. Notes on Parrakeets, 198 ♦Aspect for an Outdoor Aviary, 203 ♦Aspect of the Southport Corporation Aviary, 231 Seth-SmiTh, David, B'.Z.S., M.B.O.U. Rare Foreign Birds, 57 The White-throated Thickhead, 6t Rare Foreign Birds at the Crystal Palace, 69 ♦The Influence of Diet on the Avian Death-rate (Note), 80 ♦The Zoological Gardens, 86 Foreign Birds at the December Bird Show at the Crystal Palace, 102 Alphabetical List of Contributors. xii Seth-SmiTh, David {continued). The Martineta Tinamou breeding in Captivity : Polyandry in birds. The Pectoral Finch, 130 Bird Notes from the Zoological Gardens, 132, 145, 170, 201, 22- 275, 3or> 327. 365 Stray Notes, 16S, 299 *Wliite-eared Conures nesting, 175 The Society’s Magazine, 177 ♦Passerine Parrakeets, &c., 205 ♦Identification of Lorikeet, 206 Notes on the Habits of the Brush Bronzewing Pigeon, 211, 263 ♦The Plumed Ground-Dove, 231 Weber’s Lorikeet, 246 ♦Red-faced Lovebirds, 254 ♦Alexandra and Bourke’s Parrakeets, 256 Nesting of the Scaly Dove, 278 ♦Breeding Budgerigars, 281 O11 the Breeding in Captivity of the Tataupa Tinamou, 285 ♦The Many-coloured Parrakeet, 304 Some Notes on the Painted Quails, 311 Gray’s Bare-throated Francolin (Note on), 327 ♦The Diamond Dove, 332, 370 ♦The Indian Green-winged Dove, 333 Further Notes on the Tataupa Tinamou, 362 ♦The Management of the Avicultuial Society, 367 ♦The Great-billed Parrakeet (Note), 369 Seth-Smith, L. M., B.A., M.B.O.U. Gray’s Bare-throated Francolin, 325 Sheeeey, Capt., G. E., F.Z.S., F.R.G.S., M.B.O.U. ♦The Nile Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, 119 ♦A White-tailed Whydah, 172 Sich, H. L. Nesting Notes on the African Silverbill, 133 Simpson, Archibald. ♦The Rain Quail, 55 ♦A White-tailed Whydah, 172 Smyth, W. ♦The Laughing Owl of New Zealand, 331 SuggiTT, R. ♦Wintering Foreign Birds out-of-doors, 234 Teschemaker, W. E. ♦Yew-Trees and Birds, 281 xiv. Alphabetical List of Co?itributors. Trkvor-BaTTYE, A., M.A., F.L.S., M.B.O.U. A Chapter of Accidents, 347 Tweedie, Capt. W. •The Grey- winged Ouzel : Covering Singing-birds : The Calcutta Zoo, 1 16 Vivian, Mrs. •Violet-eared Waxbills, Pectoral and Gouldian Finches, 174 Williams, Mrs. Howard. •Diamond Finches ; Yellow Sparrows, &c., 171 •Breeding Cherry-Finches, 234 Wii.moT, The Rev. R. H. •Hen Shama ; The Great Racket-tailed Drongo, S4 •Sponge-cake for Insectivorous Birds, 114 Workman, W. H., M.B.O.U. A Naturalist’s Ramble in Algeria, 72 •The Southern Migration of Waxwings, 1 17 Birds by an Irish Stream in Winter, 220 Webber, Mrs. Oswald. •African Firefinches breeding in outdoor aviary, 11S 1 Lists of Plates and Illustratiojis. xv. LIST OF PLATES. * Coloured Plates. To ♦The Rufous-bellied Niltava, Niltava sundara ♦The White-throated Thickhead, Pachycephala gutturalis .. ♦The Summer or Carolina Duck, PEx sponsa *Guilding’s Amazon Parrot, Chrysotis guilgingi The Spotted Ground-bird, Cinclosoma punctatum.. ♦The White-throated Ground-Thrush, Geocichla cyanonoUis Hybrid Doves, Plate i II ii n 2 . . . . . . Phaps elegans and Nest .. Young of the Snowy Egret, Ardea ccmdidissima . . The Prince of Wales’ Pheasant, Phasiamus principalis ♦The Bahama Amazon Parrot, Chrysotis bahamensis Nesting Boxes for Wild Birds, Figs, i and 2 i> 1 1 >> 11 11 11 3 aud 4 • • . . *Crypturus tataupa ? et juv. Newly-hatched Painted Quails *Saliator aitrantiirostris ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT. Balceniceps rex Plan of Mr. Castle-Sloane’s Aviary Weber’s Lorikeet, Psitteuteles weberi Crypturus tataupa face page 21 6l 89 121 149 179 191 193 211 225 227 239 259 26l 285 3ir 335 PAGE 138 166 246 289 XVI. Errata. ERRATA. Page 118, line i , for Nationalist read Naturalist. » I99> » I9> for terrible read horribly. >> 2°7> >j 21, for Blue-crowned Cranes read Blue-crowned Conures. ” 255, ,, 30, for Green-body-bird read Green Tody-bird. / >> 277> >, 26, for clutch read chick. >> 2§5> 1, for groups read group. „ 292, for and supplied freely birds, cockroaches, wool, and moss, read and supplied freely birch and other branches, wool, and moss. X THE PRICE OF THIS NUMBER TO NON-MEMBERS IS 3/- NEW SERIES. MONTHLY. NOVEMBER, 1903. Voi. it. No i Price Is 6d- Members’ Annual Subscription, 10 —J payable in advance. TKE JOURNAL OF THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY. D CONTENTS. Officers for the year 1903-1904. List of Members Rules of the Avicultural Society The Society’s Medal The Rufous -bellied Niltava ( with coloured plate ) by Russfll Humphkys Nesting of the Waxwing in Confinement, by W. H. St. Qointin, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. The Lesser Bird of Paradise, by Graham Rknshaw, M.B ... Nesting of the White-fronted or Violet Dove ( continued ) by Miss R. Alderson Rambles among the Wild Birds (No. III.) by the Rev. F. L. Blathwayt, M.B.O.U. The Silver-eared Mesia ( continued ) by Reginald Phili.ipps Reviews — “The Story of a Bird Lover” “The Birds of South Africa “ Correspondence, Notes, etc. — /cd The influence of diet on the Avian death-rate, 49 / c3 Aztec Conures, 51 : The worries of aviaries, 52 : Reari Cardinals, 53 : Treatment of Ihdian Oriole, 54 : The 55, : Aurora Finches nesting, 56 : Pectoral Rails, 56 : ’ Birds, 57. The Executive Committee The Society’s Medal Election of the Council, 1903 ... Post-mortem Examinations LONDON 1 R. H. PORTER, 7, Princes St., cavendish Square, W. NOTE.— A new volume commences every November. II. w All Subscriptions should be sent to the Honorary Business Secretary. THL AVICULTURAL SOCIETY. Persons wishing to join the AvicueTurai, Society are requested to communicate with the Hon. Business Secretary. NOTICES TO MEMBERS. The Subscription to the Avicultural Society is 10 '- per annum, due on the 1st of November in each year, and is payable in advance. The entrance fee is 10.6. The Avicultural'' Magazine is sent free to members monthly. Members joining at any time during the year are entitled to the back numbers for the current year, on the payment of entrance fee and subscription. All MSS. for publication in the Magazine [except cases for the Society's Medal), and Books for review , should be addressed to the Editor, Mr. D. Seth-Smith, Glengarry, Canning Road, Addiscombe, Surrey. All Queries respecting Birds (except post mortem cases) should be addressed to the Honorary Correspondence Secretary, Dr. A. G. BuXLRR, 124, Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent. All other correspondence, cases for the Medal, Subscriptions, and Advertise¬ ments, should be sent to the Honorary Business Secretary, Mr. R. Phu.mpps, 26, Cromwell Grove, West Kensington Park, London, W. Any change of address should be at once notified to him. Advice is given, by post, by members of the Council to members of the Society, upon all subjects connected with Foreign and British birds. All queries are to be addressed to the Hon. Correspondence Secretaiw and should contain a penny stamp. Those marked “ Private” will not be published. The Magazine is published by Mr. R. H. PORTER (7, Princes Street, Cavendish Square, W.) to whom all orders for extra copies, back numbers, and bound volumes (accompanied by remittance) should be addressed. Cases for binding Vol. I., New Series, of the Magazine (in art cloth, with gold block on side) can be obtained from the Publisher, post free ami carefully packed, at 1/6 each ; or the Publisher will undertake the binding of the Volume for 2/6, plus 8d. for packing and postage. All orders must be accompanied by a remittance in full; and Members are requested to state whether they want the wrappers and advertisements bound in at the end or not. BOUND COPIES OF The ‘‘AVICULTURAL MAGAZINE.” The following can be obtained from the Publisher at the prices given below. Postage 6d. per volume extra : Vol. II., 6/- to members; 8 6 to the public. Vols. V. to VII., to/6 each to members ; 12/6 each to the public. Vol. VIII., 14/- to members ; 17/6 to the public. Vol. I., New Series, 21/- to members; 30/- to the public (revised prices). Current Monthly Numbers 1/6 each (except in special cases, such as the Number containing the List of Members, when the Committee may increase the price), by post 1/7; for back Numbers a higher price is charged according to circumstances. Vols. I., III. & IV., are out of print. Second-hand copies sometimes reach the Publisher, to whom application should be made. (Continued on page Hi. of ccier) The Practical Scientific Cabinet Makers J. T. CROCKETT & SON, Established over 50 Years. MAKERS OF EVERY DESCRIPTION OF Cabinet Cases & Store Boxes TAXIDERMY IN ALL ITS BRANCHES. Apparatus and Appliances for the use of Specimens for Entomo* logists, Botanists, Ornithologists, Geologists, Mineralogists, Numismatists, Conchologlsts, etc., And for the use of Lecturers, .Science Teachers, College Students, &c. MUSEUMS FITTED AND ARRANGED. Specially made Cabinets for Birds’ Eggs and Skins, the Drawers graduate in depth and are all interchangeable. STORE BOXES, fitted with Camphor Cells, 2/3, 3/6. 4/3, 5/3 SETTING BOARDS, flat or oval, i-in. 5d., 15-in. 7d., 2-iu. 9d-, 2|-in. lid., 3|-in. 1/2, 4-i»- 1/4, 5-in. 1/8. PLAIN RING NETS, wire or cane, 1/6, 2/-, 2/3. FOLDING NETS, 3/-, 4/- UMBRELLA NETS, self- -cting, 6/9. POCKET BOXES, 6d., 8d., lid., 1/5 SUGARING TINS, with brush, 1/4, 1/10. SETTING HOUSES, flat or oval boards, 8/6, 10/-. Cork back, 12/9. BREEDING CAGES, 2/3. Improved stvle. fitted with tanks, 3/7. COLEOPTERIST COLLECTING BOTTLES, 1/4, 1/6- INSECT and EGG CASES, from 2/3 to 10/- Best Steel FORCEPS, 1/5 pair. TAXIDERMISTS’ COMPANION, containing eight useful articles for Skinning, 9/6. EGG DRILLS, from 3d. BLOW PIPES from 2d. to 5d. ZINC RELAXING BOXES, 8d., lid. NESTED CHIP BOXES, 4 doz. 7d. ENTOMOLOGICAL PINS from 1/- per oz. ZINC LARVKE BOXES, 8d. lid., 1/5. BEST WHITE CEMENT, 5d. a Bottle. SPECIAL CORK CARPET, 9d. per square foot. CABINET CORKS, 7in by 35m., lid. and 1/2 per dozen sheets. The “PERFECTION” FLAT SETTING BOARDS, for English style of Setting. .Supersedes the old Boards. Same prices as ordinary Setting Boards. . All Goods not approved may be exchanged, or monev returned. A ll Goods Store Prices. A ll Best V/o> k. Estimates given. Great Advantages in dealing direct with Makers. Send for Full Detailed Price List before ordering elsewhere. 7a, PRINCES ST., CAVENDISH SQ., (7 Doors from Oxford Circus) londo n , w . Factories : 34, RIDING HOUSE ST., and OGLE ST. W. HYDE’S Patent Iron Tonic Grit For all Cage Birds, Pigeons and Fowls. HYDE’S AESTHETIC SEEDS. For Song Birds. A combination of rare and expensive Seeds blended to suit their natural requirements. HYDE’S LARK FOOD. Hyde’s Vitaz FOR POULTRY. .HYDE’S! [tt. A 1| ACE BIRDS, PIGEONS Sc HSH HYDE’S NATURAL FOOD. For Aquarium Fish and Insectivorous Birds. Sold in Tins. Sample Box, Id. The latest achievement in Ornithology Extracts from a letter from Mr. J. PARKINSON, NATURALIST, BLACKPOOL, ENGLAND, October 30th, iqoi. “ Youk Traveller was right in saying that the three nests of Parrots which I have reared were brought up on your ^Esthetic Seeds, which were boiled for about half an hour, and the birds when old enough they fed upon your famous Parrot Food. Your Traveller has handled the eggs and seen the vouug ones progressing into maturity. More than two hundred people, from all parts of the country, have visited me in order to see the Parrots ; and four gentlemen, who are Bird Naturalists, are presenting me with a Silver Cup, in commemoration of such an unprecedented accomplishment.” The “ BLACKPOOL GAZETTE” of Dec. 4th Says- “Mr. Parkinson has apparently solved the problem of Parrot -rearing, which has troubled Bird Fanciers generally throughout the country, and his skill in this direction lias been recognised by the presentation of two Silver Cups at the local Bird Show.” R. HYDE & Go., Ltd., 54 , LILFORD RD., CAMBERWELL.. Established 1802]. [Patronised by Royalty. AUGUSTUS ZACHE & CO., Bird arwl Small Ifet Healers, 196, GREAT PORTLAND STREET, LONDON, W. Salmon-faced Pearlfinclies White- throated&Desert Bullfinches Burmese Buntings Lavender and Blue Waxbills Australian Piping Crows Laughing Jackasses. Bluebotifiets Yellow-naped Parrakeets Australian Bearded Parrakeets Blue Mountain Lories (tame) Black-winged Kites Yellow-naped Amazons Suriniau Amazons Le Vaillant’s Amazons Blue-fronted Amazons Lesser Java Cockatoo (tame & talks) Blue & Rhesus Monkeys (tame) .Singapore Monkeys (tame) Bonnet Monkeys (tame) Rufus Capuchin Monkeys (tame) Black-eared Marmozets (acclimatised) Dog- faced Baboons (tame) African Meercats (tame) Egyptian Giant Mongoose (tame) Indian Mongoose (very fine) Egyptian Jerboas (nice pets) Pet Dogs and Puppies (variety) Persian Cats and Kittens Speaking Parrots (a speciality) Barn Owls. Military Macaws Macaws Grand selection of Hartz Mountain Roller Cock Canaries (20,000 imported yearly). Piping Bullfinches, 50 to select from (price list with tunes free). P.O.O.’s and Cheques payable “ Union Bank OF London.” Many varieties of children's harmless pels. . . . . Finest selected stock in England. .... Cleanest Hygienic Shop in London. Special Singing Rooms. Cages. Aviaries. Parrot Stands. Come and see our Stock. ’ Busses pass our door in all directions. PRICE LIST FREE (by stating wants). AUGUSTUS ZACHE & CO., $ird ai\d £5n|all f’ef Dealers, 196, GREAT PORTLAND STREET, LONDON, W. - Telephone 4981 Gerrard. — King of Wild Beast Merchants Elephants, Lions, Tigers, Zebras, &c. GREY AFRICAN PARROTS. 10,000 Pairs of Small Birds. F-hDa-;;vals Largest Trading Zoological Establishment on the Earth. SEND FOR REQUIREMENTS. TRADE SUPPLIED. CROSS’S TRADING MENAGERIE Always something1 New. Hundreds of arrivals weekly. Hungarian Partridges. Birds & Animals Stuffed & Preserved. Telephone: 6491 CENTRAL, and 728 ROYAL. Telegrams and Cablegrams! “CROSS,” LIVERPOOL. LIVERPOOL. THE Aviealtaral Society, FOR THE STUDY OF FOREIGN AND BRITISH BIRDS IN FREEDOM AND IN CAPTIVITY. OFFICERS FOR THE YEAR 1903-4. PRESIDENT : THE HON. & REV. CANON DUTTON. VICE-PRESIDENT : MR. AUG. F. WIENER. COUNCIL : Miss R. ALDERSON. The Rev. F. L. BLATHWAYT. Mr. J. L- BONHOTE. Mr. O. E. CRESSWELL. Dr. W. G CRESWELL. The Rev. C. D. FARRAR. Mr. FRANK FINN. Mr. ARTHUR GILD. Mr. R. HUMPHRYS. Mr. E. G. B. meade-waldo. Mr. W. T. PAGE. Capt. SHELLEY. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE : Mr. BONHOTE, Mr. MEADE-WALDO, THE HON. SECRETARIES, and THE EDITOR. HON. BUSINESS SECRETARY: Mr. R. PHILLIPPS, 26, Cromwell Grove, West Kensington Park, London, W. HON, CORRESPONDENCE SECRETARY: Dr. BUTLER, 124, Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent. HON. TREASURER: Mr. W. H. St. QUINTIN. EDITOR : Mr. D. SETH-SMITH, Glengarry, Canning Road, Addiscombe, Surrey. AUDITOR : Mr. NICHOLAS S. O’REILLY. SCRUTINEER : Mr. JAMES B. HOUSDEN. BRIGHTON : W. T. MOUETON & CO., PRINTERS, 4, CHURCH STREET. LIST OF MEMBERS. (Corrected to October 17th, 19037. 1 The date following the Member’s name is the date of his election. “ Orig. Mem.” signifies that the Member joined the Society on its formation in October, 1894. The asterisk denotes that the Member belonged to the U. K. Foreign Cage Bird Society, either at the time of the amalgamation or at some time before. Honorary Members. Gunther, Albert, M.A., M.D., F.R.S., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ; 2, Lichfield Road, Kew Gardens. (Sept., 1902). Newton, Alfred, M.A., F.R.S., F.L.S., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U., Professor of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy in the University of Cambridge ; Magdalene College, Cambridge. (Nov., 1901). Sclater, Philip LuTley, D.Sc., M.A., F.R.S., M.B.O.U. ; Odiham Priory, Winchfield, Hants. (Sept., 1902). Sharpe, Richard Bowdler, LL.D., F.L.S., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ; Assistant Keeper, Zoological Department, British Museum (Natural History), South Kensington, S.W. (Sept., 1902). Tristram, The Rev. Canon, M.A., LL.D., D.D., F.R.S., C.M.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ; The College, Durham. (Nov., 1903). The Members. Abrahams, Frederick M. ; Blandford Cottage, Thames Ditton, and 7, Crown Office Row, Temple, F.C. (May, 1901). Abrahams, Mrs. ; 192, St. George Street, E. (May, 1895). Aggs, Henry Gurney, F.Z.S. ; Pippbrook, Dorking. (Oct., 1897). Ainley, John William; 16, Dalton Green, Dalton, Huddersfield. (June, 1895). * Alderson, Miss R. ; Park House, Worksop, Notts. (April, 1896). AllbuTT, Mrs. ; 24, Park Square, Leeds. (Jan., 1897). Alston, Gavin; Yondercroft, Darvel, Ayrshire. (June, 1900). Amherst, The Honble. Florence M. T. ; Didlingtou Hall, Brandon, Norfolk. (Aug., 1903). Anningson, Mrs. ; Walt-liam-sal, Barton Road, Cambridge. (May, 1899). 10 Aplin, Oliver Vernon, F.L.S., M.B.O.U. ; Bloxliam, Banbury. (Jan., 1902). Appleton, Miss ; Rawden Hill, Arthington, Leeds. (April, 1903). Arkwright, Mrs., Sutton Scarsdale, Chesterfield. (Oct., 1903). 2 List of Members. Arthur, Charles P. ; Market Place, Melksliam, Wilts. ( Jail., 1895). * Ashford, Miss ; The Birks, Branksome Wood Road, Bournemouth. (Nov., 1896). ASTLKS, John ; 46, Ruskin Road, Crewe. ( Jail., 1899). Astley, The Rev. Hubert Delaval, M.A., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ; Benliam Park, Newbury. (June, 1895). * Astley, Reginald B. ; Acton Reynald, Shrewsbury'. (July, 1902). ATHERLEY, Mrs. ; Attingliam Park, Shrewsbury. (April, 1903). Attewell, Harold E. ; Merriebank, Kingston, Jamaica. (July, 1903). 20 Baker, John C., M.B., B.A., M.B.O.U.; Ceeley House, Aylesbury. (June, 1903). Baldelli, La Contessa Tommasi ; 4, Via Silvio Pellico, Florence, Italy. (April, 1902). Bamford, Miss E. ; The Leys, Kimbolton Road, Bedford. (June, 1S95). Barber, Mrs.; Milestone Cottage, Wickford, Essex. (Jan., 1899). Barber, J. G. ; Waverley House, Meltou Road, Leicester. (Dec., 1902). BarclayWatson, Miss F. ; The Court House, Goring, Sussex. (July, 1902) . Barns, Miss, F.Z.S. ; 52, Fitzroy Road, Regent’s Park, N.W. (April, I9°3)- Bateson, The Hon. LiLLA de Yarburgh; Heslington, York. (Feb., 1900). Bathe, Frank; 5, Montgomery Road, Sharrow, Sheffield. (April, 1903) - Bathgate, John; c/o Messrs. Shrager Brothers, 28, Dalhousie Square, W., Calcutta, India. (Oct., 1903). 30 Baxter, Mrs. ; Ivy House, Abbey Street, Burton-on-Treut. (Nov., 1897). Bayldon, Mrs. ; Oaklands, Dawlish. (Nov., T902). Beazley, Arthur; Wyndcroft, Enfield. (June, 1902). Bedford, The Duchess of, F.Z.S. ; Woburn Abbey, Beds. ; and 15, Belgrave Square, S.W. (Feb., 1903). Beebe, C. William ; Curator of Ornithology, New York Zoological Park, New York City. (July, 1903). Bentley, David; So, St. Hubert’s Street, Great Harwood, Blackburn. (July, 1895). Berkeley, The Rev. C. J. Rowland; Belton Vicarage, Uppingham. (Nov., 1902). Binny, Miss ; 10, Queen’s Gate Place, S.W. (April, 1903). Blaauw, F. E., C.M.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ; Gooilust, ’sGraveland, Hilversum, Holland. (Nov., 1901). Black, Stanley O. ; Minden, Hereford Road, Soutlisea. (April, 1899). 40 BlaThwayT, A. P. ; Frogmore, Watford, Herts. (Jan., 1895). BlaThwayt, The Rev. Francis Linley, M.A., M.B.O.U., 5, Monks Leys Terrace, Lincoln. (Jan., 1902). Bonhote, John Lewis, M.A., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ; Ditton Hall, Fen Ditton, Cambridge. (Dec., 1S94). BooThroyd, Alfred E, ; 27, Duke Street, Southport. (Sept., 1901). List of Members. 3 BouGhTON-Leigh, Henry; Brownsover Hall, Rugby. (May, 1900). Bouskill, Geo. E. ; Romauhurst, Bramall Lane, .Stockport. (April, 1896). BOWES, John, J.P., F.Z.S., 7, Marine Terrace, Herne Bay. (Oct., 1900). Bowie, Miss HEEEN ; Queen’s Parade, Clifton Hill, Melbourne, Victoria. (Nov., 1903). Boyd, Haroed ; Barton House, Didsbury, Manchester. (March, 1902). BradShaw-Isherwood, Mrs. ; Grosvenor House, I, Grosvenor Villas, Ramsgate. (June, 1902). 50 Brampton, Miss E. ; The Moat House, Brentwood, Essex. (Feb., 1898). BREESFORD, John; 75, Wellington Road North, Stockport. Oct., 1902). Bromet, Mrs. Henry ; Higlifield, Tadcaster. (Oct., 1903). Brookes, Edward J. ; Inglesham, Sutton Coldfield. (Feb., 1S99). Brooksbank, Mrs. Arthur; Gate Helmsley House, York. (May, 1898). Bryant, Mrs. ; Harold Wood Hall, Romford, Essex. (April, 1903). Bure, Henry J. ; 166, Upper Kennington Lane, Vauxhall, S.E. (Feb., I9°3)- Burge, Samuee; Ivy Cottage, Fairfora. (Nov., 1896). Burgess, H. W. ; High Street, Bushey, Herts. (Nov., 1900). Burton, Warter ; Mooresfort, East Sheen, Mortlake, S.W. (Dec., 1901). 60 Butler, Arthur G., Pli.D., F.L.S., F.Z.S. ; 124, Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent. (Orig. Mem.). * Carverrey-Rudston, Miss; Allerthorpe Hall, Pocklington, York. (July, 1903). Camps, H. T. T., F.Z.S. ; Linden House, Haddeuliam, Isle of Ely. (Orig. Mem.). * Capern, F. ; 53, Redland Road, Bristol. (March, 1903). Carryon, Mrs. ; Brockenhurst, Hants. (Dec., 1900). Carnegie, The Lady ; Crimonmogate, Lonmay, Aberdeenshire. (Feb., 1901). Carpenter, The Hon. Mrs. ; Kiplin, Northallerton. (Feb., 1898). Carpmaee, Miss; The Ivies, St. Julian’s Farm Road, West Norwood. (April, 1896). Carrick, George; “Stratford,” Argyle Road, Saltcoats, N.B. (March, 1898). Carter, Walter L. ; Summergate, Parkinson Lane, Halifax. (June, 1895). * 70 Castellan, Victor E. ; Hare Hall, Romford, Essex. (Orig. Menu). Castre Seoane, C., F.Z.S. ; Oat Hall, near Crawley, Sussex. (March, 1900) . CaTREUGH, W. T. ; Clyffe, Richmond Wood Road, Bournemouth. (Dec., 1894). Cecil, The Lady William; Hunmanby Hall, Filey, Yorkshire. (Feb., 1901) . Chapman, P. Godfrey; 21, Lennox Gardens, S.W. (Oct., 1898). 4 List of Members. Charrington, Mrs. Mowbray; The Warren, Hever, Edenbridge, Kent. (May, 1896). Chase, G. S. ; iS, Hungerford Avenue, Crewe. (Jan., 1903). CHATWIN, Herbert F. ; 23, King Street, Nottingham. (Jan., 1902). Chawner, Miss ; Forest Bank, Lvndhurst, Hants. (July, 1S99). Chiozza, L. G. ; Casa Cara, Beechwood Avenue, Oatlands, Weybridge. (Oct., 1902). So Cholm LEY, Miss; Place Newton, Rillingtou, York. (Feb., 1903). Clayton, C. H. ; 43, Albion Street, Wakefield. (Aug., 1901). Clitherow, Mrs. Claud Stracey; 20, Park Square, Regent’s Park, N.W. (June, 1903). Cockburn, Charles; Sutton Rock, Chesterfield. (Oct., 1903). Colton, R. ; 39, Kearsley Road, Sheffield. ( July, 1901). Connell, Mrs. KnaTCHBULL ; The Orchard, Brockenlmrst, Hants. (Nov., 1S97). Constable, The Rev. W. J. ; Uppingham School, Uppingham. (Sept., 1901) . Conyngham, The Dowager Marchioness; 36, Belgrave Square, S.W. (Jan., 1900). Cooper, James ; Killerby Hall, Scarborough. (Orig. Mem). Cotterell, The Lady Evelyn; Garnous, Hereford. (Oct., 1902). 90 Coxwell-Rogers, Miss ; Park Gate, Cheltenham. (Dec., 1895). Cresswell, O. Ernest, M.A., J.P. ; Morney Cross, near Hereford. (Orig. Mem.). Creswell, William George, M.D., F.Z.S. ; Eden Lodge, Kingston- on-Thames. (June, 1900). Cronkshaw, J. ; Mansion House, Plantation Street, Accrington. (Dec., 1894). Cummings, A.; 16, Promenade Villas, Cheltenham. (Dec., 1896). Cunliffe, Mrs. ; 20, Eaton Gardens, Hove, Brighton. (May, 1S99). Cushny, Charles ; Pain’s Hill, Cobliam, Surrey. (June, 1896). CuTHBERTSON, E. H., Junr. ; Bushey House, Bushev, Herts. (June, 1902) . Dart, Henry; 53, Richmond Road, Kingston-on-Thames. (May, I9°3)- Dawnay, The Lady Adelaide; Brampton House, Northampton. (July, 1903). 100 Dell, Charles; 9, High Street, Harlesden, N.W. (July, 1900). De Mancha, Jose M. ; 1, Gledhow Gardens, Earl’s Court, S.W. (Oct., 1902). Dent, C. H. ; Queen’s Hotel, Penzance. (Feb., 1899). De Tabley, The Lady; Berry Court, Bournemouth. (June, 1902). De Taintegnies, La Baronne Le Clement ; Cleveland, Minehead, Somerset. (Feb., 1902). Devas, George; Hartfield, Hayes, Kent. (Oct., 1898). Dewar, J. P\ ; 2, St. Patrick Square, Edinburgh. (Orig. Mem.). De Winton, William Edward, F.Z.S. , M.B.O.U. ; Zoological Society’s Gardens, Regent’s Park, London, N.W. (Aug., 1903). List of Members. 5 Douglas, William C., F.Z.S. ; 9, Trebovir Road, Earl’s Court, S.W. (Nov., 1900). Drewitt, Frederic Dawtrey, M.A., M.D., F.R.C.P., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ; 14, Palace Gardens Terrace, Kensington, W. (Mav, *9°3)- 110 Druitt, Claud F. ; 2, Brighton Villas, London Road, Alvaston, Derby. (Jan., 1899). DunlEaTH, The Lady ; Ballvwalter Park, Ballywalter, co. Down, Ire¬ land. (Aug., 1897). Dunsany, The Lady; Dunstall Priory, Shoreliani-by-Sevenoaks, Kent. (Feb., 1902). Du'i'TON, The Hon. and Rev. Canon ; Bibury, Fairford. (Orig. Mem.). Edwards, G. ; 151, Camberwell Road, S.E. (Aug., 1902). ELLIS, Stephen H. ; 34, York Street, Wakefield. (June, 1902). Elwell, James E. ; Park Cottage, York Road, Beverley. (May, 1901). Empson, Miss; 1, Mill Hill Road, Barnes Common, S.W. (Jan., 1903). Ezra, David; 59, Ezra Street, Calcutta. (June, 1902). Farmborough, Percy W., F.Z.S. ; Lower Edmonton. (June, 1896). * 120 Farrar, The Rev. C. D. ; Micklefield Vicarage, Leeds. (Jan., 1895). Fasey, William R. ; The Oaks, Holly Bush Hill, Suaresbrook, N.E- (May, 1902). Feilding, The Lady Louisa; Broome Park, Betchworth, Surrey. (July, 1902). Ffoulkes, Mrs. ; St. Melangell, Brighton Road, Rhyl. (Aug., 1903). Field, George; Sorrento, Stapleliurst, Kent. (March, 1900). Finn, Frank, B.A.. F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.; 29, Clialcot Crescent, Primrose Hill, London, N.W. (March, 1895). Finn, Harry R. ; 62, Alma Road, St. Albans, Herts. (July, 1903). Fitz-Gerald, Miss Dorothy; c/o Colonel F'itz-Gerald, 68th Durham Light Infantry, Harrow-on-the-Hill, Ootacamund (also Wellington), Madras Presidency, India. (B'eb., 1903). Fletcher, The Rev. J. C. B., M.A. ; Mundham Vicarage, Chichester. (April, 1902). Flower, Capt. STANLEY S., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U., Director, Egyptian Government Zoological Gardens ; Ghizeh (Giza), Cairo. (Jan., 1903). 130 FollETT, The Lady Julia ; Woodside, Old Windsor. (Oct., 1903). Foster, Wm. Hill ; 164, Portland Street, Southport. (Jan., 1902). FOTHERGILL, Major Henry, J.P. ; Copt Hall, Hawkhurst. (April, 1900). Fowler, Charles ; 26, Broad Street, Blaenavon. (Dec., 1894). Fox, C. J. ;' 35, Addington Street, Ramsgate. (May, 1897). Frostick, John ; 18, Temperley Road, Balham, S.W. (Orig. Mem.). * Furneaux, Miss ; 35, Banbury Road, Oxford. (Aug., 1903). Gibbins, William B. ; Ettington, Stratford-on-Avon. (June, 1895). * Gtlbey, Mrs.; 2S, Seymour Street, Portman Square, W. (July, 1902) 6 List of Members. Giles, Henry M., M.A.O.U. (Orig. Mem.); Zoological Gardens, Perth, Western Australia. (June, 1903). 140 Gill, Arthur ; Veterinary Establishment, Bexley Heath, Kent. (Dec., 1899). Goddard, Miss ; Westrop House, Highworth, Swindon, Wilts. (Jan., 1902). Goddard. H. E. ; Rothesay, Thicket Road, Sutton, Surrey. (Feb., TS99). Goodchild, Herbert, M.B.O.U. ; 34, Fitzroy Road, Regent’s Park, N.W. (Oct., 1902). Goodfellow, Walter, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. : Wyndale, Richmond Park, Bournemouth. (June, 1S97). Gorter, Mrs.; The Delta, Walmer, Kent. (Nov., 1901). Grace, Gustave, 24, Wood Street, Wakefield. (March, 1S96). Grasett, Edward Douglas; 20, Winton Terrace, Stoke-on-Trent. (Dec., 1901). Greene, W. T., M.A., M.D.; 282, Portobello Road, North Kensington, W. (Dec., 1901). Gregory, Aubrey; Gopalicliuck, Jheriah, E.I.R., India. (Nov., 1902). 150 Gregory, Mrs. ; Melville, Parkstone, Dorset. (Dec., 1901). Griffiths, M. E. ; Fernside, Childer Road, Stowmarket. (May, 1902). Gronvold, Henrik ; 26, Albert Bridge Road, Battersea Park, S.W. (Nov., 1902). GROSER, F. S. ; 2, Belvedere Road, Alipore, Calcutta. (Sept., 1902). Guilford, Miss H. ; 23, Lenton Avenue, The Park, Nottingham. (March, 1903). HalliwelL, J. ; 11, Westbourne Grove, West Kirby, Birkenhead. (Feb., 1903). Hamilton, Madame; Les Deux Parzes, Champery (Valais), Switzer¬ land. (Nov., 1902). Hamilton, Miss; 48, Bryanston Street, Portman Square, W. (April, 1902). Hamilton, Mrs. ; Bannerdown House, Batlieaston, Bath. (Feb., 1895). Hammond, The Hon. Katherine; 25, Eaton Place, S.W. (Aug., 1901). 160 HarbottlE, Miss M. ; 12, Victoria Place, Budleigli Salterton, Devon. (Dec., 1895). Harewood, The Countess of ; Harewood House, Reeds. (March, 1903). Harper, Miss; 52, Goldington Avenue, Bedford. (March, 1902). Harper, Edmund William, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.; 52, Goldington Avenue, Bedford. (Feb., 1901). Harper, Frederick Wm. ; East Cottingwood, Morpeth. (May, 1902). Harris, Frank, F.R.H.S. ; Vernon Park, Stockport. (Oct., 1902). Hartley, Mrs. ; St. Helen’s Dodge, Hastings. (April, 1897). Hawke, The Hon. Mary C. ; Wigliill Park, Tadcaster. (Nov., 1900). Hawkins, L. W. ; Estrilda, 17, New Clive Road, West Dulwich, S.E. (Jan., 1899). Heath, Francis George ; Underwood, Kew Gardens, Surrev. (Sept., 1902). List of Members. 7 170 Hemsworxh, The Rev. B., M.A., J.P. ; Monk Fryston Hall, South Milford, Yorks. (June, 1901). HESELTON, H. C. ; 274, Westminster Road, Liverpool. (Dec., 1S99). Hewson, George, A.M., I.C.E. ; Glendoone, Hareliills Avenue, Leeds. (Nov., 1902). Hill, Mrs. Reginald; Holfield Grange, Coggesliall, Essex. (Aug., 1903)- HiEE, W. T. ; 337, Great Clieetliam Street, Manchester. (Dec., 1900). Hinckes, R. T. ; Foxley, Hereford. (Feb., 1899). Hindre, Frederick G. : Thorncliffe, Darwen. (May, 1902). HindeE, R. Frankein; 44, Grosvenor Road, Birkdale, Southport. (Sept., 1898). Hodgson, The Hon. Mrs.; Escriclc Rectory, York. (March, 1903). Hodgson, Richard, Junr. ; Molescroft, Beverley. (Feb., 1903). 180 Hording, Mrs.; 14, Vanbrugh Park, Blackheath. (Feb., 1903). Hopson, Fred. C. ; Northbrook Street, Newbury. (March, 1897). Horsbrugh, Capt. Boyd R., A.S.C. ; Seabrook Vale, ShornclifFe Camp, Kent. (Jam, 1898). Horton, Leonard W. ; Longfield, Bescot, Walsall. (Feb. 1902). Hough, Harold ; 96, Wellington Road South, Stockport. (Oct., 1902). Houeton, Charles ; Laburnum House, Denton’s Green, St. Helen’s, Lane. (Feb., 1897). Housden, James B. ; Brooklyn, Cator Road, Sydenham. (Orig. Mem.). Howard, Robert James, M.B.O.U. ; Shear Bank, Blackburn. (April, 1903). Howman, Miss; Sherwood, Essex Grove, Upper Norwood. (March, 1897). Hughes, Mrs.; Fail-haven, Preston Drove, Brighton. (April, 1895). 190 Humphrys, Russell; Southboro’, Bickley, Kent. (April, 1896). Husband, Miss ; Clifton View, York. (Feb., 1896). HuTT, Henry T. ; 24, Cockspur Street, London, S.W. (Nov., 1S96). Inchiquin, The Lady ; Moor Park, Ludlow. (Nov., 1897). Ingris, Chas. M. ; Bagliowuie Factor}^, Hatanri Post Office, via Hya Ghat, Tirlioot vState Railway, India. (Sept., 1902). Innes Bey, Dr. Frances Walter, M.B.O.U. ; Curator, Zoological Museum, Government School of Medicine, Cairo, Egypt. (Mar., I903)- Ivens, Miss ; “Wroxham,” 12, Church Road North, Hanwell, Middlesex. (Aug., 1903). Jardine, Miss Emily ; Lady Superintendent, Freed Slaves’ Home, Northern Nigeria, West Africa. (Jan., 1903). Jennison, GEORGE ; Davonport Park, Stockport. (Sept., 1897). Johnstone, Mrs. E. J. : Rougham Hall, Bury St. Edmunds. (May, 1900). 200 Jones, H. ; 13, Commercial Road, Ipswich. (Oct., 1903). 8 List of Members. Keenk, Mrs. ; Sandlea, Abbotsham Road, Bideford, N. Devon. (Feb., 1897) . Kemp, Robin ; The Chase, Halstead, Essex. (March, 1903). Kestermann, Hermann ; 41, Rue de Clicliy, Paris, France. (March, 1903)- KEYTEE, P. Casper ; Brighton Castle, Mouille Point, Cape Town, South Africa. (June, 1902). Kirkwood, Mrs. ; Highfields Park, Withyhani, Tunbridge Wells. (June, 1903). Lambert, Frank F. ; Langholm, Beverley. (June, 1900). Lancaster, Mrs. H. R. ; 7, Victoria Terrace, Walsall. (Aug., 1897). Landless, W. ; Portland Villa, Waterloo Road, Ashton-on-Ribble, Preston. (Dec., 1896). Langford, Miss ; F'airlea, Upperton Road, Eastbourne. (Nov., 1902). 210 Lasceeees, The Hon. Geraed, F.Z.,S., M.B.O.U. ; The King’s House, Lyndhurst. (Oct., 1S96). LaTTEY, Miss; Hollydene, Allensbank Road, Cardiff. (Jan., 1902). Lawson, Mrs. F. W. ; Adel, Leeds. (Nov., 1903). LEEDER, J. VlNER; Dorset House, Bryn Road, Swansea. (Nov., 1899). Lennie, J. C. ; Rosepark, Trinity Road, Edinburgh. (Orig. Mem.). * LEVERKiiHN, Dr. Paul, M.D., C.M.Z.S., &c. ; Director of the Scientific Institutions and Library of H.R.H. The Prince of Bulgaria; The Palace, Sophia, Bulgaria. (May, 1903). Lewis, The Rev. T. C. ; Dodbrooke Rectory, Kiugsbridge, South Devon. (Jan.. 1902). Lieford, The Lady7 ; Lilford Hall, Oundle, Northamptonshire. (Jan., 1898) . LiTTEE, Ernest W. ; 16, Great Quebec Street, Montagu Square, W. (Nov., 1901). LiTTEE, Geo. W., M.D. ; 47, Ridge Street, Glens Falls, N.Y., United States of America. (Oct., 1903). 220 Leeweeyn, Sir John T. Dilewyn, Bart., M.A., D.L., F.Z.S. ; Penllergaer, Swansea. (May, 1903). Loveee, Miss Heeen ; Hinclieslea, Brockenliurst, Hants. (June, 1903). Lowe, Samuee; 14, Banks Lane, Stockport. (Oct., 1902). Lydn, Miss R. ; Harwood, Horsham. (Nov., 1894). McLaughlin, Lieut.-Col. H. I., R.A.M.C. ; The Neuk, Bridge of Teith, Doune, Perthshire. (Aug., 1902). Maiteand, Mrs. Keith ; 2, Douglas Gardens, Edinburgh. (July, 1900). Martin, H. C. ; 141, Victoria Road, Old Charlton, Kent. (Jan., 1897). Mason, Bazeinton ; 23, North Parade, Lincoln. (Nov., 1902). Mathias, H. W., F.R.H.S. : Doone Cottage, Thames Ditton, Surrey. (March, 1900). Maxweee, C. T. ; South Lawn, 24, Acre Lane, Brixton, S.W. (March, 1896). 230 Mayor, Cecie M. ; Holmwood, Paignton, S. Devon. (March, 1903). Meade - Waedo, E. G. B., F. Z. S., M.B.O.U.; Stonewall Park, Edenbridge, Kent. (Jan., 1895). List of Members. 9 MlCHELL, Mrs. ; Crakeliall, Bedale. (Sept., 1S98). MilEKR, Lady ; The Knole, Bournemouth. (July, 1899). MoERSCHELL, l'\ ; Imperial Hotel, Malvern. (June, 1895). Moore, Wm. Fawcett ; 18, Albany Street, Edinburgh. (Aug., 1903). Mor.se, D. S. ; Bank of Ireland, Mount Bellew, Ireland. (July, 1903). Morsheao, Lady ; Forest Lodge, Binfield, Bracknell, Berks. (Dec., 1S94). * Mortimer, Mrs.; Wigmore, Holmwood, Surrey. (Orig. Mem.). * Mortimer, Miss; Wigmore, Holmwood, Surrey. (March, 1903). 240 Mumford, J. J. ; The Poplars, Kettering. (Dec., 1900). Murray, John; 25, Glasgow Street, Ardrossan. (March, 1903). Mylan, Jas. George, M.D. ; Carlisle House, Grimesthorpe, Sheffield. (Dec., 1901). Needham, The Hon. Mrs. ; Berry Hill, Taplow, Maidenhead. (June. 190 3). Newman, T. H., F.Z.S., ; 20, Montpelier Square, South Kensington, S.W. (May, 1900). Nicholson, Alfred E. ; Etnlitiville, Coltbridge Gardens, Edinburgh. (Oct., 1896;. * Noble, Mrs.; Park Place, Henley-on-Thames. [Oct., 1900). Norman, Miss ; Royal Hospital, Chelsea, S.W. (Jan., 1902). North, Mrs. Frederick ; 8, Bryanston Street, Portman Square, W. (Aug., 1903). Norwood, Eille ; York. (Aug., 1901). 250 Oakey, W. ; 71, Grove Road, Leicester. (March, 1896).* Oates, F. W. ; White House Farm, New Leeds, Leeds. (Oct., 1897). Oberholser, Harry C., Biological Survey, Department of Agri¬ culture; 1454, Sheridan Avenue, N. W., Washington, D. C., United States of America. (Oct., 1903). Ochs, James F., F.Z.S. ; St. Ann’s Hill, Chertsey, Surrey. (Oct., 1903). Ogilvy, Henry S. T. Hamilton; Biel, Prestonkirk, N.B. (March, 1900). Ogle, Bertram SavilE, M.B.O.U. ; Steeple Aston, Oxford. (Dec., 1902). O’Reilly, Nicholas S. ; 9, Royal Crescent, Ramsgate. (Dec., 1894). OsbaldesTON, W. ; 3, Tithe Barn Street, Prestou. (June, 1895). * Ostrehan, J. Eliott D. ; Bank House, Thame, Oxon. (April, 1903). Page, Wesley T., F.Z.S. ; 6, Rylett Crescent, Shepherd’s Bush, W. (May, 1897). 260 Panton, Miss Alice; 14, King Edward’s Road, Oldfield Park, Bath. (April, 1903). Parker, Duncan, J.P. ; Cloptou Hall, Woolpit, Bury St. Edmunds. (June, 1903). Parkin, Thomas, M.A., F.R.G.S., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ; Fairseat, High Wickham, Hastings.. (Oct., 1903). Parsons, Miss; Birdsall Grange, York. (Jan., 1902). IO List of Members. PEEEE, R. de C, ; The Church House, Ashford, Ludlow. (July, 1902). PEIR, P. ; Box 504. G.P.O., Sydney; and 50, Bondi Road, Waverley, Sydney, N.S. Wales. (July, 1903). Percivae, Warter Gxrbey ; c/o G. Neville, Esq., Government House, Berber, Sudan, vi4 Egypt. (Feb., 1902). PERRIER, Mrs. Lumrey; Saville House, Twickenham. (Feb., 1S99). Peering, C. S. R. ; 4, Cambridge Road, High Street, Teddington. (Sept., 1895). Perryman, C. W. ; Bifrons, Farnborough, Hants. (March, 1902). 270 Phirripps, NOER; 21, Addison Gardens, Kensington, W. (Nov., 1901). Phirripps, Reginard; 26, Cromwell Grove, West Kensington Park,W. (Orig. Mem.). * Phirripps, Mrs. ; 26, Cromwell Grove, West Kensington Park, W. (Orig. Mem.). Phirpox, Wm. R. ; 8, Cheselden Road, Guildford. (July, 1902). Picard, Hugh K. ; 10, Saudwell Crescent, W. Hampstead, N.W. (March, 1902). Pickford, Randorph John ; Job's Hill House, Crook, co. Durham. (Feb., 1903). PiXT, Mrs. ; The Nest, Torquay. (Dec., 1894). Promrey, J. F., M.D. ; Knightrider House, Maidstone. (Feb. 1898). Porxer, G. C. ; 38, Mill Street, Bedford. (Dec., 1901). Powis, The Earl of; 45, Berkeley Square, W. ; and Powis Castle, Welshpool. (April, 1902). 280 Price, Axhersxan E., M.B.O.U. ; Bridge Cottage, Broxbourne, Herts. (August, 1902). Pridham, Mrs.; Windsor Villa, Mannamead, Plymouth. (May, 1902). Procxor, Major F. W. ; Downfield, Maidenhead. (May, 1903). Rabbich, H. P. ; The Kraal, Paignton, S. Devon. (March, 1903). Raxhbornk, Henry B. ; Dunsinea, Castleknock, co. Dublin. (May, 1901). Raxhborne, Mrs. ; Dunsinea, Castleknock, co. Dublin. (Nov., 1902). Rawson, Miss; Millhouse, Halifax. (Nov., 1903). Reay, J. H. A. ; 7, Rosemount, Wallington, Surrey. (April, 1898). Reid, Mrs. ; Funchal, Madeira. (Feb., 1895). Reid, C. S. ; 4, Howard Park Drive, Kilmarnock. (Dec., 1902). 290 Renaux, W. E., M.B.O.U. ; 15, Grafton Square, Clapham, S.W. (April, Renshaw, Graham, M. B. : Sale Bridge House, Sale, Manchester. Feb., 1903). Rice, Captain G. ; Clayquhat, Blairgowrie, N.B. (May, 1902). Richard, E. ; Hotel Metropole, Brighton. (Orig. Mem.). Ritchie, Norman ; The Holmes, St. Boswell’s, N.B. (Feb., 1903). Roberts, Mrs. ; Beaumaris, Montpelier Street, Hobart, Tasmania. (June, 1903). Roberts, Norman B. ; West Retford Cottage, Retford. (Feb., 1S98). Robertson, Mrs.; Bishop’s Tachbrook, Leamington. (Jan., 1900). II List of Members. Roe, Miss M. ; Edgmond, Cambridge Road, Bellevue, Hobart, Tasmania. (June, 1903). Rogerson, A. ; Fleurville, Ashford Road, Cheltenham. (Dec., 1902). 300 Roswell, Irvine P. ; 240A, School Street, Winter Hill, Somerville, Mass., and (for letters only) 6 and S, Brattle Square, Boston, Mass/ United States of America. (Oct., 1903). Rotch, Mrs.; 3, Beach Lawn, Waterloo, Liverpool. (June, 1897). RoThera, Chas. L., B.A. ; Hazelwood, Forest Grove, Nottingham (July, 1895). 0 • Rothschild, The Hon. L. Walter, M.P., D.Sc., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ; Tring Park, Herts. (Jan., 1900). Rudkin, F. H. ; Belton, Uppingham. (Oct., 1902). Rycroft, Mark F. ; 8, Park Street, Wakefield. (Jan., 1902). ST. Quintin, William Herbert, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.; Scampston Hall Rillington, York. (Orig. Mem.). ST. Ouintin, Miss; Scampston Hall, Rillington, York. (Jam, 1902). Salt, Dr. F. G. ; 59, George Square, Edinburgh. (July, 1895). Salter, Albert J. ; Thame, Oxon. (March, 1902). 310 San Germano § Calabritto, La Duchessa di; 10, Emperor’s Gate S.W. (Oct. 1902). . Saunders, Wm. Radcltffe, C.F., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ; 33, Princes Square, Bayswater, W. (May, 1903). Savage, A. ; 3, Rue Bihorel, Bihorel, Rouen, Seine Inferieure, France (April, 1895). Savege, George, M.D. ; Newbegin, Beverley. (Oct., 1896). Scherren, Henry, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ; 9, Cavendish Road, Harrinsrav, N. (Dec.. J 902). 0 ' Schmettau, George F.; Redlands, Crockham Hill, Edenbridge, Kent (June, 1903). Schweder, Paul E.; Courtlands, Goring— Worthing, Sussex. (Nov 1902). Scott, Professor William E. D., Curator of Ornithology ; Princeton Museum, Princeton, N. J., United States of America. (June, 1900). Sergeant, John ; 10, London Street, Southport. (Orig. Mem.). * Seth-Smith, David, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ; Glengarry, 14, Canning Road, Addiscombe, Surrey. (Dec., 1894). 320 Seth-Smith, Leslie M., B.A. ; Alleyne, Caterliam Valiev, Surrey. (July, 1902). Sharp, Miss ; Spring Gardens, Ringwood, Hants. (Orig. Mem.). Shelley, Capt. George Ernest, F.Z.S., F.R.G.S., M.B.O.U. ; 39, Plgerton Gardens, South Kensington, S.W. (Aug., 1903). Shepherd, Miss B. ; The Den, Walton-on-Thames. (April, 1901). Sherbrooke, Mrs. P. ; Keldholme Prior}', Kirby Moorside, Yorks. (March, 1897). ShersTon, Mrs. Maxwell , Alford Cottage, near Castle Carv, Somerset. (May, 1902). Showell, Miss ; Park Vale, Edgbaston, Birmingham. (April, 1903). Sich, Herbert Leonard ; c/o H. C. Holman, Esq., Lydfords, East Hoathly, Sussex. (Feb., 1902). 12 List of Members. Simpson, Archibald ; 98, Tempest Road, Beeston Hill, Leeds. (Feb., 1901). Slater, Arthur A. : Prescot Road, St. Helen’s. (Nov., 1S94). 330 Smart, John ; 12, Royal Crescent, Edinburgh. (Nov., 1S94). SMITH, H. B. ; Grangefield, Park Road South, Birkenhead. (June, 1895). * Smithwick, Capt. W. F. ; Youghal House, Neuagli, Ireland. (Nov., 1902) . Speed, Hedley ; 12, Victoria Park, Bangor, Wales. (Nov., 1900). Spicer, The Lady Margaret ; Spye Park, Chippenham, Wilts. (March, 1903). Stansfeld, John ; Dunniuald, Montrose, N. B. (Dec., 1896). Stanyforth, Mrs. ; Kirk Hammerton Hall, York. (Nov., 1897). Stark, W. P. ; Hillstead, Basingstoke, Hants. (Aug., 1903). Steinberg. M. ; 57S, West Street, Durban, Natal. (Sept., 1903). Stevens, W. E. ; Punch Bowl Hotel, Lowther Street, York. (June, 1S99). 340 Strick. Charles; The Croft, West Cross, Glamorganshire. (June, 1903) - Sturton-Johnson, Miss; Orotava House, Ore, Hastings. (May, 1897). Sutton, Lady ; Benham Park, Newbury. (Dec., 1901). Swailes, George C. ; Beverley, Yorks. (June, 1S95). Swan, J. A. ; S7, Lower Keuniiigton Lane, S.E. (June, 1902). Swaysland, Walter ; 47, Queen’s Road, Brighton. (Orig. Mem.). * Swift, Donald, 58, Avenue Road, Crouch End, N. (Dec,, 1898). Swinfen-Brown, Mrs. ; Swinfen Hall, Lichfield. ( Feb., 1898). Tate, Miss ; Allerburu, Alnwick. (May, 1900). Tate, Alan ; 182, South Street, Park, Sheffield. (June. 1S97). 350 Taylor, J. B. ; Sheffield Manor, Basingstoke, Hants. (Aug., 1902). Terry, Major Horace A., M.B.O.U. (late Oxfordshire Light Infantry); The Lodge, Upper Halliford, Shepperton. (Oct., 1902). Thom, A. A. ; Adlingtou (Lancs.), Chorley. (June, 1895). * Thomas, Henry ; The Vineries, Borouglibridge, York. (Jan., 1S95). Thomas, Miss F. ; The Manor House, Hurwortli, Darlington. (March, 1899). Thomasset, Bernard C. ; West Wickham, Kent. (July, 1896). Thompson, Lady; 1, Hyde Park Mansions, W. (Ma}r, 1900). Thompson, Mrs. Waldegrave ; Forest Lodge, 23, Ravenscourt Park, W. (Dec., 1895). Thomson, Arthur ; Assistant Superintendent, Zoological Society’s Garden’s, Regent's Park, N.W. (Nov., 1903). Thorniley, Percy Wright ; Shooter’s Hill, Wem, Shrewsbury. (Feb., 1902). 360 Thorpe, Charles ; Selborne, Chatswortli Road, Croydon. (Dec., 1901). Thorpe, F. C. ; 67, West .Street, Sheffield. (Jan., 1902). Thursby, Lady ; Ormerod House, Burnley. (June, 1S95). * Tidey, J. W. ; 11, York Road, Worthing, (Nov., 1902). 13 List of Members. Todd, Richard Alfred, F.Z.S. ; Groombridge, Hersham, Walton-on- Tliames. (June, 1895). Tomes, W., J. P. ; Glen moor, 31, Billing Road, Northampton. (Dec., 1902) . Townend, Frank H. ; 26, Dornton Road, South Croydon. (May, 1895)- * Townsend, Stanley, M. ; 3, Swift Street, Fulham, S.W. (Sept., 1898). TRESTRAIL, Major Alfred B., F.R.G.S. ; Southdale, Clevedon. (Sept., W°3)- Trevor-Battye, Aubyn B. R., M.A., F.L.S., & c. ; Broxton, Chilbolton, Slockbridge, Hants. (July, 1898). 370 Turner, Thomas, J.P. ; Cullompton, Devon. (Dec., 1895), Tweedie, Capt. W. ; 93rd Highlanders ; Stirling Castle, Stirling, N.B. (April, 1903). Valentine, Ernest ; 7, Highfield, Workington. (May, 1899). Van Ufford, Ionkheer L- I. Quarles ; 8, vande Spiegelstraat, The Hague (den Hagg), Holland, (Nov., 1902). Vere, The Very Rev. Canon ; St. Patrick’s Presbytery, 21A, Soho Square, London, W. (Sept., 1903). VERRALL, Claude ; Leyton Lodge, Denmark Road, Carslialton. (May, 1897). Vivian, Mrs. ; 35, Rua Alegre, Foz do Douro, Portugal. (March, 1903). Waddell, Miss Peddie; 4, Great Stuart Street, Edinburgh. (Feb., 1903) - Walker, Mrs. Herbert ; 55, Fitzroy Road, Regent’s Park, N.W. (June, 1903). Walker, Miss ; Hanley Lodge, Corstorphine, Midlothian. (Jan., 1903). 380 Walker, Miss H. K. O. ; Chesham, Bury, Lane. (Feb., 1S95). Walker, R. W. S. ; Glen Hall, Leicester. (Feb., 1903). Wall, T. A. ; New Lyric Club, Coventry Street, W. (May, 1902.) Wallop, The Hon. Frederic; 48, Eaton Terrace, S.W. (Feb., 1902). Warde, The Lady Harriet ; Knotley Hall, Tunbridge. (Aug., 1903). Waterhouse, Mrs. D. ; 6, Esplanade, Scarborough. (Feb., 1903). Watkins, WaTkin, B.A., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ; Highfield, Harrow. (April, 1903). Watson, John; Wentbridge Lodge, Pontefract. (Sept., 1900). Webber, Mrs. Oswald ; Malborough House, Pinlioe, Exeter. (Aug., 1903)- Wentworth, Mrs. ; Woolley Park, Wakefield. (Nov., 1903). 390 WEST, Miss E. E. ; The Homestead, Hawthorne Road, Bickley Park, Kent. (April, 1898). * Wheler, I. MordaunT, M.D. ; 435, Battersea Park Road, S.W. (Feb., 1903)- Whitaker, Joseph, I. S., F.Z.S. , M.B.O.U.; Malfitano, Palermo, Sicily. (Aug., 1903). Whitehead, Mrs. Henry ; Haslem Hey, Bury, Lane. (March, 1902). Whytehead, T. B. ; Acomb House, York. (April, 1S97). 14 List oj Members. WIENER, Aug. F., F.Z.S. ; 6, Nortliwick Terrace, Maida Vale, N.W. (July, 1896). WiGLESWORTH, Joseph, M.D., M.B.O.U. ; Rainhill, Lancashire. (Oct., 1903)- Wigram, Miss Florence E. ; Cliesimt Lodge, Cobliam, Surrey. (July, 1903). Wigram, Miss Madeline ; King’s Gatchell, Taunton. (Sept., 1903). WILDE, Miss M. ; Little Gaddesden, Berkhanisted. (Dec. 1896). 400 Will ATT, Miss Mabel ; The Lodge, Draycott, Derby. (April, 1903). Williams, Mrs. C. H. ; 49, Okeliampton Road, St. Thomas, Exeter. (May, 1902). Williams, Mrs. Howard; Hamilton Lodge, Bickley, Kent. (April 1902). Williams, Mrs. Leslie ; Swanswick Cottage, Bath. (June, 1S95). Williamson, R. B. ; Probate House, Wakefield. (May, 1902). WilmoT, The Rev. Richard H. ; Poulton Vicarage, Fairford. (Dec., 1902). Wilson, T. Needham ; Oak Lodge, Bitterne, Southampton. (Dec., 1901). Winchilsea and Nottingham, The Countess of ; Harlech, Merioneth. (April, 1903). Woods, Miss; North Grimstone House, York. (May, 1902). Workman, Wm. Hughes, M.B.O.U. ; Lismore, Windsor, Belfast. (May, 1903). 410 Wright, Mrs. ; 3, Rose Villas, Picton Road, Ramsgate. (Feb., 1898). Wright, Mrs. ; Hampstliwaite Hall, Ripley, Yorks. (Jan., 1903). WrotteslEY, The Hon. Walter B., F.Z.S. ; 8, Herbert Crescent, Chelsea, S.W. (Oct., 1902.) Yarborough, Mrs. ; Campsmount. Doncaster. (Nov., 1S99). Yewdall, P. ; Brookfield, Calverley, Leeds. (June, 1903). Young, William ; Taw Vale, Barnstaple, Devon. (Nov., 1903). Received late. Dent, Miss Isabel A. ; Ribstou Hall, Weatlierby. (Nov., 1903). Egerton, Miss; Terrington House, York. (Nov., 1903). Marshall, Maj. Gen. Sir G. H., K.C.B. ; Manor Lodge, Aldershot. (Nov., 1903.) 15 RULES OF THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY. As amended June , 1903. 1. — The name of the Society shall be The Aviculturae Society, and its objects shall be the study of Foreign and British Birds in freedom and in captivity. Poultry, Pigeons, and Canaries shall be outside the scope of the Society. The year of the Society, with that of each volume of the Society’s Magazine, which shall be known as The Avicultural Magazine, shall commence with the month of November and end on the 31st of October following. 2. — The Avicultural Society shall consist of Ordinary and Honorary Members; and the latter shall be restricted in number to six, and be elected by the Council. 3. — The Officers of the Society shall be elected, annually if necessary, by the Members or Council in manner hereinafter provided, and shall consist of a President, one or more Vice-Presidents, a Business Secretary, a Correspondence Secretary, an Editor, a Treasurer, an Auditor, a Scrutineer, and a Council of Twelve Members. The Secretaries, Editor, and Treasurer, shall be ex-officio Members of the Council, and the first three of the Executive Committee. 4. — New Members shall be proposed in writing; and the name and address of every person thus proposed, with the name of the Member proposing him, shall be published in the next issue of the Magazine. Unless the candidate shall, within two weeks after the publication of his name in the Magazine, be objected to by at least two Members, he shall be deemed to be duly elected. If five Members shall lodge with the Business Secretai-y objections to any candidate he shall not be elected, but the signatures to the signed objections must be verified by the Scrutineer. If two or more Members (but less than five) shall object to any candidate, the Secretary shall announce in the next number of the Magazine that such objections have been lodged (but shall not disclose the names of the objectors), and shall request the Members to vote upon the question of the election of such candidate. Members shall record their votes in sealed letters addressed to the Scrutineer, and a candidate shall not be elected unless two-thirds of the votes recorded be in his favour; nor shall a candidate be elected if five or more votes be recorded against his election. 5. — Each Member shall pay an annual subscription of 10/-, to be due and payable in advance on the 1st of November in each year. New 1 6 Rules of the Avicultural Society. Members shall pay, in addition, an entrance fee of 10/6; and, on payment of their entrance fee and subscription, they shall be entitled to receive all the Numbers of the Society’s Magazine for the current year. 6. — Members intending to resign their Membership at the end of the current year of the Society are expected to give notice to the Business Secretary before the ist of October, so that their names may not be included in the “List of Members” which shall be published annually in the November Number of the Magazine. 7. — The Magazine of the Society shall be issued on or about the first day of every month*, and forwarded, post free, to all the Members who shall have paid their subscription por the year ; but no Magazine shall be sent or delivered to any Member until the annual subscription shall have reached the hands of the Business Secretary. Members whose subscription shall not have been paid as above by the first day of September in any year shall cease to be Members of the Society, and shall not be re-admitted until a fresh entrance fee, as well as the annual subscription, shall have been paid. 8. — The Editor shall have an absolute discretion as to what matter shall be published in the Magazine (subject to the control of the Council). The Business Secretary and Editor shall respectively refer all matters of doubt or difficulty to the Council. The decision of the majority of the Council shall be final and conclusive in all matters. 9. — The Secretaries, Editor, and Treasurer shall be elected for a term of five years, and, should a vacancy occur, it may be filled up by the Executive Committee. At the expiration of the term of five years in every case, it shall be competent for the Council to re-elect the officer for a further term of five years, unless a second candidate be proposed by not less than twenty-five Members of at least two years’ standing, as set forth below. As regards the Council, an election may take place any October should the number of sitting Members and candidates exceed, if only by one, the number of vacancies. Should two years pass without an election, in the third there shall be a general election, as shown below. Should, however, the number of candidates not exceed twelve, voting papers would not be issued. Candidates for any post must be proposed in writing by one Member, and seconded by one (or more, see above) other Member, before they shall be eligible for election ; but this shall not apply to officers willing to stand for re-election to the same office. All such proposals which have been duly * Owing to the extra pressure of work, the October and November numbers must be late. 1 7 Rides of the Avicultural Society. seconded must reach the Business Secretary before the ioth of September. The Business Secretary shall prepare a voting paper containing a list of the candidates, showing the offices for which they are respectively seeking election or re-election, and shall send a copy of such voting paper to each Member of the Society with the October Number of the Magazine. Each Member shall make a cross (X) opposite the names of those for whom he desires to vote, and shall sign the voting paper at the foot, and send it to the Scrutineer, in a sealed envelope, so as to reach him by the 16th of October. The Scrutineer shall prepare a written return of the officers elected, showing the number of the votes recorded for each candidate, and send it to the Business Secretary before the 2ist of October for publication in the November Number of the Magazine. In the event of an equality of votes, the President shall have a casting vote. 10. — It shall be lawful for the Council to delegate any of their powers to a Committee of not less than three, including the ex-officio Members. 11. — The Council (but not a Committee of the Council) shall have power to alter and add to the Rules, from time to time, in any manner they may think fit, — five to form a quorum at any meeting of the Council. 12. — The Council shall have power to expel any Member from the Society at any time without assigning any reason. 13— Neither the office of Scrutineer nor that of Auditor shall be held for two consecutive years by the same person. 14' — Scrutineer shall not reveal to any person how any Member shall have voted. 15- — If any office shall become vacant at any time other than at the end of the Society’s year, the Council shall have power to nominate any Member of the Society to fill the vacancy until the expiration of the current year. i8 The Society's Medal. THE SOCIETY’S MEDAL. The Medal may be awarded, at the discretion of the Committee, to any Member who shall succeed in breeding, in the United Kingdom, any species of bird which shall not be known to have been previously bred in captivity in Great Britain or Ireland. Any Member wishing to obtain the Medal must send a detailed account to the Business Secretary, for publica¬ tion in the Magazine, within about eight weeks from the date of the hatching of the young, and furnish such evidence of the facts as the Executive Committee may require. The Medal will be awarded only in cases where the young shall live to be old enough to feed themselves, and to be wholly independent of their parents. The account of the breeding must be reasonably full, so as to afford instruction to our Members, and should describe the plumage of the young, and be of value as a permanent record of the nesting and general habits of the species. These points will have great weight when the question of award¬ ing the Medal is under consideration. The parents of the young must be tli ebona fide property of the breeder. Any evasion of this rule, in any form whatever, will not only disqualify the breeder from any claim to a Medal in that particular instance, but will seriously prejudice any other claims he or she may subsequently advance for the breeding of the same or other species. In every case, the decision of the Committee shall be final. Tbe Medal will be forwarded to each Member as soon after it shall have been awarded as circumstances will permit. The Medal is struck in bronze, and measures 2J inches in diameter. It bears on the obverse a representation of two birds with a nest containing eggs, and the words “ The Avicultural Society — Founded 1S94.” On the reverse is the following inscription : “ Awarded to (name of donee) for rearing young of (name of species) a species not previously bred in captivity in the United Kingdom. Members to whom Medals have been atvarded. Vol. III., p. 210.. Mr. R. A. Todd, for breeding the Long-tailed Grassfincli, Poephila acuticauda, in 1897. ,, IV., pp. 45 & 77. Mr. George E. Bouskiia, for breeding the Golden- crowned Parralceet, Cyanorhamplms auriceps, in 1897. ,, IV., p. 212. The Rev. C. D. Farrar, for breeding the African Fire- fiucli, Lagonosticta minima , in 1S9S. ,, V., p. 1. Mr. E. G. B. Meade-Wat.do, for breeding the Chinese Quail, Excalfactoria chinensis , in 1S9S. The Society's Medal. Vol. V., p. 159. me society s ivieaai. ig Mr. E. G. B. Meade-Wat.do, for breeding the Scops Owl, Scops giu, ill 1899. ,, „ p- 165. The Rev. C. D. Farrar, for breeding the Nonpareil, Cyanospiza ciris , in 1899. » p- 169. Mr. R. Phippipps, for breeding the Black Lark, Melano- corypha yeltoniensis, in 1899. VI., p. 217. The Rev. C. D. Farrar, for breeding Barraband’s ,, ,, p. 270. Parrakeet, Polytelis barrabandi, in 1900. The Rev. C. D. Farrar, for breeding the Indigo-bird, Cyanospiza cyanea, in 1900. „ VII., p. 29. Mr. L. W. Hawkins, for breeding the Cuba or Melo¬ dious Finch, Phonipara canora , in 1900. »> » P- 32. Mr. L. W. Hawkins, for breeding the Masked Grass- finch, Poephila personata, in 1900. »> >> P- 45- Miss R. Apderson, for breeding the Lavender Finch, Lagonosticta coernlescens, in 1900. pp. 165 & 215, Mr. D. SeTh-Smith, for breeding the Cape „ „ p. 191. Sparrow, Passer arcuatus, in 1901. Mrs. Johnstone, for breeding Leadbeater’s Cockatoo, Cacatua leadbeateri, in 1901. » >. P- 192- The Rev. C. D. Farrar, for breeding the Andaman Starling, Poliopsar andarnanensis, in 1901. » „ P- 197- The Rev. C. D. Farrar, for breeding the Black-headed or Pagoda Mynah, Temenuchus pagodarum, in 1901. .. » P- 217- Mr. W. H. St. Quintin, for breeding the European Roller, Coracias garrulus, in 1901. .. » P- 2I9- Mr. A. E. Nichopson, for breeding the Rufous-tailed Grassfinch, Bathilda ruficauda, in 1901. „ VIII. p. 39- Mr. J. L. Bonhote, for breeding the Spotted Eagle-Owl, Bubo maculosus, in 1901. » » P- 65- Miss R. Apderson, for breeding the Orange-cheeked Waxbill, Sporaeginthus, melpodus, in 1901. „ „ p. 212. lhe Rev. C. D. Farrar, for breeding the Many-coloured Parrakeet, Psephotus multicolor, in 1902. p. 246 & Vol. IX., p. 15. Mr. Pnippipps, for breeding the Blue » >• P- 249- Wren, Malurus cyaneus, in 1902.* Mrs. Johnstone, for Breeding the Barnard’s Parrakeet, Barnardius barnardi, in 1902. ,, ,, p. 264. Mrs. Howard Wippiams, for breeding the Ringed Finch. Stictoptera annulosa, in 1902. » » P- 285- The Rev. C. D. Farrar, for breeding the American Cat¬ bird, Galeoscoptes carolinensis, in 1902. „ „ p. 2S9. Mr. Phippipps, for breeding the Australian Waxbill, BE gin t ha temporalis, in 1902.* Not accepted.— R.P 20 The Society's Medal. Vol.VIII. p. 295. NEW SERIES. Vol. I., p. 317. „ » P- 366- „ >, P- 393- „ „ p. 400. Miss R. Anderson, for breeding the Wliite-winged Zenaida Dove, Melopelia leucoptera, in 1902. Mr. D. Seth-Smith, for Breeding the Greater Button- Quail, Turnix ianki , in 1903. Mr. L. M. Seth-Smith, for breeding the Rain Quail, Coturnix coromandelica, in 1903. Miss R. Ai.derson, for breeding the White-fronted Dove, Leptoptila jamaicensis, in 1903. Mr. W. H. ST. QuinTin, for breeding the Ruff, Pavoncella pugnax, in 1903. Avi cultural Magazine RUFOUS -BELLIED NILTAVA . Niltava sundara. Mint: em Br o s . imp . The male from a living specimenmthe possession of M37 Russ ell Humphry s . THE 21 Hvtcultural /Iftacjastne, BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE AVICU LTURAL SOCIETY. New Series. — VOL. II. — NO. 1. — All rights reserved. NOVEMBER, 1903. THE RUFOUS-BELLIED NILTAVA. Niltava sundara. Ey Russell Humphrys. In the Avicultural Magazine for November, 1902, a short account was published of the male bird, illustrated in this month’s number. Privately imported by one of our members, it came into my possession in the early summer of last year, and has, up to the present time, always been the picture of health and condition. Although it is always difficult to draw definite conclusions from one example, it seems obvious that Niltava sundara is not a particularly delicate cage bird. In comparison with our British Flycatchers it is practically hardy. During the recent summer, the subject of Mr. Grouvold’s beautiful plate has been placed outdoors all day, and has, during that time, successfully accom¬ plished his second moult without the least apparent incon¬ venience. The moult has each year been completed by the end of July, and the bird in song again during August. In the previous article published it was stated that Niltava sundara warbled agreeably, reminding the writer forcibly of the Red-backed Shrike ; this has been subsequently confirmed, although perhaps the notes of the former bird are stronger and more varied. A voracious appetite for soft fruit and a marked partiality for all live insects are the chief characteristics of his diet. 22 Mr. W. H. St. Quintin, NESTING OF THE WAXWING IN CONFINEMENT. By W. H. St. Quintin, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. The Waxwing (. Ampelis garrulus ) has always been a favourite of mine, although, until I discarded all food of a farinaceous nature from it’s diet, I never succeeded in keeping this bird long in satisfactory health. That I have now hit off a suitable regime is I think proved by the fact that I have, in a garden aviary, a pair of Waxwings in splendid order, which have twice hatched young this last summer. So much interest has always attached to the breeding habits of this charming inhabitant of northern forest lands, and so much mystery, until Mr. Wolley’s discovery,* that I may perhaps be pardoned for describing in some detail my birds’ operations, even though under very artificial conditions. On May 24th, I first noticed these two birds feeding each other (or rather the one which afterwards turned out to be the cock feeding his companion), and going through other perfor¬ mances suggestive of a wish to go to nest. I did not take this very seriously until I found that they were driving some other individuals of the same species, and showing so much excitement that I nailed the head of a spruce tree to one side of the aviary, and suspended an orchid basket dressed with yew twigs from the roof, supplying such materials as are said to be used by the wild bird, except that at that time I had not any of the long tree lichen, or Old Man’s Beard, a supply of which arrived from Scotland too late to be of any service. To my delight 011 June 16th, I saw one of the Waxwings go into the swinging basket, and, by moving its body and wings, shape a hollow, as if for a nest. The other three birds were looking scared, and sitting on a low branch near the ground, so we removed them. Next day the pair had carried material (grass bents) into the basket, and the nest looked more compact, and had assumed a more definite shape. This went on for the next few days, the *See Mr. Phillipps’ letter in the September number of the Magazine. on Nesting of the Waxwing in Confinement. 23 birds becoming exceedingly bold and tame, and by the 22nd the nest was apparently complete, a considerable amount of pieces of dried shepherd’s purse, chickweed, fine rootlets, and dead grass having been accumulated, and a lining made of feathers and rabbit’s fur. I should add that by this time we had seen the birds pair more than once, and were able to say for certain that one which had been badly mauled by a brown owl through the wires of the aviary, and still carried a mark where the feathers were perman¬ ently disarranged, was the female. The male’s “ show” was all this time very beautiful. With crest fully erect, and wings and tail spread and drooping, he would hop round his mate as she sat crouching on a branch with a mealworm in his beak, as it were tantalising her, and exhibit¬ ing his lovely plumage to the best advantage, before he dropped the gift into her expectant mouth. The notes of the birds did not differ during the nesting period from the ordinary twitter heard at other times. On the 23rd of June a high wind, from an unusual quarter, spun the hanging basket round, and seemed to upset the birds ; for they transferred their attentions to the spruce tree, into which we fixed a Mistle Thrush’s nest as soon as we saw that they were neglecting the first nest. On 27th they were lining the Thrush’s nest with feathers. We then ventured to examine the nest in the basket by means of a small mirror fastened to a stick, and to everybody’s huge delight a beautiful egg was seen. I need not say how carefully this was blown, and it was immediately sent up to our Hon. Secretary for inspection, who had all along showed much kind, interest in my birds’ proceedings. On the 28th in the early morning the male was sitting in the nest, and this was the only occasion when we saw him there. On the 30th June the hen began to sit steadily. On that day I saw her, after chasing the male (for food ?) go on again, arranging herself so that I felt sure that she had a clutch of eggs under her. On the 14th of July the male was noticed to be very bold, and excited, jealously driving off any other birds (Bearded Tits). O11 the next day young birds were seen being fed. The period of incubation may therefore be taken as fourteen days. 24 Mr. W. H. St. Quintin, All went well for the first few days, from July 14th, the hen (alone) taking mealworms out of the pan, killing them, and presently disgorging them into the throats of the three young. But, sad to say, on the 17th, a change took place. The parent, instead of delivering partly-digested or crushed mealworms, kept dropping freshly-killed ones into the mouths of the young, which seemed unable to swallow them. They let the worm drop into the bottom of the nest, whence the hen would pick it up, and very patiently repeat the process eight or a dozen times before she gave it up, and went off to the pan for a fresh supply, only with the same result. Chopped mealworms, and selected small ones, and some small caterpillars were provided, and were taken up to the brood by the parent, but it was no good, they were not swallowed. Meanwhile my man could see that the young were getting visibly weaker. So, as the old birds were very tame, he thought the only chance was to give them a little help by hand. At intervals of an hour he offered them fresh ants’ eggs, fresh egg yolk, scalded sultana raisins, but chiefly soft white mealworms that had just changed their skins. But there was great difficulty in getting the nestings to swallow even the smallest morsel; and, when they did get anything down, it was nearly always thrown up again. On the 18th, the little ones were dead, and there was a clear egg left besides, making up the usual clutch of five, (counting the egg left in the first nest). The throats of the young after death seemed swollen, and slightly inflamed. What can have caused this I cannot imagine. It is true that on the day on which the young were first seen to be amiss the heat was great (max. in shade 75 degs.) And as the nest was within a couple of feet of the glass roof, the hen bird felt it much, for she brooded the young with her mouth open. But I cannot think that excessive heat alone, all the surround¬ ings being perfectly sweet and wholesome, could induce an inflammatory throat affection. However, as a precaution, the glass over the nest was removed, and some perforated zinc put in its place. Five days after the dead bodies of the little birds were 07i Nesting of the Waxwing in Confinement. 25 removed the pair relined the nest ; and on the 25th July the hen was sitting again on three eggs. Perhaps the strain upon the birds of the second nest so late in the season, and when the monlt was due, was too much ; for only one young one was hatched this time, the other two young dying, after chipping the shells. On the evening of the same day my man, having reason to think that the young bird was not being fed, removed it and placed it under the care of a Yellow-Hammer, which he happened to know was just hatching. Here it seemed to be doing satis¬ factorily until Friday (it was hatched on Sunday August 9th), when it was found to have swallowed a horsehair from the lining of the nest. There were five inches within the body of the poor little thing, and, though the hair was drawn out with all possible -are, the operation was a severe one, for the hair (from the ictiou of the gizzard ?) was twisted into a spiral, and came up with difficulty. The nestling seemed much exhausted, and it is tot to be wondered at that it was found dead next morning. I am glad to say that the old birds have completed their noult, and seem perfectly sound and well. I shall of course try o alter their treatment somehow on the next occasion, if I am ucky enough to have another nest. I should have said that, perhaps stimulated by their com- >anions’ example, two of the other trio were seen feeding each 'ther, and also carrying nesting material ; but, though we gave hem every opportunity, nothing came of it in their case. It is perhaps exceptionally interesting that, owing to the light blemish above described, my female bird can always be istinguished from her mate. Otherwise I confess that I can ■°t see a°y difference either in the general plumage, or even a the ornamental, waxen appendages, or golden feathertips, 'etween the two birds. 26 Mr. Graham Renshaw, THE LESSER BIRD OF PARADISE. By Graham Renshaw, M.B. Aviculturists have hitherto enjoyed but few opportunities of studying Birds of Paradise in captivit5r : indeed the rare occasions on which living specimens have arrived in Europe may almost be counted on the fingers of one hand. Many years ago two examples of the Lesser Bird of Paradise ( Paradisea minor) were brought home by Mr. A. R. Wallace. The Twelve-wired species ( Seleucides nigricans) has once been exhibited at the Zoo, and the Great Bird of Paradise (P. apoda) was represented there last summer. In 1901 I saw a fine adult Drawn from a sketch by Graham Renshaw, M.B. Paradisea minor , $ juv. .SUNNING ITSELF. Amsterdam Zoological Gardens, 1902. 27 on the Lesser Bird of Paradise. apoda in Liverpool, the only survivor of several which it had been attempted to bring over. Abroad, a specimen of P. apoda was exhibited in the Berlin Zoological Gardens in 1899. This list is but a meagre one at best, so that the following notes on the young P. minor living at Amsterdam may be interesting. At the time of my visit the bird was apparently about three years old, and was just completing moult. The head was partly covered with minute prickly brownish feathers and partly with pale creamy feathers of a velvety texture. There were no long floating plumes springing from the sides of the body as in the adult, but the long wire-like rectrices were already apparent as two slender filaments in the centre of the tail. Since Birds of Paradise are usually studied from dried skins only, it was interesting to note the colour of the various structures during life. The iris was pale gamboge yellow ; the beak and feet leaden colour, the latter being faintly tinged with pink. The tongue was also leaden colour and quadrifid (not bifid) at the tip, each of the two rami into which it was split being themselves also minutely bifurcated. The roof of the mouth and posterior edge of the palate were beset with spiny elevations, probably to assist the bird in holding its food. This specimen was fond of basking in the sunshine like a Glossy Starling and sat almost upright on its perch, with its head turned to one side, and the wings extended and drooping as if to present as large a surface as possible to the sun’s rays. It was very ill-tempered, and on being approached kept up a most dis¬ agreeable croaking like a spoilt child that does not wish to be meddled with. The Dutch keeper said that it had already been three years at Amsterdam, so that its temper would probably grow worse with age : it continued to make its unpleasant noise almost the whole time that I stood by taking notes, and was ready on the least provocation to recommence its efforts. The bird appeared to be in excellent health. It was very fond of mealworms, and was also fed on chopped hard-boiled egg, grapes, carrots and dates. 28 Miss R. Anderson, NESTING OF THE WHITE-FRONTED OR VIOLET DOVE. Leptoptila jamaicensis . By Miss R. Alderson. (Continued from p. 397, Vol. 1., New Series J. Three days after the first young Violet Dove had left the nest, the second one followed. For some hours it had been getting restless, and late in the afternoon it descended in safety. This second bird (which I take to be a hen) was smaller in size than the first young bird, and whiter on the forehead. I had a thick bed of straw put down in one corner of the aviary just below the nest, and an L shaped piece of floor boarding 11 inches high enclosing it. This protection can be made in two separate pieces, the ends shaped so that after being fitted together they can be held by a single nail ; made in this way, they are more convenient for storing away in the winter. I find these ■cribs splendid for keeping young birds in safety when they first leave the nest. The cribs should be a good size, say 4ft. by 3^-ft. For the further protection of the baby Violet Doves, I also put an empty box in one corner of the crib with a small doorway at one end. They were fond of retiring in here and nestling in the hay inside, and by just raising the lid I could always see if they were all right. It is a good plan to always put a thick layer of straw under a dove’s nest directly the young birds have hatched. It will be a great protection to them when they leave the nest, as, if they fall heavily on to a hard floor on their first attempt to venture out, it' may cause a broken leg or wing. During the past summer, before I adopted this plan, I had a fine j^oung Half-collared Turtle fatally injured in this way. Photograph No. 1 (see last number) was taken when the two young birds had just left the nest. Their colouring was as follows : — Fyes brown ; forehead, throat and breast, whitish drab ; back and wings chocolate brown, with chestnut spots on the wings (like the spots on a Necklace Dove); under parts white ; on the Nesting of the White-fronted or Violet Dove. 29 outer feathers of tail white ; remainder of tail grey brown ; legs dirty flesh-coloured ; length between six and seven inches. The old birds took the greatest care of their young ones, and “Bessie” would sit on the straw in the sun with a baby dove on each side of her. Strangely enough I don’t remember ever seeing the young birds being fed. The eldest I first noticed pecking seed when it was a month old. On July nth we had a most terrible storm with thunder, lightning, and a torrent of heavy rain. I hurried down to the aviary fearful for the safety of the young Violets, and to my surprise found the young cock thoroughly enjoying himself and spreading out one tiny wing to catch the rain. Both young birds got very wet but took no harm. The spots on the wings had almost disappeared by July 2 1st, and ten days earlier I had noticed the sheen coming on the neck of the elder young one — and a few days later on the second also. The violet patch also began to show, and by the end of July there was not really very much difference between the old and young birds. The latter quickly learnt to come to me for bits of peanuts, and were as fond of this dainty as their parents. It was by using this inducement that I managed (on August 1st) to take photograph No. 3. The bird in the foreground is “Narcissus,” that 011 the right (and also in photograph No. 2) is the young cock. I find Doves, Quails, and even small birds delight in cut-up peanuts, and I think they are a very wholesome addition to their usual diet. I cut up my own nuts at first, but it took up a good deal of time. Later I found they could be procured from Messrs. Armitage, seed merchants, Nottingham, ready ground, for 4/- per stone, carriage extra. I now buy the nuts by the stone and use them regularly. The Violet Doves nested again but failed to hatch their eggs. I think the young ones were partly to blame as they would keep returning to the nest. Since then the Doves have again nested and had two eggs, but, as I am writing this from Rev. F. L. Blathwayt, 30 home, I do not know how they have fared. * Both the old birds are in fine condition, though their plumage has got a little worn with both sitting on the nest together. When pleased, the Violet Doves have a habit of raising their wings and quivering them very rapidly: the young birds soon learnt to do the same, and it was a pretty sight to see all four birds with their wings in motion when I threw them down some peanut. Before I close I may just add how very useful I have found Tibbs’ Ouinella for young birds just out of the nest. Often when they first come out they take a chill, which quickly changes to internal inflammation ; the young one becomes very relaxed and possibly lame in one leg, and if not seen to soon droops and dies _ for the parents will not tend an unhealthy bird ; I have also found this remedy very effectual with other young birds. Full directions are given with the medicine, and the birds do not seem to mind drinking it. Though it is not well to handle young birds, a careful watch should be kept on them when just out of the nest, so that any mischief may be checked in time. RAMBLES AMONG THE WILD BIRDS (No. Ill) By the Rev. F. L. Blathwayt, M.B.O.U. ON HIGHLAND LOCHS. “Land of brown heath and shaggy wood, Land of the mountain and the flood.” The lovers of our British wild birds who dwell in the southern parts of our islands are probably well acquainted with a number of species which come as visitors from Autumn to early Spring, but which depart with the advent of the breeding season and travel northward to regions where they bring up their young. Some of these species push so far North, even into unexplored regions around the Pole, that their nesting habits are very imperfectly known or even entirely shrouded in mystery ; * On returning home I found that the Doves hatched their eggs, but the young birds soon died. My bird man tells me that they looked as though they had been crushed, so possibly they were smothered by the old birds sitting together on them.— K. A. 3i on Rambles among the Wild Birds. but there are others which do not entirely desert the British Islands, but leave some of their number in the North of Scotland where they lay their eggs and rear their broods. It was with the object of seeing some of these winter visitors to the South in their Summer homes that my brother and I journeyed northward last May to spend a fortnight’s holiday in Sutherland. When the long train journey was over there were yet more than 20 miles to be covered by coach before our destination was reached. This was through a country of very varied scenery. Lofty mountains, still capped with snow ; swift salmon rivers running through rocky and well- wooded straths ; bleak water-sodden moors ; lochs, some small and nestling on the shoulders of the mountains, others more extensive and dotted with birch-clad islets ; all these presented features unfamiliar to the dweller in the South, and gave promise of affording a Summer home to many interesting species of birds. A good deal of our time was spent in trout-fishing on the beautiful lochs of West Sutherland, and so it was with those birds which haunt the lochs that we became most familiar. We very soon found that we were not alone in our attempts to beguile the wily little trout. We had a most conspicuous and very successful fellow fisherman in the Black-throated Diver (Colymbzis arcticus). A pair of these fine birds were to be seen on most of the larger lochs of the neighbourhood, and very handsome they looked in their smart Summer plumage, quite different from the more sober-coloured dress they wear during their stay in southern waters. We found two nests of this species, each containing a pair of long-shaped, olive-brown eggs, dotted with a few black spots. In both cases these had been laid on tiny islets in the lochs, and were placed in shallow depressions, scantily lined with moss and weeds, only a few feet from the water’s edge. A good deal has been written about the position of the Divers and their allies the Grebes, when on land, so we determined to watch one of these birds leave the water and go to her eggs, and so settle the question for ourselves. This, how¬ ever, we found to be no easy matter, for the birds -were so shy that they would not approach the nests while we were in sight. 32 Rav. F. L. Blathwayt, One day, however, we had more success. Knowing of a pair breeding on a small hill loch which only contained one islet, we determined to creep up very quietly in the hopes of seeing one of the birds on land. The excitement of that stalk was very great. A long detour was first of all necessary ; and then we crawled to the top of some rising ground, overlooking the loch, and crouched behind a pile of rock, which much resembled a Dartmoor ‘ tor.’ Over this shelter we raised our heads inch by inch, and soon saw the Divers on the water near their island home. They evidently had no knowledge of our approach for we had not waited a minute before one of them, probably the female, swam towards the islet and settled down upon her eggs. Two strong pairs of field-glasses were “ glued ” upon her as she left the water, and so every movement could be clearly followed. She scrambled awkwardly over the stones in the shallow water and then crossed the five or six feet of turf between the margin and her eggs by shuffling along on her breast, using her legs and feet to propel her much as she would do in the water, and never once standing upright. There was nothing graceful about the performance, and it was pretty evident that the bird was not at all at her ease on land. On reaching her nest she raised her breast slightly and took a few seconds arranging her eggs com¬ fortably beneath her before she settled down. We then showed our heads over the rock and expected she would leave the eggs at once. Her mate gave a hoarse croak of alarm, but the sitting bird appeared afraid to move at first, and kept twisting her head about in all directions as if uncertain what sort of danger threatened her. When we advanced towards her she shuffled awkwardly off her eggs, scrambled hurriedly along on her breast towards the water and instantly dived, coming up again in the loch at some distance from the islet. After watching this bird on the land, it seemed to us that it would have been quite impossible for her to sit up erect, in the way in which this class of birds may so often be seen set up in cases or represented in pictures. The other pair of eggs we saw were placed on a very small islet in a much larger loch, and were laid so close to the water that a slight rise would certainly have covered them. A few feet away was a nest and eggs of the Greater Black-backed Gull on Rambles among the Wild Birds . 33 (. Larus marinas), and also two or three nests of the Common Gull (Larus canus). We had misgivings as to the safety of the Divers’ eggs when we saw the Black-backed marauders standing only a few feet off them, but apparently they had no hostile intention, as the Divers’ eggs were safe when we visited the islet a few days later. It seems that there must be some sort of etiquette among different species of birds breeding in close proximity. These large Gulls are noted for their partiality for eggs, and yet these three species were dwelling on this tiny islet, apparently in perfect harmony. It will be gathered from what has been written above that the actions of the Black-throated Diver on land are anything but graceful ; but in the water quite the reverse is the case. The bird is beautifully adapted for an aquatic life, and, except when incubating or flying in the air, probably never leaves the water at all. When alarmed, these birds sink their bodies and swim rapidly along with the water rippling over their backs, and scarcely any part of them but the head and neck showing above the surface. They dive repeatedly, and stay a long time beneath the water, often reappearing far away from the spot where they vanished. The dive is not always a distinct forward plunge, as is the case with the Diving Ducks, but, especially when alarmed, the birds seem merely to bend the head and neck into the water and so sink out of sight, scarcely leaving a ripple upon the surface. The Divers, though they have some difficulty in rising from the water, fly well and very rapidly. We often saw a pair o.f them circling high over the lochs while we were fishing. They carry their necks stretched out in front and beat their wings quickly, the mode of flight resembling that of the Ducks, but they have a curious appearance in the air in consequence of the wings being placed far back in their bodies. Just before the birds descend to alight on the water, they set up a harsh quacking noise, uttered very rapidly, but resembling somewhat the quacking of a farmyard Duck. As the birds dash down very swiftly into the water their note is somewhat drawn out, and may be represented by the words “ Ouarra-quark,” “ quarra-quark,” the accent being on the last syllable. 34 Rev. F. L. Blathwayt, These birds were a constant source of pleasure to us, and often while fishing we would lay down our rods and watch their habits through our glasses. The bird-life around us was in fact so interesting that the weight of our creels, when we started for home, was often far less than it might have been. In the mornings, as we tramped over the water-sodden moors towards the loch, for the day’s fishing, the rippling wail of the Curlew (Nttmenius arqucita), and the clear call of the Golden Plover ( Chctradrius pluvialis ) could be heard on either hand. Suddenly a Grouse ( Lctgopus scoticns) would blunder up, covered with confusion, almost under our feet, and shout to us a hurried but unavailing “ Go-back ” “Go-back,” as he skimmed over a shoulder of rising ground. Then a little black-breasted Dunlin ( Tringa alpina ) would spring from the side of some tiny pool, with a harsh “ cree,” and dart away to the loch-side, uttering while alighting on the margin, a long-drawn trill sounding like a rusty electric bell. As we crunched over the boulders and shingle to the little stone jetty where the boat was moored, the startling double cry of the Greenshank ( Totanus canescens ) or the mellower note of the Redshank (71 calidris ) would ring out over the water, as the birds gave the note of alarm to all the dwellers on the loch. The Gulls then (. Lancs canus ) would rise in a cloud from their nests on the islands, and wheel in circles overhead amid a medley of querulous and musical cries, the harsh croak of the Greater Black-backed Gull, and the ‘ how-how-how ’ of his lesser relative ( L . fuscus) helping to swell the chorus. As the gillie bails the rain-water out of the boat, we 'watch a pair of Common Sandpipers ( Totanus hypoleuais) flitting with mournful, long-drawn cries, from stone to stone, anxious for the safety of their young, which are doubtless crouching among the pebbles at our feet. Suddenly the shrill ‘whN- WORLD- FAME I) (V Specialities in BIRD FOOD. LARGE STOCK OF RARE FOREIGN BIRDS. HARTZ MOUNTAIN ROLLERS, Norwich, Yorkshire and Lizard Canaries. Cock Birds in full Song now in Stock ABRAHAMS’ TONIC for Diarrhoea and Strengthening Birds. EVERY DESCRIPTION OF Cage and Aviary Appliance, Seed, etc., in stock. For complete Price List apply to — J. ABRAHAMS, HSE 191 & 192, ST. GEORGE STREET EAST, LONDON, E. J. ABRAHAMS’ is the oldest and most reliable Establishment in England. JANUARY, 1904. NEW SERIES. MONTHLY. voi. ii. No 3 Price is 6d- Members’ Annual Subscription, 10/- J payable in advance. THE JOURNAL OF THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY. ■CONTENTS. 0-4 The Summer or Carolina Duck (< with coloured plate) by Frank Finn, B.A., F.Z.S. Some Field Notes in South Africa, by Capt B. Horsbrugh More attempts to breed the Tambourine Dove, by A. G. Butler, Ph.D. Foreign Birds at the December Show at the Crystal Palace... The Martineta Tinamou breeding in Captivity ; Polyandry in Birds Bird Notes from the Zoological Gardens, by Frank Finn, B.A., F.Z.S. Ring-necked Parrakeets at large in Hampshire Correspondence, Notes, etc. — Aviaries belonging to Lady Dunleath, 113 ; Sponge-cake for Insectivorous birds, 114 : Hybrid — Nutmeg-finch x Silverbill, 115 : What Tanager 116 : Rearing young Saffron- and Ribbon- finches, 116 : The Grey-winged Ouzel ; Covering singing birds; The Calcutta Zoo, 116 : The Southern Migration of Waxwings, 117 : African Fire-finches breeding in outdoor aviary, 118 : The Nile Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, 118 : The Influence of Diet on the Avian Death-rate, 119 : The Council of the Society, 119. Post-mortem Examinations 89 94 100 103 104 106 107 LOND ON : R. H. PORTER, 7, Princes St., Cavendish Square, W. NOTE.— A new volume commences every November. II. I*- All Subscriptions should be sent to the Honorary Business Secretary. THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY. Persons wishing to join the Aviculturai, Society are requested to communicate with the Hon. Business Secretary. NOTICES TO MEMBERS. The Subscription to the Avicultural Society is 10/- per annum, due on the ist of November in each year, and is payable in advance. The entrance fee is 10/6. The Avicultural Magazine is sent free to members monthly. Members joining at any time during the year are entitled to the back numbers for the current year, on the payment of entrance fee and subscription. All MSS. for publication in the Magazine [except cases for the Society's Medal), and Books for review , should be addressed to the Editor, Mr. D. Seth-Smith, Glengarry, Canning Road, Addiscombe, Surrey. All Queries respecting Birds (except post mortem cases) should be addressed to the Honorary Correspondence Secretary, Dr. A. G. BuTCER, 124, Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent. All other correspondence, cases for the Medal , Subscriptions , and Advertise¬ ments, should be sent to the Honorary Business Secretary, Mr. R. PhieeippS, 26, Cromwell Grove, West Kensington Park, London, W. Any change of address should be at once notified to him. Advice is given, by post, by members of the Council to members of the Society, upon all subjects connected with Foreign and British birds. All queries are to be addressed to the Hon. Correspondence Secretary and should contain a penny stamp. Those marked “ Private ” will not be published. The Magazine is published by Mr. R. H. Porter (7, Princes Street, avendish Square, W.) to whom all orders for extra copies, back numbers, and bound volumes (accompanied by remittance) should be addressed. Cases for binding Vol. I., New Series, of the Magazine (in art cloth, with gold block on side) can be obtained from the Publisher, post free and carefully packed, at 1/6 each ; or the Publisher will undertake the binding of the Volume for 2/6, plus 8d. for packing and postage. All orders must be accompanied by a remittance in full ; and Members are requested to state whether they want the wrappers and advertisements bound in at the end or not. BOUND COPIES OF THE “AVICULTURAL MAGAZINE.” The following can be obtained from the Publisher at the prices given below. Postage 6d. per volume extra : Vol. II., 6/- to members; 8/6 to the public. Vols. V. to VII., to/6 each to members ; 12/6 each to the public. Vol. VIII., 14/- to members ; 17/6 to the public. Vol. I., New Series, 21/- to members; 30/- to the public (revised prices). Current Monthly Numbers 1/6 each (except in special cases, such as the Number containing the List of Members, when the Committee may increase the price), by post 1/7 ; for back Numbers a higher price is charged according to circumstances. Vols. I., III. & IV., are out of print. Second-hand copies sometimes reach the Publisher, to whom application should be made. (Continued on page Hi. of cover) •1. TO LET. HYDE’S Patent Iron Tonic Grit For all Cage Birds, Pigeons and Fowls. HYDE’S ESTHETIC SEEDS. For Song Birds. A combination of rare and expensive Seeds blended j*. to suit their natural requirements. . — HYDE’S Ihyde’sI lid. A Id LARK FOOD. jflH mad CAGE BIRDS PIGEONS &c Hyde’s Vitaz IB l- - - S FOR POULTRY. HYDE’S NATURAL FOOD. For Aquarium Fish and Insectivorous Birds. Sold in Tins. Sample Box, Id. The latest achievement in Ornithology Extracts from a letter from Mr. J. PARKINSON, NATURALIST, BLACKPOOL, ENGLAND, October 30th, zqot. “ Your Traveller was right in saying that the three nests of Parrots which I have reared were brought up on \'onr .aesthetic Seeds, which were boiled for about half an hour, and the birds when old enough they fed upon your famous Parrot Food. Your Traveller has handled the eggs and seen the young" ones progressing into maturity. More than two hundred people, from all parts of the country, have visited me in order to see ■the Parrots ; and four gentlemen, who are Bird Naturalists, are presenting me with a Silver Cup, in commemoration of such an unprecedented accomplishment.” The “ BLACKPOOL GAZETTE” of Dec. 4th Says— “ Mr. Parkinson has apparently solved the problem of Parrot-rearing, which has troubled Bird Fanciers generally throughout the country, and his skill in this direction has been recognised by the presentation of two Silver Cups’at the local Bird Show.” R. HYDE & Go., Ltd., 54, L1LFORD RD., CAMBERWELL. Established 1802]. [Patronised by Royalty. AUGUSTUS ZACHE & CO., Bird and Small l?fd Bealeus, 196, GREAT PORTLAND STREET, LONDON, W. Sal 111011 -faced Pearl finches Wliite-throated&De.sert Bullfinches Burmese Buntings Lavender and Blue Waxbills Australian Piping Crows Laughing Jackasses. Bluebonnets Yellow-naped Parrakeets Australian Bearded Parrakeets Blue Mountain Lories (tame) Black-winged Kites Yellow-naped Amazons Surinian Amazons Le Vaillant’s Amazons Blue- fronted Amazons Lesser Java Cockatoo {tame & talks) Blue & Rhesus Monkeys (tame) Singapore Monkeys (tame) Bonnet Monkeys (tame) Rufus Capuchin Monkeys (tame) Black-eared Marmozets (acclimatised) Dog-faced Baboons (tame) African Meercats (tame) Egyptian Giant Mongoose (tame) Indian Mongoose (very fine) Egyptian Jerboas (nice pets) Pet Dogs and Puppies (variety) Persian Cats and Kittens Speaking Parrots (a speciality) Barn Owls. Military Macaws Macaws Grand selection of Hartz Mountain Roller Cock Canaries (20,000 imported yearly). Piping Bullfinches, 50 to select from (price list with tunes free). P.O.O.’s and Cheques payable “ Union Bank of London.” Many varieties of children's harmless pets. . . . . Finest selected stock in England. . , . • . Cleanest Hygienic Shop in London . Special Singing Rooms. Cages. Aviaries. Parrot Stands. Come and see our Stock. ’ Susses pass our door in all directions. PRICE LIST FREE (by stating wants). AUGUSTUS ZACHE & COM $ird and $aiall ‘fel Deaths, 196, GREAT PORTLAND STREET, LONDON, W. — Telephone 4981 Gerrard. — / (Known throughout the Civilised and Uncivilised World). King of Wild Beast Merchants Anything from “A HUMMING BIRD TO AN ELEPHANT,” TRADE SUPPLIED, TRADE SUPPLIED. GREY AFRICAN PARROTS. Fresh Arrivals Daily. FOREIGN WATER FOWL. Hungarian Partridges for turning down. Thousands of Small Foreign Birds, suitable for Aviaries. . OLD ENGLISH RINGLESS PHEASANTS. •.CROSS’S TRADING MENAGERIE Is afVvcLvs. on view for Visitors who are desirous of seeing the - Wild Animals. At present it contains numerous LlbttS, TIGERS, ELEPHANTS, ETC. Always something New. Hundreds of arrivals weekly. May be viewed' daily from n to 4 p.m. Admission 6d. INSECTIVOROUS BIRD FOOD. (Carl Capelle’s, Hanover). Absolutely the finest food for soft-billed birds. Sole English Agent : “CROSS, LIVERPOOL.” Birds & Animals Stuffed & Preserved. National Telephones! 6491 CENTRAL and 729 ROYAL. Telegrams and Cablegrams! “CROSS,” LIVERPOOL. “ CROSS” (Known throughout the Civilized and Uncivilised World). KING OF WILD BEAST MERCHANTS, GREATEST ZOOLOGICAL EMPORIUM ON EARTH. LIVERPOOL. Avi cultural Madazine . C AROLINA,OR SUMMER DUCK. A!x sponsa. THE Bvtcultural flfoagastne, BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE AVICU LTURAL SOCIETY. New Series.— VOL. II. — No. 3.— All rights reserved. JANUARY, 1904. THE SUMMER OR CAROLINA DUCK. sEx sponsa. By Frank Finn, B.A., F.Z.S. It is a curious fact that in several cases genera comprising beautiful and remarkable species contain only two of these ; and examples may be found in the two Peafowls, the Amherst and Golden Pheasants forming the genus Chrysolophtis, and the sub¬ ject of the present article and its ally the Mandarin Duck (sEx galericulatd). These two members of the genus AEx differ con¬ spicuously from other Ducks, uot only by their short high bills, crested heads, and long broad tails, but by the unusual shape of the wing, which is unlike that of any other Duck. In the Ducks generally the inner secondaries, commonly and conveniently called tertiaries, reach nearly — sometimes quite — to the ends of the primaries ; while in the Summer and Mandarin Ducks these feathers are quite short, so that the primaries are largely exposed, and the general form of the wing is like that of a Pigeon. The colouring of these primaries, silver-grey on the outer web and dark on the inner, with a steel-blue tip to this, is also unique among the Anatida. They are small birds, only about the size of the Wood Pigeon. With regard to the distinction of the two species from each other, there is of course no possibility of any difficulty with the males ; Japanese art, if not observation, has made everyone familiar with the Mandarin’s chestnut whiskers and wing-fans, both of which are wanting in the Carolina, whose extreme rich- 90 Mr. Frank Finn, ness of colouration, however, makes great amends, and is well rendered in Mr. Goodchild’s beautiful drawing. The females of the two species are very much alike at first sight, but there are two unfailing methods of distinguishing them ; in that of our present subject the wing lining is pencilled black-and-white, and the bill invades the face-feathering at the sides in a point, while in the Mandarin Duck the wing-lining is plain drab, and the face-feathering meets the base of the bill almost in a straight line. Moreover, the Carolina is a heavier bird and more level in its carriage and lower on its legs than the Mandarin as a rule, although one of the latter species I had this spring distinctly resembled the former species in this respect. She also usually shows a strong gloss of green and purple on the upper surface, which is lacking in the Mandarin Duck, and has a wider white eye-ring. Both the white on the face and the gloss on the plumage increase with age, and the former may so extend as to meet above the bill. The Carolina Drake in undress does not resemble his Duck by any means as closely as the Mandarin, which, except for retaining his orange feet and usually more or less of the pink on his bill, is almost indistinguishable from her. He loses his crest, it is true, but still retains his white throat-marking, and shows a clear grey tint on the sides of the face, so that he is always readily distinguishable. Young Drakes wear this undress plumage as soon as they fledge, and so can be distinguished at once. The fact is a remarkable one, and together with what I have observed in other species, leads me to believe that the “undress” plumage of modern Drakes represents what was probably the full-dress of their less highly-evolved ancestors. This plumage of the Carolina Drake appears to be very little known ; Miss Hubbard mentions it in her valuable book on Ornamental Waterfowl, but does not mention it as appertaining to the young Drake, and I only observed it recently in three young birds bred in the L,ondou Zoological Gardens. Neither the old Drake in undress nor the young one in first plumage is described in the volume of the British Museum Catalogue deal¬ ing with the Ducks, and in the Bird Gallery at South Kensington on the Summer or Carolina Duck . 9i an undoubted Mandarin Drake in undress is, or was when this was written, set up to represent that phase in the Carolina. I ought, by the way, to explain why I use this latter name for the Summer Duck. It is simply because “Summer Duck” is only the book-name of the bird ; to Waterfowl-keepers, both in England and France, it is usually known as the Carolina {Carotin in French), and under this name it constantly appears at shows. In its native home of North America it is called the Wood-duck, but this name has not gained currency over here. It has a wide range in the United States, but is becoming terribly rare owing to reckless shooting, and as it does not go far north to breed, is in a fair way for extinction. . When unmolested, it is willing to be familiar with man, and, being a tree-builder, can be conciliated by means of nesting-boxes, the more so as it haunts inland localities and narrow waters more than most Ducks. Its natural breeding-places are in holes in trees, and it displays a strong perching proclivity and great skill in threading its way among trees and branches on the wing, the ease of its flight, like the form of its wings, being comparable to a Pigeon’s. The young, which, owing to their sharp little claws, are •excellent climbers, are allowed to fall from the nest, which they do without harm, being so small and light. The Carolina Duck has been known familiarly to European aviculturists far longer than the Mandarin, having bred freely and been well distributed early in the last century, when the latter was still scarce and dear. Under these circumstances, Carolina Ducks were often sold with Mandarin Drakes as their proper mates, but in spite of this no hybrids were ever bred — a most remarkable fact considering the close alliance of the two species. Of late years, however, if I recollect aright, a hybrid was bred by ■one of our members, which did not live to attain maturity. This was a great pity, as, if a male, it would in all probability have been a very beautiful bird, and of a beauty quite unique. I should recommend anyone who is trying for the cross to use the reverse mating, putting a Carolina Drake to a Mandarin Duck a match which has probably seldom been tried. Some years ago, it is true, there were on the Northern Pond of the Zoological 92 Mr. Frank Finn, Gardens a pair of Mandarins and Carolina Drake, with which latter the Mandarin Duck was mated, but they do not seem to have bred. However, in difficult crosses there is nothing like making frequent experiments, and now that Carolinas are dearer than Mandarins, there is ample opportunity for such. In disposition and habits the Carolina, as seen in captivity, is much like its Chinese alty ; being active and hardy, much attached to its mate, and well able to defend itself against even larger species. The two species of ALx, although usually averse to alliance, agree well together, and the Drakes admirabty set off each other’s beauty. The Carolina, however, is less active, restless, and excitable than the Mandarin, and the Drake does not “pose” in the laughably self-conscious manner of that species. His note is also quite different, resembling, to my ear, the word “ An -nie” as called out with an exasperated inflection by an irate matron to her errant offspring. He would seem also to be more affectionate than the Mandarin Drake, for M. G. Rogeron, whose book “ Res Canards ” is, for character-study, the best avicultural work I have ever seen, has on more than one occasion known him to die of grief for the loss of his mate. He also, according to this gentleman, has the habit, unique, I believe, in the Duck family, of calling the Duck to take any special delicacy he may find in the shape of a worm or small fish ; although it must be admitted that, if she does not hasten, the temptation to swallow the tit-bit will prove too much for her husband. For breeding Carolinas in captivity the most suitable nest¬ ing-place is a hollowed stump with a little duck-ladder leading to the cavity ; but other forms of covered nests will also serve, the stump being of course the most natural. If the Duck can have liberty with her brood on a piece of water safe from rats, crows,, and predaceous fish, and well supplied with natural food, she may be left to manage her own family, artificial food being added in the shape of meal and dried flies thrown on the water. But if artificial rearing is desired, the Carolina’s eggs should be set under a steady light hen (such as the Silkie-Pekin cross), while the Duck herself may be allowed to try her luck with Wild-Duck’s or Call- Duck’s eggs. The young Ducklings which are being reared artificially can be best managed, according to M. Rogeron, in on the Summer or Carolina Duck. 93 sunny pens under cover; for the first fortnight they are very delicate, and should not be allowed to get wet ; care should also be taken to see that they feed well, egg-and-bread-crumbs, dried ants’ eggs, duckweed, and chopped calves’ lights being provided. When well started they are very hardy, and as adults do as well as any Ducks. As two Ducks may be run with one Drake, and as several sets will live together or with Mandarins, it will be seen that a large number of these birds can be reared with proper attention, so they will more than pay their way, especially as the}^ are now about ten shillings apiece dearer than Mandarins. The climbing propensities of the young need to be guarded against, and even the adults when pinioned will climb several feet of wire-netting if they mean to get out of their enclosure, though they are on the whole much more ready to keep within bounds than Mandarins. It is, I think, a great pity to pinion these beautiful birds at all, since the operation disfigures them more than other Ducks, owing to the fact that so much of the primaries is normally visible. If they have to be kept in an enclosure it is better to stretch netting over this and leave them the use of their wings, putting up a few dead boughs as perches ; while on a large piece of water every attempt should be made, by breeding from the tamest birds, to establish a homing strain. In conclusion, I would urge those aviculturists who are in a position to breed these birds to do what they can to save this lovely species from the fate which awaits it. The market is now entirely supplied by captive-bred birds : indeed, one of our lead¬ ing Waterfowl dealers told me some time back that, far from getting any supplies from America, he would send birds there if he could get them — none being then on sale. Now, I am glad to say that the New Zealand Acclimatization Societies are bestir¬ ring themselves afresh in the matter of birds, and I recommend any who care for the preservation of beautiful species to do all in their power to facilitate, by exchanges, the introduction of the Carolina into New Zealand, where it would have, as a species, a new lease of life. The Mandarin is already there, though only as a captive ornamental bird as yet ; but it can be readily obtained 94 Capt. Boyd Horsbrugh, from China.4' So that it is the Carolina which should have the preference as a subject for acclimatization at present; and although the export of most of the native New Zealand birds, some of them very desirable, is now prohibited, I have no doubt that, if exchanges could be established between the Acclimatization Societies and aviculturists here, permission could be obtained for the export of a limited number. In this way Carolina breeders could do an inestimable service to aviculturists at large, and I for one should be very happy to do anything I could to help in establishing communication between New Zealand and an}r of ourselves. SOME FIELD NOTES IN SOUTH AFRICA. By Capt. Boyd Horsbrugh. I enclose a few notes on birds I observed in the Western Transvaal during two years spent in constantly moving from place to place in the country lying between Mafeking, Zeerust and Rustenburg in the northern part, and Kimberley, Klerksdorp and Bloemhof in the southern. I was at the time absolutely without any book on S. African birds, or my notes would have been very much fuller. The first bird I had was a j7oung Meyer’s Parrot (. Pceocephcilus meyeri) which was given to me by an old Dutch vrouw : I carried ‘ George ’ from pillar to post for a matter of 13 months; bj^dayhe shared a stout w'ooden box about 12 inches square with a Ground Squirrel ( Xerus capensis) belonging to my servant, and they both slept as close together as possible, and were the best of friends. The Parrot, when I first got him, was only just out of the downy stage and had to be fed for some time by hand. Later on he learnt to feed himself and saved me much bother. O11 arriving in camp, the box was opened, and the strangely-assorted couple had a good square feed of Ouaker-oat porridge with lots of brown sugar, the more sugar there was the * I hope that the New Zealand Societies will take up this species also for accli¬ matization. I have, since writing this article, seen in some feather sale catalogues Mandarin Duck feathers advertized by the pound ! — F. F. on some Field Notes in Sotdh Africa. 95 better they liked it. After that they ran loose about the tent and the waggon till dusk, occasionally taking a mouthful or two out of a mealie- or maize-cob. When night came they were both returned to the box. I left this bird with a lady in Mafeking, and was very grieved some time afterwards to learn that he was accidentally drowned in a bath, while the poor Squirrel died of apoplexy — too much sugar I fear. At various times I had nine of these Parrots, one of which I still have and which is alive and well and slowly changing into the adult plumage and getting the golden forehead of maturity ; I kept a keen look-out for any other sort of Parrot, but saw none. These little birds are quite common in the Magaliesberg, north of Pretoria, and most days, while there, I saw what were evidently family parties of five or six individuals ; they do not seem to go in larger flocks, and are only found where there are plenty of trees. The Boers often keep these small Parrots as well as one of the Glossy Starlings, these being the only species I saw in captivity. There should be no difficulty in getting some of these Parrots imported, and I can assure members of the Society that they are most desirable little birds with very engaging manners and a great deal of character. The bird I have now lived in Mafeking for some months loose about a house, and slept on the foot of one of the servants’ beds every night. Another little bird I noticed in Bosliof (O.F.S.) was the Red-headed Finch ( Amadina erythrocephala). Round the windows of the Dutch Church in Boshof were some dozens of mud-nests, built in the style of our familiar House-Martin by a little Black and White Swift, which very much resembles the House-Martin. Numbers of these nests were appropriated by the Finches, and I often noticed them visit the yard where I was staying, to get feathers for upholster}' purposes. I did not see them making any nests for themselves, so I presume they found the eviction plan, worked on the unfortunate Swifts, answered better and was less bother. I saw no Red-headed Finches in the Transvaal, although I kept a careful look-out for them. In the Magaliesberg I saw numbers of the Grey Waxbill 96 Capt. Boyd Horsbrugh, and the Cordon Bleu,* aud nearly every time I went through the thick bush country between Zeerust aud Rustenberg I noticed some of the rare Violet-eared Waxbills. The two former generally visit farm yards and gardens, but the Violet-eared I usuall}' noticed in the bush itself. I have written to my brother, who is in Pretoria, and hope he will some da}'- be able to send some Violet-ears, etc., home to me. Of the many Weavers, the Yellow-shouldered ( Sitagra capensis ) is ubiquitous ; every little pond where reeds or willows or long grass grow has its colony, and in the breeding season the males are very conspicuous in their bright black and yellow dress as they chase each other slowly with their extraordinary flapping flight, like that of a large weak-flying moth. The Red Caffre- fink ( Pyromelana oryx) inhabits the same sort of places and has just the same manners and customs. I saw their purse-shaped nests in hundreds along the Marko River, and they were feeding in the oat-fields after the breeding-season in the fashion of Sparrows at home. They also looked very much like Sparrows at that time of the year. All round Kimberley, and to the east of the railway line between that town and Mafeking, there were great numbers of the White-browed Weaver (Ploceipasser mahali). This bird has quite different habits to the two preceding species. It builds an untidy sparrow-like nest of grass, with very little weaving in it. I have never found them except in acacia- thorn trees, and generally at a good distance from -water. Dr. Butler, I think, in his notes on South African birds, accuses it of a sweet song ; it certainly has a song, lots of it, in fact it never seems to stop, but every other note of sweetness is preceded by that whizzy noise mixed up with an imitation of a heavy chain being shaken violently, that all Weavers seem to delight in ; this song it starts well before dawn, and as for quarrelling - . I once got into camp after dark, aud after my supper wrapped a kaross round me and laydown under some acacia- or wait-a-bit thorns, full of nests of the White-browed Weaver. This was during the This would be Estrilda angolensis , the species without the crimson ear patch. Figured Vol. I. New Series, p. 120.— Ed. on some Field Notes in South Africa. 97 breeding season. They kept me awake half the night talking to each other or swearing at me, I don’t know which ; and, as soon as it got grey dawn, a pair, locked together and fighting like bull-terriers, fell with a thump and a flutter near by, and went at it hammer and tongs, making the feathers fairly fly. When nearly exhausted they flew off, only to be imitated by various other pairs of combatants. I doubt if I have ever met a more quarrelsome little bird. The Sociable Weaver Bird ( Philcelerus sodas) I saw breeding once, a nest about the size of half an average haystack, riddled with holes, out of which the birds were swarming as we passed. The tree was a big acacia-thorn and I had no time to investigate it. I saw aifother nest the following year, on the top of which the Boers had hidden very nearly two tons of maize and pumpkins. When I reached it it had been set on fire by some zealous yeomen, it being part of their duty to destroy any food supply of the enemy. As this was not the breeding time no great harm was done, but while I watched it burn a snake came tumbling out of it, to be quickly followed by another, so that birds’-nesting in Africa is not without its risks. The Tong-tailed Whydali ( Chera progne) is to be seen everywhere, and the male bird with his peculiar floating flight always reminded me of the males of the Red and the Yellow Caffrefink, to which of course he is nearly related. There is no reason why C. progne should not be freely imported ; in the Western Transvaal there must be thousands and thousands. Some days, on an eight-hour march, there was never a minute when there were not at least half a dozen in sight. In some parts of the Magaliesberg another sort of Whydah occurred, a sort of fawn-coloured bird with two very long pin- wire-like tail feathers. He is not shown in Dr. Butler’s “ Foreign Finches in Captivity,” but I saw a nice specimen in the Western Aviary in the Zoo a few weeks ago. In these same mountains I often saw a bird which I now know to be the Pied Babbling Thrush ( Crateropus bicolor) ; it had the same sort of habits as the “Seven Sisters” of India; about a dozen get into a bush and make a fearful racket, and, at the last minute, when you are a few 93 Capt. Boyd Horsbkugh, feet off, tumble out of it and go off, looking as if they had only just learnt how to fly. A bird that seemed to be quite as attractive as the well- known Shamah of India was the Cape Robin ( Cossypha cajfra). It was very familiar in the Colony, and I found a nest on a drawing-room mantelpiece of a deserted house. The hen bird sat on her eggs until I almost touched her. This species struck me as being a near relation of the Shamah and the male is very handsome. I saw in the bush-veldt plenty of the large Black and White South African Long-tailed Shrike ( Urolestes mela?ioleucus ) ; they always went in parties of six to eight, and sat on some vantage ground like the top of a high tree, and answered each other with a loud and penetrating note. The lovely Natal Bush-Shrike (Laniarius auadricolor ) I only saw once : it looked like a spot of flame in the tree and was busily engaged in mobbing a Pearl-spotted Owl ( Glaucidium per latum). The Backbakiri {Laniarius gutturalis ), a very handsome pale green bird with a yellow bib edged with black in the male, was exceedingly common everywhere that there was a bit of plantation, and their loud ringing call of five notes, two of which are uttered by the male and three by the female, but so run into one another that you could almost swear it is one bird, can be heard at Cape Town and every station almost to Mafeking. If a fire started in the grass among the bushes the African Drongo usually turned up in force to have a good feed off the unfortunate insects that were obliged to move ; they were very often accompanied by the South African Roller. Although the Wattled Starling (Dilophus carunailatus) was said to be very numerous, I never met with it, but I believe it only turns up in certain years. The Common Spreo (, Spreo bicolor) which looks just like a Common Starling with white vest and under-tail coverts is enormously common. It nests in holes in banks and such like places and roosts out of the breeding season, like our Starling, in reed -beds. The Cape Glossy Starling (A my dr us morio) I found nesting in holes in a rocky on some Field Notes in South Africa. 99 cavern on the Malmain River ; I had to swim through another small cave first, which was tenanted by scores of loathsome bats, which smelt abominably and flew into my hair in their fright, and then came to a large cavern in which I got a nest of this bird as well as a couple of just fledged Speckled Pigeons ( Columba phceonota). These Pigeons are very easy to tame. At a German missionary’s I saw a small flock that had complete liberty and were nesting in boxes under the verandah roof just like tame Pigeons. The missionary told me he had pies of the young squabs at frequent intervals. A very nice little bird, quite common near Mafelcing, and also near Kimberley, was one of the Finch-Larks; the species I was not quite certain of and cartridges were too expensive to waste on birds of its size, but dozens could quite easily be caught. The Cape Long-Claw ( Macronyx capejisis~), like a Lark with a }rellow bib and a cry like a young kitten, was common everywhere in the Colony. The Cape Dove ( CEna capejisis ) and the Cape Turtle-Dove ( Turtur capicola ) are to be found in every cattle-kraal in the country. In Cape Colony I have seen the latter in dozens. One species of Hemipode, with a breast spotted like a Thrush, is not uncommon between Zeerust and Mafeking; probably it is Turnix hottentotta. I have often seen it flushed by a screen of scouts several times ; each time it flew a shorter distance and finally squatted ; and once I put my hat over a squatting bird and examined it before turning it loose. The first bird I saw looked like a sport or variety of the Common Quail which I was out shooting at the time. They look quite a light cream colour when flying, and I was very disappointed when I shot it and recognised it. The only other birds I got of interest were three j^oung Pearl-Spotted Owlets ( Glaucidiumperlatum ). A native found them in the downy stage in a hole of a tree, and gave them to me. I fed them on locusts, grasshoppers and bits of birds, and finally gave them to the Pretoria Zoological Gardens, where I believe they all died from a surfeit of raw meat. IOO Dr. A. G. Butler, MORE ATTEMPTS TO BREED THE TAMBOURINE DOVE. By A. G. Butler, Pli.D. In a paper published in the Magazine for October, 1903, pp. 397 — 399, I recorded some unsuccessful efforts to breed Tympanistria, both in and out of doors ; the only result attained being the construction of nests and production of infertile eggs in the bird-room. I now have to note a slight advance in the programme, resulting in the hatching and partial rearing of one nestling. At the end of September I thought it wise to catch my Doves and restore them to their indoor aviaries, a task which, with some little personal mishaps, I safely accomplished. Within a week the Tambourine Doves were quite reconciled to the change from their freer life, and began to examine their old nest-basket ; shortly afterwards the cock bird resumed its song, which I had never once heard whilst it was in the open,* and by about the 23rd of October the first egg was laid, and the birds began to take turns upon the nest as in the summer. O11 the 10th of November I found the chipped half of an egg-shell upon the floor, and knew that a youngster must have been hatched. For three days the hen only left the nest for a hurried meal once or twice in the day, the cock being almost equally attentive, but sitting ]:>artly on the edge of the nest-basket, partly over the hen. Whether the combined attentions of both parents were too overpowering for the young Dove, or whether they were more anxious to keep it warm than to feed it regularly I cannot say ; but, on the morning of the 19th both parents had left the nest, and showed no inclination to return to it ; therefore I examined the nest, in which I found one partly feathered youngster and an addled egg. * Hoo, hoc, hoo, hoo, hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo, ug-gitg-gug-uggle, ugglu, uggle, is a vague representation of it; the hoo is repeated more and more rapidly until it becomes a mere guttural rattle. — A. G. B. on more Attempts to Breed the Tambourine Dove. ioi As I do not consider it probable that the young of the Tambourine Dove at the age of nine days has hitherto been described, I think it may be interesting to describe it : — The skin, where not feathered, is of an ash-grey colour, the crown of the head sparsely covered with straggling sandy-coloured hairs, the neck and sides of breast below clothed with half-developed whity-brown downy feathers, those of the breast with broad ill-defined subterminal blackish transverse bands ; the flanking feathers of the abdomen are also downy, but pure white ; all the feathers of the wings and tail are of a bright coffee-brown colour with broad subterminal irregular transverse black bands ; the bill is black with bone-yellowish tip ; the feet dark horn brown, becoming almost black on the toes; the claws reddish horn-colour. I was too late to note the colour of the iris. In the description of the immature young in the Museum Catalogue the only approach to the above colouring is in the secondaries, which are said to have rufous bauds towards the tips ; I think therefore that this very early plumage, which, though less sandy in aspect, vaguely reminds one of Pallas’ Sand-Grouse, may have some significance as an indication of the ancestral colouring of the Doves : Mr. Seth-Smith tells me that the same general appearance occurs in the very young nestlings of other species; and, even in a much more developed nestling of Phlogcenas sent to me by Miss Alderson, there is an indication of subterminal dusky transverse bars on the brown- tipped steel-bluish feathers of the upper parts. I believe my Doves are contemplating another attempt now, which will, it is to be hoped, be more satisfactory ; but in any case each phase of the plumage of this or an)^ other bird when described, is one further detail added to the life-history of the species, and therefore not time wasted.* * The doves sat steadily for about six days, and then I found a broken egg on the floor : on examining the nest I discovered nothing therein. — A. G. B. 102 Mr. D. Seth-Smith, FOREIGN BIRDS AT THE DECEMBER BIRD-SHOW AT THE CRYSTAL PALACE. The recent Bird-show, held on the Sth, 9th, and 10th of December, is a new institution as far as the Crystal Palace is concerned, and it certainly gives promise of eclipsing the older established shows, held in the Autumn and early Spring. The December Show was held by the London Cage Bird Association, the National British Bird and Mule Club, and the Foreign Bird Club, and to the latter body belongs the credit of having made the Foreign Bird Section what it was — the best collection that has been brought together at the Crystal Palace for the last three or four years ; and I may here remark that the compliment paid by the Council of the F. B. C. in sending free passes to the Members of the Council of the A vi cultural Society was much appreciated. The Judging of the Foreign Section was done by very experienced aviculturists, and the general opinion seems to be that it could hardly have been carried out better than it was. Space only permits of our mentioning the most notable exhibits in the Foreign Classes. Amongst the Parrakeets, Mr. Hawkins’ fine pair of Varied Lorikeets obtained first prize, the second going to a good pair of Kings. Mr. Hamlyn sent a good specimen of the rare Red-collared Lorikeet {Trichoglossus rubritorques), Mr. Hawkins’ a Tui (. Brotogeiys tui ), Messrs. Th waites and Lloyd a Rock Pepler or Black-tailed Parrakeet ( Polytelis melanura), and Mr. Osbaldeston a Malabar Parrakeet (. Palceornis peristerodes), a species seldom seen. There were several other good birds in this Class. Dr. Lister sent his Banksian Cockatoo, but it did not look so wrell as at the last Show. The Class for Doves and Quails was a failure, only three lots being present, though there were eleven entries. The onljr birds worth noticing were a pair of Wonga Wonga Pigeons belonging to Mr. Housdeu. but they were hardly in Show form and were sent in an unsuitable cage. oil Foreign Birds at the Dece7nber Bird-Show. 103 The Weaver Class contained a specimen of the rare Ploceus megarhy?ichzis, sent by Mr. E. W. Harper. In the Class for the rarer Waxbills and Grassfinches, Mr. L. W. Hawkins, as usual, showed the best birds, amongst which may be mentioned a Vinaceous or Masked Fire-finch (. Lagonos - ticta vinacea or L. laruata .),* a Spotted Fire-finch (L. rufopicta'), and a pair of Black-rumped Finches ( Stictoptera annulosct). Mr. Osbaldeston sent a pair of Parrot-finches ( Erythrura psittacea), and a fine Crimson-finch (. Neochmia phaeto7i). There were several pairs of Masked, Tong - tailed, Rufous - tailed, and Gouldian- finches. Messrs. Th waites and Lloyd sent their Indian Crested Bunting ( Melophus melaiiicterus ), and Mr. Boswell Frostick a fine pair of Desert Trumpeter Bullfinches (. Erythrospiza githagined). The Class for Tanagers, Sugar-birds, and Zosterops was well filled, the most notable birds being a Magpie Tanager ( Cissopis leveriana ) sent by Mr. Theobald, a Tri-colour ( Calliste tricolor ), a Yellow (C. flava ), and another which nobody seems to be able to identify, f shown by Mr. Townsend. Mr. Osbaldeston sent a Blue and Black Tanager, Mr. Swan a White- capped Tanager. Two Blue Sugar-birds (Dac?iis caya?ia), acock and hen, sent by Mr. Hawkins and Mr. Swan respectively. The Class for Crows, Pies, Starlings, etc., contained a Bobolink, a Hunting Cissa, Purple-headed and Green Glossy Starlings, an Andaman Starling, and a fine pair of Blue-bearded Jays. The Class for Hybrids consisted of three exhibits, the only birds worthy of note being a very interesting pair of hybrid Parrakeets, bred from a Redrump and a Rosella. They were exceedingly beautiful birds, showing much more of the Redrump * I am not certain which species this is, but I may state that these little Fire- finches are more often imported than is generally supposed; I once picked out six from a lot of common Firefinches in a dealer’s shop. A lieu of this species was shown by Mr. Franz as a hen “Australian Fire-finch.” t This bird is the same that appeared at the October Show, which, in my notes in this journal last mouth I said looked like Tanagra palmarum. In the much better light at the recent Show however, it was evident that it did not belong to this species, and I think it is more likely to prove to be either T. cana or T. cyanoptera. 104 Mr. D. Seth-Smith, than of the Rosella. It would be interesting and instructive to know if this pair of hybrids would breed. The Class for Insectivorous and Fruit-eating Birds not elsewhere provided for contained an interesting collection. Mr. Fj'field sent a Touraco, Mr. Osbaldeston a Green-billed Toucan, Mr. Townsend a Hardwicke’s Chloropsis and a Blue-cheeked Barbet, Messrs. Thwaites and Lloyd a Waxwing, and Mr. B. Frostick a male Turdus fumigatus. D. S.-S. THE MARTINETA TINAMOU BREEDING IN CAPTIVITY: POLYANDRY IN BIRDS. This beautiful crested Tinamou, scientifically known as Calodromus, Calopczus, or Eudromia elegans, inhabits Western Argentina and Patagonia. The Zoological Society has possessed it on many occasions, and it has bred in the Gardens two or three times. I am not aware, however, of any complete account of the nidification of the species having been published in this country, but in the Bulletin de la Societe Nationals d’ Acclimata- tion de France for October, 1903 (for a copy of which I am indebted to our Honorary Member, Dr, P. L. Sclater) appears a detailed account by M. Dulaurier, of the nesting of this species in his aviaries. He tells us that most of those imported arrive in bad condition, and it is difficult to acclimatise them ; but after several fruitless attempts he at last obtained some. To keep them in good health the author found that it was important to give them plenty of green food such as young grass and groundsel. During the Spring the male frequently uttered his piercing cry of two or three notes; he also became very excited, following the hen and keeping an eye on the shelter, under which she layed her eggs, and covering them carefull}7 after each laying. He alone undertook incubation and the rearing of the young. M. Dulaurier commenced with a single pair, but so many on the Martineta Tinamou Breeding in Captivity. 105 eggs were laid that it was found necessary to give the first twelve or fifteen to a domestic hen, the remainder being left with the male Tinamou. The hen did not sit well, and several died when young. In the Spring of 1903, M. Dulaurier tried two males to the one female, and he considers that three might have been better still, as the female lays a fresh clutch to each male. At first the two cocks fought and pursued the hen who laid thirteen eggs, but neither of the males would sit, and the eggs when placed under a domestic hen were found to be clear. One male was then removed, and the hen paired with the other and laid six eggs, upon which he immediately commenced to sit. The hen was then allowed to be with the other cock, and laid another clutch of eight eggs, but this cock was disturbed by some Tragopans and did not hatch. We are told that the young Tinamous can be reared in the same way as young Pheasants. The fact of the female pairing successively with two males seems to me to be of very great interest. The subject of Polyandry in birds appears to have been somewhat neglected by ornithologists, but I am much disposed to think that it may take place more often than is supposed in species, in which the male performs the duties of incubation and the rearing of the 3’oung. * In an account I gave of the breeding of Turnix tanki (. Bulletin of the B. O. Club. Vol. XIII. p. 72), I remarked that the female, after laying her clutch of three eggs, took no further notice of the nest, but went about “apparently in search of another husband.” I am much inclined to believe that had there been another male available she would have paired with him and laid a second clutch, which he would have incubated. I have noticed moreover in the case of theTataupa Tinamou ( CrypUirus tataupa), that when the male is sitting the female often calls. She is not wanted any more for the first clutch, and it seems probable that she would, if she could, go off and find a second * Dr. Sclater tells me that the Rheas are known to be polyandrous.— D. S.-S. 106 Bird Notes from the Zoological Gardens. mate, to whom she would lay a second clutch of eggs, which he would proceed to incubate. At any rate M. Dulaurier has shown that Calopezus elega?is is polyandrous in captivity at least, and the subject is one that ought to be taken up by aviculturists. D. Seth-Smith. BIRD NOTES FROM THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. By Frank Finn, B.A., F.Z.S. The additions for the month of November have been few, and none of them are new to the collection. They are as follows : Nov. 3rd. 2 Yellow-billed Cardinals, Paroaria capitata. ,, 4th. 2 Meyer’s Parrots, Poeocephalus meyeri. „ I2tb. 2 Common Mynalis, Acridotheres tristis. ,, 17th. 1 Rosella Parrakeet, Platycercus eximius. „ 23rd. 1 Bonelli’s Eagle, Nisaetus fasciaius. ,, ,, 1 Common Buzzard, Buteo vulgaris. ,, ,, 1 Yellow-fronted Amazon, Chrysotis ochrocephala. „ 25th. 1 Lesser Sulpliur-crested Cockatoo, Cacaiua sulplmrea. Chili. S. E. Africa. India. Australia. Europe. British Isles. Guiana. Moluccas. The six young Black Swans hatched at the end of last month are mostly still alive and doing well ; a marvellous instance of the hardiness of this species, considering that the parent pair, which hatched two young (which were lost) in the middle of April, have only a small un grassed paddock and a mere round basin of a pond. The Black Swan evidently shares the adaptability to confinement so characteristic of Australian birds as a whole. On Ring-necked. Pa?'rakeets at large in Hampshire. 107 RING-NECKED PARRAKEETS AT LARGE IN HAMPSHIRE. The following very interesting story of a pair of Ring-necked Parrakeets ( Palceornis torquata) is the substance of a lecture delivered in Lancashire by the Rev. H. P. Edge, Rector of Stratfield Turgiss, in Hampshire, 1 It was printed in the Hants, and Berks. Gazette , of September 12th, 1903, and has been brought to our notice by the President of this .Society, who has obtained the Author’s permission for its publication in the Avicultural Magazine. “ Since the pair in my possession became mine they have never had an hours illness. They are ‘never sick,’ and ‘never sorry,’ are ‘as hardy as Pigeons,’ as ‘docile as dogs,’ and as faithful as Jonathan. During the inclement weather experienced in January last they were housed in a thatched coach-house, and were as serene and joyous in their surroundings as they are in the month of June, when at liberty, and free to roam wherever they choose. Their food consists of hemp seed, sunflower seed, melon seed, fruit, soaked bread, etc., but under no circumstances is animal food permitted. The subjects of this paper were about two months old when I bought them. Though I have had them, now, for more than five years, I have not seen the cock drink water more than half-a-dozen times, and then only on hot, sultry days. The hen frequently drinks in the summer time, and occasionally has a bath — which is provided for her — but I have never yet seen the cock bird perform any ablutions in a bath, and yet the plumage of both is perfect — as close and as glossy as that of any game cock in ‘fighting feather.’ It has been suggested that they bathe in the river ‘Loddon’ close by. I question it. In showery weather, however, they perform the most fantastic evolutions in the trees. First depending from a spray by one claw, they then spread out their tails and wings to receive the moisture, very much after the fashion of Fantail Pigeons, though the fashion of the Parrots is decidedly more graceful. “ By the way. I have a pidture before me of one of these Parrakeets holding a morsel of food in his right claw. A friend observed to me, two years ago, that some writer on the habits of birds had stated that the Parrot tribe rarely or never used the right claw to convey food to the beak. After being supplied with this piece of information, I have narrowly watched my two birds, and never yet seen them utilize their right claws. The left are invariably used. “ I11 the summer after my return from India in 1898, the cock and lieu were placed in a large, though roughly constructed cage, which was unfortunately, in the day time, placed in the open air, and, at night, as a rule relegated to a coach-house which has a thatched roof. One morning a hue and cry was raised that the cock had escaped from his quarters and Rev. H. P. Edge, ioS was flying about in the drive. The whole of that day was spent in endeavouring to coax him back, but without avail, and he spent the night in the trees. Next morning, however, owing to the pangs of hunger, he allowed himself to be caught, and returned to bis domicile. Shortly after this a friend of mine came to stay at Turgiss who persuaded me to let both birds out of the cage, in order that they might exercise in the open. They disported themselves for some time in the trees near the house and then betook themselves to some elms in the glebe, keeping up a continual screeching until nightfall— obdurate to all blandishments. Then bedtime came, and with it — no end of self-reproaches for mv temerity in granting them their freedom. About four o’clock next morning, however, I heard their well known cries in the garden, and to make a long story short, after the whole strength of the establishment had been enlisted, they were decoyed into ‘sanctum.’ After this, the}7 were allowed their liberty once or twice a week — little difficulty being experienced in securing them in the evening. At length in June 1S99 they were suffered to roam at their own sweet will, without being caged at all, until the end of the following October. They slept sometimes in an apple tree, sometimes in a chestnut,, but most frequently in one of the elms, and I noticed they never chose the same tree for two successive nights. “ During the period of four months’ absolute liberty, they presented themselves regularly, about 6 o’clock every morning, at a certain window, where food was always awaiting them. They were fed again at 10.30, in one of the fir trees, and then finally for the day at 5.30. At first, when uncon¬ ditional liberty was accorded them, they confined their attention to the garden and the drive ; but, by degrees they cultivated a more extensive knowledge of their surroundings— flying sometimes for a distance of four or five miles, but always returning home about 5.30 in the evening. “At the end of October, 1S99, chiefly because shooting is in full swing for the following month, they were recaged, and not suffered to roam, again until the Spring of 1900. “Their daily habits, at this juncture, are much as follows. They are fed in their cages, which stand in a coach-house, about 8 o’clock in the morning. At 10 o’clock they are released. Directly the cage doors are open they exercise for about 10 minutes— flying very often at a great height in the air, and at a great speed: then after swooping down, in a graceful manner,, on to one of the trees, they come to me for half-an-liour’s chat, or indulge- in a little love making. “ They have unlimited space at their disposal — twenty acres of glebe, a large area of arable and grass land, and a noble park in which is some of the finest timber in England, ‘ and nobody says them nay.’ I have heard it said that the flight of the Parrot is swifter than that of any other bird. Having daily opportunities, at this season, of comparing the flight of my on Ring-necked Parrakeets at large in Hampshire. 109 "birds with that of Pigeons, Martins, Swifts and Hawks, I unhesitatingly say that the four species just enumerated are ‘not in it.’ The Parrots ‘ have it ’ by a long chalk. They are not accustomed to keep on the wing for any great length of time; but they go at an astonishing rate, and ‘chatter all the way.’ I11 clear, cold weather, they rise to great heights — quite as lofty as that at which the Swifts ordinarily fly — and then make for a certain point. The cock and lien fly close together. “ Though the birds in my possession are fully paired, and admirable friends when at liberty, yet experience proves that it is undesirable for them to' occupy the same cage. Consequently they have separate cages. There is ample and exalted precedent for all this. The fact is the cock is somewhat tyrannical. He keeps his ‘ Missus ’ in first-rate order. Outside he is a perfect angel. “ One of the prettiest sights is to see the cock feeding the hen. This takes place either on the grass or on the branch of a tree. The prelude to the fact is exceedingly graceful. First the cock advances toward his mate, and retires, then again an advance is made, and then a retrograde move¬ ment, and, then, arching his neck above that of his wife, the two beaks are united. “I have never taken much pains to make my ‘specimens’ accomplished linguists. The conditions under which they are kept preclude their becoming apt orators, though both of them do “ orate.” If you want a Parrot to become a great talker, you must keep him iu a small cage, and cover him up a good deal, until he has learnt the lesson you are desirous of instilling. So with Canaries and other song birds, I believe. But I am quite content with them as they are. Oddly enough, however, the hen is a more proficient linguist than the cock. Sometimes she will sit on the branch of a tree or the sill of a window— looking at herself in a glass — and repeat, with evident satisfaction, all the short sentences she has ever learnt. “ Half a mile from my house my Churchwarden and his wife and family reside. My feathered friends are very fond of visiting at Yew Tree Cottage; in fact, when the cock and hen have exceeded their ordinary time for roosting, I always charge the former with ‘gallivanting with Mrs. Taylor.’ Well, there is always a plentiful supply of fruit at this house in the summer, and in the autumn a plethora of holly' berries and haws, to both of which they are partial. One day I called at Yew Tree Cottage, in ■company with ‘ Bill,’ a fine bull terrier. We had been preceded by the two Parrots which were busily employed iu devouring holly berries. Directly Bill and I appeared on the scene down flew the cock-bird at my feet from the holly bush, and looking up in my face in a sagacious manner, •exclaimed twice, ‘ Well, here’s old Bill ! ’ He never used the expression before, and has never used it since. no Rev. H. P. Edge, “There is one question with which I am invariably confronted, after chronicling their habits, and it is this—1 Don’t the other birds molest them when they are out of doors?’ When first they were at liberty, they w’ere often pursued by Starlings, Chaffinches, and, of course, Sparrows, although their most persistent persecutors were a pair of Barbary Doves, which bred in the fir trees, but now not a single bird resents their introduction to North Hants. Nay, some of the song birds, such as Blackbirds and others, such as Starlings, offer them distinct adulation; if it be that ‘ imitation is the sincerest flattery.’ I have heard a Starling imitate their cries to such a nicety that, for a moment, I have been deceived. A Blackbird last year imitated them, too, with such good effedt that both the cottagers and the children observed the fact. All birds imitate more or less and I think that ornithologists will agree with me when I say that Thrushes, for instance, in districts where the Nightingale abounds, catch, to a large extent, the notes of that songster, and that hence the song of a Hampshire Thrush is possessed of greater volume and sweetness than that of a Lancashire Thrush. “ These Parrots of mine readily make friends with those for whom I have affection, and as readily avoid those whom I don’t care about. For some they have a distinct aversion. I know of one lad in particular whom they can’t abide at any price. Directly he appears they set up a discordant note, and flee away, terrified. Strange to say, my two dogs can’t endure him either. “ ‘Jack’ and ‘Jill’ — for those are their names — though strangely enough I never address them by their names — have little or no fear. For cats they have the most supreme contempt. I once saw them feeding off a plate on the lawn with three cats, and, when probably those quadrupeds displayed a vulgar greed, drive them all away. “ I have two of the finest bull terriers in England — a dog and a bitch — ‘ Bill’ and ‘ Loo.’ Both these Parrots have a fond admiration for ‘ Bill,’ They will fly’ on to his back — which is permitted, but when they proceed to examine his toes, ‘Bill’ is a little resentful. By the w ay, ‘Bill’ is very jealous of them. “ These birds may be said never to appear to better advantage than when rollicking in an apple or gambolling in a plum tree at the beginning of September, but the spectacle ‘ after the feast ’ is such as to evoke strong language from even the most pious and patient of gardeners. Not content with my own apple trees, like children, they ‘ think everybody else’s bread is better than their own,’ and persist in paying flying visits to all the orchards round, and devouring, or rather wasting the fruit. It speaks volumes for the kind forbearance of my neighbours when I add that never yet have they been ill-treated, and but seldom interfered with. The question of acclimatization, therefore, is an open one. They are delightful Ill on Ring-necked Parrakeets at large in Hampshire. pets, but terrible marauders, and tlieir introduction in large numbers into- England might be a curse and not a blessing. “A number of Cockatoos were turned out in a park in Hampshire some years ago, and the project proved successful, but they were all shot, eventually, by first one Cockney sportsman and then another. “My Parrots will fly after me along the roads, and across the fields, for a couple of miles and more — now hovering above my head, now flying on to my shoulders, now on to an oak tree, now on to a fence, then on to the ground at my feet— chattering all the time. Last October, in company with a friend, I called upon the Vicar of a neighbouring parish, who lives two miles distant from me. Our homeward journey lay through a beautiful copse — ‘ Cattle Copse ’ — where are ‘ cedar and pine and fir ’ and ‘branching’ hawthorn, the deciduous trees at that time gorgeous in autumn attire. All at once, if you please, out flew the two birds from a hawthorn bush where they had been feeding. They had no doubt followed my friend and me — unknown to us — for a couple of miles, and were await¬ ing our return. Mutual salutations over, they then accompanied us home —now on our heads and shoulders, then at our feet. Sometimes they would allow us to get ahead for some distance and then enjoy the fun of catching us up. “ At the beginning of last February they visited a neighbouring Rectory — a few miles off. Having entertained the school children, who were enjoying their dinner time, for half an hour or so, they started for Turgiss. I happened to be walking by a footpath, through some fields, midway between my house and that which the Parrots had been visiting, when, all at once, I heard the well-known chatter. There, at a great height in the air were the Parrots. They recognized me and the bull terriers at once, and then made the most delightful swoop down, and settled — one on my right and the other on my left shoulder. “ Between Rectory' and Church twenty acres of glebe and two large fields intervene. On a Sunday morning, after service is over, they are almost invariably holding sentinel in one of the trees which surround the house. Directly I pass through a wicket gate, they are ‘ ware of it ’ and fly to meet me, across the glebe, in an abandonment of delight. “Some naturalists have been of opinion, I believe, that birds have a sixth sense. The probability is illustrated in this way. A camel dies in the desert. No Vulture was near when the death struggle took place, but the body of the poor creature is not long without company. Presently a dot is observed in the sky. This gradually comes nearer and nearer and proves to be a Vulture. Well it is argued that it is highly improbable that the bird could either see or smell the carcase of the camel, and that hence there is some undiscovered sense peculiar to birds. Now if I go away from home for a day or two, and return late in the evening, these birds 1 12 On Ring-necked Parrakeets at large in Hampshire. know perfectly well that I have returned long before they either see or hear me the following morning. I know that they are cognizant of my return by the peculiar noise they make. It is said that the sense of smell in Parrots is accentuated. Well it may be, but I hardly think this is the solution. It is impossible that they can see through half-a-dozen brick walls — unless, as Mr. Samuel Weller said at the famous trial, they had a magnifying glass of extra million power. I am inclined to think that there is something in this ‘sixth sense.’ “Of course it goes without saying that their five years’ sojourn in Hampshire has not been without vicissitudes. On one occasion, they had flown about three miles from my house, and were resting on the branches of a tree. Three men, who were working near, were endeavouring to catch them, when, fortunately, a friend of mine happened to be passing on his bicycle and observed what was being done. Leaving his machine in the road, he went to the men and rebuked them. They desisted, and Jack and Jill reached home in safety. “A duplicate of this affair was enacted close to our Church a month or two after what has just been related transpired. Three strange workmen were uniting their efforts to catch them, when a parishioner at work in a neighbouring field took in the situation, left his work, and expostulated with the would-be poachers. To their credit, be it said, they relinquished their intentions, and again Jack and Jill flew home once more. “During the summer of 1902, there were many indications that my birds would set up house-keeping. Again, so early in the season as the beginning of March last year, everything pointed in that direction. The hen tried two or three times to make her way into the thatch which covers the barn, but the project has so far been abandoned.* “More than once, I have been asked — 1 Do you ever carry anything about with you, in order to induce these birds to follow you ? ’ In Paris — I have never seen the sight in London — I have often seen in one of the squares there half-a-dozen Sparrows settle on the arm of a man, and evince no fear. Some people will tell you that the man has something in his pocket by which he attracts the birds, as rats are attracted by oil of aniseed. I do not believe it for a moment. I certainly do carry one commodity but only one, and that is love — ‘and perfect love that casteth out fear’ — but I carry nothing else. It is all comprehended in that word.” * If Mr. Edge were to have some suitable nesting boxes or hollow logs fastened up in the trees the birds frequent, there is little doubt that the Parrakeets would breed successfully, and a brood of young- Ring-necks, reared in the open, would be a delightful sight.— Ed. Correspondence , Notes, etc. CORRESPONDENCE, NOTES, ETC. ii' AVIARIES BELONGING TO LADY DUNLEATH. Sir, — It may interest some of your readers to hear some account of the past year’s nesting season in my outdoor aviary. When I left for Scotland on August 19th the following birds all had nests and were sitting in the bushes outside the building. A pair of Golden-breasted or Zebra Waxbills. The young ones were just hatched when I left and now three young ones are flying about, pictures of perfect healLli and plumage. In the first nest of Cordon Bleus there were four young ones, but one wet night they' were all drowned. After I left they built again, hanging their nest, made of dry grass, to the four fronds of a common fern. They brought out two young ones, one of which died last week. The other is very well and just beginning to show the cock’s red patch on its cheeks. The Orange-cheeked Waxbills also made a nest and brought out some young. I can’t tell exactly' how many as they were hatched after I left home. I think there must have been three. The Common Grey African Waxbill built under a stump on the ground ; the nest was just like a ball made of fine grass and lined with feathers — it was almost impossible to find the opening. They reared three or four, but again I cannot tell the exact number. My man saw the young birds of both of these nests after they began to fly', but did not count them. I have also ten young Saffron Finches flying about, several Zebra Finches, and two young Bullfinches, the parents being a German cock and English hen. The young ones, both cocks, are magnificent. My Nicobar Pigeons, which I have had for four years, adopted a young Grey' Ring-necked Dove two or three days after it was hatched, drove away the parents and brought it up. About the same time they made a rough nest (which they had never done before) of sticks and laid one egg. They did not sit on it, but adopted the Dove instead. I put the egg under a common Pigeon, hoping it would hatch, but it was clear. My' pair of Red-headed Gouldian Finches hatched, in October, two young ones in a travelling box cage which was hanging on a branch. Just as they were beginning to feather, a Half-moon Parrakeet got in, pulled both out and killed them ; it was most unlucky, he must have slipped in unnoticed through the door. I think that in spite of the wet summer I have reason to be satisfied. I have now brought in and put in the conservatory' aviary for the winter, one pair Scarlet Tanagers, one Green Bulbul, two Gouldian Finches, four Cordon Bleus, and a Pin-tailed Nonpareil ; the latter is now in most glorious plumage, having moulted perfectly outside. I got him in Paris last March and he has been out ever since, but I did not know whether he would 1 14 Correspondence, Notes, etc. stand our winter. Next year I hope to be able to give a more accurate account of the young birds as I have recently entered in a book every bird I have, and mean to enter all purchases, sales, and deaths, so that there can be no doubt in future as to the number of young birds reared. I enclose a list of my birds, but if it makes this letter too long, pray omit it.* Outside in the Park I have one Rhea, one Common European Crane, and one Flamingo. These are out all the winter and are shut in only at night in their shed. I should feel much obliged if any of your readers could advise me where to get Flamingoes and their probable price. N. E. F. Dun^ath. SPONGE-CAKE FOR INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS. Sir, — Will you be so good as to tell me your opinion of ordinary sponge-cake as a food for soft food eating birds ? I have several birds : Wliite-cheeked Bulbuls, Pekin Robins, etc., that have been fed for some time on a mixture of bread, biscuit, preserved egg, ants’ eggs and dried flies, equal parts, of which they ate a considerable amount, but lately I moved them into another aviary where, amongst others, were some Tauagers which were supplied with sponge-cake; now they will eat nothing but the sponge-cake so long as there is any, and if there is enough they do not touch the other mixture. Do you think that the sponge-cake alone is sufficiently nourishing for them (with a little fruit) or ought I to remove the sponge-cake and so make them eat the other ? At present I have removed the Tauagers and give them a little sponge-cake. Also is sponge¬ cake with fruit a sufficient diet for the Superb Tanager? it was what I was recommended, and I have never seen it touch the other food. Richard H. Witjmot. The following reply was sent to Mr. Wilmot : I believe that sponge-cake or Madeira cake is excellent, as a change, for Insectivorous birds. This food should contain a large proportion of egg, which is generall}r regarded as the most important item in foods for insect-eating birds; but, as a matter of fact, I believe that the colouring of sponge and Madeira cakes is largely due to saffron. It is certain that Insectivorous birds are not much affected by the absence of ants’ eggs or dried flies from their food; for I have tested them for six months at a time, when ants’ eggs have been scarce in the market ; but to deprive them of egg would I believe soon be fatal, unless something equally nutritious could be substituted. Therefore, as the quantity of egg in these cakes is doubtful, I should advise yon to give, both to your Tauagers and the other birds, either Grade * We have not room to print the list, but it includes about 180 birds. — Kd. Correspondence , Notes , etc. 115 1 of “ Century Food ” or its equivalent, and only to give the cake as an occasional treat. My Tauagers feed chiefly upon fruit, but they do take a certain quantity daily of the soft food: they are not large eaters. A. G. Bui'r.ER. HYBRID ;-NUTMEG FINCH X SILVER BILL. Sir,— For the past three years I have kept Silver Bills, Zebra Finches, Nuns and similar small birds practically in a wild state, they having access to a flight of over 100 ft. long, about 50 ft. wide, and 12 ft. high, with plenty of growing shrubs and fruit trees to nest in. Along with these smaller birds I keep a few large ones, such as Cardinals, Virginian Nightingales, Tauagers, & c., and have found in this sized aviary that the larger birds do not molest the smaller ones, but allow them to breed freely, and I have successfully reared nest after nest without trouble; and even now as I write (November 7) I have two nests of young Zebra Finches in the open (nests in peach trees growing against a wall), while another young brood of four are flying about fed by their parents. In Jill}’ last my stock of Nutmeg Finches dwindled down to one cock bird, owing chiefly I believe to their getting into my fish-ponds for a bath and being drowned. I noticed that this single bird appeared to be on very friendly terms with the Silver Bills, but thought nothing of it until I saw him apparently feeding young in a Silver Bill’s nest ; and, to my delight, shortly afterwards I saw three young birds flying about which were certainly a cross between the Nutmeg and a Silver Bill. Not having heard that such a cross had been obtained before, I wrote to our Honorary Secretary on the subject, and at his request now submit particulars of the young birds. Their general appearance and actions are very similar to those of the Silver Bill, but with the markings and colours of the Nutmeg distinct upon their forehead, chin, throat, and foreneck, while the beak is neither so light in colour as the Silver Bill’s, nor so dark as the Nutmeg Finch’s. the Nutmeg markings continue right along under the wings, getting more distinct over the lower part of the back and rump; while the tail feathers, instead of partaking of the golden-bronze colour of the Nutmeg, have turned to almost a jet black since the moult. In size the hybrids are rather larger than a Silver Bill, but stouter in body and build ; while the one I have before me now has one pure white feather among the primaries of the left wing ; the eyes are slightly larger and bolder than the Silver Bill’s. * H. B. Rabbich. Is not this a new hybrid?— R. P. 1 1 6 Correspondence , Notes , etc. WHAT TANAGER ? What is a small Tanager I bought in Genoa the other clay ? The size of a Superb Tanager but slimmer, blue crown, ami Venetian-red cheeks and nape; body, &c., green. Hubert D. Asttey. The following reply has been sent to Mr. Astley : I should think there can be little doubt that your bird is the Festive Tanager (Calliste J estiva ) : the lesser wing-coverts are said to have a slight orange bar across the tips which you do not mention, but your bird may be a female, which is a little duller in colouring than the male. A. G. Buteer. REARING YOUNG SAFFRON- AND RIBBON-FINCHES. The following reply has been sent to a Correspondent in reply to a query: I have always found the best food for Saffron-finches when breeding to be crumb of stale household bread 2 parts, crushed sweet biscuit 1 part, yolk of egg and ants’ eggs, of each 1 part, slightly damped. I reared Ribbon-finches (Cutthroats) without trouble upon Abrahams’ Insectivorous bird-food without any admixture: they threw one young one out of nests which contained uneven numbers; but probably these were dead before they were removed. A. G. BUTTER. THE GREY- WINGED OUZEL: COVERING SINGING BIRDS: THE CALCUTTA ZOO. Sik, — I was very interested to see * that a Grey-winged Ouzel had been imported safely to this country. I know these birds well in Kashmir, where they breed almost on the snow-line. I bought one in Srinagar, paying nearly the equivalent of a sovereign for it, a large price, but it is extremely difficult to get natives to part with a good singing-bird or a talking Mynah. The bird I bought was in a small dome-shaped wicker cage, covered up with a cloth, and sang beautifully. Nearly everything is done by Easterns the opposite way to Europeans. Here we cover a cage to stop a bird sing¬ ing, there they uncover the cage to stop singing. Later on, however, I put the bird in a large cage which was never covered, and he sang beautifully. I took him to India from Kashmir; and during the lovely “winter” in the North West Provinces, which is warmer than any days we have had this summer in England, the bird never sang a note and seemed to feel the cold. I took him to Calcutta when we went there, and during the hot weather — and it was desperately7 hot — the bird sang without ceasing from 5 a.in. till 6 p.m. The native who had him before me fed him entirely on sattoo, which See p. 57. Correspondence, Notes, etc. 117 is a species of powdered hemp I think, mixed with ghee (clarified butter). This was squashed into a small jar about three inches high and was of the consistency of soft cheese, and was only renewed once a zveek. The bird was in lovely feather and as fat as could be, although he did not eat as much as a Robin. I fed him on chenna, ghee, bread crumbs, an occasional scrap of banana and shreds of meat, and earthworms ; and his particular delicacy was to be given one of the enormous snails which abound in Fort William, Calcutta : he would spend the whole day digging it out. The bird was very tame. I gave him away to the Calcutta Zoo, on leaving India, and he was very well the last time I heard of him. He fed very freely while with me, and drank and bathed a lot. The curious custom of keeping singing-birds in the dark seems universal in India. A friend of mine had the best singing Sliama I ever heard. He had had it for years, and during the first few years it was never uncovered. One day, however, the cover was accidentally left off, and he found the bird singing hard, so after that the poor little fellow sang in the sunshine instead of the darkness. You will hardly credit it but 1113- friend assured me that this Sliama was fed exclusively on lice. An old native came dai^ with a tin of these awful vermin, not only for this bird but for various other Shamas in the big houses round. I wish I had brought a GreA'-winged Ouzel home. In case aii}r of your readers should think of sending for one or two, please note that it is called “ Kostura ” in the East. They are the loudest and most varied “Whistlers” of any bird I know. The Calcutta Zoo. is a splendidly run place. The bird aviaries are lovel}% all of them with a large circular outside fight, grass, running water, stones and trees. The baboo in charge is a most interesting and highly educated man, and a very keen naturalist.* He has travelled he told me to nearly every Zoo. in Europe to pick up hints, and the result is that he is gradually' making the Zoo. there as perfect as it is possible to be. W. Tweedie. THE SOUTHERN MIGRATION OF WAXWINGS. Sir, — Since our Hon. Secretary’s interesting article on the nesting of Waxwingsin a British aviary, the North of Ireland has been visited by a large number of these handsome birds, and in fact their numbers this year have constituted a record migration so far as Ireland is concerned. * Ram Brahma Sanyal spent an evening' at mv House when in England and gave me a copy of his “ Handbook ” : he is one of the most amiable men I have met. — A. G. B. i iS Correspondence, Notes, etc. The earliest records I can get are from the “Irish Nationalist” of 1893, when six were shot, in 1S94 one was shot and one caught alive, and in 1902 another bird was shot. This brings us up to date 1903. In October one was shot near Lurgan. Nov. 6 — Two s „ 12— One ? ,, 19— One (? ,, 28 — Two . Seth-SmiTh, 14, Canning Road, Addiscombe, Croydon. WANTS. (These are charged for at the same rate as Birds for Sale/. Purple-capped Lory ; state age, price, and how long in this country ; also sex. Captain Smithwick, Youghal House, Nenagh, Ireland. Hen Zenaida aurita Dove, tame, healthy, two years old or over. Ivens, 12, Church Road North, Hanwell. III. NOTICES TO Members — ( Continued frontpage ii. of cover). Special Notice. — The following offer is made to Members, and will hold good to the 31st January, 1904 : — Members purchasing Volumes V. to VIII. (45/6, plus 2/- if sent by post) will be presented with a free copy of Volume II. NEW MEMBERS. Mr. Horatio R. Fieemer ; 52, Ship Street, Brighton, Dr. F. G. Penrose, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ; 84, Wimpole Street, W. Mrs. C. Fogg-Eeeiot ; Staindrop, Darlington. Mr. Waeter A. Harding, F.Z.S. ; Histon Manor, Cambridge. Mrs. Theeeusson, Brodsworth Hall, Doncaster. Mr. A. M. Espino ; 6, Chapel Road, Hastings, Calcutta. Mr. Samuee B. WriggeesworTh ; 56, Stouegate, York. Capt. Boyd Alexander, F.Z.S. , M.B.O.U., etc. ; Swift’s Place, Wilsley, Cranbrook, Kent. Mr. W. R. Ogilvie- Grant, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.; British Museum (Nat. Hist.), Cromwell Road, S.W. Mr. R. SuGGITT, Suggitt’s Lane, Cleethorpes. Capt. Perrean, 2/4 Gurkha Rifles, Bakloh, Punjab. Mr. G. B. Hay ; Oakbourne, Sheffield. CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION. Southport Corporation ; Mr. James Hathaway, Curator Hesketh Park and Aviary, Hesketh Park, Southport. Proposed by Mr. BOOTHROYD. Dr. Hocken, F.L.S. ; Dunedin, New Zealand. Proposed by Mr. Frank Finn. Miss Dawbarn ; Wisbech House, Leamington Spa. Proposed by Dr. BuTEER. Mr. Robert Service ; Maxwelltown, Dumfries ; and Mr. W. K. Morrison ; Princestown, Trinidad. Proposed by The Hon. Business Secretary. Dr. Tanner ; Vauvert House, Guernsey. Proposed by The Editor. (Continued on opposite page) . JOHN D. HAMLYN, NATURALIST, 221, St. George’s Street East, London. THE ACTUAL IMPORTER OF RARE FOREIGN BIRDS & ANIMALS DIRECT FROM OUR Indian, Australian, and African Empires. Absolutely THE ONLY DEALER who attends Shipping at London, Southampton, Plymouth, Antwerp, Bordeaux, Harve, and Marseilles. REFERENCES TO EVERY AMATEUR OF NOTE. LIST ON APPLICATION. OUCCESS IN BIRD KEEPING & BREEDING V CAN ONLY BE SECURED BY USING ABRAHAMS' *§♦ WORLD- FA MED Specialities in BIRD FOOD. LARGE STOCK OF RARE FOREIGN BIRDS. HARTZ MOUNTAIN ROLLERS, Norwich, Yorkshire and Lizard Canaries Cock Birds in full Song now in Stock ABRAHAMS’ TONIC for Diarrhoea and Strengthening Birds. EVERY DESCRIPTION OF Cage and Aviary Appliance, Seed, etc., in stock. For compltte Price List (Lpply to — J. ABRAHAMS, Naturalist & Importer, 191 & 192, ST. GEORGE STREET EAST, LONDON, JE. J. ABRAHAMS’ is the oldest and most reliable Establishment in England. NEW SERIES. MONTHLY. FEBRUARY, 1904. voi. ii. No 4 Price is 6d- THE JOURNAL OF THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY. B CONTENTS. O- Guilding’s Amazon Parrot {with coloured plate ) by the Honble. and Rev. Canon Dutton A Ramble in Ceylon, by Russell Hdmphkys ... The Malabar Thrush, by Miss Fitz-Grrald The Pectoral or White-breasted Finch... Bird Notes from the Zoological Gardens Nesting Notes on the African Silverbill Bengalese as Cage-Birds Sir Charles Lawes-Wittewrouge’s Black Cockatoos Recent Publications... CORRESPONDENCE, NOTES, ETC. — Further Notes on Carolina Ducks, 139 : Hybrid Munias, 140 : Feather plucking, 140 : The Tittle Lorikeet, 142 : Prices obtained for live birds in 1856, 142 : Notes on Parrakeets, 143 : A good heating apparatus for bird-rooms, 143 : The administration of medicine to birds, 144 : Food for Jay, 144 : Bower Birds, 144. I2X 124 129 130 132 & I43 T33 134 135 136-138 Balance Sheet for year ended 31st October, 1903... Pott-mortem Examinations ...146-147 148 LONDON : R. H. PORTER, 7, Princes St., Cavendish Square, W. NOTE.— A new volume commences every November. II. m~ All Subscriptions should be sent to the Honorary Business Secretary. THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY. Persons wishing to join the AvicurTurat, Society are requested to communicate with the Hon. Business Secretary. NOTICKS TO MEMBERS. The Subscription to the Avicultural Society is 10/- per annum, due on the ist of November in each year, and is payable in advance. The entrance fee is 10.6. The Avicultural Magazine is sent free to members monthly. Members joining at any time during the year are entitled to the back numbers for the current year, on the payment of entrance fee and subscription. All MSS. for publication in the Magazine ( except cases for the Society's Medal), and Books for review, should be addressed to the Editor, Mr. J). Seth-Smith, Glengarry, Canning Road, Addiscombe, Surrey. All Queties respecting Birds (except post mortem cases) should be addressed to the Honorary Correspondence Secretary, Dr. A. G. BuTRER, 124, Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent. , ' All other correspondence, cases for the Medal, Subscriptions , and Adve/tise- ments , should be sent to the Honorary Business Secretary, Mr. R. PhirrippS, 26, Cromwell Grove, West Kensington Park, London, W. Any change of address should be at once notified to him. Advice is given, by post, by members of the Council to members of the Society7, upon all subjects connected with Foreign and British birds. All queries are to be addressed to the Hon. Correspondence Secretary7 and should contain a penny stamp. Those marked “Private” will not be published. The Magazine is published by Mr. R. H. Portp:r (7, Princes Street, avendisli Square, W.) to whom all orders for extra copies, back numbers, and bound volumes (accompanied by remittance) should be addressed. Cases for binding Vol. I., New Series, of the Magazine (in art cloth, with gold block on side) can be obtained from the Publisher, post free and carefully packed, at 1 6 each ; or the Publisher will undertake the binding of the Volume for 2/6, plus Sd. for packing and postage. All orders must be accompanied by a remittance in full ; and Members are requested to state whether they want the wrappers and advertisements bound in at the end or not. BOUND COPIES OF THE “ AVICUET URAL MAGAZINE.” The following can be obtained from the Publisher at the prices given below. Postage 6d. per volume extra : Vol. II., 6/- to members; 8 6 to the public. Vols. V. to VII., to/6 each to members ; 12/6 each to the public. Vol. VIII., 14/- to members ; 17/6 to the public. Vol. I., New Series, 21/- to members; 30/- to the public (revised prices). Current Monthly Numbers 1/6 each (except in special cases, such as the Number containing the List of Members, when the Committee may increase the price), bv post 1/7; for back Numbers a higher price is charged according to circumstances. Vols. I., III. & IV., are out of print. Second-hand copies sometimes reach the Publisher, to whom application should be made. ( Continued on page Hi. of ccver ) Avi cultural l^Ta-g The Practical Scientific Cabinet Makers J. T. CROCKETT & SON, Established over 50 Years. MAKERS OF EVERY DESCRIPTION OF Cabinet Cases & Store Boxes TAXIDERMY IN ALL ITS BRANCHES. Apparatus and Appliances for the use of Specimens for Entomo¬ logists, Botanists, Ornithologists, Geologists, Mineralogists, Numismatists, Conchologlsts, etc., And for the use of Lecturers, Science Teachers, College Students, &c. MUSEUMS FITTED AND ARRANGED. Specially made Cabinets for Birds’ Eggs and Skins, the Drawers graduate in depth and are all interchangeable. STORE BOXES, fitted with Camphor Cells, 2/3, 3/6, 4/3, 5/3 SETTING BOARDS, flat or oval, i-in. 5d., i|-in. 7d., 2-in. 9d., 2j-in. lid., 32-in. 1/2, 4-in. 1/4, 5-in. 1/8. PLAIN RING NETS, wire or cane, 1/6, 2/-. 2/3. FOLDING NETS, 3/-, 4/- UMBRELLA NETS, self-acting, 6/9. POCKET BOXES, 6d., 8d., lid., 1/5 SUGARING TINS, with brush, 1/4, 1/10. SETTING HOUSES, flat or oval boards, 8/6, 10/-. Cork back, 12/9. BREEDING CAGES, 2/3. Improved style, fitted with tanks, 3/7. COLEOPTERIST COLLECTING BOTTLES, 1/4, 1/6. INSECT and EGG CASES, from 2/3 to 10/- Best Steel FORCEPS, 1/5 pair. TAXIDERMISTS’ COMPANION, containing eight useful articles for Skinning, 9/6. EGG DRILLS, from 3d. BLOW PIPES from 2d. to 5d. ZINC RELAXING BOXES, 8d., lid. NESTED CHIP BOXES, 4 doz. 7d. ENTOMOLOGICAL PINS from 1/- per oz. ZINC LARVAE BOXES, 8d. lid., 1/5. BEST WHITE CEMENT, 5d. a Bottle. SPECIAL CORK CARPET, 9d. per square foot. CABINET CORKS, 7in by 35m., lid. and 1/2 per dozen sheets. The “PERFECTION” FLAT SETTING BOARDS, for English style of Setting. Supersedes the old Boards. Same prices as ordinary Setting Boards. All Goods not approved may be exchanged, or money returned. All Goods Store Prices. All Best Work. Estunates given. Great Advantages in dealing direct with Makers. Send for Full Detailed Price List before ordering elsewhere. 7a, PRINCES ST., CAVENDISH SQ., (7 Doors from Oxford Circus) London, w . Factories : 34, RIDING HOUSE ST., and OGLE ST. W. HYDE’S Patent Iron Tonic Grit For all Cage Birds, Pigeons and Fowls. HYDE’S ESTHETIC SEEDS. For Song Birds. A combination of rare and expensive Seeds blended to suit their natural requirements. HYDE’S LARK FOOD. Hyde’s Vitaz FOR POULTRY. HYDE’S {\L$k l| p TRADE ro'lrnTimMARK — iq CACE BIRDS PIGEONS &c HYDE’S NATURAL FOOD. For Aquarium Fish and Insectivorous Birds. Sold in Tins. \£' Sample Box, Id. The latest achievement in Ornithology Extracts from a letter from Mr. J. PARKINSON, NATURALIST, BLACKPOOL, ENGLAND, October 30th, iqoz. “ Your Traveller was right in saying that the three nests of Parrots which I have reared were brought up on your ^Esthetic Seeds, which were boiled for about half an hour, and the birds when old enough they fed upon your famous Parrot Food. Your Traveller has handled the eggs and seen the young ones progressing into maturity. More than two hundred people, from all parts of the country, have visited me in order to see the Parrots ; and four gentlemen, who are Bird Naturalists, are presenting me with a Silver Cup, in commemoration of such an unprecedented accomplishment.” The “ BLACKPOOL GAZETTE ” of Dec. 4th Says — “ Mr. Parkinson has apparently solved the problem of Parrot-rearing, which has troubled Bird Fanciers generally throughout the country, and his skill in this direction has been recognised by the presentation of two Silver Cups at the local Bird Show.” R. HYDE & Go., Ltd., 54 , L1LFORD RD. CAMBERWELL, * Established 1802]. [Patronised by Royalty. AUGUSTUS ZACHE & CO., Bird and Small If id Healers, 196, GREAT PORTLAND STREET, LONDON, W. Salmon-faced Pearlfinclies Wliite-throated&Desert Bullfinches Burmese Buntings Lavender and Blue Waxbills Australian Piping Crows Laughing Jackasses. Bluebonnets Yellow-naped Parrakeets Australian Bearded Parrakeets Blue Mountain Lories (tame) Black-winged Kites Yellow-naped Amazons Suriniau Amazons Le Vaillant’s Amazons Blue-fronted Amazons Lesser Java Cockatoo (tame & talks) Blue & Gold Rhesus Monkeys (tame) Singapore Monkeys (tame) Bonnet Monkeys (tame) Rufus Capuchin Monkeys (tame) Black-eared Marmozets (acclimatised) Dog-faced Baboons (tame) African Meercats (tame) Egyptian Giant Mongoose (tame) Indian Mongoose (very fine) Egyptian Jerboas (nice pets) Pet Dogs and Puppies (variety) Persian Cats and Kittens Speaking Parrots (a speciality) Barn Owls. Military Macaws Macaws Grand selection of Hartz Mountain Roller Cock Canaries (20,000 imported yearly). Piping Bullfinches, 50 to select from (price list with tunes free). P.O.O. ’s and CHEQUES payable “ Union Bank of London.” Many varieties of children’s harmless pets. . . . . Finest selected stock in England. .... Cleanest Hygienic Shop in London. Special Singing Rooms. Cages. Aviaries. Parrot Stands. Come and see our Stock. ’ Busses pass our door in all directions. PRICE LIST FREE (by stating wants). AUGUSTUS ZACHE & CO., $ird ai\d ^all fd iOeaTep s, 196, GREAT PORTLAND STREET, LONDON, W. - Telephone 4981 Gerrard. - CROSS, (Known throughout the Civilised and Uncivilised World). l^ii]gofWild Beast Merchants Anything from “A HUMMING BIRD TO AN ELEPHANT,” TRADE SUPPLIED, TRADE SUPPLIED. GREY AFRICAN PARROTS. Fresh Arrivals Daily. FOREIGN WATER FOWL, Hungarian Partridges for turning down. Thousands of Small Foreign Birds, suitable for Aviaries. OLD ENGLISH RINGLESS PHEASANTS. CROSS’S TRADING MENAGERIE Is always on view for Visitors who are desirous of seeing the Wild Animals. At present it contains numerous LIONS, TIGERS, ELEPHANTS, ETC. Always something New. Hundreds of arrivals weekly. May be viewed daily from n to 4 p.111. Admission 6d. INSECTIVOROUS BIRD FOOD. (Carl Capelle’s, Hanover). Absolutely the finest food for soft-billed birds. Sole English Agent : “CROSS, LIVERPOOL.” Birds & Animals Stuffed & Preserved. National Telephones! 6491 CENTRAL and 729 ROYAL. Telegrams and Cablegrams! “CROSS,” LIVERPOOL. “ CROSS” (Known throughout the Civilized and Uncivilised World). KING OF WILD BEAST MERCHANTS, GREATEST ZOOLOGICAL EMPORIUM ON EARTH. LIVERPOOL. THE 121 Bxncultural /Ifoagasine, BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY. New Series. — VOL. II. — No. 4. — All rights reserved. FEBRUARY, 1904. GUILDING’S AMAZON PARROT. Chrysotis guildingi. By the Honble. and Rev. Canon Dutton. I have been asked to write a short notice to accompany the plate of Guilding’s Amazon, and so I tell what I have been able to gather. I have wished to have one ever since first making the species’ acquaintance at the Zoo, but more on account of its rarity than for any charm the bird exhibited beyond that of beauty. To my way of thinking, and I expect I am not singular, for every one who sees mine leaves the other birds to admire it, it is the most beautiful, as it is the most distinctive of all the Amazons. The browns, the yellows, and the blues of the wing make a superb combination of colour, and the black is singularly soft in its effect. One asks oneself why has one particular Amazon departed from the universal green of the family to adopt brown and yellow in the place of green and red ? Is the colouring of the island of St. Vincent, where alone this bird is found, such as to make brown and yellow protective there? The island of St. Lucia has its own special Amazon ; Dominica has two, but they do not abandon the green foundation of the family plumage. The plate makes it unnecessary to describe the bird’s colouring, but I may as well give the dimensions from the British Museum Catalogue; which are, Total length about 17 inches, wing io’6, tail 6-4, bill 1-5. From this it will be seen that it is 122 The Honble. and Rev. Canon Dutton, the next largest Amazon to Augusta , whose length is given as 19 inches. It is considerably larger than Versicolor , though the length of that is 16-5 inches. The tail, it will be seen, is rather long in proportion to the bird. The size of the bird is a drawback to it as a pet, as it must have an unusually large cage, but that does not much matter, as it is not a bird one often can acquire. And, indeed, now after the eruptions in St. Vincent, every one who possesses one says, “ Mine is the last of its species.” I know of five “ last of their species.” One in the Zoo, one belonging to a lady, my own, and two in the island of St. Vincent. I had an opportunity of buying one two or three years ago, but its character was not attractive, and I let it pass into the hands of Mr. Jamrach. But the eruption took place since then. If I was to have it at all, I must “ hurry up,” and being told that a lady wanted to sell one which talked, and was “ tame and attractive,” I bought him. His linquistic attainments were not asserted to be more than “ Maud,” “ Mother,” and “ Margaret.” I can’t say that I ever heard him say even these, but my parlour-maid stoutly averred that one morning he greeted her with “ Hullo, Joseph ! ” which is his name. Nor can I say that with me he has been “ tame and attractive.” He sits in a morose lump all day, hardly eating, and only occasionally climbing about his cage. He gives one the impression of a bird on its way to become nocturnal, for he does his eating at night. He cares for nothing special, except perhaps sponge cake soaked in tea, which he has at five o’clock, but even that he does not eat with the greed the Versicolor and Blue-faced Amazons show. And only for that one moment in the day does he lay aside his readiness to ‘‘go for” me. He won’t look at a peanut ; and apples, which I was told he liked, he hardly ever touches. But I rather think he is a bird of marked character, and that he will not forgive being separated from his mistress. She told me she had had him five years : that these birds are shot with cork, which stuns without injuring them, and on Gziilding' s Amazon Parrot. 123 that the native who brought this to her said he had never seen one in such young plumage. She also told me that he had been devoted to a small Amazon which one day poisoned itself with parsley, and that he moped so after its death that she had the greatest difficulty in coaxing him to eat. That he loved his liberty (with a cut wing) in the garden, and was very destructive to the orange trees. He seems to me to feel cold, so he can’t have his liberty at present, and if he is not goingto make friends, I don’t see how he ever is to have it. He was fond of his mistress, made friends with the English cook, and was devoted to a black servant. I should have sup¬ posed that he declined to make friends with a man, but he shows no signs of caring for my parlour-maid. I can only suppose that his heart has been so often “torn with partings ” that he now declines to let it take root any more. He does not care twopence for the Versicolor or the Blue-fronted Amazon, is tolerant of the Blossom-heads and a Grey, and was only roused by a Blue-bonnet. That did really rouse him to fury. He dashed at the bars of his cage nearest it, and dashed towards me whenever I approached his cage. And curiously enough, its presence caused him to go nearer sounds like speech than he ever uttered before or since. Whether he supposed it to be a hawk or what, I don’t know, but he never got reconciled to its presence. He is said to be afraid of children, but I have not brought any to see him. It is rather singular that the “ last of its species” belonging to a lady in Loudon shows the most unmeasured terror at the sight of a child. She tells me its eyes start out of its head, it gasps for breath, and that you can hear its heart beat. That one was at first morose, but has taken the most dog-like devotion to her, though still savage to all the world beside. Of the two “ last of their species” still remaining in St. Vincent, I am told one, belonging to Mr. Frazer who was him¬ self destroyed by the eruption, talks, and that the other is a good talker. So I suppose they can talk. The “last of its species” in the Zoo seems to me as morose as mine, which is however a much finer bird. But if these birds are never reared from the nest, but only obtained by shooting, there is some excuse for 124 Mr. Russell Humphrys, moroseness. Yet the Augusta I had, which was obtained in that way and is now in the Zoo, is the most friendly of birds, and learnt to talk readily. However there is one set-off— Versicolor , though devoted to me, won’t learn a word, and is intolerably noisy. Guilding’s, at least, is silent, and hardly ever makes a sound. If he ever should determine to make a friend of me, perhaps he might do great things. One can always conquer Grey Parrots and Amazons — at any rate of the larger kinds — by soundly cuffing them. But I don’t want to make the bird afraid to bite me, but glad to see me. So I still wait. Ret us hope that “ tout vient a -point a qui sait attendre ” will come true in this case. A RAMBLE IN CEYLON. By Russell Humphrys. It is 6 a. m. and a typical July morning as we emerge Irom the rest-house at Kaltura, and. finding a dilapidated trap previously ordered in readiness, we prepare ourselves for an exceedingly uncomfortable journey. Our destination is a patch of jungle some eight miles away, and our equipment consists of a butterfly net, collecting box, and a pair of powerful field glasses. For the first few miles all goes well, the road being excellent, and passing through the most luxuriant tropical scenery, the eccentricities of our native driver and his antiquated quadruped pass unheeded, but on leaving the main road and striking up a rough bullock path towards the scene of our intended operations, the entire absence of springs combined with a seat consisting of a plank of banana wood necessitates a halt, and we proceed on foot leaving our Jehu delighted at the idea of spending his day after his own fashion, under the friendly shade of a cocoa-nut palm. As we tramp along the side of a large paddy swamp alive with various aquatic birds, numerous White Egrets ( Herodias alba ?) are observed usually associating in small flocks of from ten to fifteen ; they are wary, and the ground being devoid of cover we are not allowed a very close inspection. Yellow on a Ramble in Ceylon. 125 Bitterns ( ArcLetta sinensis ) and Chestnut Bitterns (A r delta cinna- momea ) are also plentiful, and a single Purple Heron ( Ardea manillensis') was flushed by our Cingalese attendant. On a broken bough overhanging a tank a pair of White-breasted King¬ fishers (. Halcyon smyrnensis') were on the look out for their breakfast, and a little Blue Kingfisher ( Alr.edo ispida ) was hover¬ ing over the water, his plumage glistening in the sunshine like some strange jewel. As we leave the paddy swamp and strike a native track into the bush, a Red-vented Bulbul (Molpastes hcemorrhous') flits across our path uttering shrill notes of alarm, and after a short search a fully fledged young bird is discovered. The bait is tempting and a hot chase ensues, which ends un¬ successfully from our point of view. Violent exercise in a temperature of one hundred and something in the shade is not conducive to good temper ; so smothered in insects of all sorts and descriptions and prostrated by the heat, we call a halt and seek solace in a whiff of tobacco. A few moments later we hear again the musical notes of M. hcemorrhous and the plaintiff call of their hungry offspring, and are witness to an exciting chase by both old birds of a particularly fine example of Pompeoptera criton *, a most beautiful butterfly of black and golden hue. For perhaps thirty seconds the issue hangs in the balance, but the combined efforts of the parent birds are eventually successful and P. criton is brought fluttering to the ground. But such a large and luscious mouthful is not to be disposed of in a moment, and ere the coup-de-grace is administered the tables are turned, a large green net appears upon the scene, a contingency evidently quite unexpected as, with crest erected and uttering loud cries of in¬ dignation, the cock bird endeavours to escape with his prize still struggling in his beak. But the warning cries of his spouse and young, combined with the close proximity of the green net, cannot be ignored, so with a final note expressive of the most supreme anger the prize is dropped aud subsequently transferred, luckily practically uninjured, to our collecting box, much to the delight of our Cingalese attendant, who had suffered more or less severely conjointly with the writer in the pursuit of “ Red-vent junior.” Probably P. darsius ; P. criton inhabits the islands of Batchian and Gilolo. — A. G. B. 126 Mr. Russell Humphrys, Our glasses are now employed carefully searching the neighbouring trees, with the result that numerous tiny Sun-birds ( Arachnechthra minima) are discovered busily employed search¬ ing the palm leaves for minute insects — a somewhat similar Sun- bird but larger, we take to be A. ceylonica ; both species were plentiful and quite easy to approach. A familiar cage bird in the English bird market is the Green Bulbul ( Chloropsis jerdoni ), here we observe him at home amidst natural surroundings, and very beautiful he is. His bright grass green plumage matches so closely the surrounding foliage as to render detection very difficult. Another species we observed in this localit)'- was the Black-capped Bulbul (. Pycnonotus melanicterus ) a bird entered in our field notes as the Black-crested Yellow Bulbul ( Otocompsa fiaviventris) ; to an untutored eye the similarity between the two birds a short distance away is our excuse for the error. Several examples of the latter bird have been in our possession at different times, but as Oates and Blanford make no reference to the occurrence of this bird in Ceylon we conclude it must have been the former species. Another Bulbul observed, of a dull olive green plumage, was not identified ; we noted it as being possibly P. htteolus. As we emerge from thick bush into a clearing a Drongo (. Dicmrus ater ) is sitting motionless on a rotting palm stump, swooping down at intervals to return with some insect to his perch, and there devour it at his leasure. It being now mid-day and our collecting box more than half full, we select this spot as a suitable halting ground and prepare to refresh the inner man, and afterwards enjoy a short siesta as far as mosquitoes and flies innumerable will allow. Reader, during the interval, and while the remainder of our little expedition are enjoying a well earned repose, we will borrow the winged sandals of Perseus and journey some hundred and fifty miles to the hills inland, and alighting in the neighbourhood of the Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya, at an altitude of some 1600 to 1700 feet above sea level, continue our wanderings. A Green Fruit Pigeon (Crocopus chlorogaster) flashes across on a Ramble in Ceylon. 127 our path, and we hear his companions cooing on all sides. A pair of Spotted Doves ( Turtur suratensis) are flushed beneath a clump of giant bamboo, and we catch a glimpse of a small bird of brilliant black and yellow plumage, but it is not identified. A family of Wood Swallows (Arlamus fascus) have taken possession of a dead bough and sit huddled together uttering their peculiar plaintive call ; occasionally one of their number takes a short flight in pursuit of some insect, but always returns to nestle close up to his companions. Here for the first time we note the active little Ceylonese Loriquet ( Loriculus indicus ) associating in small flocks of from eight to a dozen birds ; they are very busy and very noisy, climbing about the tops of the palm trees. We note that these birds evince a marked partiality for the higher forest trees. On the smaller flowering shrubs we notice numerous nests of the Ceylon Munia {Miinia kelaarti ) but the ones examined were empty; they were untidy structures composed of dried grass, not unlike the nest of the Tree Sparrow ( Passer montanus)y and from the fact that the birds were busy building again we concluded that we were too early for eggs, or else like the Sparrow they nest consistently for three or four mouths of the year, repairing the old nest each time a fresh clutch is laid. In an area of some thirty square yards upwards of a dozen nests were discovered, and from the fact that the Nutmeg bird {Munia punctularia ) was noticed to be equally busy carrying about nest¬ ing material, and quite as excited when the nests were examined, it is possible that the large untidy bundles were the joint efforts of both species. Another small bird that we noticed plentiful in the locality was the Ceylon White-eye {Zosterops ceylonensis), in its movements closely resembling a small Titmouse busily searching for minute insects. As we scramble down a steep bank towards the river a soft mellow note, strangely familiar, greets our ears ; we “ cudgel ” our brains, where have we heard that note before ? Visions of the Western Aviary at Regent’s Park rise before us, and we have it — a Barbet, — but although we search diligently we cannot discover the bird who must have been close at hand, I2S On a Ramble in Ceylon. for we heard him utter his hoarse guttural notes of alarm, and a few moments afterwards the call is repeated in the distance. Along the river bank we note the Bee-eater ( Merops viridis ) plentiful in this particular locality ; and a Drongo who, on being disturbed, displays a conspicuous white rump, we conclude to be Dicntrus lencopygialis. Close to the banks of the river where the vegetation was thickest a dull brown Warbler was plentiful ; it was not identified and only seen in this particular locality. The Ceylon Grackle (Ezilabcs ptilogenys) was also fairly numerous, and afforded a welcome contrast to the ubiquitous Common Mynah (. Acridotheres melanosternus) who was en evidence everywhere. As the afternoon is now far advanced, and twilight in the tropics of short duration, we will by the aid of our sandals, transfer ourselves back to the camp, and prepare for the return journey to Kaltura. A Cingalese brings into camp a young Snake Eaglet ( Spiloniis melanolis ) sewn up in a native basket, its head protruding from one end, its legs, tied tightly together, from the other. It was subsequently liberated, placed in an improvised cage and fed on scalded raw meat and insects. In a few days it regained the use of its legs and improved rapidly, and when last seen was on its way to join a collection formed by an enthusiastic planter on a hill station. Soon we leave the jungle-clad hills behind, and repass the paddy swamps on whose placid surface the rising moon is already casting a silvery sheen, the Egrets and Bitterns have vanished, Night-jars fly noiselessly overhead, and the bull frogs are awakening. A few miles farther and we hear again the dull roar of the surf ceaselessly beating the palm-fringed shore, and know that we have nearly completed our journey. The soft notes of the Dyal Bird (Copsychus saularis) are not yet stilled, and a pair of Brahmitiy Kites ( Haliastur Indus') are hawking along the water’s edge as we enter the rest-house very tired and very dirty, but our collecting box is full and our hearts have been gladdened by the sight of such bird life as does not fall to our lot every day, so after a bath and substantial meal we smoke the pipe of peace with all mankind. On the Malabar Thrush. 129 THE MALABAR THRUSH* By Miss Fitz-Gerald. The Malabar Thrush, or, as it is now commonly called. The Idle or Whistling Schoolboy, inhabits the Nilgiri Hills in- Madras, and is a remarkably handsome and interesting bird, only a little larger than the English Blackbird, and of a dark blue-black all over, excepting the forehead and wing-butts, which are a light cobalt blue. Its nest is made of dry thin roots and grass, and is generally built on ledges and in dark caves near little mountain streams, as its food consists of snails, land crabs, and tadpoles, which inhabit shady and damp spots ; and thus it can obtain a livelihood more easily. The Idle Schoolboy’s whistle is very human, in fact it is exceedingly like that of an idle schoolboy wandering through the woods whistling no particular tune. I have heard some people assert that its whistle is like that of an organ, very rich and mellow, but this I cannot vouch for. The young birds are very difficult to rear, being very delicate, and require to be fed 011 worms, land crabs, and tad¬ poles. The only person I have ever known who has reared them is a coffee planter in the Nilgiris, where these birds are numerous ; and he taught them to whistle tunes beautifully with the help of a flageolet ; among other tunes he taught them “Merrily danced the Quaker’s wife” and “ Ehren on the Rhine,” which they whistled very well, much to the astonish¬ ment of everyone. He has taken a great deal of trouble with these birds ; and I believe, when they were quite young, he had to sit up several nights with them to keep them alive. In the early rains up here (Ootacamund, Madras Presidency), if you walk along any wooded road or path, you will hear the Idle Schoolboys singing all around. * Horsfield’s or The Malabar Whistling- bird, Alyiophoneus horsfieldi. , the “Whistling Tom” of p. 184 of Vol. VII. of our Magazine. Since writing that page, I have satisfied myself that Whistling Tom is not M. temmincki, as I then thought possible, but Miss Fitz-Gerald’s bird, A/. horsfieldi.— R. P. 130 Mr. D. Seth-Smith, PECTORAL FINCH. S (. Munia pectoralzs). THE PECTORAL OR WHITE-BREASTED FINCH. Munia pectoralis. This handsome Australian Mannikin, although it has been known amongst us for several years now, seems to be surrounded by a certain amount of confusion in the minds of many avicul- turists as well as bird dealers. This species and the Chestnut-breasted Finch are often confounded together though they do not bear very much resem¬ blance to one another. Even at the Zoological Gardens, where one expects the animals to be correctly named at least, a pair of Munia pectoralis which have been placed with some Parson- finches in the Insect-house are labelled as “ Chestnut-breasted on the Pectoral or White-breasted Finch. 131 finches (. Donacola castaneithorax ).” * It is to be hoped therefore, that the cut here given, although the attitude is none too characteristic, will enable those of our members who do not know the species to identify it without any trouble. The Pectoral or White-breasted Finch is an illustration of the extent to which some Australian species, practically unknown a few yeai'S ago, have recently been imported comparatively freely. When Volume XIII. of the British Museum Catalogzie was written in 1890, this species was represented in the National Collection by one skin only. In May 1896 a single specimen was exhibited at a bird-show in Brighton, and this was probably the first time that this species was exhibited alive in this country, and marks the commencement of its career as a subject for British aviculturists. Since these first examples appeared these birds have continued to come over, though only in small numbers and at varying intervals. The present writer has possessed altogether some six or eight specimens, but it is curious that all except one appear to have been males, this sex being apparently much more numerously imported than the other. These birds appear to be hardy and easily kept in health on a diet of canary and millet seed, though grass in flower is appreciated and should be supplied when obtainable. I am not aware of any case of this species breeding in captivity being on record, though I have seen the pair I now possess carrying bits of grass in their bills, which may indicate the possibility of a nest at some future date, if all goes well. I must confess that I have found these birds uninteresting even for Mannikins ; they are, as a rule, shy birds, and when any one is in sight they hide away in the thickest cover they can find. They apparently possess no song whatever. Gould gives no notes regarding the habits of this species in a wild state, for it was only known to him, and first described by him, from two skins procured by Mr. E. Ding of the “ Beagle.” The Calvert Expedition to the North West in 1896-7, met with a few of these birds, which were shy and difficult to approach. In * X may here mention that a Parrot-finch (. Ery thrum, psittacca) in the Parrot -house has been labelled as Efythrura ptasina. 132 Bird Notes from the Zoological Gardens. the Appendix of his book Nests and Eggs of Australia?i Birds , Mr. A. J. Campbell writes “ The eggs are long ovals in shape ; texture fine ; surface without gloss ; colour white, with the faintest bluish tinge. A pair from a clutch of four, taken by Mr. G. A. Keartland, in North-west Australia, measures in inches : (i) -62 x -43, (2) -6 x -42. The nest was the usual flask-shaped structure of grass, lined inside with finer material, and was situated in a bush about ten feet from the ground. Date, end of February, 1897.” Munia pect oralis appears to be confined to the North-West of Australia, and it is noteworthy that several species from this out-of-the-way region have recently come into the English Bird- market ; I may mention Ptilosclera ^ersicolor, Platycercus browni, and Trichoglossus rubritorques. The Pectoral Finch may be thus described : Adult male. Upper parts lavender- grey, the wings rather more brownish and spotted with white ; the tail blackish brown ; throat, cheeks and ear coverts black with a purple sheen, and speckled with minute white feathers, on the chest a band of black feathers, very broadly tipped with white, so that the black is hardly visible ; a line of pale vinaceous buff from the eyes runs down the side of the neck ; underparts vinaceous buff, the sides being ornamented with white spots, each spot being edged with a fine black line above and below ; under tail-coverts more or less spotted with white ; bill lead-colour. The adult female resembles the male except that the black on the breast shows more distinctly, the white spots being much smaller. D. Seth-SmiTh. BIRD NOTES FROM THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, The recorded additions to the Gardens for the month of December 1903 are extremely few, though one is well worthy of special notice. Dec. 8th. 1 Tytler’s Parrakeet {Palceornis tytleri), . .Andaman Islands. ,, utli. 1 Panama Curassou {Crax panamensis), ? .. Panama. 2 Scarlet Tanagers ( Ramphoccelus brasilins), ? ? Brazil. „ 31st. 1 Water Rail (Rallus aquations), . . British Isles. On Nesting Notes on the African Silver bill. 133 Tytler’s, or the Andaman, Parrakeet is confined to the Andaman Islands where, according to Hume, it is very numerous. It is very closely allied to the Nicobar Parrakeet (P. nicobarica ), and very possibly specimens may have been previously imported but mistaken for that species. The example now at the Gardens is recorded as new to the collection. (See also page 145). NESTING NOTES ON THE AFRICAN SILVERBILL. During May, 1902, I had my first aviary built. Nothing happened beyond a pair of Doug-tailed Grassfinches making nests in various places, without the least idea of laying in them. The rest of my birds consisted of a cock Bearded Reedling, and the survivors of one dozen mixed foreign finches, which are nearly all hens except two cock Silverbills. After bringing my birds indoors for the winter, I exchanged one of the Silverbills for a hen. On December 22nd I found two broken eggs had been thrown out of the sleeping box on to the floor of the cage which contained these birds. The hen continued to lay until September 28th, except when rearing young, and began laying again on November 26th, and another egg on the 30th, so now she has laid in every month throughout the year except October. While in a cage the birds have never succeeded in hatching a single egg. They would sit for a day or two and then let the eggs get cold. There was a young bird nearly ready to hatch on February 16th, the day on which I had to take them back to Fast Hoathly. Plenty of cuttle-bone, old mortar, and pounded-up uncooked egg shell was supplied, but the eggs were very brittle and the yolk could be seen from any part of the shell. The birds were very timid, especially the cock, who used to dash in and out of the nest-box and make little holes with his claws in the eggs, spoiling nearly all. I could find nothing much about the actual nesting of this species in any of my books, except that the usual clutch of eggs seems to be six or seven. During their aviary life they did better but wasted a large number of eggs, and only reared three young birds. Towards the end of the season I discovered their mode of nesting. The hen laid two eggs on consecutive days and incubated them immediately. This I found out during their cage life. After an interval of four or five days she laid two more eggs, and probably more later on. I have seen both young birds and eggs in the nest together, but they have disappeared sooner or later. When the most forward birds have left the nest, never more than 134 On Bengalese as Cage-Birds. two in my case, what might have been others are only dried up eggs or dead birds, owing probably to their heavier and older companions having trampled them to death. The last brood consisted of one bird, which left the nest on the 15th of September, and a much younger bird, which I did not discover until the 16th, with only the tail and wing-feathers just showing. It must have hatched out later than the first bird, probably from the second pair of eggs. I found it when cleaning out the nest-box, after the others had flown. The parents seemed to forget it after that, and the next morning I found it dead in the nest, probably from cold as there was plenty of food in the crop. Observations were not easy to take, because I had other birds nesting close by at the same time. The chief reason of their not rearing more was, I think, the dirty state into which their nests got. Some of them seemed to leave the nest before they could fly properly, and died from exposure during the nights of last summer. I lost a brood of Long-tailed Grassfinches through a dirty nest. I pulled all the hay out of their second nest, when the young were about half grown, and left the parents to reline it, which they did, and all went well. But these birds are not so timid as the African Silverbill. H. L. Sich. BENGALESE AS CAGE-BIRDS. Of Bengalese in the aviary my experience has been small, my birds having been kept almost entirely in cages, where their quaint little ways showed to great advantage. During the spring and summer each pair occupied a separate cage, where they nested with more or less energy and success ; and in the winter the cocks lived together in one large flight cage, and the hens in another. They were the smallest birds I possessed at that time, and their white colouring and gentle ways made them seem too fragile to rough it in the aviary- among stronger birds. When Bengalese first arrive in this country they seem rather delicate: six I bought this summer all died within a few weeks, probably owing to the cold and damp, as four of them at least appeared to be quite healthy at first. When once acclimatized they are fairly hardy, and a high temperature is not at all necessary to their well-being. My bird-room was between 450 and 550 in winter and the Bengalese, even in cages, were quite happy. A11 odd lieu, who is still out in my garden aviary, looks bright and cheerful even when the grass outside is white with frost. Their habit of all crowding into one sleeping box at night must help to keep them warm. I have seen seven cocks pack themselves into one cocoanut shell night after night, although On Sir Charles Lawes- Wittewronge' s Black Cockatoos. 135 a similar shell hung empty close by. The entrance hole was quite small, and when five birds were in it seemed impossible for the others to find room ; but though it generally took them quite a quarter of an hour to get settled all were safely stowed away at last. I cannot think that any of them could have found room to move leg or wing all night. It seemed to me that separating the cocks and hens during the winter, and giving them rather small sleeping boxes was the best way of preventing that bad habit to which Bengalese seem specially prone, viz., sitting in the nest box for a day or two at a time, with or without an egg as excuse. Birds that start the season with this failing never seem to lay a full clutch of eggs, or to sit steadily. Another difficulty with Bengalese is to persuade them to eat soft food of any kind. I like all my birds to eat soft food occasionally, it is such a help in case of illness, and young Bengalese are all the better for it when first hatched. My birds seemed to feed their young ones on it almost entirely during the first week of their lives, aud then they gradually decreased it in favour of white millet. Bengalese make capital parents, and it is very seldom that a nestling dies. Four seems to be the usual number in the nest, though I have had as many as six. When newly hatched the young Bengalese is the tiniest little thing imaginable — a little pink moving morsel ; it lies on its back with head and legs feebly waving, and it seems marvellous that its parents can manage to feed such a wee mite. By putting together birds of different colours I have had chocolate aud white, fawn aud white, and pure white young ones in the same nest. These notes have spun themselves out to such a length that I can only allude to the quaint little song and dance of the Bengalese, which are not the least of its attractions as a cage-bird. Emily Brampton. SIR CHARLES LAWES-WITTEWRONGE’S BLACK COCKATOOS. In my account of the foreign birds at the Crystal Palace Bird Show (page 69), I mentioned the Banksian Cockatoo being a decided rarity, seldom seen at bird-shows. Soon after the appearance of these notes, however, I received a note from Mr. Hamlyn, the well-known dealer in live animals, informing me that a client of his at Chelsea had several of these birds flying loose in a large aviary and suggesting that I should go and see them, which through the courtesy of their owner, Sir Charles Eawes- Wittewronge, I have since had the pleasure of doing. A large space outside Sir Charles’ studio is wired over with strong 136 Recent Publications. netting ; there is a wooden structure, sadly gnawed about, for the birds to shelter in, and the ground is covered with rough grass. In this huge aviary are a number of Cockatoos, from the common Rose-breasted (Cacatua roseicapilla) to the rare Black Cockatoo of two or three species. When we entered this enclosure Sir Charles extended his arm and called, and down swooped the most imagnificent Cockatoo I think I have ever seen, and alighted on its owner’s shoulder. This was either the Great-billed Cockatoo ( Calyptorhus macrorhynchus ) or the Western Black Cockatoo (C. stellalus), the latter T am inclined to think. These Black Cockatoos seem to be some 4 of the most affectionate of Parrots. This one was devoted to its owner, and allowed him to do anything with it, appearing never so happy as when allowed to be on his shoulder. I noticed also in this enclosure another which was evidently the Yellow-eared, or Funereal Cockatoo (C. funereus). On leaving the outer aviary I was conducted into the studio where there was an invalid. This was another apparently of the same species as the very tame one, but showing a number of the brownish feathers of immaturity. Sir Charles tells me that he finds these Cockatoos very delicate at first, though when acclimatized they do not seem to feel the cold. This one had been very ill the day before, but appeared to be recovering when I saw it. In ail inner room, fitted up with cages and aviaries and heated by hot-water pipes were several more Cockatoos of different kinds. Another black one, smaller than the others was apparently an immature C. banksi. It was remarkably tame, and an altogether delightful bird. It flew on to my arm and climbed over my shoulders and rubbed its large beak against my ears. I was very much struck by the extreme gentleness of these Black Cockatoos, they seem to be the gentlest and most affectionate of Parrots, rarely, if ever, using their powerful bills as weapons of offence or defence. Amongst Sir Charles’ other Cockatoos in this room were three Gangas ( Callocephalon galeaium), two males and a female. D. Sbth-SmiTh. RECENT PUBLICATIONS. THE IDENTIFICATION OF BIRDS. In two recent numbers of Animal Life (November and December, 1903) Mr. Frank Finn has contributed a paper on this subject which should prove useful to those who study the relationship of the different families of birds to one another. Mr. Finn’s object, in this paper, has been to show his readers how to determine to what family any bird belongs, by On Rare Waterfowl Breeding in Captivity. 137 some external and easily appreciable character. He especially draws attention to the situation of the nostrils and the extent of the gape of the mouth, and the scaling and webbing of the feet ; and he shows how most families of birds can be satisfactorily separated by the bill and feet. The articles are illustrated by a large number of very good outline drawings of the heads and feet of species which are characteristic of the various families treated of. RARE WATERFOWL BREEDING IN CAPTIVITY. An extremely interesting article by Heer F. E. Blaauw, C.M.Z.S., on the breeding of some of his Waterfowl at Gooilust during 1903, appears in the current number of the Ibis. No less than seven rare species of Geese hatched and reared broods during the year, these consisting of Cereopsis ( Cereopsis novce- hollandice ), Sandwich Islands ( Neochen sandvicensis ), Magellanic ( Chloephaga magellanica'), Black-banded (C. dispar), 'Ashy-headed ( C . poliocephala ), Ruddy-headed (C. rubidiceps ) and Snow ( Chen hyperborejis). A female Maned Goose (Cheno?ietta jubata) laid two eggs, which were placed under a common hen which hatched them, but unfortunately killed both chicks, and a clutch of eggs laid by a Ross’s Snow-Goose ( Chen rossi ) were destroyed by vermin. A pair of Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccbiator ) reared a brood of six. Heer Blaauw gives very interesting notes on the colour of the young of each species, and the following paragraph strikes us as particularly interesting : — “In former years I have repeatedly bred young birds from a male of the Blue Snow-Goose ( Chen ccerulescens) and a white female of Chen hyperboreus , when the results of the union have invariably been Blue Snow-Geese, and not specimens intermediate in plumage between the two forms. This year a pair of these Blue Snow-Geese (the result of a mixed union) has bred, and the result has been a brood of four young, all recognisable at once as true Blue Snow-Geese.” 138 The Giza Zoological Gardens. THE GIZA ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. Captain Stanley S. Flower, the Director of the Zoological Gardens at Giza, near Cairo, sends us a copy of the second edition of the Guide to that institution ; it contains also an excellent plan of the Gardens. Eighty-five species of Mammals, 126 of Birds, and 41 of Reptiles and Batrachians are represented in the Gardens at the present time. We are pleased to note that the three specimens of the Shoe-bill Stork {Balceniceps rex ) are still alive and well. With the exception of a specimen living in the Governor-General’s Palace Garden at Khartoum, these are the only examples known to be living in captivity at the present time. We give below an illustration of this remarkable species from Mivart’s Elements of Ornithology, by the kind permission of the Publisher. Balce?iiceps rex. Correspondence , Notes, etc. CORRESPONDENCE, NOTES ETC. 139 FURTHER NOTES ON CAROLINA DUCKS. Sir, — In answering the queries of one of our lady members, I hope that the additional information, as she suggests, may be of use to others also ; hence my excuse for again intruding with one of my Anatine favourites. As to the probability of a pair of Carolinas breeding in a wired- over enclosure twelve feet by six, I can only say that Mandarins will breed, according to the Hon. Rose Hubbard, in an even smaller space; and Carolinas used to have the reputation of being better breeders, so that success is quite possible with these also. It would, however, be better in such a case to clip one wing, if they are not already pinioned, and let them out during the day, especially as a shallow weedy pond is available. They should, however, be gently driven in at night, and fed only at this time; nor should they be let out till fairly tame and used to their surroundings. If care is taken they are not likely to stray, unless perhaps about the laying season, when the}" are apt to get restless, though less so than Mandarins. The drying up of the pond in summer would not matter, as a very small tank is enough for ducks like these. It should be placed in their enclosure ; a pan or tub a yard across and a foot deep will do, if some fresh water is put in daily and the whole emptied out every week or so in dry weather, to prevent the water getting too foul. A large bath sunk in the ground will be found to answer excellently. The pond should be seen to, if possible, when the birds are outside the enclosure. The enclosure can be made either over grass or shrubs ; in the latter case a turf should be put in every day or so. If a bit of the pond can be enclosed this would be a very good thing to do ; it might be deepened at this point, so as to retain more water. Food should be any small grain— wheat, barley, buckwheat — given in a trough of water; maize and hempseed may be added in cold weather. While the birds are confined in the small enclosure a few earthworms or small snails (about the size of peas) may be given daily. As to their being bred to profit, this ought certainly to be the case if a good breeding pair be secured, as food and housing cost little. They are quite hardy, and a big hutch or kennel littered with straw or moss-litter is all they need for shelter. To breed a number it is better to have two ducks to one drake. In conclusion I may say that our member Captain Boyd Horsbrugh, A.S.C., has kindly written informing me that a brood of Mandarin-Carolina hybrids was hatched at the .Stephen’s Green pond in Dublin, but unfortu¬ nately all, he believes, were killed by a terrier. He does not know which was the male parent. This at any rate shows that the cross is not so very 140 Correspondence, Notes, etc. hard to obtain as might have seemed previously; but it is a pity that misfortune appears to attend the hybrids when produced. F. Finn. HYBRID MUNIAS. Sir, — I should feel greatly indebted to you if you would kindly tell me whether there is a known wild hybrid between Munia inaja and M. atricapilla ; and also whether this cross has been reared in captivity. I see that in the Avicultural Magazine of June, 1902, Mr. Harper advertises such a wild hybrid. And in his notes on the Crystal Palace Show in the Magazine for March, 1903, Mr. Seth-Smith says there was a white- headed Mannikin with a black throat, which might have been taken for a hybrid between M. maja and M. atricapilla, but which he believed to be the Javan form Munia ferruginosa. Is it possible that Munia Jerruginosa is a cross ? or is it a known species ? I bought two of these birds last July : they appear to be very fond of each other and always sit side by side, but so far they have shown no inclination to nest. D. Hamilton. The folloiving reply has been sent to Miss Hamilton : It is quite likely that wild hybrids may exist between Munia maja and Munia atricapilla, but I thought it strange that Mr. Harper should advertize such a hybrid, as it could hardly occur in India. On looking up the advertisement, which was published in July (not June) 1902, I find that it relates to a hybrid between Munia malacca and M. atricapilla. Dr. Russ speaks of the hybrid between M. maja and M. atricapilla (he calls it M. sinensis) as having been obtained in captivity. Munia ferruginosa comes from Java, and I believe that M. atricapilla does not ; the British Museum certainly records no examples from that island: the indistinctness of M. ferruginosa as a species is generally admitted : it has occasionally been received in the German bird-market in some numbers ; but, up to 1879 Dr. Russ had not heard of its having been bred, nor have I heard of a case up to the present time. A. G. Butler. [We believe that several examples of M. ferruginosa were received by dealers shortly after, or at the same time, as the single specimen above referred to was shown at the Crystal Palace. — Ed.] FEATHER-PLUCKING. The following reply has been sent to a member's query : The cause of feather- plucking in Parrots is well-known ; but when Correspondence, Notes, etc. 14 1 the habit is once acquired, I believe it is practically incurable unless the bird can be turned loose in a large open-air aviary. I think it probable that the varied interests of aviarv-life would occupy the thoughts of the bird with something more sensible than per¬ petually denuding itself; and the comfort of clothing would be more appreciated in the open air, than in the warmth of a dwelling-room or a conservatory. Feather - plucking results from two causes — incorrect feeding, or insect-pests: both produce irritation of the skin, to alleviate which the bird tears out its feathers. The most certain means to adopt to induce a parrot to pluck itself is, to give it any kind of animal food. Bird-lovers frequently imagine, because parrots can be taught to talk, that they may be fed like human- beings ; so they give them milk, butter, cheese, eggs, chicken-bones, fish, flesh, and fowl. Another form of food which generally produces vomiting and laxity in parrots (excepting Lories, Lorikeets, and other honey-feeding parrakeets) is sop: this frequently results in skin - irritation and feather- plucking. When breeding, however, it is admitted that soft food, such as bread scalded with hot water and then pressed as dry as possible, assists these birds in rearing their young. A third error in feeding is, to supply advertized mixtures of strange seeds to all kinds of parrots indiscriminately. Those who know anything about these birds are well aware that each group requires its own proper mixture; that to give the same seeds to a Budgerigar, a Lory, a Broadtail, a Grey Parrot, or a Macaw, is to invite both disease and death. In “ parrot mixtures ” the most prominent seeds are pumpkin, melon or vegetable marrow (which can contain very little nutriment), hard maize, the germ or bud of the coming plant being the principal part which is eaten; prairie-grass, sometimes sold under the name of “sorghum” though it in no way resembles millet ; and sometimes sunflower seed. The idea of the men who make up those strange combinations seems to be that any large seeds will answer for parrot-food. Feather-plucking is frequently the result of using these unnatural mixtures. Insect-pests frequently result from the regular use of covers, to draw over the cages at night : it is to the use of these that I have to attribute the unsightliness of my own Grey Parrot, so that I speak from bitter experience. I think it possible that, if when a parrot first begins to pluck itself, a little fluid magnesia is stirred into its drinking-water occasionally, and its diet is strictly attended to ; the irritation may pass off before the habit of plucking out its feathers has been formed; and thus it may be cured. I have heard of such cases. A. G. Butter. 142 Correspondence , Notes , etc. THE LITTLE LORIKEET. Sir, — I enclose a rongli water-colour drawing of a Parrakeet. I wish you would be good enough to identify it for me. Is it the Little Lorikeet, Glossopsittacus pusillus ? The specimens I have were obtained at Goombargana, N.S.W. The birds were always in immense flocks feeding on the honey from the blossoms of the Eucalypti , generally so high up as to be out of range of my collecting gun, and were therefore somewhat difficult to obtain. Norman B. Roberts. The following reply was sent to Mr. Norman Roberts : The Parrakeet is the one you suggest— the Little Lorikeet, Glossopsit¬ tacus pusillus. Although a common enough species in New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania, I am not aware of any living specimens having been brought to this country. There is no doubt whatever that it would be :io more difficult to keep in health than the Varied Lorikeet (. Ptilosclera versicolor ) which has now been proved to do well in captivity on a diet of sweetened sop, or hone)’, and fruit. The Little Lorikeet is said to be almost always found in company with the Musky Lorikeet (Glossopsittacus concinnus), and to be practically identical with that species in its habits. It is the smallest of the Lorikeets, measuring only about 6| inches in length. D. Seth-Smith. PRICES OBTAINED FOR LIVE BIRDS IN 1856. The following is a list of birds sold by auction at Stevens’ 011 the 27th of May, 1856 ; the property of Mr. Davy, of the Bird Room, Baker Street Bazaar. Price obtained. A young tame Grey Parrot and cage . . 30/-. Handsome talking Grey Parrot, master of 20 words, and cage . . 38/-. Ditto King Parrot and cage . . 20/-. Ditto Grey talking Parrot, 2 years old .. 46/-. Talking Grey Parrot, to talk on the hand, very tame, 3 years old . . 80/-. Golden-headed Australian Talking Parrot . . 36/-. Large Lemon-crested Cockatoo, talks well, very tame.. 50/-. Pair of Indian Lovebirds and cage . . 22/-. Three Java Sparrows and ditto . . 8/6. Ditto . . 9/-. Pair of Silver Beaks and pair of Averdervats, with cage 17/-. Pair of Cut-throats and ditto .. 27/6 Waxbills and 2 Bronze Mannikins with cage .. 17/-. Correspondence , Notes, etc. 143 Price obtained. Four Doves in cage . . 7 /-• Pair of Spicebirds and cage . . 12/-. Pair of Crossbills and ditto .. n/-. Ditto and ditto .. 11/" Virginian Nightingale and cage . . . 19 /-. Ditto and ditto . . 23/-. NOTES ON PARRAKEETS. Sir, — I see Mr. Catleugli’s experience with a hen Budgerigar trying to kill her mate. Many years ago a hen Budgerigar I had did precisely the same thing, and, if I recollect, tried to murder the young, too. It caused me to give up breeding them, for I could not say when the avicidal mania might come on, and I could not be always watching them. I recollect that with the first pair of Blossom-heads I had, the husband was always dreadfully hen-pecked until the breeding season came on, then he asserted his authority, and kept his wife in order. In Mrs. Johnstone’s interesting communication about breeding the Rock-Pebblers, she talks of the inability of the King Parrot to stand cold. My experience is that the King Parrot is more impatient of the atmosphere of a room than that of cold. I11 fact all the Broad-tails seem to me fairly indifferent to cold, but then I have never kept the northern forms. The endurance of cold by Parrots is a rather interesting subject : it seems to be settled by species rather than by habitat. No doubt a large number of species of Parrots could stand our climate if they had perfect liberty. F. G. Dutton. A GOOD HEATING APPARATUS FOR BIRDROOMS, ETC. One of the best and simplest forms of heating apparatus for small aviaries or birdrooms that we have seen was that exhibited by Mr. J. Dewliurst, of 52 Northern! Road, West Kensington, at the recent Crystal Palace Bird Show. It consisted of wrought iron flow and return pipes, connected to a small conical copper boiler which is heated with a Bunsen gas burner. The boiler has a casing of iron or copper, from the top of which a small pipe carries off the fumes. There is no heating so good as that of hot-water pipes, and Mr. Dewhurst’s apparatus is the simplest form of the application of this system that we have seen, and one of our members who has tried it informs us that it is perfectly efficient. It can be fitted in any room in a few minutes. The price is £2 10s. with zinc tank and iron boiler casing, or ^3 with the same in copper. 144 Correspondence, Notes, etc. THE ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICINE TO BIRDS. Sir, — I notice Dr. Creswell has considered it necessary to comment on my remarks re the above. That any two persons should not agree is reasonable, but for Dr. Creswell to endeavour to impress on your readers that m3' remarks referred to cases of imminent danger is unreasonable, to say nothing more, and I am quite willing to leave your readers to decide as to whether his argument is a just interpretation of what I said. My notes under Post mortems are necessarily short. Having always endeavoured to assist the members I beg to say if at any time it is within my power it will always be a pleasure to render them further help. Arthur Giee. [Crowded out of the January number. — Ed.] FOOD FOR JAY. The following reply has been se?U to a member's query : The best food for a Jay consists of crumb of stale household bread, powdered sweet biscuit, yolk of egg, ants’ eggs, and dried flies, thoroughly mixed together and slightly damped ; or, if you wish to save the trouble, ‘ Century Food’ Grade 2, with a little yolk of egg in flake added, and about two parts of crumb of stale household bread to one of the food, will answer the same purpose. Ouce a week a cubic inch of raw beef minced, should be given in addition to the staple food ; also any mice, young sparrows, or sparrows’ eggs when you can get them ; cockroaches or other insects and their grubs, spiders or centipedes. Crack-nuts are much appreciated, or green peas when in season ; also small fruits or banana. Too much butcher’s meat is bad, though fur and feather in the form of mice and nestling birds (which are natural food) do good, and help to keep this and the other Crows in good plumage. I am speaking from experience; as my two Ja}\s (English and American) are always in perfect health and plumage excepting when in moult. The cage for a Jay cannot be too large, as it is an active bird and very playful ; it also likes to bathe daily. A. G. BuTEER. BOWER BIRDS. Sir, — I should be very much obliged if you could kindly give me information on the following subjects. Correspojide?ice, Notes, etc. 145 Will Bower-birds live in an aviary ? If so which species is recom¬ mended ? Are they dangerous to other smaller birds ? What should they be fed on ? Louisa Feieding. The following reply has been sent to Lady Louisa Feilding : If they are properly fed, there is no difficulty in keeping Bower-birds in an aviary; but during the winter, it must be an indoor one and moderate^ warm. I do not think you can improve upon the Satin Bower-bird: I have had a pair since September 1899 which is now in perfect health and plumage, the cock never having had a day’s illness ; the hen however was ill for three days some months ago, but recovered rapidly after a dose of castor-oil. As I keep my birds by themselves in a small aviarv, I cannot speak from experience as to their behaviour towards small birds; but Mr. Phillipps tells me that they do not seem to trouble about those much smaller than themselves, though they dispute rather fiercely with others more nearly of their own size.* They should have some soft food : (‘ Century Food ’ would be as good as any), also plenty of fruit — oranges, ripe pears, or grapes, being favourites ; and insects in some form ; cockroaches they like as well as anything else : they are moderate eaters. A. G. Buti.er. BIRD NOTES FROM THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. (See also page 132). The official list of additions to the Gardens for the month of December 1903, from which the extracts on page 132 were taken, appears to have been incomplete, and a revised list was issued on January 23rd, and received just before going to press. This includes the following additions besides those recorded above: — Dec. 4. 1 Short-toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicns) .. Captured at Sea. 1 Red-billed Toucan (Ramphastos erythrorhynchus). Demerara. 1 Blue-fronted Amazon {Chrysotis cestiva) .. S. America. „ 14. 2 Malabar Mynahs (Poliopsar malabaricus). . . India. ,, 15. 2 Hybrid Parrakeets (between Platycercus eximius and Psephotus hcematonotus) . . Australia. * The adult male Satin, Spotted, and Regent Bower-birds I have found to be very uncertain in their likes and dislikes, the latter quarrelling only with his own species. They all interfere with the nesting of other birds.— K. P. 146 BALANCE For the Year ended £ s. d. 13 11 n| 3l6 JC 4i 125 9 o 11 19 7 36 14 10 £ s. d. Balance from last year. Received by Business Secretary and remitted to Treasurer : 206 10 o 413 Subscriptions, current. 13 10 o 27 ,, i9°3-4- r6 15 o 134 Entrance Fees. £ s. d. Donations : 33 0 0 Mr. Phillipps. 33 0 0 Mrs. Phillipps. 1 10 0 Mrs. Reid (Madeira), two sums. 1 1 0 Mr. Meade-Waldo, two sums. 1 0 0 Mrs. Waldegrave Thompson. 1 0 0 Mr. Gibbins, two sums. 0 11 0 Rev. H. D. Astley. 0 5 S Small sums. Mr. Setli-Smith’s share of Lorikeet plate for Part akeets. 074 Sales, etc. 6 8 io| Private advertisements. 75 11 3 15 10 0 5 5 6 5 11 o 176 250 18 19 6 o 16 8 022 Publisher' s Receipts : Sales — 143 full volumes. ,, 262 odd numbers. Sold Artists’ Coloured Plates and Patterns. Cases for binding annual volume : — £ s- d- 564 1 16 Old Series @ lid. 048 4 New Series @ 1/2. Mr. Bonhote’s share of Bahama Birds plates, for private publication. Charged Harnlyn for circulating Notices, 3 @ 15 /-• Trade advertisements. Colouring Members’ plates. Miscellaneous. Publisher’s Balance, as per contra. 32 10 6 Paid on Plates proper to 1903-4. 444 Deficit. - Adverse balance. ^504 5 9 HONORARY TREASURER’S BALANCE SHEET. £ s- d- 13 11 Us 316 10 4^ 36 14 10 1902—1903. Balance from last year. Received from Business Secretary. Adverse Balance. Paid by me, and taken into account this year £ s- d- 366 17 2 /366 17 2 £366 17 2 W. H. ST. Quintin. 22nd Dec., 1903. SHEET. 315/ October, 1903. 147 Tone Blocks and printing Plates Lithographic Plates — Mintern ,, ,, Bale, Sons, & Danielsson Hooded Siskin, 525 Plates (tri-colour) Thickhead, 600 Plates (Chromo) Colouring Plates (back, current, and some future) Mr. Gronvold — Plates, stone-work, and coloured patterns . . „ 5 pen-and-ink sketches @ 7/6 „ Designing and drawing “Bird of Paradise” for cover of Monthly Numbers „ Travelling expenses and time going to and from Parkstone, to paint Crowned Crane.. Mr. Goodchild — Plates, stone-work, and coloured patterns . . „ Copying “Bahama Osprey” in line., Mr. Pycraft — “The Topograph}' of a Bird,” article and diagrams Cutting block and lettering for side of case for bound volumes R. H. Porter — Cases for binding : 150 Old Series, £2 17s. ; ( 100 New Series, £2 10s. j Buying back volumes and numbers Packing and despatching Magazines; envelopes and postages. Binding Insurance of Stock (^"100) Commission on sales Engraving six Medals Printing Notices „ Voting Lists Time, miscellaneous .. Carriages, boxes, etc., between Printers and Publisher : Publisher, £2 17s. 4d. \ Printers, £2 5s. 5d. ) W. T. Moulton & Co., Printers — Printing and binding Monthly Magazine, providing paper and inserting plates ,. Stationery ,, Books of Receipts and various .. Editor’s clerical assistance (Indices) ,, Postages Correspondence Secretary and Executive Committee — - Postage stamps supplied to Paid Publisher balance on his Dr. & Cr. statements for year . . £ s. d. 37 6 6 20 8 o 5 16 o 726 10 10 o hi 4 11 29 1 o 1 17 6 2 10 o 1 12 9 17 6 6 o 10 6 220 300 5 7 0 10 16 3 44 17 6 680 050 1 281 o 12 9 o 13 o o 13 6 1 3 5 529 142 1 6 o 19 6 o 17 3 5 5 0 3 5 0 126 11 19 7 £504 5 9 I certify that the vouchers for the above account have been produced to me, and that the above appears to be a correct summary of the Treasurer’s Receipts and Payments for the year. Chas. L. Rothhera, 9th Jan., 1904. Auditor. D. Seth-Smith. A. G. Buteer. J. L. BonhoTE. E. G. B. Meade-Waedo. O. E. Cressweee. Reginald Phieeipps, Hon. Business Secretary. 148 Post Mortem Examinations. POST MORTEM EXAMINATIONS. RULES. Each bird must be forwarded, as soon after death as possible, carefully packed and postage paid, direct to Mr. Arthur Gill, M.R.C.V.S., Veterinary Establishment, Bexley Heath, Kent, and must be accompanied by a letter containing the fullest particulars of the case. Domestic poultry, pigeons, and Canaries cannot be dealt with. If a reply by post is required a fee of 2/6 must be enclosed. Red-crested Cardinal (Miss Sturton-Johnson). [Apoplectic fit caused the inability to fly, the wing being partially paralysed by pressure on the left side of brain caused by extravasated blood in this region. The brain mischief was the cause of death. It was a cock]. Saffron Finch, cock (Mr. G. C. Porter) [Your bird died of a fractured skull which was no doubt caused by flying against something hard. Am very pleased to assist you as far as I am able]. Pope Cardinal (Capt. Rice). [Apoplexy was the cause of death. These birds can do with plenty of exercise, and should not have many mealworms if confined in a cage]. Pintail Nonpareil (Mr. Picard). [Your bird died of inflammation of the liver. It is difficult to assign the cause. It may be from chill, although it is difficult to say how this was contracted]. St. Helena Waxbill (Rev. R. H. Wilmot) [The bird was much emaciated, the cause being a large tumour in the abdomen]. Mocking Bird (Rev. R. H. Wilmot). [Bird died of concussion of the brain, and there were several marks of old injuries about the skull and wings. I have had Mocking Birds all the winter in outdoor aviaries which never seemed to suffer inconvenience from the weather]. Hen Zebra Finch (Capt. B. Horsbrugh). Died of inflammation of oviduct as a result of inability to lay the egg]. Budgerigar (Miss Appleton). [Your bird was badly injured on left side of breast and left leg. It had wasted a good deal owing no doubt to pain]. Red-crested Cardinal (Miss D. Sturton-Johnson). [Your bird died of apoplexy. There was one extravasation on brain of a few days standing, and one quite recent which no doubt was immediate cause of death]. Hen Cordon Bleu (Mrs. Barber). [Death was due to haemorrhage of the lung]. Cock Bloodrump Parrakeet (Mrs. Fogg Elliot). [Bird died of pneumonia]. Brown-throated Conure (Miss Sturton-Johnson). [Your bird died from injuries on side of head. The skull was fractured. It is annoying to lose birds, but one must never be surprised at such occurrences in a mixed aviary. Some birds that are quiet for months seem to develop the bullying propensity suddenly, and if successful at first will sometimes do considerable damage before detected. I have experienced this with a cock Cockatiel and a cock Californian Quail. Arthur Gill. Cloth, gilt top, Small 8vo., Six Shillings net. THE BIRDS OF TENNYSON, BY WATKIN WATKINS, B.A.Cantab. Member of the British Ornithologists' Union. “ Many as are the volumes which have been written on different phases and aspects of our late Laureate's works, this, we think, is the first time that a whole book has been devoted to “The Birds of Tennyson.” Mr. W. Watkins, the author, is a member of the British Ornithologists’ Union, and has, therefore, a scientific as well as a literary interest in the subject. And his verdict in the matter is this — that ‘No poet is so satisfactory to the ornithologist [as Tennyson], for no poet had a more accurate knowledge of birds or had a happier power of describing their peculiarties.’ Mr. Watkins’ pages are, indeed, themselves a testimony to the acuteness as well as the frequency with which Tennyson described the ‘feathered tribe.’ All this, of course, is an old story to the students of the poet, but it is pleasant to find Tennyson’s references to birds collected and systematised as they are in this agreeable treatise, which is, as it should be, carefully and usefully indexed. In his introduction Mr. Watkins deals with Tennyson’s allusions to birds in general, and in subsequent chapters discourses successively of birds of song, birds of passage, birds of prey, birds of sport and so forth The result should convince those who are not already convinced that as a poet of the birds Tennyson ranks with Shakespeare. Mr. Watkins, as a naturalist, of course appreciates fully the poet’s stanzas on ‘ The Throstle,’ of which the ignorant have been accustomed to make game. He recognises the fidelitv with which the bird’s ‘ note ’ is reflected in such lines, homely enough, as— Summer is coming, summer is coming, I know it, I know it, I know it ’ And he gives other instances of the poet’s successful translation of birds’ song' into literary speech. ’— The Globe. “ Lovers and all in quest of unhackneyed forms of endearment could not do better than add to their possessions a copy of ' The Birds of Tennyson.’ by Watkin Watkins. The book is a well-compiled number of extracts from the poems of Tennyson, Wordsworth Shakespeare. Bvron, Chaucer, Milton- Cowper, and other poets, in which the manners and customs of birds are introduced as similes, in daintv lines. The volume contains some excellent illustrations of birds by G. E. Lodge.”— Pall Mall Gazette. “ Mr. Watkins, who must have spent a vast deal of time in the study of Tennyson’s poetry from the natural history point of view, publishes a number of extracts, and enlarges on them in a most interesting manner. Mr. Watkins’ book should prove very acceptable to Tennyson lovers.”— The Yorkshire Post. “ ‘ The Birds of Tennyson ’ should have a strong attraction, for its well-written pages are a powerful proof of the great influence exercised upon the impressionable mind of the poet by the beauties of form and the joyous songs of the feathered kingdom. 1 here is another class of readers who should also find much pleasure in a perusal of the volume— those lovers of Tennyson as a poet who, not taking any special thought about birds, will be astonished to find how much their favourite poet knew about them and how narrowly he observed the life that moved about him. They will find, too, by the aid of Mr. Watkins’ comments as an expert, how appropriately Tennyson employed his innumer¬ able references to birds of all kinds, and especially song birds. Excellent illustrations by G. E. Lodge enhance the value of the volume.”— The Shrewsbury Chronicle. LONDON : R- Porter, 7, Princes Street, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. IV. Notices to Members— Continued. Outdoor aviary, pairs : — Cockatiels 12/6, Blossotn-headed Parrakeets 2T /-, Blue-winged Lovebirds 10/6; imported cock Californian Quail 7/6; or exchange small foreign finches. Goddard, Rothesay, Thicket Road, Sutton. Cock Great Indian Weaver -bird (Ploceus megarynchus, Hume), a prize¬ winner at the last Crystal Palace Show, very rare, 80/- ; cock hand- reared Grey -winged Ouzel ( Merula boulboul ), perfect health and feather, last year’s bird, 30/-. E. W. Harper, 52, Goldington Avenue, Bedford. One of the finest Scarlet Macaws living with 35/- stand, Blue - winged Chloropsis full song, two Red and two Black Goulds cocks, two pairs Ruficaudas non egg-eaters, cock Bicheno, pair Parrot Finches, pair Long-tailed Grassfinches with one young very prolific, all absolutely perfect; hen Gould; hen Pectoral, healthy, defective plumage. Greene’s Parrots in Captivity 15/-, Tegetmeier on Pheasants new 4/-, many small works on foreign birds, cages suitable for one to twenty pairs. 18 framed pictures for birdroom-decoration mainly coloured plates from Magazine. Nicholson, Coltbridge Gardens, Edinburgh. Large mealworms 1,000 2/6, 500 t/6, post paid, cash with order. Ants’ eggs, good quality, thoroughly cleaned 2;6 lb., best Dutch ditto, best obtainable 3/6 lb. postage extra. C. P. Arthur, Melksham. Very tame hand-reared cock Budgerigar, lovely pet for a ladv, savs ‘Joey, dear Joey.’ price 25/-; cock Grand Eclectus 35/-, hen ditto cage-moulted 50/-; Mealy Rosella 15/-, tame pet; King Parrakeet ami large round cage 50/. ; hen Double-band 10/- ; hen Ruficauda 7/-. C. P. Arthur, Melksham. Splendid Gouldian Finches 21/- pair, White-winged Doves perfect 12/6 pair, Wandering Tree-Pies 22/- each, Siberian Goldfinches 6/- & 7/6 each very large birds, German Bullfinches 9/6 pair, Californian Qnails (adults) 16/6 pair, Brown-faced Connies 10/-. Bava Weavers 7/6 each, cage-moulted, Avadavats3;- pair, adult Budgerigars 7/6 pair, Blue- crowned Conures 38/6 pair, Javan Parrakeets 7/6 each, cock Saffron Finches 3/6, Pileated Finches 7/6. Green Glossy Starlings 20/- each, St. Andreasberg Rollers 8/6, 10/6. & 12,6 each, Zebra Doves 4/6. H. W. Burgess, High Street, Bushev, Herts. WANTS. (These ate charged for at the same Tate as Birds for Sale 1 . Hen Red-faced Lovebird, hen Peach-faced Lovebird. W. T. Catleugh, Clyffe, Richmond Wood Road, Bournemouth. King Parrakeet from outdoor aviary, state age. Albert J. Salter, Thame, Oxon. Wanted hens — Bleeding-heart and Crested Pigeons, Patagonian Conure. Would exchange cock Bleeding-heart if preferred. Miss ALDERSON, Worksop. Wanted either one or three Indian Zosterops ; must be the small variety, not the larger Chinese sort. Mrs. Howard Williams, Hamiltou Lodge, Bickley. Hen Saffron Finch, pairs of Redrumps, pairs of Pennauts; all must be from outdoor aviary and adult birds. H. W. Burgess, High Street, Busliey. Hen Violet-eared Waxbill, hen Ringed Finch, cock White-eared Grassfiuch, pair Cuba Finches. R. Phillipps, 26, Cromwell Grove, West Kensington Park, London, W. III. NOTICES TO Members — ( Continued from -page it. of cover). NEW MEMBERS. Southport Corporation ; Mr. James Hathaway, Curator Hesketh Park and Aviary, Hesketli Park, Southport. Dr. Hocken, F.L.S. ; Dunedin, New Zealand. Miss Dawbarn ; Wisbech House, Leamington Spa. Mr. Robert Service, M.B.O.U. ; Maxwelltown, Dumfries. Mr. W. K. Morrison ; Princestown, Trinidad. Dr. Tanner ; Vauvert House, Guernsey. CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION. Lady Seton-Steuart ; Touch, Stirling ; and The Honble. Mrs. Hamilton ; Dunmore Park, Larbert. Proposed by Capt. TWEEDIE. Mrs. A. A. Dale ; c/o Messrs. King & Co., 9, Pall Mall. Proposed by Capt. HORSBRUGH. Mr. R. I. Pocock, F.Z.S. ; The Zoological Society’s Gardens, Regent’s Park ; and Mr. R. D. Steward ; 6. Stanger Road, South Norwood. Proposed by Dr. BUTLER. Mr. H. L. Brooksbank ; Walkington Park, Beverley. Proposed by Dr. SaVEGE. Mr. E. C. Stuart Baker, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ; Debrugarh, Assam. Proposed by Mr. InGLIS. Mr. Harry Mitchell ; The Duchv House, Harrogate ; and M. Joel Blamky ; Huasan, Andalgala, Catamarca, Argentina. Proposed by The Hon. Business Secretary. MEMBERS’ SALE AND EXCHANGE COLUMN. The charge for private advertisements is one penny for every four -words. Names and addresses of advertisers must be paid for. Each statement of price, such as 3 /6, is counted as one word. Every advertisement must be prepaid, and MUST reach the Secretary not later than the 19 th of each month. The Council reserve the right of refusing any advertisement they may consider undesirable. A beautiful, rare, brush-tongued Lory in brilliant crimson and green plumage, young, and in perfect health. Apply by letter to Lad\f D., Duustall Priory, Shoreham near Sevenoaks. From outdoor aviary : — Blue Grosbeak 12/6, cock Goldfinch 5/-, one Non¬ pareil 6/-, Indigo cock 4/6, Pope Cardinal cock 4/6, Saffron Finch 2/6, one Parson Finch 5/6. Ellis, 34, York Street, Wakefield. Pair of Diuca Finches, have nested, acclimatized, 12/6. Miss Alderson, Worksop. Fine healthy Budgerigars, full plumage, outdoor aviary, 6/6 per pair. Mrs. Williams, Emmanuel Parsonage, Exeter. Very fine 1903 Peacocks and Peahens, specially bred for size for generations, 30/- pair; single cock 21/- ; Silver Pheasants 2t/- pair. O. E. CRESSWELL, Esq., Morney Cross, Hereford. From outdoor aviary: — Pair Rosellas 50/-, Cockatiels 12/6; Golden Pheasants, pure bred, cocks only, 10/6 each. a'lbert J, Salter, Thame, Oxon. Pair Red-faced Lovebirds, pair Blackhead Gouldians, pair Budgerigars, cock Zebra Finch, good condition, healthy, acclimatised. B. Mason, North Parade, Lincoln. (Continued on opposite page j . JOHN D. HAMLYN, NATURALIST, 221, St. George’s Street East, London. THE ACTUAL IMPORTER OF RARE FOREIGN BIRDS & ANIMALS DIRECT FROM OUR Indian, ' Australian, and African Empires. Absolutely THE ONLY DEALER who attends Shipping at London, Southampton, Plymouth, Antwerp, Bordeaux, Havre, and Marseilles. REFERENCES TO EVERY AMATEUR OF NOTE. LIST ON APPLICATION. CUCCESS IN BIRD KEEPING & BREEDING CAN ONLY BE SECURED BY USING •3f ABRAHAMS’ &* WORI,l>-FAMBI> Specialities in BIRD FOOD. LARGE STOCK OF RARE FOREIGN BIRDS. HARTZ MOUNTAIN ROLLERS, Norwich, Yorkshire and Lizard Canaries Cock Birds in full Song now in Stock ABRAHAMS’ TONIC for Diarrhoea and Strengthening Birds. EVERY DESCRIPTION OF Cage and Aviary Appliance, Seed, etc., in stock. For complete Price List apply to — J. ABRAHAMS, 191 & 192, ST. CE9R6E STREET EAST, LONDON, E. ABRAHAMS’ is the oldest and most reliable Establishment in England. -NEW SERIES. MARCH, 1904. MONTHLY. Voi. ii. No 5. Price is 6d- Mem bers’ Annual Subscription, 10 - j payable In advance. [pjl SOCIETY. THE JOURNAL OF THE AVICULTURAL :p ' >'* ■CONTENTS. O-5 The Spotted Ground-Bird ( with plate), by Reginald Phillipps The Australian Brush-Turkey, by W. H. St. Quintin, F.Z.S. Foreign Birds at the “Great National” Show My Aviary, by C. Castle-Sloane, F.Z.S. PAGE 149 160 164 165 Stray Notes Bird Notes from the Zoological Gardens Correspondence, Notes, etc. — Diamond Finches, Yellow Sparrows, etc., 171 : A White-tailed Whydah, 172 : Food for Nestlings, 173 : The Mandarin Duck, 174 : Violet - eared Waxbills, Pectoral and Gouldian Finches, 174 : White - eared Conures nesting, 175 : Crossbills, 176 : Hybrid Munias, 176. The Society’s Magazine ... ... ... ... ... Post-mortem Examinations 168 170 177 178 LONDON t R. H. PORTER, T, Princes Sr., Cavendish Square, W. NOTE.— A new volume commences every November. 0 II. P*~ All Subscriptions should be sent to the Honorary Business Secretary. THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY. Persons wishing to join the AviCURTURAR Society are requested to communicate with the Hon. Business Secretary. NOTICES TO MEMBERS. The Subscription to the Avicultural Society is 10/- per annum, due on the 1st of November in each year, and is payable in advance. The entrance fee is io 6. The Avicultural Magazine is sent free to members monthly. Members joining at any time during the year are entitled to the back numbers for the current year, on the payment of entrance fee and subscription. All MSS. fo> publication in the Magazine [except cases for the Society's Medal), a?id Books for review, should be addressed to the Kditor, Mr. I). SeTH-Smith, Glengarry, Canning Road, Addiscombe, Surrey. All Queries respecting Birds (except post mortem cases) should be addressed to the Honorary Correspondence Secretary, Dr. A. G. BuTRKR, 124, Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent. All other correspondence, cases for the Medal, Subscriptions, and Advertise¬ ments, should be sent to the Honorary Business Secretary, Mr. R. PhirrippS, 26, Cromwell Grove, West Kensington Park, London, W. Any change of address should be at once notified to him. Advice is given, by post, by members of the Council to members of the Society, upon all subjects connected with Foreign and British birds. All queries are to be addressed to the Hon. Correspondence Secretary and should contain a penny stamp. Those marked “ Private” will not be published. The Magazine is published by Mr. R. H. Porter (7, Princes Street, Cavendish Square, W.) to whom all orders for extra copies, back numbers, and bound volumes (accompanied by remittance) should be addressed. Cases for binding Vol. I., New Series, of the Magazine (in art cloth, with gold block on side) can be obtained from the Publisher, post free and carefully packed, at 1/6 each ; or the Publisher will undertake the binding of the Volume for 2/6, plus 8d. for packing and postage. All orders must be accompanied by a remittance in full; and Members are requested to state whether they want the wrappers and advertisements bound in at the end or not. BOUND COPIES OF THE ‘‘AVICULTURAL MAGAZINE.” file following can be obtained from the Publisher at the prices given below. Postage 6d. per volume extra : Vol. II., 6/- to members; 8/6 to the public. Vols. V. to VII., to/6 each to members ; 12/6 each to the public. Vol. VIII., 14/- to members ; 17/6 to the public. Vol. I., New Series, 21/- to members; 30/- to the public (revised prices). Current Monthly Numbers 1/6 each (except in special cases, such as the Number containing the List of Members, when the Committee may increase the price), bv post 1/7; for back Numbers a higher price is charged according to circumstances. Vols. I., III. & IV., are out of print. Second-hand copies sometimes reach the Publisher, to whom application should be made. [Continued on page Hi. of cover) The Practical Scientific Cabinet Makers. T. CROCK Established over 50 Years. MAKERS OF EVERY DESCRIPTION OF Cabinet Cases & Store Boxes TAXIDERMY IN ALL ITS BRANCHES. Apparatus and Appliances for the use of Specimens for Entomo¬ logists, Botanists, Ornithologists, Geologists, Mineralogists. Numismatists, Conchologlsts, etc., And for the use of Lecturers, .Science Teachers, College Students, &c. MUSEUMS FITTED AND ARRANGED. Specially made Cabinets for Birds’ Eggs and Skins, the Drawers graduate in depth and are all interchangeable. STORR BOXES, fitted with Camphor Cells, 2/3, 3/6. 4/3, 5/3 SETTING BOARDS, flat or oval. i-in. 5d., ig-in. 7d., 2-in. 9d-, 2^-in. lid., 3j-in. 1/2, 4-in. 1/4, 5-in. 1/8. PLAIN RING NETS, wire or cane, 1/6. 2/-, 2 '3. FOLDING NETS, 3/-, 4/- UMBRELLA NETS, sell- -cting, 6/9. POCKET BOXES, 6d., 8d., lid., 1/5 SUGARING TINS, with brush, 1/4, 1/10. SETTING HOUSES, flat or oval boards, 8/6, 10/-. Cork back, 12/9. BREEDING CAGES, 2/3. Improved stvle. fitted with tanks, 3/7. COLEOPTERIST COLLECTING BOTTLES, 1/4, 1/6. INSECT and EGG CASES, from 2/3 to 10/- Best Steel FORCEPS, 1/5 pair. TAXIDERMISTS’ COMPANION, containing eight useful articles for Skinning, 9/6. EGG DRILLS, from 3d. BLOW PIPES from 2d. to 5d. ZINC RELAXING BOXES, 8d., lid. NESTED CHIP BOXES, 4 doz. 7d. ENTOMOLOGICAL PINS from 1/- per oz. ZINC LARVAE BOXES, 8d. lid., 1/5. BEST WHITE CEMENT, 5d. a Bottle. SPECIAL CORK CARPET, 9d. per square foot. CABINET CORKS, 7in by 3^in., lid. and 1/2 per dozen sheets. The “PERFECTION” FLAT SETTING BOARDS, for English stvle of Setting. Supersedes the old Boards. Same prices as ordinary Setting Boards. All Goods not approved may be excha?iged, or money returned. All Goods Store Prices. All Best Work. Estimates given. Great Advantages in dealing direct with Makers. Send for Full Detailed Price List before ordering elsewhere. 7a, PRINCES ST., CAVENDISH SQ., (7 Doors from Oxford Circus) LONDON, W. Factories : 34, RIDING HOUSE ST., and OGLE ST. W. HYDE’S Patent Iron Tonic Grit hor all Cage Birds, Pigeons and Fowls. HYDE’S ESTHETIC SEEDS. For Song Birds. A combination of rare and expensive Seeds blended to suit their natural requirements. HYDE'S LARK FOOD. Hyde’s Vitaz FOR POULTRY. HYDE’S NATURAL FOOD. For Aquarium Fish and Insectivorous Birds. Sold in Tins. Sample Box, Id. The latest achievement in Ornithology HYDES fid. A Id FACE BIRDS i PIGEONS &c .c.: pis Paw bags ik Food Mrts pAPjfe COC pS^SPEcfis LUc/ Parrots JSSSSSJ Extracts from a letter from Mr. J. PARKINSON, NATURALIST, BLACKPOOL, ENGLAND, October 30th, iqoi. “ Your Traveller was right in saying that the three nests of Parrots which I have reared were brought up 011 your Esthetic Seeds, which were boiled for about half an hour, and the birds when old enough they fed upon your famous Parrot Food. Your Traveller has handled the eggs and seen the young ones progressing into maturity. More than two hundred people, from all parts of the country, have visited me in order to see the Parrots ; and four gentlemen, who are Bird Naturalists, are presenting me with a Silver Cup, in commemoration of such an unprecedented accomplishment.” The “ BLACKPOOL GAZETTE ” of Dec. 4th Says— “ Mr. Parkinson has apparently solved the problem of Parrot-rearing, which has troubled Bird Fanciers generally throughout the country, and his skill in this direction has been recognised by the presentation of two Silver Cups at the local Bird Show.” R. HYDE & Go., Ltd., 54 , L1LFORD RD., CAMBERWELL, Cloth, gilt top, Small 8vo., Six Shillings net THE BIRDS OF TENNYSON, BY WATKIN WATKINS, B.A.Cantab. Member of the British Ornithologists' Union. “ Many as are the volumes which have been written on different phases and aspects of our late Raureate’s works, this, we think, is the first time that a whole book has been devoted to “ The Birds of Tennyson.” Mr. W. Watkins, the author, is a member of the British Ornithologists’ Union, and has, therefore, a scientific as well as a literary interest in the subject. And his verdict in the matter is this— that ‘ No poet is so satisfactory to the ornithologist [as Tennyson], for no poet had a more accurate knowledge of birds or had a happier power of describing their peculiarties.’ Mr. Watkins’ pages are, indeed, themselves a testimony to the acuteness as well as the frequency with which Tennyson described the ' feathered tribe.’ All this, of course, is an old story to the students of the poet, but it is pleasant to find Tennyson’s references to birds collected and systematised as they are in this agreeable treatise, which is, as it should be, carefully and usefully indexed. In his introduction Mr. Watkins deals with Tennyson’s allusions to birds in general, and in subsequent chapters discourses successively of birds of song, birds of passage, birds of prey, birds of sport and so forth The result should convince those who are not already convinced that as a poet of the birds Tennyson ranks with Shakespeare. Mr. Watkins, as a naturalist, of course appreciates fully the poet’s stanzas on ‘ The Throstle,’ of which the ignorant have been accustomed to make game. He recognises the fidelity with which the bird’s ‘ note ’ is reflected in such lines, homely enough, as — ' Summer is coming, summer is coming, I know it, I know it, I know it.’ And he gives other instances of the poet’s successful translation of birds’ song into literary speech.’’ — The Globe. “ Rovers and all in quest of unhackneyed forms of endearment could not do better than add to their possessions a copy of ' The Birds of Tennyson,’ by Watkin Watkins. The book is a well-compiled number "of extracts from the poems of Tennyson, Wordsworth Shakespeare, Byron, Chaucer, Milton- Cowper, and other poets, in which the manners and customs of birds are introduced as similes, in dainty lines. The volume contains some excellent illustrations of birds by G. E. Rodge.”— Pall Mall Gazette. “ Mr. Watkins, who must have spent a vast deal of time in the study of Tennyson’s poetry from the natural history point of view, publishes a number of extracts, and enlarges on them in a most interesting manner. Mr. Watkins’ book should prove very acceptable to Tennyson lovers.” — The Yorkshire Post. “ * The Birds of Tennyson ’ should have a strong attraction, for its well-written pages are a powerful proof of the great influence exercised upon the impressionable mind of the poet by the beauties of form and the joyous songs of the feathered kingdom. There is another class of readers who should also find much pleasure in a perusal of the volume— those lovers of Tennyson as a poet who, not taking any special thought about birds, will be astonished to find how much their favourite poet knew about them and how narrowly he observed the life that moved about him. They will find, too, by the aid of Mr. Watkins’ comments as an expert, how appropriately Tennyson employed his innumer¬ able references to birds of all kinds, and especially song birds. Excellent illustrations by G. E. Rodge enhance the value of the volume.” — The Shrewsbury Chronicle. LONDON : R. |3. porter, 7, Princes Street, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. CROSS, J (Known throughout the Civilised and Uncivilised World). Kir] g of Wild Beast Merchants Anything from “A HUMMING BIRD TO AN ELEPHANT,” TRADE SUPPLIED, TRADE SUPPLIED. GREY AFRICAN PARROTS. Fresh Arrivals Daily. FOREIGN WATER FOWL. Hungarian Partridges for turning down. Thousands of Small Foreign Birds, suitable for Aviaries. OLD ENGLISH RINGLESS PHEASANTS. CROSS’S TRADING MENAGERIE Is always on view for Visitors who are desirous of seeing the Wild Animals. At present it contains numerous LIONS, TIGERS, ELEPHANTS, ETC. Always something New. Hundreds of arrivals weekly. May he viewed daily from n to 4 p.m. Admission 6d. INSECTIVOROUS BIRD FOOD. Carl Capelle’s, Hanover). Absolutely the finest food for soft-billed birds. Sole English Agent : “CROSS, LIVERPOOL.” Birds & Animals Stuffed & Preserved. National Telephones I 6491 CENTRAL and 728 ROYAL. Telegrams and Cablegrams! “CROSS,” LIVERPOOL. “CROSS” (Known throughout the Civilized and Uncivilised World). KING OF WILD BEAST MERCHANTS, GREATEST ZOOLOGICAL EMPORIUM ON EARTH. LIVERPOOL. Avicultural Magazine. Cinclosoma punetatum. THE 149 Bxncultural fllba$a3met BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE AVICU LTURAL SOCIETY. New Series. — VOL. II. — No. 5. — All rights reserved. MARCH, 1904. THE SPOTTED GROUND-BIRD. Cinclosoma punctatum. {Cat. B. Brit. Mus. VIZ., p. 332). By Reginald Phillipps. I have been asked to write about Cinclosoma ; and as I am probably the only person in this country who has ever kept a specimen of the genus alive there is no escape, notwith¬ standing that some years have elapsed since my bird lived — and died ; happily my notes are pretty full. It was in the afternoon of the 8th July, 1899, that a bird* arrived, with a letter offering me an “Australian Rock-Thrush.” The name “ Rock-Thrush” was associated in my mind with the Pied Rock-Thrush, Monticola saxatilis, of which I had, and had had, many examples, and I was vexed that so common a species should be sent to me. However, on uncovering the box, quite a different bird was exposed to view. It seemed familiar, but somehow I could not just manage to get my tongue round the name ; nevertheless it appeared an innocent kind of thing, so I accepted and placed it in a six-foot cage in my dining-room, and, drawing up a chair, sat down to study it. In outward appearance there was nothing startling about the little stranger, but it was decidedly interesting. Of about the size and shape of a Turtle-Dove, it had rather a long fan¬ shaped tail, a slender black bill, and short pale-flesh-coloured * I heard later that a pair had started from Australia but that the female had been “buried at sea.”— R. P. Mr. Reginald Phieeipps, 150 legs and toes. Its various parts, taken by themselves, reminded me of just so many different species, but when put together they produced a bird which differed from each and every of them. The bird was half crouching on the sand, head, body, and tail nearly in a straight line, but with the tail-end tilted up the other depressed ; and thus it remained exactly where I had placed it, and as rigid and motionless as if it had been a wooden Dove out of a child’s Noah’s Ark. The top and back of the head were brown washed with slate, this colour occupying the whole space between two much lengthened white superciliary streaks, but on the forehead and behind the ear-coverts the slate was more pronounced. The chest, right across from side to side, was rich blue-slate, and I thought of the Californian Quail, but, on recollecting that the latter has a crest, I decided rather upon the Chinese Quail. On the hind cheeks, however, there was a conspicuous oblong patch of white, and the throat was jet black, pointing to the familiar Chinese Jay-Thrush, Garrulax chinensis. But as my eyes wandered over the upper parts, and I gazed 011 the rich red-brown feathers each with a central streak of darker, I recognised the Alpine Accentor. On examining the under parts, I found that the blue-slate chest was sharply bounded below by a thick irregular, or perhaps double, band of large oval black beads, below which came an unspotted abdominal region of dull cream, strongly suggestive of the Sand-Grouse ; but the unspotted centre was bordered by very thickly spotted flanks, the rich colour of which was un¬ mistakably that of the Fieldfare. I had proceeded thus far with my examination when, wishing to inspect the bird from a different point of view, I mechanically reached out my hand in order to give it a twist round, when it suddenly started up, and marched along the length of the cage with a gait and movement there was no mistaking, and with impatient annoyance I ejaculated — A Pheasant ; but as the creature stalked solemnly back, each movement of leg accompanied by a chuck of the tail, just the wooden toy with movable tail going click click as by clock-work, I exclaimed with increased bitterness — A cheeky Weka Rail. on the Spotted Ground-bird. 15 1 Alas for the fallibility of human judgment, for as the bird settled down and began to peck about I saw that it was a Dove. All this time my wooden friend had kept to the ground, declining some quite low perches which I considered it ought to have perched upon ; roosting time came, however, and it promptly Slew up to the highest perch, along ■which it ran with the nimbleness of a squirrel, and I shouted with joy — A Touraco. Instinctively I glanced downwards but, alas ! instead of the semi-zygodactyle foot I saw three long toes forward and one backwards, with large blunt thick strongly curved claws; and it had too a straight slim bill, absolutely diverse from the short thick bill of the Touraco. That night I had to retire and confess myself beaten, and also during the following day. It certainly did occur to me that “Ground-Thrush” might have been intended and I flew to Geocichla — but Geocichla did not respond. However, on the second day, while turning over the leaves of Wood’s “ Birds,” I came on a capital wood-cut of my friend. The value of illus¬ trations in a work on Birds was fully demonstrated. The species is called by Wood, The Spotted Ground Thrush or Ground Dove, and the former of these names is, or was, applied to it in the Natural History Museum. Thi's bird is not a Thrush, and is remarkably uu-Thrush-like. The generic name “Ground-Thrush” has been very commonly accepted for birds of the genus Geocichla *, and to apply it to Cinclosoma is confusing and senseless ; names should be used which are appro¬ priate and convey a definite meaning. In Campbell’s Nests and Eggs of Australian Birds the name of “ Ground-bird ” is used for this genus, and should be adopted in this country. Let me turn to the Rev. J. G. Wood’s “ Birds,” p. 343, and quote a few words : — “ Australia possesses a curious and valued specimen of this group, which is popularly called the Spotted Ground Thrush, or Ground Dove. A coloured plate of a rare and handsome member of this genus is ready, and will be published very shortly. — R. P. J52 Mr. Reginald Phillipps, “ This bird is found throughout the greater part of Aus¬ tralia and Van Diemen’s Rand, and on account of the delicacy of its flesh is greatly prized by both natives and colonists. Being always attracted by certain localities, it may be easily found by every one who is acquainted with its habits. Unlike the generality of birds, it cares little for trees or bushes, and seldom is known to perch upon the branches, preferring the tops of low stone-covered hills, or rude and rocky gullies, having a decided predilection for those which are clothed with grass and scrubby brushwood. The spaces between fallen trees are also a favourite haunt of this bird. “The Spotted Ground Thrush is no great flyer, taking to wing with much reluctance, and seldom voluntarily raising itself in the air except to fly from one side of a gully to another. When it does take to flight, especially if alarmed, it rises with a loud fluttering noise, and proceeds through the air in an irregular and dipping manner. To compensate, however, for its imperfect power of wing, its legs are well developed, and render it an exceedingly fast runner, so that it is able to conceal itself with great rapidity as soon as it finds cause of alarm . The flesh of the Ground Dove is remarkably good, and when the bird is fat it meets with a ready sale, and is generally disposed of to the game-dealers together with the painted quail, as it arrives and leaves at the same time with that bird. “ The voice of the Ground Dove is not very sweet, its cry or song consisting of a low piping whistle.” It will be observed that when Wood wrote, less than fifty years ago I fancy, the Spotted Ground-bird was common and well known — now it is rare. For over three years I have been endeavouring to obtain another specimen — but in vain. Mr. P. Peir of Sydney wrote to Mr. Carrick on the 9th June last as follows “ Two days after you left Melbonrue I dropped on to something rare in the soft-bill line, viz. a Spotted Rock-Thrush . At the present time he is in perfect health and condition, having had nothing to eat but yolk of egg and mealworms, of which he will consume at a frightful rate. I hope he will be alive when you come back as I am sure you could win in the on the Spotted Grou?id-bird. 153 rarest bird class at the Palace with him. The plumage is not gaudy but very fine. He is as large as a Turtle-Dove . When feeding, the tail is carried open like a fan and erected in the same manner as that of a Peacock.” From what I noticed of the defenceless nature of the species, I feel that it is doomed to extinction. The only hope of its being saved rests on the large extent of country over which it is spread— “ Tasmania and South Australia, as well as the whole of the eastern portion of the continent as far as the Wide-Bay district” (Mus. Cat.); “ S. and E. Australia, Tasmania.” (Hand-list, IV.) ; “ It inhabits the forest country, heavy and open alike, from South Queensland to South Australia and including Tasmania.” (Campbell). Such a wide range gives the bird a chance, at any rate for the present, though its habits as described by Wood are against its pre¬ servation. It will be observed that Mr. Peir also calls it a “ Rock-Thrush,” a name not mentioned by Mr. Campbell, and which should not be accepted any more than those of Ground Thrush and Ground Dove. Wood says — “ The spaces between fallen trees are also a favourite haunt of this bird.” I think he is mistaken. The bird is timid and watchful in the extreme, detects the approach of man long before the man is in sight of the bird, and at once dashes off to fallen tree, log, large stone or rock, or other raised thing on the ground, behind which it stoops for the purpose of concealment, becoming the wooden Noah’s Ark bird already mentioned. Being itself so low on the ground, it seems to think that if it can only get behind something it will not be seen. When running to shelter also it seeks to follow every depression in the ground, and to take advantage of every slight mound or rise in the ground behind which to steer its course. Many a time, on peeping through a window into the garden aviary, I have seen my bird feeding in the open, whither from preference it would always resort ; but no matter how cautiously I might attempt to open the door, the bird would have disappeaied, and would invariably be found behind something lying casually on the ground. It would never go on to the top of anything of the kind, nor rest on a stone as figured by Wood or on a mound. 154 Mr. Reginald Phillipps, Wood says— “It cares little for trees or bushes, and seldom is known to perch upon the branches.” Campbell tells lls — << i have seen it perched on thick limbs of trees about forty feet from the ground.” Gould, I am told, figures the female on a low perch. The latter I feel must be an error. I never saw my bird perch in any bush or on a low perch. During the day it usually kept strictly^ to the ground; but when, ditring the day, it did mount to a perch, it invariably went up to the highest perch in the aviary, nearly nine feet above the ground, being very fond of some long poles, along which it would run with considerable fleetness, or walk as on the ground. After close watching, I formed the opinion that it sought these high perches in order to get more sun. If it chanced to be in a tree, it would instantly crouch and become motionless on the approach of any one. It is quite in keeping with what I saw of my bird that it should fly on to “ thick limbs of trees about forty feet from the ground.” I venture to lay stress on the word “ thick.” My bird never roosted on the ground but invariably on a high perch, whether in cage, birdroom, or garden. It went to roost early, and seemed to select a thick limb just where it branched from the trunk ; it slept in a crouching attitude, usually with the tail level with or above the level of the bod}?- ; in a large tree, on a thick bough and close to or actually pressing against the trunk, it would be practically invisible. It seemed to be utterly defenceless, and never attempted to defend itself from the other birds, of which it was much afraid. Concealment seemed to be its one idea, deeply rooted in every fibre of its nature, the posture being almost always that which I have already described. It did not actually squat after the manner of Snipe, Quail, &c. ; these sit low with legs ready to spring into the air and seek safety in flight. Such a position would not suit the Ground-bird, who holds itself ready to display a?id run. Stooping low, head and forepart low, the hind-end a little up, it remains so still that often birds would go close up without appearing to notice it. Ret me here quote from some notes written while the bird was still alive: — “ When the bird, crouching in the thickest shelter or most shady shadowy spot he has been able to run to on the appearance of an enemy on the Spotted Ground-bird. 155 in the hopes that his general russet appearance above may save him from detection, finds the foe right on him, for not until the last moment will he move, then, and not till then, does his tail suddenly ‘ go off.’ With such startling quickness is the tail raised perpendicularly, sprung into a full fan in the face of the intruder, closed up and let off again, that it is really alarming to any creature not expecting it ; it is like the sudden explosion of a bomb under one’s feet. The white tips to the tail feathers moreover give a curious flashing fireworks effect to the whole performance in the shade of the forest ; the body of the bird also is to a certain extent invisible behind the fan — he endeavours to hide himself as it were behind his own tail. The suddeuess of the whole movement is invariably successful, the startled foe bounding off in one direction as from a venemous snake giving Cinclosoma an opportunity of scuttling off in another. As a rule, if the ground be not too open, he runs off straight like a rat. But I have seen him when taken off his guard, and attacked unexpectedly and unprepared in the open, run off in a frantic zigzag course, the speed being so great and the rapid and frequent changes from the straight line being so abrupt that, not¬ withstanding his short legs and closeness to the ground without which such a rapid zigzag course would be impossible without an upset, his body swayed sideways, right and left and left and right, just like a racing omnibus, a sight often to be seen in London in olden days.” The tail of my bird, which was a male, greatly fascinated me. It consisted of twelve feathers, the four* central very lightly, the remainder broadly, tipped with white. As a rule the feathers were kept closed, so that the white tips were in¬ visible and did not betray the bird, the upper surface of the two central feathers, practically the only ones to be seen from above, being brown, the remainder blackish. On certain occasions the tail, fully expanded, would be raised until perpendicular like that of the Peacock. It was not usual, as might be inferred from Mr. Peir’s letter, for the bird to expand it whilst feeding. In my garden it never fed with expanded tail. It expands the tail * I think four, but the tail of my bird was not quite perfect.— R. P. Mr. Reginald Philupps, 156 for the purpose of scaring its foes, as has already been described. Doubtless it expands it also as a courting posture, and perhaps as an ordinary display like a Peacock. When it spreads the tail while feeding in the presence of a human being, it is from ner¬ vousness, a kind of instinctive action to keep him off. I under¬ stand that Mr. Peir’s bird was kept in a cage so that it was compelled to stand its ground. After a time my bird became tame and friendly, and perhaps occasionalh'- expanded his tail as a display to me — but this too was in a cage. I have not done with the tail yet. The colour and pattern of the under, of the display, side differ from the upper. Mr. Gronvold has taken an infinity of trouble in his endeavours to bring the expanded tail into his excellent illustration, and to shew both the pattern on the under tail and the distinctive markings of the female which are in the fore-parts of the bird. But he has never seen the bird alive, much less the display; and to sketch a posture accurately from a verbal description is practically impossible. And even the pattern on the under side of the tail can hardly be seen in a dried faded skin, as a skin is stiff and hard, cannot readily be opened, and if opened does not shew the feathers evenly as in the living specimen. I have never seen a female and do not know that it does raise and expand the tail — though probably it does when alarmed ; and the pattern on the female seems to be less distinct than on the male. It must not be supposed that because two females appear in the illus¬ tration that the species is polygamous. The following is the description of the under tail taken from the living male : — The outer web of the outer feather on each side is black, basal portion of inner bright slate, the black from the outer web slanting across and occupying the apical portion, but tipped with white. All the other feathers are bright slate, with a subterminal band of black and tipped with white. Taking the under surface of the expanded tail as a whole, the bright slate forms a solid and slightly pointed arch. This is surmounted by the arch of black with its shaft support (outer web of each outer feather) on each side right down to the base, the whole structure being crowned with white. I observe that I have not made any special note of the part taken in the display 157 on the Spotted Ground-bird. by the handsome under tail-coverts. Speaking from memory, they droop over the vent and are not raised, but on this point I may be wrong. Neither in the Museum Catalogue nor in any work that I possess do I find any reference to the remarkable coloration of the under side of the tail and the still more re¬ markable uses to which it is put. Mr. Peir gave a description of his bird, and referring to the tail says — “ The tail is brown with white tips and all white underneath.” This is very strange ; perhaps “slate” was written, and “white” is a transcribers error. At any rate it shews that he observed the great difference between the upper and under sides. My Spotted Ground-bird was a very quiet amiable in¬ offensive creature, but needed a good deal of attention ; to some extent a cross-tempered Spotted Bower-bird was the cause of this ; it would have got ou much better in an aviary of smaller birds. For some little time after being introduced into the garden the posture assumed was head down tail up. As long as it was in the garden it continued to rush for shelter on the approach of any one, but gradually ceased to elevate the hinder parts. When strolling about it often looked Dove-like, and some¬ times like a diminutive hen Pheasant ; but there is nothing of the Dove about it. Although keeping near shelter it liked to •come into the open and bask in the sun or peck about. If on a bright day it should go up to a high perch in the open, if disturbed it would sometimes drop into the nearest thicket almost as stone-like as the kittle Owl. It seemed to be able to fly very much better than might be supposed from Wood’s account, being quite clever on the wing amongst the trees. The wings are short and rounded. I never heard my bird utter a sound in the garden. When being fed in a large cage it would utter a very soft low whistle, audible only to those quite near. Campbell says that it has a peculiar whining or whistling note, presumably the same note given in a louder tone. The species is chiefly if not wholly insectivorous. I occasionally saw my bird pick up seed, but a captive bird will 158 Mr. Reginald Phiixipps, often pick up a stray seed instead of grit. The formation of the bill is suggestive. It is straight and slim, the lower mandible being springy. The two mandibles, until pressure is applied, meet only at the tip so that, when an insect is seized, there is great pressure at the end, not onty enabling the bird to cleverly seize and firmly hold its prey, but also to subject it to such pressure as quickly to kill it. In captivity there is difficulty with the food, for my bird did not take kindly to artificial mixtures of any kind. Tiny cockroaches and mealworms it would take only too freely, but having once taken a mealworm it would hardly touch am7thing else, and it eventually died from the effects of a series of fits. When I heard how Mr. Peir fed his Ground-bird I felt that it could not live ; and writing later to Mr. Carrick he says : — “ Referring to your remarks about Mr. Phillipps’ anxiety to obtain a pair of the Spotted Ground-Thrush, kindly inform Mr. Phillipps that I am sending him the specimen I possess, and which I mentioned in a previous note ” ; but in a further letter he says : — “ I came home to get the Spotted Ground-Thrush to take down to the steamer on day of sailing and found it dead. It was in perfeet condition, and Mr. G. examined it and like me is mystified as to the cause of death ; its head was bent back on to the tail as if it had had tetanus.” The too free mealworm diet unquestionably caused the poor bird’s death. If I should ever succeed in obtaining another, I would endeavour to dispense with mealworms altogether, and feed it in the plainest manner. Live ants, fresh ants’ eggs, earwigs, spiders, woodlice, &c., would probably suit the bird well, but these are practically unobtainable in London. It needs, also, more exercise than as a rule it is possible to give it in captivity. Although always roosting in a tree, a point not mentioned by any writer, all the members of the genus seem invariably to nest on the ground. Campbell says of the Spotted Ground-bird’s nest : — “ Open or cup-shaped ; somewhat loosely constructed of strips of hard grey outer bark, dead leaves, and sometimes grass ; lined inside with finer materials — bark, grass, &c. ; placed on the ground in a depression or hollow, sheltered by a stump, fallen branch, stone or tussock, in forest country . Eggs. — 159 on the Spotted Ground-bird. Clutch, two usually, three occasionally; oval or lengthened in form ; texture somewhat fine ; surface glossy ; colour, dull- white, spotted and blotched with olive or umber and light or dull-grey, the markings being usually thickest at the larger end. . The season commences with the early breeders in August or September, finishing with the late ones in December or January. Between these extreme dates probably two broods are reared.” Wood sa3^s — “ The young are able to run almost as soon as they leave the egg, and in two days their bodies are covered with a soft black down like that of the young water- hen.” Can any one support this assertion from personal knowledge of the genus? How remarkably different from the Lyre-birds, of which the Ground-birds sometimes remind me ! Some of the colours of this species seem to fade after the death of the bird, notably that which I have called “slate” in my sketchy reference to the plumage, the Museum Catalogue generally substituting the word “ grey” or ignoring it altogether. But it had a very real existence while my bird lived: and Mr. Peir, when describing his own bird, used the word rather more freely but occasionally preferring “lavender” and “lilac.” I must also draw attention to a large and very conspicuous patch of bright blue-black (sometimes it looked pure but deep blue) on the shoulder and adjacent feathers (wing-coverts), the former set off with bold round white spots, the latter with less round white tips. Mr. Peir says — “The whole of the wing-coverts are a shiny black of very fine lustre spotted all over with pure white. The sexes are different ; and the adult female is thus des¬ cribed in the Catalogue : — “ Similar to the male in general appear¬ ance, but easily distinguished by the orange-rufous patch on the hinder cheeks extending some distance along the sides of the neck, and by the ashy throat and dull whitish chin replacing the glossy black throat of the male ; the grey chest-band is present, but is somewhat paler.” The length of the bird is about io inches, and the colour of the iris “watery-black” or, as the Catalogue has it, “very dark lead-colour.” My story is long and rambling, but the spotted Ground- bird is an exceedingly interesting subject ; and neither before nor since have I possessed any bird at all resembling it. i6o Mr. W. H. St. Quintin, Five other species of Cinclosoma are known : — (1) — The Chestnut-backed Ground-bird, C. castanonotum ; New South Wales, Victoria, South, West, and North-west Australia ; upper back brown like the head, scapulars and lower back maroon. (2) — The Cinnamon-coloured Ground-bird, C. cinnamomeum\ a dweller chiefly of the great interior ; considerably smaller than either the Spotted or the Chestnut-back species, and may be easily recognised by the cinnamon colouring of the greater portion of its plumage. Fore neck white, separating the black throat from the black chest. (3) — The Chestnut-breasted Ground-bird, C. castano thorax-, South Queensland and towards interior provinces. Back entirely con- colorous. Fore neck and chest chestnut. (4) — Northern or Black-vented Ground-bird, C. marginatum ; North-west Australia ; fore neck and chest cinnamon. (5) — Cinclosoma ajax ; Western New Guinea; male — wing-coverts black without spots, sides of body orange ; female — throat white, the lower throat, fore neck, and chest orange ; young male — throat dusky brown, fore neck and chest orange. The above from Campbell and the Museum Catalogue. THE AUSTRALIAN BRUSH-TURKEY. Catheturus lathami. By W. H. St. Quintin, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. Surely amongst all the wonders of the ornithological world there is nothing more strange than the family of the Megapodiidae, in which we find the parental instinct, so con¬ spicuously strong in the Avian Order generally, reduced to vanishing point. When we consider that the Megapodes and Brush-Turkeys are content to leave their eggs to the sun-warmed sand, or to the fermenting mass of vegetable debris, we are reminded of their Reptilian ancestors of long past geological ages, and one is almost tempted to suggest that these strange habits, depart- on the Australian Brush-Turkey. 161 ing widely from those of all other birds, have been transmitted unaltered to these descendants inhabiting certain islands of the Malay Archipelago, of the South Pacific, and parts of the continent of Australia. The Australian Brush-Turkey, Catheturus iathami, is the best known of this family in European collections, as a living bird. It seems to be hardy, and easily kept. A newly-imported pair came into my possession in January, 1903, in good health but of course travel-stained, and in broken feather. They rapidly improved during the next three months, in an unwarmed shed, supplied with a variety of seeds, grains and nuts, and well bedded down with dry leaves and sand. On April 25th, I turned them out into a large enclosure. In the afternoon of the follow¬ ing day I found the male excavating a sort of trench on a bank under some large Scotch firs, a yard long, a foot wide, and some ten or twelve inches deep. I watched him for some time, and thought that he was hunting for insects and worms ; but, by the next day, he had collected a heap, three or four large barrow loads, of dead leaves, and debris, on the spot where the trench had been. He was quite tame, and went on scraping at a few yards distance, merely leaving off to chase away any other bird that came too near, and returning to his task. This went on without inter¬ mission for some three weeks, in all weathers. On a wet day the poor bird presented a pitiably draggled appearance, as his heavy tail got much in his way, as he kicked the soaked rubbish up the slopes of the rapidly accumulating mound. The energy displayed was remarkable, especially when taking into con¬ sideration that the bird had been confined in a small shed, after a long voyage ; and for many months had had no opportunity for exercise. I soon had to enclose the mound and the two birds within some wire-netting, for the male became very aggressive, fiercely chasing off other birds, even male Capercailzies. Indeed I more than once saved one of these from an ignominious defeat. The Brush-Turkey used to chase a Capercailzie, and easily overtook it. He then used to give a tremendous thump with his heavy foot, making the feathers fly from the back of the fugitive ; and evidently this form of attack proved very demoralising to the 1 62 Mr. W. H. St. Quintin, larger bird, who never turned, but fled at his best pace. The female was always getting out of the enclosure, climbing up the bushes, and dropping down on the outside of the fence. The male was a rough wooer, and ran his mate about in a most unkind fashion. I sometimes thought that he intended serious mischief, but after hemming her into a corner, he would throw himself down before her on his chest pushing out his head and neck to exhibit his coloured wattle. Then the female, after getting her wind, would suddenly race swiftly past him, and gaining a yew tree, would jump from bough to bough till she gained a perch some twenty feet up, where she remained safe, while he went back to his labours. When the mound had attained the height of about five feet, with a diameter of twelve or fourteen, he seemed satisfied, and was generally to be found mounting guard upon the top, only striding down in rather a stately fashion to meet me, with tail swinging and wattles displayed ; and returning to his post after consuming the monkey-nuts, or hempseed, or other delicacy that I generally brought with me. We supplied him with mown grass from the lawns, and rough herbage, while he raked every scrap of loose material together off a space some thirty yards in diameter round the mound. His challenge was strikingly like the distant bellow of a bull ; and when he emitted the sound, the wattle on one side of his neck was distended to the size of a small melon. On May 17th, I found the Brush-Turkeys much excited , the male was running up and down the wire-netting, with wattle full}'' displayed, every now and then dashing off to the top of the mound, then back to the hen (unfortunately at that time outside the enclosure) trying to tempt her to it. A friend and I tried to let her in, and of course the male being the bolder of the two got out, and then followed a desperate chase ! The hen ran for her favourite tree, and for the first time I saw him follow her off the ground, displaying his wattles. I could see that the hen was not seriously alarmed, and here of course I ought to have left them, but for the sake of other valuable birds I was obliged to get him safely back into the enclosure ; and left o?i the Australian B rush- Turkey . 163 her outside, up the tree. We found 011 visiting the mound that there was an open trench on the top, say two feet by one foot, by one foot deep, evidently to admit the hen for laying, and the work of the male alone which is interesting. The heat of the interior of the mound at this time was very perceptible to the hand, though I regret that I did not test it with the thermometer. (Von. Rosenberg found that the thermometer marked 93 deg. Falir. in the interior of the mound of another species of Brush-Turkey, Talegallus fuscirostris, while the surrounding atmosphere was only 85 in the shade. Workers of incubators will recollect that the temperature required to hatch the egg of the domestic fowl is 104 deg. Fahr.) And now the female began to moult and the chance of eggs for the season passed away. It seems highly3" improbable that in such a miserable summer any chicks could have survived, even if the mound retained its heat sufficiently long for the incubation period. At the Zoological Gardens last summer a young bird, I learn from Mr. Thomson, did leave a mound, but did not live long. But some forty years ago chicks were reared in Regent’s Park. They looked after themselves directly they left the mound, the parents taking not the slightest notice of them. They could fly at once, and went up to roost at night, and grew so rapidly that in three months there was very little difference between the old and young birds. My birds are in fine order now, and the male already seems inclined to go to work, but I hope that breeding operations may be deferred till the end of April at earliest ; so until that time I shall supply no material. I hear that our fellow member, Mr. Capern, has more nearly approached success, for eggs were found in a heap raised by his birds ; but probably the low temperature of the season accounted for their failing to hatch. With regard to the food for young birds, Gilbert found that a newly hatched chick of Duperrey’s Megapode fed at once on bruised Indian corn. I should offer custard, ants’ eggs, soaked seeds and grain of various sorts, and raisins and any available fruit, also small earthworms. 164 Foreign Birds at the “ Great National ” Shoiu. FOREIGN BIRDS AT THE “GREAT NATIONAL” SHOW. A few years ago the only cage-bird show held during the year at the Crystal Palace was the “ Great National,” at the end of January or beginning of February ; then the foreign bird section, as a rule, was well worth going a long way to see, which can hardly be said of the show held from January 29th to February 2nd last ; but when it is remembered that two large shows had been held in the same building within the preceding three months it was hardly to be wondered at that one saw practical!}7, nothing that one had not seen at the Palace before. The show, so far as foreign birds were concerned, was certainly not up to the average, and not to be compared with the one held in December last. I11 the Parrakeet Class, Mr. Hawkins’ Varied Lorikeets {Ptilosclera versicolor) were again conspicuous, though one of them appeared to the writer to be somewhat out of sorts. Of course they took the first prize. Second came the only bird we do not remember to have seen before on the show-bench, namely a Red-bellied Conure ( Pyrrhura vittata), well shown by Mr. Osbaldeston. Like most of the Conures, this species is fond of uttering a most ear - piercing and irritating shriek. There were other good birds, such as Kings, Red-wings, Pennants, and Swainson’s Lorikeets, but nothing else of any rarity. Amongst the large Parrots, Dr. Lister’s now famous Banksian Cockatoo was again the best bird. There were three Macaws and several Amazons and Greys. In the Class for rarer Waxbills, Mr. Hawkins’ three rare Firefinches, Lagonosticta niveiguttata , L. vinacea and L. rufopicta were conspicuous. There was also a Bicheno-Zebra Finch hybrid, and Mr. Osbaldeston’s Crimson-finch (NeochtJiia phaeton) was one of the finest of its kind we have seen. A Red-headed Finch ( Amadina erythroccphala ) was also worth notice. Mr. Frostick sent a good pair of Trumpeter Bullfinches (. Erythrospiza githagineal) and Mr. Hawkins a couple of Olive Finches (PhonP para olivacea ). On Mr. C. Castle- Sloane’s Aviary. 165 In the Class for Tanagers, Sugar Birds, etc., Mr. Townsend as usual took the prizes. First came his magnificent Yellow ( Calliste flava), second his Tricolor (C. tricolor ), third his fine Chloropsis hardwickii. Fourth came the same gentleman’s White-capped Tanager. Mr. Hawkins received an extra third prize for a fine cock Dacnis caya?ia. The Class for all species not included elsewhere contained an interesting assortment. Mr. Osbaldeston took first prize with a magnificent Purple-headed Glossy Starling, Mr. Fyfield second with his Senegal Touracou, Mr. Osbaldeston third with his Toucan, and Mr. Townsend fourth with an Andaman Starling, Mr. Harper’s Great Weaver (. Ploceus megarhynchus) was out of colour, but was nevertheless well worth a card, and the same gentleman’s Grey-winged Ouzel received a V.H.C. MY AVIARY. By C. Castle-Sloane, F.Z.S. A short account of my new aviary may be of some interest to our members ; it is 48ft. long and 32ft. wide. The houses are built of brick ; and the roof is formed in two parts, the back part being higher than the front, so as to allow sufficient light for the cage birds which are kept on a shelf at the back. The roof is a raftered one, match-boarded with felt and zinc above, which is painted green ; it makes it warm in winter and not too hot in summer. The flights are constructed of iron standards, the wirework being light straight wired bird lattice (not the ordinary wire netting), attached to iron standards, fixed in brickwork which goes all round, making a shelter for the birds when they are on the ground, the latter being paved with large flags, which is quite as good as cement, if not superior ; as the latter, if not properly laid, is apt to crack and break up ; and should you have fountains (which I have) it is far better to pull up the flags to see to the pipes, if necessary, than to break up and repair the cement. Planted in the flights are weeping willows, laurels, briars. On Mr. C. CasTEE-Seoane’S Aviary. 1 66 etc., and I have four fountains, one in each compartment, round which I put stone- work, ferns, primroses, etc., and groundsel for the birds. To see the fountains in full play in the summer with the birds flying through the spray and others bathing in the basins, is a pretty sight. The rain-water from the roof is collected into a tank which is placed inside the aviary, and this supplies the fountains. Half of the top of the flight is covered with duroline, the same material as was used on the roof of the Royal Aquarium. Each flight is 15ft. by 12ft. Dividing the flights from the houses is a wall about 4ft. liigh with 6ft. of glass above it, making the total height 10ft. There are two windows, which can be opened or closed as desired, in each compartment. Strawson’s patent glazing is used, 110 putty being needed, and any of the panes can be replaced in a very short time ; in fact, if necessary, in the summer time the whole of the glass can be removed, thus leaving the aviary open in front. The doors are half glass and half wood ; all the glass is protected by wire netting on one side. Firs and other branches are hung up, the Doves and other birds taking full advantage of them. The seed is supplied in tra3rs and Abrahams’ seed hoppers. Each house is 12ft. by 11ft., divided by wirework (light On Mr. C. Castle-Sloane’s Aviary. 167 bird lattice, straight wired), whilst at the back, the whole way ■along, dividing the houses from the passage, the same wirework is used, All the doors are opposite to one another, and no wooden •or brick partitions are used. The birds can therefore see anyone who enters the aviary, and are not frightened as they would be af opaque partitions had been used. A small greenhouse is first entered before the six feet passage can be reached, this being divided from the aviary by a door which prevents any stray bird escaping. A 2ft. 6in. shelf runs along the length of the brick wall at the back for the cage birds, and underneath this are kept the various bins for storing the seed, etc. At the far end of the aviary is the rain-water tank above referred to, which supplies the fountains ; and from a tap one can obtain water for the other birds. The tank is placed inside to keep the water from freezing and to take the chill off. The aviary is heated by a stove, the pipe of which runs straight up causing a splendid draught ; and the joints being air-tight, fumes are prevented from escaping, and the aviary is kept in a nice temperature during the frost. I have to thank Dr. Butler and Mr. Wiener for their valuable suggestions as to the design of this aviary, which I liave taken full advantage of. Among my collection of Doves I have Red Mountain, Wine, Rufous, White-fronted (which have bred), Smith’s, Spotted, Pigmy, Geoffroy’s, Scaly, etc. I am in hopes that my Weavers will turn out successful. In another compartment I have a collection of British birds, and •on the shelf I keep my special pets such as a Malabar Green Fruit Sucker (which feeds from your hand), Yellow-winged Sugar-bird, Scarlet Tanager, etc. To make the aviary more attractive to bird and man it is -surrounded with rose-beds and other bright flowers. The air is very fragrant, owing to a belt of pine trees which in the summer give a partial screen to the birds and in the winter keep off the east wind. The aviary faces South. Stray Notes. 1 68 STRAY NOTES. The first series of Notes on Cage Birds (18S2) seems now to be a decidedly scarce book, and we doubt whether many of onr members possess copies ; it contains, however, some very interesting records of the achievements of British aviculturists of some twenty-five years ago. The various letters are mostly signed by initials or noms-de-plume, and no dates are given. One writer tells of the arrival of a fine and healthy stock of the Swift Lorikeet ( Lathamus discolor), several of which he himself kept and found that they lived well on a diet of seed, boiled rice sweetened with honey or sugar, and green food, though they appeared to do equally well on seed alone. When shall we have an opportunity of studying this beautiful species again ? Another writer tells of the unsuccessful nesting of a pair of Carolina Conures ( Conuropsis carolinensis), a species which, unfortunately, appears to be fast approaching extinction. I11 going round his aviaries one morning Captain Nicholl discovered an egg in a corner behind a dead stump of a tree, which he describes as about the size and colour of a pigeon’s. The following morning there was a second, and on the next two mornings a third and a fourth. “ During the time the eggs were being laid the cock Carolina did not go near the nest, but, from the fifth day, he, together with the hen, sat continuously. The two birds never left the nest, except to feed, for three weeks, not even moving -when their food was brought to them in the morning ; so I fully expected to see, some day, young birds instead of eggs, but I was disappointed, and, 01: examining the eggs found they were all addled.” Again referring to this interesting collection of letters on avicultural matters, we find an account of the successful breeding in captivity of Swainson’s Lorikeet ( Trichoglossus novce-hollandicz), which makes the second authentic instance we are aware of, of young of this species being reared to maturity in this country ; the other being the now well-known case at Blackpool.* The pair of “ Blue Mountains” were kept in a small aviary of which they were the only occupants, and their owner remarks: — “For nesting, I had a box 14m. long, gin. high, ioin. wide, into which I fitted a cork spout, the length of the box ; at one end a hole was cut, and all round covered with cork. The first indication of nesting commenced in February, and in about twenty-one days I heard the young were hatched. At the end C.f. Avic. Mag-. Vol. VIII., p. 167. 169 Stray Notes. of five weeks they forsook the uest. In June the old birds laid again, but whether the cock assisted the hen in incubation I cannot say for certain, having but little opportunity of watching their doings, but I am tinder the impression he did.” Little is known regarding the nesting habits of the Varied Lorikeet, so that the following note which we extract from the January number of our esteemed contemporary th & Emu will be read with interest: — “ It may interest ornithologists to hear thatl saw two broods, three and four respectively, that were taken from their nests— hollow spouts in trees, I understand— about the 15th September ; they had been in hand a week when I saw them, and the oldest lot would, I should think, just be able to fly a short distance had they had their liberty. They appeared to differ but little in their plumage from adult birds, excepting that the red crown was entirely wanting ; three individuals, though, showed the first indications of it by a narrow baud of red across the forehead. They were thriving on a mixture of oatmeal and honey. These birds were obtained on Cambridge Creek, some 30 miles north of Richmond township, Flinders River, North Queensland.— Fred. L. Berney, Richmond (N. Q.)” Another writer in the last-mentioned journal gives the following note •on the Painted Finch {Emblema picta ) :— “I caught a number of Painted Finches in the M’Donnell Ranges by snaring them with a single horsehair, but for some unaccountable reason they all died with the exception of one within 24 hours. I obtained all the uative grass-seeds and had the ordinary shop-seeds as well, took every possible care of the birds, but they died so rapidly that I gave them up in despair. The single bird I brought down to Adelaide, and it is thriving in the open-air aviary. There was a nest not ten yards from my fireplace when I left the camp. The eggs are white, and the nest, the coarsest of any Finch I know, one peculiarity of it being that a number of pellets of clay are used in the foundation. I watched the nest built from the first stick. Small sticks were used more than grass, and the nest is much smaller than that of any of our ordinary Finches. Horace J. Page, Mitcham (S. A.), 15 /10/03.” 170 Bird Notes from the Zoological Gardens. BIRD NOTES FROM THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, Jan. The following is a list of the birds received during the month of January 1904 : 5. x Raven (Corzms corax) .. British Isles, S. 2 Sulphury Tyrants ( Pitangus sulphuralus) 13. 1 White-backed Piping Crow ( Gymnorhina leuconota) 14. 3 Inipeyan Pheasants {Lophophorus impeyanns) 14. 2 Rufous Tinamous ( Rhyncliotus rufescens) 14. 1 Ring-necked Parrakeet ( Palccornis torqnata) s 20. 2 Herring-Gulls ( Lams argentatns ) 22. 1 Barn Owl (Strix flammea) 22. 2 Waxwings (Ampelis garrulus) 26. 1 Crown Hawk-Eagle (Spizaeius coronalus) 26. 1 Philippine Hornbill ( Penelopides ajfmis) 27. 1 Rougli-legged Buzzard ( Archibuteo lagopus) 27. 1 Hybrid Chilian Pintail (bred between Dafila spinicauda and Pcecilonetta bahamensis ) 2S. 2 Kestrels (7 innunculus alaudarius) . . British Isles. 29. 2 Blue-aud-Yellow Macaws (Ara ararauna) . . S. America. 30. 1 Blue-rmnped Parrakeet (Psiltinus incertus ) . . Malacca. S. America. Australia. Himalayas. Argentina. India. . . Europe. . . British Isles. .. Elurope. . . Africa. Philippine Islands. . . Europe. The Philippine Hornbill was presented to the Zoological Society by our member Mrs. Johnstone, and is the first example of this rare species received by the Society. The Blue-rumped Parrakeet has not been represented in the collection for some thirty years. It is a somewhat uninteresting-looking bluish- green bird, which feeds, Mr. Davison tells us, “on the small gummy flowers of a plant that always springs up where forest has been felled and burnt. It goes about in small flocks of fifteen or more, and is not at all shy or wild.” Correspondence , Notes, etc. CORRESPONDENCE, NOTES, ETC. 171 DIAMOND FINCHES, YELLOW SPARROWS, ETC. Sir, — Can yon tell me of any means of both preventing and curing baldness in Diamond Sparrows ? Another member has sent me a Diamond hen to see whether change of place, food, etc., will help her. She is very bad, the feathers gone from both head and neck, making her look exactly like a Vulture, and she has been in this condition for some time. Would warmth or cold be best for her ? She has been, and is, in an indoor aviary, but mine in which she now is, is in a conservator}', warmed at night. One of my own Diamonds, who has reared nestlings this year, also shows signs of the same trouble the last few weeks. They are not together. Can you tell me the difference, if any, in the appearance of cock and hen Golden Sparrows? I bought mine in the summer from a dealer who had several, some with white, some with black beaks. He told me they came from California,, and the colour of the bill was the distinguishing mark of sex. I, of course, bought a ‘‘ pair,” hoping they might nest, but now both bills are black. I suppose the white bill must have been a young one. Is there any difference, or are the sexes alike ? They are so shy that it is hard to watch them at all, but one or perhaps both sing a loud sparrow-like song or twitter. I am hoping in the spring to have an outdoor aviary, a very simple one, more for summer use than anything else, but with plenty of bushes. Could I put Pileated Finches there ? And would it be any use having Weavers among small birds such as Bichenos, Lavenders, etc. I have never but once had a Weaver on account of their bad character, but if there was any chance of their nesting out of doors I should like to try them. Are they hardy enough to remain out in the winter? My indoor space is limited to two aviaries, one holding Biclieuos, Waxbills, etc., the other Gouldians, Longtails, Masked Finches, etc, Though we have so little room we generally get some broods during the year, but our luck was bad last year : only two Gouldians, two Diamonds, a dead Biclieno nestling, and a nest of Longtails. The Cordons built a pretty nest, laid one egg, and sat most carefully, but nothing came of it. L. Williams. The following reply has been sent to Mrs. Howard Williams : There may be two explanations of bare heads in the “Ornamental 172 Correspondence , Notes, etc. Finches ” (Praclitfinken as the Germans call them). Either the bareness is due to one bird plucking the other under the pretence of preening its feathers, or some error in feeding has brought on a disease known amongst bird-keepers as “ surfeit.” The cure for the former is separation, and a change of partners after the plumage has recovered ; the treatment for the latter is— cage the patient by itself ; for one day only dissolve five grains of Epsom salts and five grains of chlorate of potash in a wineglassful of warm water, and give the mixture as the day’s drink ; supply plenty of green food, but otherwise feed as simply as possible. Warmth is best for the recovery of feathers. You could turn out Pileated Finches in the summer; but, whatever you do, don’t trust Weavers with any little finches which you value (I have tried them with disastrous results); sooner or later the weaker birds will be found with their heads completely skinned and their backs bare and bleeding. I only tried with Fire-Weavers, sometimes called “ Bishops,” but the species of Hyphantornis or Ploceus would be worse if possible. Both Golden and Yellow Sparrows differ considerably in the sexes, the upper parts of the female being pale brown. A. G. Butler. A WHITE-TAILED WHYDAH. Sir, — That intrepid Italian traveller, Major Casati, 'during his sojourn in Equatoria, met with a variety of the Whydalis, of which I am unable to find an account in any of the ornithological works to which I have access. He gives it the name of Mandolougo and states that in the Mambetta country it is held sacred, and it is regarded as a crime to kill it. It is caught by nets and two long zuhite feathers are plucked from the tail after which the bird is allowed its freedom. The feathers form part of the regalia of the king, and a severe punishment is inflicted upon anyone who attempts to infringe the prerogative. Has this bird ever been imported to this country, and if so under what name ? Archibald Simpson. Sir. — O11 receipt of the above letter I wrote to Mr. Simpson to inform him that I knew of no Whydah with white tail-feathers ; but that I would communicate with Captain Shelley the author of the “ Birds of Africa,” who would certainly know whether such a bird had been recently described. Correspondence, Notes, etc. 173 Captain Slielley replied as follows : — “ The bird j^ou refer to in your letter of the 14th is most probably Vidua (Linura) finschi, Reiclien, J. F. O. 18S2, pi. 2, fig. 1. There is no other Weaver-bird with white tail-feathers. The species ranges over Eastern Equatorial Africa, between 6° S. lat. and il° N. lat. or from the Usequa country to Shoa. No native name has yet been recorded for the species. I should not be surprised if the chiefs use the four buffy-wliite centre tail-feathers as ornaments, but this has not yet been published.” To this I append the following remarks : — I11 the Museum Catalogue the four central tail-feathers are described as straw-coloured', and, as you only mention two long white feathers in the tail, I was unable to recognize the species ; but you will see that, if the accouut is authentic, this must be the bird intended. It has never been imported alive. A. G. Bu'l'IvRR. FOOD FOR NESTLINGS. Sir,— For some years I have been giving my birds, both foreigners and Canaries, hard boiled eggs and breadcrumbs during the nesting season. Year after year, the death rate among the nestlings has been very high in spite of all my care. Believing that this was due to adulteration of the bread, I have substituted this season Spratt’s Dog Biscuit finely powdered, and the result has been most satisfactory. One of our members told me some time ago that he had reared a nest of hybrids on this food, and as I had already proved its value for newly-hatched Pheasants it seemed worth while to try it. At first the birds did not like it at all, but finding no other soft food in the aviary they took it as their young ones hatched, and fed the nestliugs on it. They did not, however, seem to eat much of it themselves, and perhaps this is one reason why I have had so few invalids this summer. My four Canary hens have fully reared 32 strong young birds, a pair of Ribbon Finches have reared nine young birds since September, and my White Java Sparrows have three strong young ones nearl}1, ready to leave the nest. The Ribbon Finches lost only one young bird in the nest, and this was the only one hatched in their second nest. Two fine young cocks died about a fortnight after they left the nest, and No. 9 flew before her flights were strong and was drowned in a heavy rain. The others are all hens but one, and seem strong, healthy little birds. Two pairs of Zebra Finches in the aviary have eaten the same food with apparent appreciation, but though they seem to enjoy life very much are by no means keen on undertaking the cares of a family. Rough nests have been built but no eggs laid. I J74 Correspondence, Notes, etc. cannot, however, blame the food for this, as three pairs last year behaved in a similar manner. My three young Javas are almost entirely grey, though their parents are pure white. This seems a usual thing with these birds. E. Brampton. THE MANDARIN DUCK. In reply to ait inquiry, the poliowing letter has been forwarded to Mrs. Roberts, of Tasmania. I am very glad to be able to help any one in raising Mandarins, but am sorry to hear Mrs. Roberts has such trouble in getting a drake. Has she tried the Melbourne Zoo ? or are there no steamers running from Chinese ports to Tasmania ? They have these birds in Australia I know. If she cannot get one there, it would not be difficult to send one out if some one would care for it on the way, as the Mandarin is easy to get and bears travelling well. The ducklings are best left to be hatched and reared by the mother, if a pond abounding in natural food and protected from vermin be available. If not, the eggs can be given to a small motherly hen, and the young reared in a pen or covered run. If in the former, the sides must be smooth, as these ducklings can and will climb like rats. For food they need hard-boiled egg and bread crumbled together, with duckweed and small worms, or, in default of the two latter, chopped lettuce and minced tender raw meat. Bread-and-milk should be avoided, as, though good for other ducklings, milk is unsuitable for these. A sunny place is good for them in Europe, but in Tasmania they would no doubt need to be guarded against too much heat. They' are also liable to suffer if allowed to get wet in captivity' during the first week or two, but here again a warm climate would no doubt make a difference. If well cared for at first, tlieyr are not hard to rear in confinement, but of course they’ would have a better chance in freedom. I am sorry' I did not say anything about rearing ducklings in my additional notes on Carolinas,* but the above may perhaps be of use. They ought to take up both species for acclimatization in Tasmania ; and, if they could get Mandarins direct from China, as I believe they' do in Australia, these would be better stock to start with for either turning out or breeding from than European specimens bred in captivity. Frank Finn. VIOLET-EARED WAXBILLS, PECTORAL, AND GOULDIAN FINCHES. Sir, — A pair of Violet-ears made a nest in a small covered box at the beginning of January, the hen laid two eggs in the nest and several, I fancy. See our last issue, p. 139. 175 Correspondence , Notes , etc. on the ground. After sitting for three days she deserted the nest, but they have now made another one and have two eggs. The eggs are pure white, about the size of those of Gouldians. The Pectoral Finches also have a nest, the hen sits for hours and is then off for hours, so the egg — they broke all but one — will come to nothing. Two of my hen Gouldians have died within a week, they would go on laying. Do you think that Gouldians bred in Europe would be more likely to breed in the summer ? The cock Gouldians are in splendid condition, and so are the young birds bred last autumn. Portugal. R. S. Vivian. The following reply has been sent to tl/rs. Vivian : I doubt whether the fact of Gouldian Finches being born in Europe- would prevent their trying to breed in the winter. Australian Grass-finches seem to be ready to breed at all seasons,, whether they have been newly imported or have been born here. As Gouldian Finches seem to be exceptionally liable to egg-binding, it would be better to keep them caged and without nesting material during the winter. a. G. Butler. WHITE-EARED CONURES NESTING. Sir, — I was obliged, some months ago, to locate my pair of White¬ eared Conures in a small garden aviary by themselves owing to their pngnacious habits, and they have now started nesting ; the hen sitting most attentively on four eggs in half a cocoauut husk placed in a small box. The birds are being fed on canary seed, millet, hemp, and sunflower seed, with a little ripe apple or other fruit daily, and I am anxious to know if, in the event of young being hatched, you could suggest any addition to this bill of fare. Also would you kindly say if there is any instance on record of these birds having been successfnllv bred in captivity. D. Morse. The following reply was sent to Mr. Morse : It is a great pity the birds did not wait until warmer weather, as I am afraid there will be little chance of rearing the young, if they should hatch, unless it should be exceptionally mild. The only addition that I can suggest to the food you are giving is soaked stale bread, which, most Parrakeets take to readily and appreciate much when they have young to feed. It should be soaked in cold water for about a minute and then squeezed nearly dr}-. 176 Correspondence , Notes, etc. Of course, groundsel and chickweed are excellent, if obtained fresh in the spring and summer, but I should hesitate to give them at this time of year even if obtainable. White-eared Conures have frequently laid in captivity, and there is at least one case on record of young being hatched, but not reared. I know of no case of succeessful breeding, though as the species is not rare I think it is very probable that young birds may have been reared, but there is apparently no published record of such an event. D. Seth-Smith. CROSSBILLS. The following reply was sent to a member's query : I don’t see why Crossbills should not breed in an aviary with some Scots fir boughs, or a young tree or two with bushy heads and well¬ leaved boughs. They are very early breeders. There is no time to lose. I certainly never heard of young being reared in captivity. I should think the}’’ will certainly be fed for the first fortnight at least on insect food. I suppose the indispensable meal-worm would be required, if young were hatched ? Also any small caterpillars that could be obtained. I wonder if anybody in difficulties with newly-hatched insectivorous birds ever tried small silk worms ? My White-winged Crossbill was not destructive in the wood and wire aviary in which he was over a year. But I recollect that the common bird in a cage was very restless, and twisted the wires out of place. In an aviary plenty of fir cover (Scots fir and larch) might keep them occupied. W. H. ST. Ouintin. HYBRID MUNIAS. printer’s error. An unfortunate printer’s error crept into the note under the above heading in our last number. Dr. Butler is made to say “ the indistinctness of M. ferruginosa as a species is generally admitted,” whereas what he wrote was “ the distinctness of M. ferruginosa as a species is generally admitted.” The Society's Magazine. 177 THE SOCIETY’S MAGAZINE. Last year the Committee ventured to try the experiment of issuing twelve coloured besides many other plates (which was rendered possible by the great generosity of the Honorary Business Secretary and Mrs. Phillipps), and a really beautiful volume has been the result ; but the experiment was hardly successful from a financial point of view. In the present volume, therefore, it is proposed to give about eight coloured plates besides perhaps a few uncoloured, so as to reduce the expenditure to the amount of the Society’s income. It must be remembered that even eight coloured plates is a greater number than has ever before been issued, with the exception of last year. But although the Committee is resolved on economy, the needs of future volumes will not be in any way neglected, and coloured plates will be in readiness for the new year by the time the old shall have expired. We may take this opportunity to urge all members who have not yet paid their subscriptions (which should have been paid before the first of November last), to do so at once, so that their names may not have to be struck off the list ; and we would also remind members how greatly they can help the Society and improve the Magazine by introducing new members. Referring to the Rules governing the Post Mortem Exami¬ nations, it will be noticed that if a reply is required by post a fee of 2/6 must be sent with the bird. We should like to mention that Mr. Gill very generously hands this fee over to the funds of the Society. The Editor. I7s Post Mortem Examinations. POST MORTEM EXAMINATIONS. RULES. Each bird must be forwarded, as soou after death as possible, carefully packed and postage paid, direct to Mr. Arthur Gill, M.R.C.V.S., Veterinary Establishment, Bexley Heath, Kent, and must be accompanied by a letter containing the fullest particulars of the case. Domestic poultry, pigeons, and Canaries cannot be dealt with. If a reply by post is required a fee of 2/6 must be enclosed. Indigo Bird (Miss St. Ouintin). [Your bird died of apoplexy. A11 exceptionally extensive extravasation of blood on the brain]. Zebra Finch (Mr, H. B. Rathborne). [Your bird died of acute enteritis]. Tanager (Rev. R. H. Wilmot). [Your bird died of acute pneumonia, but the last attack was evidently very acute as shown by refusing food and dying so quickly]. Red-legged Partridge (The Duchess of Bedford). [Apoplexy was cause of death. It is by no means uncommon to see healthy birds attack one that is injured or in a fit]. -Californian Quail (Mrs. A. K. Connell). [Your bird died from heart failure. It was a mere frame, the emaciation being extreme. There was extensive tubercular deposit in the mesenteric glands]. Zebra Finch (Miss H. K. O. Walker). [Death was due to inflammation of the oviduct caused by a ruptured soft egg, the outer covering" of which being- retained set lip the inflam¬ mation referred to. If this had been diagnosed and carefully removed with a small pair of forceps she might have recovered]. Cordon Bleu and Zosterops (Miss E. E. West). [Your bird died of pneumonia and in all probability your suggestion as to the cause is correct. Reply sent by post, fee 2/6, received with thanks]. Waxwing (Mr. W. II. St. Quintin). “ I have lost several during the last few weeks, some three or four like this one newly-imported, but previously I lost two I had in my possession over twelve months. Symptoms: drooping for two or three days and in some cases scouring. Fed on ants’ eggs, potato and a little preserved yolk of egg, currants and sultana raisins. I generally give my Waxwings wild berries, elder, and hips and haws, but there have been none this year. It points to some defect in feed¬ ing or damp I think.” [The post-moriem of your bird reveals no disease further than general wasting and consequent anaemia. The pale coloring referred to is the result of debility. Your opinion as to defect in feeding is doubtless correct. I have kept many Waxwings, but with an opposite experience to yours. Mine were fat as butter and all died in perfect plumage in a fit. I never lost one through wasting. I think that owing to the want of natural food in the form of berries, etc., some more fatten¬ ing food would have helped them. Doubtless, those lately imported were too far gone before you received them. I certainly think the bad weather has had something to do in keeping back birds already debilitated and prevented them from accommodating themselves to an unnatural diet]. Masked Firefinch (Mr. N. B. Roberts). [Pneumonia]. Masked Finch (Mrs. Howard Williams). [Your bird died of a direct injury to the heart. It had evidently swallowed a very small pin, which had penetrated the oesophagus and the point was touching the heart, and there was a large blood clot in the thoracic cavity]. V. Notices to Members — Continued. WANTS. (These are charged for at the same rate as Birds for Sale). Pair Burmese Peafowl ; lieu Redrmnp Parrakeet. Lady M. Spicer, Spye Park, Chippenham. Parrot Finches, Cuban Finches, Gouldian Finches — pairs or single birds. Miss Peddie Waddell, 4, Great Stuart Street, Edinburgh. Adult hen Zenaida aurita Dove, tame, healthy ; adult cock British Turtle- Dove. Ivens, 12, Church Road North, Hauwell. Hen Barraband, cock Rock Peplar, hen King Parrot, lieu Turquoisine, pair Parrot Finches, hen Gouldian, Red-head Gouldiaus pairs. Wm. R. Fasey, The Oaks, Holly Bush Hill, Suaresbrook. Cocks— Pennant and Crimson - wing Parrakeets, Virginian Nightingale, Chinese Painted Quail. Lady Morshead, Forest Lodge, Biufield, Berks. Cocks — Two Pintail Whydahs, two Paradise Wliydahs, three Orange Bishops, two Napoleon, two Grenadier Weavers, one Alario Finch, two Green Singing-finches, one Desert Trumpeter Bullfinch ; pairs — two pairs Combassous, one Lavender Finches, one African Fire- finches. GEO. Carrick, “ Stratford,” Argvle Road, Saltcoats. Pair Jungle Bush - Quails ( Perdicula asiatica), or Rock Bush-Ouails (P. argoondali). L. Seth-Smith, Alleyne, Caterliam Valley. Cock Spice Finch, Munia pitnctulata, from outdoor aviary. Leonard W. Horton, Lougfield, Bescot, Walsall. Hen Black-headed Siskin, two hen Pileated Finches. Mrs. Williams, Hamilton Lodge, Bicklev. Hen White Java, lieu Parson Finch, hen White-throated Finch, two hen Indian Silverbills, pair Yellow Budgerigars. . Ellis, 34, York Street, Wakefield. Cocks — Redrump, Cockatiel ; hens — Rosella, Madagascar Lovebird, Budgeri¬ gar; pairs — Virginian Nightingales, Budgerigars. Must be from un¬ heated outdoor aviary. — Mrs. FoGG-ELLiOT, Staindrop, Darlington. Hen Redrump, pair adult Pennants, cock Virginian Nightingale, hen Mealy Rosella, Green Bulbul, hen Blue Robin, Sliamas, also several other good birds. Write stating prices, etc. . Burgess, High Street, Bushev. Avicultural Magazine, a set (Vols. I. — VIII., or I.— IX.); also Vols. I., III., and IV. ; state condition and price; also No. 28 of Vol. III. and Nos. 39 and 40 of Vol. IV. R. H. Porter, 7, Princes Street, Cavendish Square, W. Hen Violet-eared Waxbill, hen Ringed Finch, cock White-eared Grassfincli. R. Phillipps, 26, Cromwell Grove, West Kensington Park, London, W. Notes on Cage Birds, first series (1SS2). Hen White-fronted Dove ( Leptop - tila jamaicensis). D. Seth-Smith, 14, Canning Road, Addiscombe, Surrey. IV. Notices to Members — Continued. Perfect cock Diamond Finch, been in outdoor aviary all the winter, 12/-, — wanted two hens ; two hen Goldfinch mules 1/6. M. Hawke, Wigliill, Tadcaster. From outdoor aviary, four hen Budgerigars to exchange for four cocks, young healthy birds, full plumage. Miss Shepherd, The Den, Walton on Thames. One New Zealand ( Auriceps ) 40/-, Cockatiels 5/-, Blossom - heads 10/-, Rosellas 15/-, Ring-neck 5/-, hen Many Colour 40/-, each ; Lineolated 35/- pair; two hybrids (Yellow-nape and Barnard) 40/- each, Mealy Rosellas 50 /- pair — hen with faulty beak ; lieu Golden Pheasants 8/- eacli, cock Californian Quail 7/-, Bicheno’s 15/- pair, Pectoralis 15/- pair, Rufous - tailed Grassfinch 15/- pair, cock Diamond Sparrow 10/-, White Java Sparrow 6/-; African Waxbills, St. Helena Waxbills 5/- pair; Zebra Finch, Orange Cheek, Avadavat 2/6 each. The whole are in the finest condition, and have been in my aviaries for not less than a year, and are offered to make room for others. Wm. R. Fasey, The Oaks, Holly Bush Hill, Snaresbrook. Hen Barnard Parrakeet, perfect, aviary bred, 30/- ; cock Barnard, a little rough in plumage, very healthy, 25/- ; hen Virginian Nightingale, perfect, acclimatized, 12/6; pair Lineolated Parrakeets, in perfect condition, 40/- ; cock ditto, 18/-; Perfect Lorikeet, 25/-, and one all green (name unknown) 20/-, — these two have paired; pair Scarlet Lories ( Eos rubra ) 50/- ; pair Blue-breasted Lories, 50/- ; two pairs Green-winged Doves, 14/- pair; Wonga Wonga Pigeon, 20/-; two pairs Diamond Sparrows, perfect, 25/- pair. Mrs. Johnstone, Rougliam Hall, Bury St. Edmunds. One cock Diamond Finch, good health and condition, 6/- ; three Bronze¬ winged Mannikins, bred in conservatory aviary, about three months old, just gettiug adult plumage — What offers? one Diamond Finch, believed cock, bred in conservatory aviary, absolutely perfect, age six months, 7/-. Mrs. Wieeiams, Hamilton Lodge, Bickley. Healthy young Blue-fronted Amazon, has been in my possession fourteen months, 40/- ; or exchange foreigners — Rosellas or Redrumps preferred. M. E. Griffiths, Fernside, Stowmarket. Young pair of Gouldiau Finches just showing the adult plumage 20/-, Wandering Tree-Pies 22/- each, Russian Goldfinches 4/6 each, Baya Weavers cage moulted 7/6 each, Californian Quails adult birds 16/6 pair, Brown-faced Conures 10/- each, adult Budgerigars 7/6 pair, hen Canaries 2/6 each, cock Saffron Finch 3/6, Green Glossy Starling 20/-, St. Andreasberg Rollers 10/6 and 12/6 each, splendid Blue and Gold Macaw good talker 120/-, also a splendid Jay says several words 15/-, also a few fine talking Amazons and a few small foreign finches; send for list. H. W. Burgess, High Street, Bushey, Herts. ( Continued on page V.) III. NOTICES TO Members — ( Continued from page U. of cover), NEW MEMBERS. Lady Seton-SteuarT ; Touch, Stirling. The Honble. Mrs. Hamilton ; Dunmore Park, Larbert. Mrs. A. A. Dale ; c/o Messrs. King & Co., 9, Pall Mall. Mr. R. I. Pocock, F.Z.S. ; The Zoological Society’s Gardens, Regent’s Park Mr. R. D. Steward ; 6, Stanger Road, South Norwood. Mr. H. L- Brooksbank ; Walkington Park, Beverley. Mr. E. C. Stuart Baker, F.Z.S. , M. B.O.U. ; Debrugarli, Assam. Mr.' Harry Mitchell ; The Duchy House, Harrogate. Mr. Joel Blamey ; Huasan, Andalgala, Catamarca, Argentina. HONORARY MEMBER. Mr. F. DuCanb Godman, D.C.L., F.R.S., F.Z.S., President of the British Ornithologists’ Union ; 10, Cliandos Street, Cavendish Square, W. CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION. Mrs. Mellor ; Fair Lawn, Lx’tham, Lancs. Proposed by Capt. TwEEDlE. Mrs. Dent Brocklehurst ; Sudeley Castle, Winchcombe, Glos. Proposed by The Countess of Harewood. Mrs. Hart ; Iveagli House, Measham, Atherstone. Proposed by Miss BRAMPTON. Mr. Alfred J. Darling ; 52, Fore .Street, Trowbridge. Proposed by The. Hon. Editor. Mr. John Lancaster ; Ashlawn, Rugby ; and Mr. Wm. Bamford ; Shorelea, Wellington Road, Oldham. Proposed by The Hon. Business Secretary. MEMBERS’ SALE AND EXCHANGE COLUMN. 1'he charge for private advertisements is one penny for every four words. Names and addresses of advertisers must be paid for. Each statement of price , such as 3/6, is counted as one word. Every advertisement must be prepaid , and MUST reach the Secretary not later than the 1 Qth of each month. The Council reserve the right of refusing any advertisement they may consider undesirable. Pair adult Budgerigars, breeding, 7/-; pair St. Helena Waxbills, 6/- ; hen Grey Singing-fincli, 4/- ; cock Weaver, yellow with brown head (does not go out of colour) 10/-. Miss Peddie Waddell, 4. Great Stuart Street, Edinburgh. Lady Dunlkath has two cock Silver Pheasants, four Silver hens, one Golden cock, one Golden hen — all 1903 — for sale, to/6 each : — address Housekeeper, Ballywalter Park, co. Down. ( Continued on opposite page/. JOHN D. HAMLYN, NATURALIST, 221, St. George’s Street East, London. THE ACTUAL IMPORTER OF RARE. FOREIGN BIRDS & ANIMALS DIRECT FROM OUR Indian, Australian, and African Empires. Absolutely THE ONLY DEALER who attends Shipping at London, Southampton, Plymouth, Antwerp, Bordeaux, Havre, and Marseilles. REFERENCES TO EVERY AMATEUR OF NOTE. LIST ON APPLICATION. CUCCESS IN BIRD KEEPING & BREEDING CAN ONLY BE SECURED BY USING ABRAHAMS’ WOKI.O-I'AMED |V Specialities in BIRD FOOD. LARGE STOCK OF RARE FOREIGN BIROS. HARTZ MOUNTAIN ROLLERS, Norwich, Yorkshire and Lizard Canaries. Cock Birds in full Song now in Stock ABRAHAMS' TONIC for Diarrhoea and Strengthening Birds. EVERY DESCRIPTION OF Cage and Aviary Appliance, Seed, etc., in stock. For complete Price List apply to — J. ABRAHAMS, 131 & 192, ST. GEORGE STREET EAST, LONDON, E. J. ABRAHAMS’ is the oldest and most reliable Establishment in England. NEW SERIES. MONTHLY. Voi. ii. No 6 Price Is 6d- Members’ Annual Subscription, IQ/**; payable in advance. □ APRIL, 1904. a THE JOURNAL OF THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY. ^CONTENTS. O- The White-throated Ground-Thrush ( with coloured plated, by Reginald Phili.ipps The Great Bustard by W. H. St. Quintin, F.Z.S. On some Turtle-Dove Hybrids ( with two plates ) by T. H. Newman, F.Z.S. Notes on Parrakeets, by John Sergeant Bird Notes from the Zoological Gardens Correspondence, Notes, etc.-^- The aspect of an outdoor aviary, 203 : Passerine Parrakeets ; Cordon Bleus, 205 : Identification of Lorikeet, 205 ; Treatment of I.evaillant’s Parrot ; Food for Parrots, 206 : Silkworms ; Cedar-bird ; Cirl Bunting’s song, 208 ; The Little Button-Quail, 208. Resignation of the Hon. Business Secretary Post-mortem Examinations 179 188 191 198 209 210 0 LONDON 1 R. H. PORTER, 7, Princes Sr., Cavendish Square, W. NOTE.— A new volume commences every November. a II. l*~ All Subscriptions should be sent to the Honorary Business Secretary. THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY. Persons wishing to join the Avicui/TURAE Society are requested to communicate with the Editor. NOTICES TO MEMBERS. 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More than two hundred people, from all parts of the country, have visited me in order to see the Parrots ; and four gentlemen, who are Bird Naturalists, are presenting me with a Silver Cup, in commemoration of such an unprecedented accomplishment.” The “ BLACKPOOL GAZETTE” of Dec. 4th Says— “ Mr. Parkinson has apparently solved the problem of Parrot-rearing, which has troubled Bird Fanciers generally throughout the country, and his skill in this direction has been recognised by the presentation of two Silver Cups at the local Bird Show.” R. HYDE & Go., Ltd., 54, LILFORD RD., CAMBERWELL. Cloth, gilt top, Small 8vo., Six Shillings net THE BIRDS OF TENNYSON, BY WATKIN WATKINS, B.A.Cantab. Member of the British Ornithologists' Union . “ Many as are the volumes which have heeti written on different phases and aspects of our late Laureate’s works, this, we think, is the first time that a whole book has been devoted to “The Birds of Tennyson,” Mr. W. Watkins, the author, is a member of the British Ornithologists’ Union, and has, therefore, a scientific as well as a literary interest in the subject. And his verdict in the matter is this— that ‘ No poet is so satisfactory to the ornithologist (as Tennyson], for no poet had a more accurate knowledge of birds or had a happier power of describing their peculiarties.’ Mr. Watkins' pages are, indeed, themselves a testimony to the acuteness as well as the frequency with which Tennyson described the ‘feathered tribe.’ All this, of course, is an old story to the students of the poet, but it is pleasant to find Tennyson’s references to birds collected and systematised as they are in this agreeable treatise, which is, as it should be, carefully and usefully indexed. In his introduction Mr. Watkins deals with Tennyson’s allusions to birds in general, and in subsequent chapters discourses successively of birds of song, birds of passage, birds of prey, birds of sport and so forth The result should convince those who are not already convinced that as a poet of the birds Tennyson ranks with Shakespeare. Mr. Watkins, as a naturalist, of course appreciates fully the poet’s stanzas on ‘ The Throstle,’ of which the ignorant have been accustomed to make game. He recognises the fidelity with which the bird’s ‘ note ’ is reflected in such lines, homely enough, as — • Summer is coming, summer is coining, I know it, I know it, I know it ’ And he gives other instances of the poet’s successful translation of birds’ song into literary speech.’’ — The Globe. “ Lovers and all in quest of unhackneyed forms of endearment could not do better than add to their possessions a copy of ‘The Birds of Tennyson.’ by Watkiu Watkins. The book is a well-compiled number "of extracts from the poems of Tennyson, Wordsworth Shakespeare, Byron, Chaucer, Milton- Cowper, and other poets, in which the manners and customs of birds are introduced as similes, in dainty lines. The volume contains some excellent illustrations of birds by G. E. Lodge.” — Pall Mall Gazette, “ Mr. Watkins, who must have spent a vast deal of time in the study of Tennyson's poetry from the natural history point of view, publishes a number of extracts, and enlarges on them in a most interesting manner. Mr. Watkins’ book should prove very acceptable to Tennyson lovers.” — The Yorkshire Post. “ ‘ The Birds of Tennyson ’ should have a strong attraction, for its well-written pages are a powerful proof of the great influence exercised upon the impressionable mind of the poet by the beauties of form and the joyous songs of the feathered kingdom. There is another class of readers who should also "find much pleasure in a perusal of the volume — those lovers of Tennyson as a poet who, not taking any special thought about birds, will be astonished to find how much their favourite poet knew about them and how narrowly lie observed the life that moved about him. They will find, too, by the aid of Mr. Watkins’ comments as an expert, how appropriately Tennyson employed his innumer¬ able references to birds of all kinds, and especially song- birds. Excellent illustrations by G. E. Lodge enhance the value of the volume.”— the Shrewsbury Chronicle, LONDON : R. Porter, 7, Princes gtreet, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. / (Known throughout the Civilised and Uncivilised World). King or Wild Beast Merchants Anything from “A HUMMING BIRD TO AN ELEPHANT,” TRADE SUPPLIED, TRADE SUPPLIED. GREY AFRICAN PARROTS. Fresh Arrivals Daily. FOREIGN WATER FOWL, Hungarian Partridges for turning down. Thousands of Small Foreign Birds, suitable for Aviaries, OLD ENGLISH RINGLESS PHEASANTS. CROSS'S TRADING MENAGERIE Is always on view for Visitors who are desirous of seeing the Wild Animals. At present it contains numerous LIONS, TIGERS, ELEPHANTS, ETC. Always something’ New. Hundreds of arrivals weekly. May he viewed daily from rr to 4 p.m. Admission 6d. INSECTIVOROUS BIRD FOOD. Carl Capelle’s, Hanover). Absolutely the finest food for soft-billed birds. Sole English Agent : “CROSS, LIVERPOOL.” Birds & Animals Stuffed & Preserved. National Telephones 6491 CENTRAL and 728 ROYAL. Telegrams and Cablegrams! “CROSS," LIVERPOOL. “ CROSS” (Known throughout the Civilized and Uncivilised World). KING OF WILD BEAST MERCHANTS, GREATEST ZOOLOGICAL EMPORIUM ON EARTH. LIVERPOOL. Avicnlbural Magazine ]Min.t eimBr os . imp WHITE -THROATED GROUND-THRUSH . GeocicKla cyanonotus . A male in M? PHllipps’ aviary. THE 179 Bvicultural flfoa$a3me, BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE AVI CU LTURAL SOCIETY. New Series. — VOL. II. — No. 6. — All rights reserved. APRIL, 1904. THE WHITE-THROATED GROUND-THRUSH. Geocichla cyanonotus,* (Cat. B. Brit. Mus. V. p. 172). Geocichla cyanonota (Hand-list IV. p. 132). By Reginald Phillipps. At page 147 of Vol. V. of the British Museum Catalogue of Birds, Mr. Seebohm commences the Subfamily of the Turdin^E with the genus Geocichla, and remarks: — “ The genus Geocichla comprises a well-defined group of forty f Thrushes, which may be distinguished as Ground-Thrushes. They are characterized by having the basal portion of the outside web of all the secondaries and of many of the primaries white, occasionally tinted with buff, but abruptly defined from the brown of the rest of the quills. The axillaries are parti-coloured, the basal half being white, and the terminal half black, slate-grey, or brown. Most of the under wing-coverts are similarly parti-coloured, but the relative position of the colours is reversed, the white portion being on the terminal half. This genus is connected with the genus Turdus through T. viscivorous £ and T. viustelinus § . “ So far as I have been able to ascertain, the young in first plumage of every species in this genus are spotted on the back and breast ; and I am not aware that the adult of any species has ascutellated tarsus, though traces of it are to be found in young * Geocichla cyanonotus was unfortunately printed on our plate before the alteration in the Hand-list to cyanonota came under notice. + Others have since been discovered. } The Mistle Thrush. $ The Wood Thrush of North America. i So Mr. Reginald Phillipps, G. litsitsirupa *. Nor does any species seem to have a spring moult beyond the replacement of a few injured feathers.” And page 148 “ No species of this genus is found in Europe or in South America, except accidentally 011 migration. On the other hand, it is the only genus of the family found in Australia . . . .” Professor Newton, in his Dictionary, at page 961 refers to Geocichla as a phantom name, and at page 388 says : — “ Ground- Thrush, a name long ago used for birds of the genus Pitta and its allies (Jerdon, B. Ind. /., p. 502) ; but latterly an attempt has been made (Cat. B. Br. Mus. V. p. 147) to foist it on a composite group of some 40 species of Thrushes which have been referred to a ghost-like genus Geocichla , the characters and type of which continue to defy discovery.” Since Vol. V. of the Museum Catalogue was published in 18S1, the genus Geocichla has been revised, and many of the species then included in it have been gathered into other genera. In Vol. IV. of the Hand-list published last July, Geocichla contains but 28 species. Whether applicable or not, the generic names “ Geocichla” and “ Ground- Thrush ” have come into such common use it will be convenient that they be retained, and that the latter be used only for birds of this group. My own personal knowledge of the Ground-Thrushes is limited, and to what extent they are ground birds I cannot speak from personal observation. In the Catalogue Mr. Seebohm tells us : — “ All the Thrushes are principal^ ground-feeders, especially in summer ; but the species of this genus are par excellence Ground-Thrushes, being still less frequently found in trees than their near allies. Their legs and feet are strong, and pale in colour.” Again, in the Emu (III., p. 82), Mi'. Frank M. Littler, writing of the Tasmanian or Earge - billed Ground- Thrush, Geocichla macrorhyncha (since removed from Geocichla to a new genus Oreocichla), a species peculiar to Tasmania, says : — “ This Thrush seldom employs its wings, which are not really strong, but trusts rather to its feet. The rapidity with which it can get from place to place is really astonishing.” But The South African Ground-Thrush, now in the genus Psophocichla.—R. P. 07i the While-throated Ground- Thrush. 181 these things cannot be said of the White-throated Ground- Thrush without misrepresenting its nature. It is fond of the giound I admit, but is fonder of bushes and the boughs of trees at a moderate and medium height from the ground. Probably it keeps about as much to the ground as our English Robin does, though often mounting to higher boughs like our Song Thrush. When Mr. Gronvold made his first sketch of one of my White- throated Ground-Thrushes, he figured a bird on the ground. I protested. He urged that a Ground-Thrush should be figured on the ground to be in keeping with its name. I rejoined that this particular species should be figured in a tree to be in keeping with its habits ; so on a tree it appears. It is also fond of sitting on stumps of trees, logs, rocks, and the like. A tiue giound bird would be gifted with greater powers ot tunning or fleetness of foot. This species 7ieither runs nor walks. but progresses by means of hops. When on the ground, it proceeds rapidly forward for a short distance and then pauses, makes another quick advance and again stops, only when greatly pushed proceeding forward to any considerable though limited distance ; when pursued or greatly alarmed, it certainly can scuttle along under the bushes with great rapidity, but not far for very shortly, if need be, it takes to flight. Probably I am quite correct in the conclusion I have come to that, when undisturbed, the White-tliroated Ground-Thrush piefers being off the ground except when feeding. It hops sedately from bough to bough, very leisurely and at infrequent intervals, but ceaselessly pouring out its gentle warble or louder and defiant song. It seems to be a very local and stationary species, and when undisturbed its movements are slow measured, and dignified. But at the approach of man it •drops to the ground, so as to hide its bright chestnut breast, for the upper parts lend themselves well to concealment in the solemn gloom of the forest. Each time it takes its short “run,” it lowers its head so that the whole bird is parallel with the ground, but at each quick halt it stands erect, keenly alert and watchful ; nevertheless all the time it assuredly knows full well the value of and puts trust in its protective colouring; and, as I have found over and over again, it is remarkable how easy it is to overlook Mr. Reginald Phillipps, 1S2 it even in my little aviary ; it still further, and with much success, seeks to avoid being detected by skilfully manceuvering so as to place every available bush or tree between you and it. Probably it is from its customary habit of seeking concealment on the ground at the approach ot man that it has unfairly earned the reputation of being a ground bird. Occasionally, but I think rarely, it will hide itself away in the hollow of a tree at a considerable height from the ground. I have been asked — Is this species a true Thrush? The question is not an unnatural one when one remembers that genera so diverse as Myiophoticus and Ciiiclosoma are called Thrushes, even at our Natural History Museum where the latter is or was, to make confusion worse confounded, labelled “Ground-Thrush.” In our last number, at page 151,1 made some remarks on this point. Names almost cease to be of value when used with such want of care. What object is gained by such lack of preciseness ! ! ! So far as the subject of this article is concerned, it is a true Thrush. And I will discriminate and add that, in some of its habits ways and temper, it is more of a Robin than a Thrush. Although so truly Thrush-like, the bird of our illustration may in many respects be regarded as a great over¬ grown (and overfed) cock Robin. It has been suggested, probably from a superficial similarity in the colouring of the two males in summer plumage, that this species 111a}7 be akin to the Pied Rock-Thrush, Monti- cola saxatilis. But this is not the case. In their habits and general movements the two birds differ greatly. And especially do they differ in the peculiarity that the Pied Rock-Thrush has a very marked and conspicuous summer nuptial plumage which is obtained by a direct spring moult of the small feathers, whilst the White-throated Ground-Thrush follows the general rule of the Turdidce and has but the usual autumnal moult. As quoted above, Jerdou refers to the Pittas as Ground- Thrushes; and he places the Pittas in somewhat close proximity to the true Thrushes, I11 my birdroom it is a common thing to see a Pitta * and one of these White-throated Ground-Thrushes Pitta brae hy lira : —A vie. ,1 tag. VIII., p. 179. on the White-throated Ground- Thrush. 183 sitting on the same perch and within a foot or so of one another. In a dark corner, at a casual glance, they might even be mistaken for one another. But the similarity, such as it is, will not bear inspection. The birds of both species favour low perches and shady nooks, and are consequently not infrequently brought together ; but they do not really associate — there is no true affinity between them. I11 addition to structural differences, no better proof that they are diverse need be advanced than the circum¬ stance that they can sit and live together, and frequent the same haunts week after week and month after month, and yet remain in perfect peace from sheer indifference to one another’s presence. Two Pittas or two Thrushes, if well established and healthy, would go for one another at sight. It was on the 8th October, 1902, that I obtained my two males, the only examples of the genus I have ever kept. I need not describe the plumage of the male : Mr. Grouvold has depicted the bird, including the face markings, with the greatest care and accuracy, that is, as tlie}^ were nearly eighteen months ago, in October, 1902, when he painted “Tim ” the second bird, the finest “Tom” being loose in the aviary, the general deport¬ ment and carriage however being taken from the latter. Some trifling changes in the shades of the colours have since taken place ; and last autumn, after they had fully completed their moult, the brightness and brilliancy of the colouring, especially of the garden bird, its glossiness and exceeding purity of tint were beyond the power of human art and hand to reproduce. The upper parts of the body were then a most brilliant shining slate-blue, the under the most brilliant orange-chestnut, and all so exceedingly clear and pure ; the forehead crown and nape are of a darker shade, to aid the bird in escaping detection. At that time, at any rate, the colours of the male as given in all the books to which I have access were by comparison nowhere ! But such delicacy of tint does not last very long in a smoky Loudon atmosphere. I have to speak of it as a dream of the past. As might be supposed, Tim in the birdroom commenced ana got through his moult fully a fortnight earlier than the one in the garden, but the ultimate result was in favour of the latter. 184 Mr. Reginald Phillipps, The female I have never seen. The Catalogue says “ The female appears to differ from the male in having the upper back, scapulars, outer webs of secondaries, greater and lesser wing-coverts, and innermost secondaries suffused with olive-green.” And Jerdon “ The female differs from the male only in the colours being less pure.” The following extract from Mr. Seebolim’s “Thrushes” has been kindly forwarded to me : — “The female is less bright in colour, the upper parts having a greenish-brown shade, with yellow edges to the feathers, while the wings are shaded with green.” Young in first plumage appear to be unknown. Jerdon informs us : — “The White-winged (as he calls this species) Ground-Thrush is peculiar to the jungles of Southern India, extending as far as Goomsoor on the east coast, and to Bombay on the west side of India. It is most abundant in the forests of Malabar and Wynaad, but is not rare in the jungles ot the Eastern Ghats. It prefers bamboo-jungles, feeds on the ground, and generally perches low. Its food is chiefly insects, such as ants, cockroaches, and beetles ; but, not unfrequentl5r, also stony fruit. It has rather a sweet song, not often heard, however. Mr. Ward procured the nest in N. Canara, made of roots and grass, placed at no great height from the ground ; and the eggs, three in number, were pale bluish, speckled with brown.” The following extract (as above) from Seebohm’s “Thrushes” is important: — “The White-throated Ground- Thrush is very distinct from all its allies, and it is difficult to say to which of them it is most nearly related. It has the head and neck of G. peroni * joined to the body of G. citrina f, but there can be little doubt that its affinities are much more wTith the latter than with the former species.” When first received, and for some time afterwards, my two * The Timor Ground -Thrush, supposed to be confined to the island of Timor.— R. P. t The Orange-headed Ground-Thrush, which breeds in the Himalayas from Nepal to Assam, and migrates in the cold season to Central and Southern India and Ceylon. It seems to be a much more common and better known species than the White- throated Ground-Thrush.— R. P. on the White-throated Ground- Thrush. 185 birds were very timid. They were not afraid of me but of one another and of the other birds : of me and my bird-woman they took no notice. When loosed into the birdroom and aviary I would find them crouching, always on the ground, in all kinds of holes and corners, trusting to their protective colouring for con¬ cealment — crouching low, parallel with the ground, hiding the more brilliant underparts. When on the wing, they would fly rapidly for a short distance and then drop quickly and suddenly into the covert. But this timidity passed away ; and for a long time they have been going their own ways, neither interfering with other birds nor being interfered with by them — but there are no other true Thrushes in the place. In their general habits, they are very like our Song Thrush with a touch of the Blackbird, but in many ways still more like our Redbreast. Some of the ordinary call-notes have distinct affinity with those of the Song Thrush. Although a great deal on the ground and in low bushes, they are often on the higher perches. They prefer to roost on thin natural twigs, sometimes about 3ft. — 4ft. from the ground, very often on the highest available spot. Like Robins, each has his particular sphere of influence. Tim reigns in the birdroom, rarely venturing more than a yard or so into the garden. Tom reigns in the garden, and woe did betide poor Tim if, tempted out on a bright summer day, he ventured too far— Tom was after him in a moment. During cold weather, when I endeavoured to drive Tom into the birdroom for the night, he sometimes would not be driven in, and I often had to net and carry him in. When driven in, I used to find Tim just inside, with head down bristling feathers and arched back, like the weaker dog trying to intimidate the stronger, and Tom tight and with head high in air and bill pointing to the ceiling, sometimes with quivering wing, ready to give chase the moment Tim might take to flight. My reason for referring to this state of affairs in the past tense is not because the two birds are dead or have ceased to be in my possession ; it is because during the last two months or so a slight change seems to have come over them. Tim, the house bird, has been more assertive. If not too cold, he spends much Mr. Reginald Phillipps, i 86 of his time on a perch about four feet from the biidrootu window, while Tom sits on a perch nearly six feet from the ground at the extreme end of the near aviary, a projecting corner of the house preventing the two rivals from seeing one another. Thus, hour after hour, and day after day, they sing at one another. The singing is sweet ; but I doubt if the thoughts they express would look very sweet if committed to paper. One day in January, I was standing in the garden close to Tom, watching his chestnut vest and white extended throat as he sang, sang, and sang again. My presence ;possibly encouraged him, or he wanted to show off, or perhaps to let me know how brave he was, and I fear he must have hurled at Tim some very naughty words, provoking him beyond endurance, for the latter suddenly wheeled round the corner and dashing straight at Tom knocked him headlong to the ground, hastily retiring with a very respectable pinch of his breast feathers in his bill. Tom, with the greatest composure, and without betraying the slightest sign of anger or annoyance, philosophically picked himself up, slowly and with a dignified air hopped step by step up to his accustomed perch, and then uttered words which may be more readily imagined than described. Towards the end of February I could not help noticing that there were several white patches on Tom’s breast, where presumably Tim had been sampling the feathers. * Nevertheless, being afraid of one another, there is no actual fighting, but there is always danger in leaving such birds together ; and often, when the weather looks particularly threatening and tempestuous, I lay a sudden hand on Tim and shut him up until the morning, an act which both birds seem highly to appreciate. Those who can do so should keep such birds apart, even separating the sexes during the non-nesting period. I was told that last summer a male Orange-headed Ground-Thrush at the Zoological Gardens, on being loosed into the same aviary with a female, killed her before they could be separated. * The garden bird lias ceased to see the fun of this little game, and now spends much of his time just outside the birdroom window, singing away and daring Tipi to come out. The latter slinks about in the dimmest and most distant recesses of the room, not venturing so much as to wag his tongue so long as Tom is on the watch. — R. P., March 19. on the White-throated Ground- Thrush. 187 The song of my two Ground-Thrushes is a very -reat attraction. Although rarely singing at night like the charming Blue Rock-Thrush {A vie. Mag, III., p. I03), they sing from early dawn until nearly dark forTully nine months out of the twelve. Jerdon, quoted above, says that the song is not often heard. Perhaps, in the lonely jungle, the song may be there but not the human ear to listen to it. A great deal of the sweetest song is utteied in a low tone as the bird is hidden away in some dark . quiet corner, and cannot be heard at any distance. Many of the notes, however, are loud and full, but these are the least musical an are uttered from the higher perches, and are probably notes of defiance. Although the less musical-probably owino- to my birds being hand-reared specimens— their clear ringing voices have been cheering our hearts all through this dull cheer* less winter, are falling on my ears now as I write, and have this winter compelled the most captious of my neighbours, however unwillingly, to admire the glorious singing of the birds. Possibly this constant singing may be due to the circumstance that there are just the two males who pass the time in railing at one another Repeatedly I have heard the one utter a series of notes a kind of “ O you great big doited old fool ’’-which has been echoed back, note for note, by the other, with precisely the same intonation, and this has been repeated some half-dozen imes by each bird. During August they slow down ; and, although they do not sing fully out again until December, before the moult is over they commence recording and warbling in low gentle tones. It is pleasing beyond expression in words, when one is busy m the garden or attending to the food in the « J"00”1’ *° filld one of these handsome fellows close by, absolutely fearless as regards your presence, pouring out his little heart 111 sweetest melody. I Wuot myself noticed any inclination on the part of these Thrushes to mutate the notes of other birds ; my bird- woman however, who is more with them than I am, declared before Clmstmas that they had learnt several new songs. The song is certainly very varied. As a rule, when singing, they hold up their heads in an ordmary posttton, delaying the white throat from which the !SS Mr. W. H. St. Quintin, species takes its distinctive name. But on a few occasions this winter I have found one or other in a totally diffeient posture, perhaps a courting posture. On one of these occasions Toni was within a foot of me, and I noted him carefully. He was standing very tight and upright, the wing-butts hunched and a little forward and clear of the body, the primaries pointing straight downwards with the points touching the toes, and the head drawn up but with the bill, close against the chest, pointing like the wings straight down ; and in this quaint but very strained position he was warbling forth the sweetest of sweet notes. Although not delicate for foreign birds, they do not like severe weather. On the other hand, they are very fond of fresh air and cold water. The male White-throated Ground-Thrush is a tame hand¬ some bird with a pleasing and almost ceaseless song, lives on the simplest insectivorous food with an occasional visit to the fruit saucer, and is absolutely happy aud contented in confine¬ ment; and I have never regretted the day on which I added Tom and Tim to my collection. It is from necessity, not from choice, that they remain old bachelors— a lady White-throat has not yet come my way. THE GREAT BUSTARD. By W. H. St. Quintin, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. I have more than once referred to my Bustards in the Magazine, and I have always hoped that one day I might have proclaimed that I had been successful in getting this fine bird to rear young. But alas ! I have within the last few weeks had the great misfortune to lose by an accident my old male, which I had kept here for nearly thirteen years ; and as it will probably be very long before I can replace him, I may as well tell how I was very near succeeding some three years ago. As far as I can learn, though Bustards have of course been often kept in captivit}' in England, young have not been hatched from eggs laid in confinement in this country. Early in the last century, on the Great Bustard. 189 after the bird became scarce, but before it became quite extinct as a British resident, it was not uncommon for eggs to be brought in from the fields, and set under hens, and apparently sometimes the young were successfully reared. I have somewhere, at this moment mislaid, an extract from a book in the library of the Linnsean Society, which states that two young Great Bustards were reared in Bavaria, the produce of a pair of tame birds. But one statement therein made seems to me difficult to under¬ stand — that the parents were birds in their second year. My experience is that the young male does not get his spring plumage, pectoral bands, and whiskers, till his third summer ; and till that time does not expand his pouch. However that may be, a young Bustard was hatched here in the summer of 1901, as I will now describe. At the time I had two females, one four years old, the other about six ; and two males four and twelve years respectively. Both females laid eggs, one 011 May 14th, the other five days later. One egg only was laid in each case. The younger bird never attempted to incubate ; the other commenced to sit at once, and was never seen off, except when she came to feed. Later on, I put the neglected egg into an incubator, but it did not hatch. When I left for Norway on June nth the older Bustard was sitting steadily. Neither of the males was allowed near the nest. The sitting hen used to make gruff “ barks ” at them, if they came too near, as she sat hidden in the thick grass : sometimes rushing out aud hustling them off. We noticed that though the two males were tolerably good friends, the young bird did not venture to display this year, the old fellow driving him off if he began to set up his feathers. I can not do better than quote from a letter sent out to Norway by my falconer, Arthur Moody, who was left in charge of the birds. “June 16th, 1901: The sitting lien Great Bustard has hatched off, but I am sorry to say that the young one is dead. She was due to hatch to-day, but I thought I had better keep an eye on her a day or two before, so on Thursday and Friday (13th and 14th), I just went near enough to the nest to see her sitting; and of course thought she was going on well, as I could On the Great Bustard. i go see no difference in her behaviour. However, I took the pre¬ caution on Friday evening of putting a board near the nest with a little meal, some ants’ eggs, and mealworms upon it. I was going to do the same on Saturday morning when the old bird came rushing from a different place, and on going there I found the young bird very weak, and almost unable to stand, with its eyes shut, and looking very bad. By its emaciated appearance I should say it had been hatched two or three days, and "was suffering from want of food. I put all kinds of things round it, and climbed into the beech tree to see if the old one would feed it. But she did not, though I watched her some time. She picked a little of the flowering grass and dropped it near the young bird, but it was too far gone to eat. I thought the best thing was to cram it with chopped mealworms, which I did several times, and to leave the old one to brood it until evening. But it died about five p.m. I have put it into spirits.” When the young one was closely examined the skin of a beetle larva (not a mealworm), that had been picked off the ground, was sticking to its bill. It was unfortunate that at this time there was a very unpleasant spell of weather, cold wind, and showers of rain and hail. Possibly if it had been more genial at this critical time, the little Bustard might have been reared. In the autumn of this same year I lost this female from a chill taken in a heavy storm of wind and wet snow in November. This has up to now quite defeated my further efforts to breed the Great Bustard. My remaining hen bird, though nesting each year, has never hatched. And now for the saddest part of my story ! My splendid old cock bird, which I had kept here since the summer of 1891, a two-year-old bird then as I thought when I received him, was startled a few weeks ago by a gardener, whom he did not know, coming suddenly upon him. The bird made a jump and fell on his side breaking his wing close up to the body, and apparently a large artery was ruptured by the splintered bone, for he was found a short time after¬ wards smothered in blood. Though a grand bird to look at, and in perfect condition, he only weighed twenty pounds. A fine old wild male will weigh thirty pounds or even something more ; but probably the young birds captured and reared by hand, do Avicultural Magazine. Bale, Sons aud Danielsson, Ltd. On Some Turtle Dove Hybrids and their Fertility. 191 not get a sufficient supply of the right sort of food, and do not reach the size of the wild-bred bird. I am now anxiously looking out for another male Bustard, bnt I fear it may be difficult to replace my old favourite. ON SOME TURTLE DOVE HYBRIDS AND THEIR FERTILITY. By T. H. Newman, F.Z.S. The subject of hybrid birds is one which has from very early times received a good deal of attention from aviculturists ; and till quite recently it was almost universally believed that all hybrids, with the exception perhaps of certain crosses among the gamebirds and ducks, were “mules,” that is, were incapable of reproduction. But it has now been proved that numerous hybrids in many different orders are quite fertile. Very much, however, yet remains to be found out, and a wide field lies open to any one who will explore its unknown mysteries. In the meantime, it may be considered of sufficient interest to place on record a few results, obtained from certain Turtle dove hybrids, from the beginning of 1901 to the present time. The genus Turtur is a large one, containing some thirty species, and has been divided by Count Salvadori, in his Catalogue, into five subgenera, all of which, nevertheless, appear to be very closely allied. The sub-divisions have been made chiefly from the arrangement or form of the neck feathers ; this being the special badge of the Turtle doves. I mention these divisions, as four out of the five subgenera are included among my hybrids. In March, 190 r, I procured a fine male of the, by no means rare, cross between a male wild English Turtle dove* ( Turtur turtur) and a female domestic Barbary Turtle dove (T. risorius ). A very brief description of this bird will suffice, as this hybrid is well known. In shape and general appearance it approached its wild parent: the scapulars showing decided * The nomenclature used is that of the Cat. Birds Brit. Mr/s. Vol.XXI. 192 Mr. T. H. Newman, traces of the cinnamon brown border with central portion darker, the outer web of the outer tail feathers was conspicuously white, the white tips of the outer tail feathers were also sharply defined from the black portion, as in T. turtur. O11 each side of the neck was a patch of black and white feathers, but not so scale-like in appearance as in that species. Two more specimens of the same cross, in nearly adult plumage, seem to differ in several points from the original bird. They were thought by their breeder to be hens, but I am not yet sure of the sex, as I have only had them a short time. In size and shape they are more like Barbary doves, and are larger than my former bird. The scapulars, if anything, show stronger traces of the cinnamon ; the neck patches are scale-like, and very similar to those of the wild Turtle ; the white border is present at the sides of the tail, but the white tips are not so sharply defined. But to return to the first bird : he was mated in the beginning of June, 1901, to a hen, which was supposed to be a hybrid between a male Barbary and a female Necklaced Turtle dove ( T. tigrinus ) ; but as she in no respect, as far as I can see, differs from an ordinary Barbary dove, I am compelled to say in her ease — not proven. The history of this bird seems to have been as follows: A pair of Barbary doves were kept with two hen Necklaced doves, no other doves being with them. The cock Barbary was noticed to be on friendly terms with one of the Necklaced hens, and accordingly the hen Barbary was removed. The Barbary cock and hen Necklaced nested, with the result that this bird, the very naturally supposed hybrid, was reared. The hen Barbary was not again introduced till a day or two before the young bird was hatched. The hen Necklaced dove afterwards came into my possession. Four days after, she mated with another Barbary cock which I had only bought the day before. This, I think, showed that she had been used to the company of a Barbary dove. She laid one egg which was unfortunately unfertile ; then several imperfect eggs followed, and she died when I had only had her two months. Thus I was unable to clear up the mystery which hung round her supposed daughter. Certainly all the eggs which this supposed hybrid lays are Avicultural Magazine. HYBRID DOVES. Plate on Some Turtle Dove Hybrids and their Fertility. 193 smaller than the majority of Barbary eggs; in fact they are not much larger than the egg laid by the Necklace hen. But one can hardly establish a relationship on this ground, and in hybrid breeding one must be absolutely sure of one’s facts. The result of the Union, between the first-mentioned bird (the Turtle x Barbary hybrid) and the supposed hybrid, was five young from three nests, all of which were reared, though three of them did not reach maturity. These young all approached the Barbary dove in colour, though some were of a darker shade than others. The two that lived are a cock and lieu ; the cock in shape favours the Barbary. At a little distance he appears of the usual plain fawn colour, but, when closely examined, the feathers of the scapular and interscapular region are found to be bordered at their tips with a lighter shade of fawn, the centre portion being of a slightly greyer shade. Thus the strong developed “ lacing ” of the wild Turtle dove has been transmitted to the £-bred offspring. But the most noticeable feature lies in the black ring on the neck, which, instead of being a plain broad black collar, has more the appearance of an irregular black patch on each side of the neck, almost separated at the back where the black feathers are tipped with pale buff. His notes hardly differ from those of the pure Barb ary. In 1902 this bird paired with his mother. The first two nests did not produce any result, probably owing to the male bird not being fully developed, as he was rather delicate when young. However in the third nest two young were hatched and reared, which were practically pure Barbary doves in appearance. I believe they were both hens. The hen (| Turtle x £ Barbary) differs from her brother in several points. She is a good deal smaller, and I think distinctly resembles the wild Turtle dove in shape, but is more Barbary like in colour. The scapulars and smaller wing-coverts are more uniform, but are narrowly tipped with buff, which gives the bird a slightly “mealy” look; the black collar is more regular, but, even in her, some of the feathers at the back are narrowly edged with buffish white. Her notes approach those of 194 Mr. T. H. Newman, the domestic bird, but slie speaks the Barbary tongue, if I may so express it, with a slightly foreign accent : for example, the laughing note, instead of being a clear ringing He-he-he-he-he, is usually run together like He-e-e-e-e. She has never been mated. In 1902, the Turtle x Barbary hybrid cock paired with a white Barbary hen. One young one was hatched, almost on the same day unfortunately the hybrid parent escaped, which follow¬ ing the final example of its prototype of the Ark, “ returned not again any more.” The hen notwithstanding managed to rear the young one, but it was weakly and did not live for more than six weeks ; for which I was sorry ; because this bird, in spite of being bred from a white hen and only being £ T. turtur to f of T. risorius, was very dark in colour, being very little, if any, lighter than its father, and very much darker than any of the five young which were bred from the same hybrid parent when mated to a normal coloured Barbary hen the summer before ; which fact is not a little curious. Can it be that the absence of pigment in the white female parent gave a better opportunity for that of the male to be transmitted ? Another hybrid with which I have been very successful is that between the Necklaced dove (7". tigrinus ) and the Barbary. It is hardly to be wondered at that this cross should be a hand¬ some one, considering what a beautiful species T. tigrinus is. But this species seems to be subject to a good deal of individual variation, both in size and in the intensity of its markings. The largest birds are said to come from Java, Timor, etc. As far as my limited experience goes, the larger specimens seem less distinctly marked on the wings than the smaller. The bird at present exhibited at the Natural History Museum, from Tenasserim, is very large, larger than any I have ever seen alive, with the dark shaft stripes on the upper parts poorly developed, but it does not appear to be immature as it has a large neck patch forming quite a cape round the nape and sides of the neck. In its large size and comparatively plain wing-coverts, this specimen would seem to approach T. chinensis, a species however with which I am not acquainted. An imported hen, that came into my possession, though large, was decidedly smaller than the on Some Turtle Dove Hybrids and their Fertility. 195 Museum bird and bad the wing-coverts more plainly striped. And lastly a pair I had, which were bred in England, were again smaller, but brighter in their colours with the shaft stripes on the wings broader and more distinct (though these are features which I believe increase with age), the tail also seems longer in proportion, and the whole bird is more graceful. It is from the cock of this last pair that my hybrids were bred. The first two, hatched in 1902, were produced under rather curious circumstances. I have mentioned above that during this year I had a Barbary hen mated to her hybrid (I Turtle x f- Barbary) son. He was not a very demonstrative mate ; and, after they had reared their first two young ones, I was surprised to find that the next nest they had contained two very dark young ones, which I at first could not make out. In the same compartment was a cock Necklaced dove, which had lately lost his mate, and which I had frequently noticed was on friendly relations with the Barbary hen. It soon turned out that these two young were undoubtedly Necklaced x Barbary hybrids. The necklaced cock was mated to this Barbary throughout last season ; with the result that seven more young ones have been reared from them, all resembling these first two. The Necklaced x Barbary hybrid is a decidedly attractive bird, taking chiefly after the male parent, and may be briefly described as follows : — Mantle with the scapular region a rich brown, the latter with narrow dark grey median stripes expand¬ ing slightly towards the tips of the feathers ; the outermost wing- coverts ashy grey, almost concealed when the wing is closed ; quills very dark brown approaching black, and longer in pro¬ portion than in the pure Necklaced Dove; tail, long, the three outer feathers 011 each side graduated and tipped with greyish white; head, with the throat and breast grey with a strong vinous tinge ; on each side of the neck, narrowly joined at the back, a large patch of black feathers edged with white somewhat after the manner of the English Turtle dove. These feathers can hardly be said to be bifurcated, as in T. tigrinus, but most ot them seem to have a break in the centre ; in fact they may be said to be intermediate between the corresponding feathers of the two parent species. Another point in which it rather Mr. T. H. Newman, 196 resembles the Common Turtle is the voice. The note used, when calling its mate to the nest, reminding one of T. turtur only harsher ; at other times, when sitting quietly on a perch, the coo is very like that of the Necklaced dove. It sometimes uses also a short grating note which corresponds to the laughing note of the Barbary. In June 1903, a cock Necklaced x Barbary hybrid, hatched in the beginning of the previous September, mated with a white Barbary hen. The first nest contained unfertile eggs, but these were laid in less than a week after pairing. Four more nests produced six young, all of which have been reared and seem strong. This speaks well for the care bestowed on them by their mother ; for the cock, after assisting very fairly with the first pair of young, has since taken very little share in either sitting or feeding; in fact, when the hen was thus engaged, he did his best to persuade her to desert and lay again. I never saw him on the eggs once, nor take any notice of the young during the rearing of the second pair. These six (J Necklaced x | Barbarj’’) doves show a good deal of variation in colour. One, a hen, is very nearly as light as a pure-bred Barbary, but the black collar is not so sharply defined and is very narrow at the back : also, when examined closely, the scapular feathers are seen to have a faint stripe down their centres. The other five are considerably darker, some being nearly as dark as the J-bred birds between T. tigrinus and T. risorius. Their notes, however, are more Barbary like : but they certainly favour the Necklaced dove more than the % Turtle x £ Barbary does the Common Turtle. I have but little doubt that these will breed, if suitably mated this coming season. The prettiest Turtle dove hybrid however, that I have seen, I think, is that between the Necklaced dove (T. tigrinus ) and the Senegal Turtle dove T. senegalensis'), of which I was fortunate enough to become possessed of a fine pair during the autumn of 1902. I11 some respects this hybrid seems to combine the best points of both parents, though I do not think that on the whole it equals the pure bred T. tigrinus , which has so many charms of its own, that it can scarcely be improved. The chief on Some Turtle Dove Hybrids and their Fertility. 197 beauty of the hybrid lies in the extraordinary size of the neck patches, the backwardly-placed collar of the Necklaced dove having to a certain extent combined with the forwardly-placed neck patches of the Senegal dove, so as to form a beautiful wide collar, extending fully f- of the way round the neck, only being broken in front by the rich vinous of the throat and breast. This collar is composed of strongly bifid feathers ; which is only to be expected’, as this feature is possessed by both parents. These feathers are black with rusty vinous tips. The head is grey with a strong vinous wash ; the scapulars and smaller wing- co verts show distinct rusty edgings, the stripes of tigrinus have nearly disappeared, only being represented by the darker colour of the actual shafts of some of the feathers, being most pro¬ nounced in the tertials. The whole wing when spread out is very pretty ; the warm rusty-tinted portion nearest the body being separated from the almost black primaries by the grey outer wing-coverts which are delicately edged with ash colour, forming a grey patch in the centre of the extended wing. Their notes very much resemble those of the Necklaced x Barbary hybrid. I allowed the Necklaced x Senegal hybrids to mate together in June, 1903, as I believe that young, bred from hybrid parents, both of the same cross, are wanted, as shedding light on the subject of the origin of species. But though seven or eight eggs were laid, most of them were soon broken, and the birds did not seem inclined to sit on those that were left. Two eggs, which I managed to get incubated by other pairs were not fertile ; but this certainly does not prove that this pair could not have bred. In the above account I wish to emphasize that not only did three distinct hybrids breed, but that they were all extremely fertile, as the following table shows : — No. of eggs No. of young Parents laid. hatched. 2. g- v >> X -g- ,, j> ?• (Bred from fig. i). ,, ,, 3. Necklaced x Senegal hybrid ?. Plate II. fig. 4. Necklaced x Barbary hybrid „ „ 5- i „ x „ hybrids, juv. (Bred from fig. 4). ,, ,, 6. Necklaced x Barbary hybrid. (Same as fig. 4 but in nest plumage). NOTES ON PARRAKEETS. By John Sergeant. Referring to the Hon. Canon Dutton’s remarks in the February issue in his letter on the above subject, anent the susceptibility of the King Parrakeet to cold. My experience bears out Mr. Dutton’s in regard to the hardiness of this lovely bird. I had a pair, King and Queen, for nearly three years in an outdoor aviary, which was occupied by various species of the beautiful Broad-tail family. On frosty mornings when I had * cf. Zoologist, 1903, p. 401. on Parrakeets. 199 broken the ice in their drinking fountain, which was a zinc dish 18 inches square, let into the ground, level with the surrounding grass, the King and Queen used to be first down to the water, as they were easily masters of all the other inmates of the aviary, and, plunging into the dish, would send the water flying in all directions, and afterwards would hang out to dry on a branch in the most open part of the aviary, frequently in the teeth of a keen North-Easter. • During the time I had them the}'- were never ill a day, and they have left a lasting impression in my mind of their beauty and intelligence which makes me long for the time when I can find suitable accommodation for another pair. As Canon Dutton says, the endurance of cold by Parrots is an interesting subject, and I am inclined to think that he is right when he remarks that it seems to be settled more by species than by habitat. For instance, I have kept nearly all the Broad¬ tails and they have all been entirely regardless of cold. One pair of Pennants I had, purchased as very young birds in a terrible dirty and featherless condition, I turned out in June, and they came into brilliant plumage the following autumn, and as winter approached I was anxious to get them out of a habit they had formed of sleeping in a Thorn tree in the open aviary, and induce them to follow their companions into the inner aviary at night. But although every night for weeks, as dusk approached, I drove them in, immediately my back was turned they were out and on their old perch again, and nothing short of closing the door, which for many reasons I was reluctant to do, would per¬ suade them to stay in ; and all through that winter and three following ones I frequently found them in a morning with their backs flecked with snow or sleet that had fallen during the night. I had that pair for four years and they were always the picture of health. Red Rosellas, Mealy Rosellas, Crimson Wings, and Bar¬ nards I have found equally hardy ; all took their bath summer and winter alike with no sign of either distress or even dis¬ comfort, however severe the weather was. The winter of ’95 and ’96 was as bad as any we have had for many years, and this is included in the period of which I am writing. 200 On Parrakects. Conures I have also found indifferent to cold, although not so fond of bathing as the Platycerci ; and a pair of Blue Bonnets proved as hardy as an}r of them. But Turquoisines and Elegants, although I believe coming from the more northerly portions of the Australian Continent, cannot endure exposure to severe weather, and ought to be taken indoors as winter approaches. I once lost three Turquoisines in one night through sudden cold. I remember we had a very warm late summer and I had been lulling myself into the belief that the weather would continue warm and open and that winter was far off, when suddenly, one night late in October, there came an alarming drop of many degrees in the temperature, and when I went down to my aviary in the morning, after having spent a wretched night fearing the worst, I missed the shrill whistle with which one of the cocks always greeted my appearance, and not being able to see more than three Turquoisines I searched among the bushes and found two cocks and a hen lying on the ground, killed by the cold. I immediately caught up the others and the Elegants, and never after did I leave them out of doors later than September. How is it that there are no Turquoisines or Elegants to be obtained now? They are among the most desirable of all Parrakeets from an avicultural point of view, and if taken indoors in September, even if placed in a room, the temperature of which is kept just above freezing point, and turned out again late in May, they will give no trouble whatever, and if an aviary is devoted entirely to the species they will breed as easily as either Cockatiels or Rosellas. They are very impatient of the presence of other birds in their vicinity, and unless the aviary is very large, no young need be looked for unless an aviary is entirely devoted to them. I was never successful in getting my Blue Bonnets to nest, and should like to know whether they have ever bred in this country. They are charming little birds, and seem to be as scarce as either Turquoisines or Elegants now. The Blue Mountain Tories have also proved quite hardy Probably for that very reason, the northerly portion being the hottest. — A. G. B. Bird Notes from the Zoological Gardens. 201 with me, although I must admit I have not had a pair longer than two 3’ears, when one of them died in a fit one very hot day in July. I found a clot of blood on the brain and the body simply a ball of fat. These birds while I had them were fed on the ordinary seed diet with two or three times a week a tablespoonful of honey and some sponge cake. They were the tamest Parrakeets I ever had, and would fly on to my shoulder or hand immediately I entered the aviary. The cock would roll over on his back in my hand and play with the fingers of the other hand in the same manner that a puppy will do, pretending to bite and pushing my fingers with his feet. They were both as playful as kittens. I have thought since, after reading the experiences of some of our members with these birds, that had I given them less seed and a more suitable diet, considering that they are brush-tongued and pollen eaters, I should never have lost the cock, and thus, through being at that time unable to get another, I was persuaded to part with the hen to a friend who had a bird he wished a mate for. She died a year after. BIRD NOTES FROM THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. Those of our members who have not been to the Gardens for some time will be surprised and gratified, on their next visit, to find how many and great are the improvements that have been carried out. Since the appointment of the present Secretary, less than a year ago, numbers of lasting improve¬ ments have been made in almost every direction. We can only, in this journal, enumerate a few of the alterations in the various aviaries, etc. The Western aviary, which was in a very dilapidated state, has been practically rebuilt, and is now completely furnished and beautifully fitted up and stocked. The larger and less attractive Doves and Pigeons have mostly been moved to the new Plieasantry near the South Entrance. Here the experiment 202 Bird Notes from the Zoological Gardens. is being tried of keeping a pair or so of Doves with each pair of Pheasants. This fine range of Pheasantries is entirely new, although it is on the site of the old one, and is very well gquippgd. for its purpose. Many of our readers have looked with disgust on the wretched way in which the smaller Finches treated in the past, a number of exceedingly small box- cages in the Parrot House being the only accommodation provided for them. This has all been altered now, and all these little birds have been transferred to the aviaries at the back of the Insect House, where some of them have actually commenced to build nests. Other improvements have been made in the arrangements of the birds in the Parrot House. The Toucans have been transferred to the Western Aviary, and their large cages are now occupied by the smaller Parrakeets and Lorikeets. The large new aviary on the north bank of the Canal is tenanted by a number of Crows, Gulls, Herons, etc., and it is intended later to transfer some of the hardier Parrots thither also. Mr. Bertling, who has for some years been engaged in the Superintendent’s office in the Gardens, has been appointed Head Keeper, and the Secretary informs us that he has given him special charge of the Birds. This is an exceedingly satisfactory arrangement, as Mr. Bertling is an enthusiastic and experienced aviculturist, and a member of the Avicultural Society. The following is a list of the additions to the collection for the month of February 1904 : Feb. 2. 1 Ring-necked Parrakeet ( Palcsornis torquata ) 3 . . India. ,, 2. 5 Hybrid Silver Pheasants ( Euplocamus nycthemerus x Phasianns colchicus) s ,, 3. 1 Levaillant’s Amazon (Chrysotis levaillanti) .. Mexico. ,, 3. 1 Malabar Parrakeet (Palceornis peristerodes) .. S. India. „ 3. 1 Philippine Racket-tailed Parrot ( Prioniturus discurus )* Philippine Islands. ,, 3. 1 Everett’s Thick-billed Parrakeet (Tanygnathus everetti) ? ,, „ ,, 3. 2 Red Lories ( Eos rubra ) .. Moluccas. ,, 3. 2 Blue-streaked Lories (Eos reticulata ) . . Timor Laut. ,, 3. 1 Tabuan Parrakeet ( Pyrrhulopsis tabuensis) .. Fiji Islands. * This bird is entered in the official list as Prio?iituius filaturus from Celebes, but I pointed out to the Secretary that it was the Philippine P. discurus, and in a letter dated Feb. 22, he writes “I am satisfied that you are right about the Racket-tailed Parrot, and I have changed the name.” This species is easily distinguished by its bright blue crown. — D. S.-S. Correspondence , Notes, etc. 20' Feb. 3. » 9- >1 9- „ 10. ,, 10. „ 10. „ 11. » 13- » 15- ,, 16. » 17. „ 18. „ 22. ,, 24. „ 26. ,, 26. ,, 26. » 29. 2 Wouga-Y onga Pigeons (Leucosarcia picala) New South Wales. 1 Great-billed Weaver-bird ( Ploceus megarhynchus ) Naini Tal. 2 Hybrid Finches (Spermestes cucullata x Munia striata) .. (Europe). Yellow-winged Parrakeets ( Brotogerys virescens ) Brazil. Senegal Parrot {Pceocephalus senegalus) .. W. Africa. Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetus) . . Scotland. Angolian Vulture (Gypohierax angolensis) . . Congo. Hybrid Chilian Pintail (bred between Dafila spinicauda and Mareca sibilatrix ) k. Estimates given. Great Advantages in dealing direct with Makers. Send for Full Detailed Price List before ordering elsewhere. 7a, PRINCES ST., CAVENDISH SQ., (7 Doors from Oxford Circus) London, ynr. Factories : 34, RIDING HOUSE ST., and OGLE ST. W. HYDE’S Patent Iron Tonic Grit For all Cage Birds, Pigeons and Fowls. HYDE’S ESTHETIC SEEDS. For Song Birds. A combination of rare and expensive Seeds blended ja. to suit their natural requirements. * i HYDE’S . Jj Ihyde’sS LARK FOOD. IBS*kl 1 ; fyuam CACE BIRDS 1 PICEONS&cS Hyde’s Vitaz ■ fmm \ Song! mmm | FOR POULTRY. ^ HYDE’S NATURAL FOOD. For Aquarium Fish and Insectivorous Birds. Sold in Tins. Sample Box, Id. The latest achievement in Ornithology Extracts from a letter from Mr. J. PARKINSON, NATURALIST, BLACKPOOL, ENGLAND, October 30th, iqoi. “ Your Traveller was right in saying that the three nests ot Parrots which I have reared were brought up on 3’our ^Esthetic Seeds, which were boiled for about half an hour, and the birds when old enough they fed upon your famous Parrot Food. Your Traveller has handled the eggs and seen the young ones progressing into maturity. More than two hundred people, from all parts of the country, have visited me in order to see the Parrots ; and four gentlemen, who are Bird Naturalists, are presenting me with a Silver Cup, in commemoration of such an unprecedented accomplishment.” The “ BLACKPOOL GAZETTE ” of Dec. 4th Says — “ Mr. Parkinson has apparently solved the problem of Parrot-rearing, which has troubled Bird Fanciers generally throughout the country, and his skill in this direction has been recognised by the presentation of two Silver Cups at the local Bird Show.” fl. HYDE & Go., Ltd., 54 , LILFORD RD. CAMBERWELL. » Cloth, gilt top, Small 8vo., Six Shillings net. THE BIRDS OF TENNYSON, BY WATKIN WATKINS, B.A.Cantab. Member of the British Ornithologists’ Union. “ Many as are the volumes which have been written oil different phases and aspects of our late laureate’s works, this, we think, is the first time that a whole book has been devoted to “The Birds of Tennyson.” Mr. W. Watkins, the author, is a member of the British Ornithologists’ Union, and has, therefore, a scientific as well as a literary interest in the subject. And his verdict in the matter is this— that ‘No poet is so satisfactory to the ornithologist [as Tennyson], for no poet had a more accurate knowledge of birds or had a happier power of describing their peculiarties.’ Mr. Watkins’ pages are, indeed, themselves a testimony to the acuteness as well as the frequency with which Tennyson described the ‘ feathered tribe.’ All this, of course, is an old story to the students of the poet, but it is pleasant to find Tennyson’s references to birds collected and systematised as they are in this agreeable treatise, which is, as it should be, carefully and usefully indexed. In his introduction Mr. Watkins deals with Tennyson’s allusions to birds in general, and in subsequent chapters discourses successively of birds of song, birds of passage, birds of prey, birds of sport and so forth The result should convince those who are not already convinced that as a poet of the birds Tennyson ranks with Shakespeare. Mr. Watkins, as a naturalist, of course appreciates fully the poet’s stanzas on ‘ The Throstle,’ of which the ignorant have been accustomed to make game. He recognises the fidelity with which the bird’s- ‘ note ’ is reflected in such lines, homely enough, as — ' Summer is coming, summer is coming, I know it, I know it, I know it.’ And he gives other instances of the poet’s successful translation of birds’ song into literary speech.” — The Globe. “ Rovers and all in quest of unhackneyed forms of endearment could not do better than add to their possessions a copy of ‘The Birds of Tennyson,’ by Watkiu Watkins. The book is a well-compiled number of extracts from the poems of Tennyson, Wordsworth Shakespeare, Byron, Chaucer, Milton- Cowper, and other poets, in which the manners and customs of birds are introduced as similes, in dainty lines. The volume contains some excellent illustrations of birds by G. E. Bodge.” — Pall Mall Gazette. “ Mr. Watkins, who must have spent a vast deal of time in the study of Tennyson’s poetry from the natural history point of view, publishes a number of extracts, and enlarges on them in a most interesting manner. Mr. Watkins’ book should prove very acceptable to Tennyson lovers.” — The Yorkshire Post. “ ‘ The Birds of Tennyson ’ should have a strong attraction, for its well-written pages are a powerful proof of the great influence exercised upon the impressionable mind of the poet by the beauties of form and the joyous songs of the feathered kingdom. There is another class of readers who should also find much pleasure in a perusal of the volume— those lovers of Tennyson as a poet who, not taking any special thought about birds, will be astonished to find how much their favourite poet knew about them and how narrowly he observed the life that moved about him. They will find, too, by the aid of Mr. Watkins’ comments as an expert, how appropriately Tennyson employed his innumer¬ able references to birds of all kinds, and especially song birds. Excellent illustrations by G. E- Lodge enhance the value of the volume.” — The Shrewsbury Chronicle. LONDON : R. J^. Porter, 7, Princes Street, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. CROSS, (Known throughout the Civilised and Uncivilised World). King of Wild Beast Merchants Anything from “A HUMMING BIRD TO AN ELEPHANT,” TRADE SUPPLIED, TRADE SUPPLIED. GREY AFRICAN PARROTS. Fresh Arrivals Daily. FOREIGN WATER FOWL, Hungarian Partridges for turning down. Thousands of Small Foreign Birds, suitable for Aviaries. OLD ENGLISH RINGLESS PHEASANTS. CROSS’S TRADING MENAGERIE. Is always on view for Visitors who are desirous of seeing the Wild Animals. At present it contains numerous LIONS, TIGERS, ELEPHANTS, ETC. Always something- New. Hundreds of arrivals weekly. May be viewed daily from n to 4 p.m. Admission Gd. INSECTIVOROUS BIRD FOOD. Carl Capelle’s, Hanover). A bsolutely the finest food for soft-billed birds. Sole English Agent: “CROSS, LIVERPOOL.” Birds & Animals Stuffed & Preserved. National Telephones! 6491 CENTRAL and 728 ROYAL. Telegrams and Cablegrams! “CROSS,” LIVERPOOL. “ CROSS ” (Known throughout the Civilized and Uncivilised World). KING OF WILD BEAST MERCHANTS, GREATEST ZOOLOGICAL EMPORIUM ON EARTH. LIVERPOOL. % i Avicultural Magazine. NESTING BOXES FOR WILD BIRDS. I 259 THE Hvtcultural /Hbagasme, BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE AVI CU LTURAL SOCIETY. New Series. — VOL. II. — NO. 9. — dtl rights reserved. JULY, 1904. NESTING BOXES FOR WILD BIRDS. By E. G. B. Meade- Waldo, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. A very charming, and in my opinion successful, form of aviculture, may be practised by almost anyone, provided he does not live in the heart of a town, by placing suitable and convenient nesting boxes for our hole - breeding birds, and choosing sites that are likely to be suitable to the species of bird that it is desirable to attract. No doubt various shapes and makes of boxes are suitable, and I have seen some very nice boxes made in Germany from hollowed out birch trunks, with moveable lids and perches outside the hole ; but the boxes we use, and which are almost always occupied year after year, are made by our own carpenter out of f-inch oak plank for small birds, and i-inch plank for large birds. Those for small birds are usually five to six inches square inside, eight to nine inches deep, with a lid fastened by a leather hinge, the lid sloping and slightly projecting over the hole, which should be near the top of the box, at the side or in front; it does not matter which. The hole should be round and ijin. to i£in. diameter. And I find an admirable way to attract Tits, Nuthatches, Wrynecks, etc., is to nail a piece of stout bark across the hole, so as to make the opening too small for any bird ; and then the incoming tenant chips the bark away to the size required. This has the effect of keeping out House Sparrows ; but boxes placed low and away from houses and out-buildings, are not much troubled by these “undesirables.” Almost any 26o Mr. E. G. B. Meado-Waedo, position will do, provided it is not too high up, (about 5ft. is the best height) and not fully exposed to the South-West wind, shelter from any high wind is most desirable. I find the positions near roads or walks are more attractive than very secluded sites, and that Wrynecks prefer fairly open situations, and also rather deep boxes, ten inches to one foot from the hole to the bottom of the box, which should have a little dry rotten ■wood in it ; but if they take to a box which has already been appropriated by a Tit, they will speedily destroy the nest and clean out the box to their liking. • Nuthatches will take to almost any box — even those with large holes which are suitable for Starlings — as they close the hole with mud to fit it to them¬ selves. When they choose a box with a small hole they use mud just the same, fastening down the lid and plastering the inside round the hole and making the hole to exactly fit their bodies. Some years the Great Tit breeds in the boxes almost to the exclusion of all other species, fully 80 per cent, of Tit boxes being taken by them. In other years the Blue Tit takes its place. Some Coal Tits breed in boxes every year, but the Marsh Tit rarely does so. I don’t think I have had as many as twenty Marsh Tits nest in boxes in as many years : they nest in the ground or in rotten stumps. Boxes made with very wide openings, and shallow, are often taken to by Wagtails, Robins, and Flycatchers. All boxes should be fixed firvily to the trunk of the tree or a wall with two nails, so that they do not twist or vibrate in any way. The occupants do not mind being looked at in the least, and you can open the lid and look at the sitting bird without the fear of it forsaking. While they are laying, all the Tits cover their eggs with nesting material, but as soon as incubation commences leave them exposed when they leave the nest. The Nuthatch however covers her eggs on all occasions. I often find my small boxes inhabited by mice, dormice, and even bats ! Boxes should have the old nests taken out of them as soon as the young have flown, and, when possible, I often look at them in the early spring, to clear out anything that may have accumulated during the winter. When made of oak these boxes will last for Avicultural Magazine. NESTING BOXES FOR WILD BIRDS. on Nesting Boxes for Wild Birds. 261 very many years. We have some large boxes that have been up for over 30 years, and are still quite sound, and have been occupied this season. For large birds such as Owls, Kestrels, etc., I generally have them 15 inches square, inside measurement, with double span roof, with fairly wide eaves over the sides and projecting over the hole in front. The hole should be 3^in. by 4^in., be placed in the upper part of the box, and have a ledge for the birds to perch on, such as you see in Pigeon cotes. I have no projecting eaves at the back, as that goes against the trunk of the tree. Various sites are suitable, but avoid having the hole facing into the S.W. I usually place mine from 15ft. to 25ft. up, on a stout horizontal bough, and with the back of the box against the trunk of the tree. When these boxes are first put up a few handfulls of dry rotten wood are usually placed in it, just sufficient to prevent the eggs from rolling about. This, however, is really hardly necessary, as, with the exception of Owls and Kestrels, all birds who use them convey nesting materials, and any boxes put up in the autumn are almost sure to be occupied by squirrels during the winter. Jackdaws are the greatest enemies to nests in large boxes ; they fill them with sticks and are every way very objectionable ; but they do not usually take to boxes when placed in woods, or when far from dwellings. Barn Owls in time will fill the box they occupy with castings up to the hole, and they want clearing out every three or four years. But boxes occupied by the Brown Owl will always be found to be quite clean, and practically no castings in them. Almost every box will be occupied by Stock Doves in late summer and autumn, with the exception of those taken by Barn Owls, who breed very late and whose young remain in the nest, often until the end of October. A few holes bored in the bottom assist in draining the boxes. The birds that usually resort to large boxes are Barn and Brown Owls, Kestrels, Stock Doves, and Jackdaws; and they are also much res;orted to in winter by squirrels, young of which I have repeatedly found in them very early in the year. On one occasion I found seven young stoats in one of these boxes, about 25 feet up in a beech tree ! The attraction of 262 On Nesting Boxes for Wild Birds. suitable boxes in inducing birds to breed in one’s neighbour¬ hood is quite remarkable. For even with almost unlimited natural sites nearly every box will be occupied. They give also opportunities for observing the nesting habits of hole-breeding species which could hardly be otherwise obtained. At one time I used to provide numbers of nesting boxes for Starlings, not for their sakes however, but with the intention perhaps of relieving the Woodpeckers, whose every hole used to be appropriated by these pests as soon as completed. Now however I have given it up, as the enormous numbers of the Starling make it impossible to suppty sufficient boxes, and also the Green Woodpecker is beginning to assert itself. I have seen two or three cases this season in which the Green Wood¬ pecker has resented the attacks of numerous pairs of Starlings. Owing to the kindness of our Editor, Mr. Seth-Smith, I am enabled to show some charming pictures of some boxes in situ. Fig. i represents an oak box that was put up in 1872 ; it is perfectly sound and good, and has been occupied by Tawny Owls on an average every other year. It has occasionally had Barn Owls in it, but when taken to by Tawny Owls the latter come so much earlier that they keep the Barn Owls out. This box is larger than those I usually put up now, being 18 inches square inside and 2 feet high, and is quite unnecessarily large, as I find the smaller boxes of 15 inches square quite as popular. Fig. 2 shows a box occupied this year by a pair of Nut¬ hatches, and the mud that is plastered in the hole and around it can be plainly seen in the photograph. That, too, is a very old box, about 25 years old. Fig. 3 shows an ordinary box, in which a Coal Tit was brooding newly-hatched young ones when we photographed it. Fig. 4 contained a brood of young Great Tits. On the Habits in Captivity of the Brush Bronzewing Pigeon. 263 NOTES ON THE HABITS IN CAPTIVITY OF THE BRUSH BRONZEWING PIGEON. Phaps elegans. By D. Seth-Smith, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. (' Continued from page 214). Of the pair of young birds hatched on or about March 18th, one died on April 15th, but the other, though rather a weak bird for some time, managed to pull through all right, and is now quite a fine bird, and just assuming the adult male plumage, at the age of about ten weeks. The three young birds about which I have now written, and of which unfortunately one only has been reared to maturity, were hatched in the midst of very artificial surround¬ ings, and too early in the year. I should have done wisely had I compelled the birds to wait until the warm weather and long days had arrived before commencing nesting operations, for without these it is difficult if not impossible to rear strong young birds, as I now know, even though the aviary be kept at a genial temperature. On the 15th of April the hen Elegans was put out with the second cock, an even finer bird than the first, into a large open aviary, in which vegetation is allowed to grow in profusion, and where things are more in accordance with the natural surroundings of the Brush Bronzewing Pigeons. From this time onward matters went ahead without a hitch. On the 26th of the same month an egg was laid, and followed by another the next day, and incubation was carried out in earnest. O11 May 12th I discovered an egg-shell from which a young Bronzewing had evidently just emerged. Two remarkably fine young birds left the nest, strong fliers, on June 3rd, and were seen to pick up seeds for themselves a week later. These two young birds, hatched and reared under conditions closely approximating those to which they would be subject in a state of nature, could fly as strongly when just over three weeks old as the first youngster, reared under artificial conditions, could at double that age. The old birds have another nest and are sitting well. 264 Mr. D. Seth-Smith, For the history of Phcips elegans in its native wilds we must turn to the works of the great John Gould and Mr. A. J. Campbell. The former writes: “This species is neither so plentiful nor so widely distributed as the Common Bronzewing (. Phaps chalcoptera ) ; it is, however, tolerably abundant in Tasmania, the islands in Bass’s Straits, and the whole of the southern portion of the Australian Continent, from the Swan River on the west to Moreton Bay on the east. In Tasmania it is very numerous, from Circular Head to the north-eastern corner of the island. It affects the most scrubby localities, giving preference to such as are low and swampy ; and I have never seen it perch on the branches of trees. When flushed, it rises very quickly with a loud burring noise similar to that made by the rising of a Partridge. The shortness of its wings and tail, the extreme depth of its pectoral muscle, render its appearance more plump and round than the generality of Pigeons. It is a very difficult bird to shoot, from its inhabiting the denser part of the scrub, from which it is not easily driven. It flies but little, rarely for a greater distance than to cross a gully or top a ridge before it again abruptly descends into the scrub. “ Its food consists of seeds and berries of various kinds, particularly in Tasmania of a plant called Boobyaller. “ I believe it never migrates, but merely removes from one locality to another, as food may be more or less abundant. “ Its note, more lengthened than that of the Common Bronzewing, is a low and mournful strain, and is more often repeated towards the close of the evening than at any other time . On a comparison of this species with the Phaps chalcoptera , the two birds will be found to differ materially in structure ; the wings of the present species being shorter, and the tail comprising a smaller number of feathers, than that of the other.” It is extremely strange that so excellent an observer as Gould, who must have come across many of these birds, should state that “ the sexes differ so little in colouring of their plumage that dissection is requisite to distinguish them,” for not only is on the Habits in Captivity of the Bncsh Bronzewing Pigeon. 265 it perfectly easy to distinguish the sex of the adults at a glance, but the young when in the nest are distinguishable by the brighter and deeper tints of the young male. It is curious also that Gould should never have seen this species perch on the branches of trees, for those that have been under my observation for the last six months certainly show quite as much inclination to perch on branches as does the Phaps chalcoptera. Mr. Campbell writes : — “ The Brouzewing loves the open and the forest, but the Brush Bronzewing is more shy and solitary, and, as its name indicates, prefers scrubby situations and the growth about swampy places. I have seen the birds and obtained their eggs in the Leptospermum tracts that gird the shores of Port Philip Bay, and also in the west in the short thick scrubs of King George’s Sound. In Western Australia it is fond ,of placing its nest in the fork of a grass tree ( Xanthorrhoea ). “ Writing from Yorke Peninsula, South Australia, Mr. G. McDougall states he found the Bronzewing a rare bird there, while its Brush congener was common in the mallee scrub and melaleuca swamps, and further, that the kangaroo hunters rear and sell the young of the latter bird. “ In Tasmania, Mr. A. E. Brent observes, the Brush Bronze-wing usually seeks the sides of deep gullies for a nesting place, and almost in every instance the shady side of the same. “ Like the other Bronze-winged Pigeon, the Brush bird breeds almost any time of the season, but usually during the months from October to January.” The nesting habits of P. elegans seem to be just the same as those of P. chalcoptera ; the male appears to select the site for the nest, and having found what he considers a suitable place, he invites his mate to inspect it by his oft repeated “ hoop, hoop, hoop.” If she will deign to inspect it he is immensely pleased, and shows his pleasure by nodding his head and flipping his wings. Should the hen approve of the site, she settles herself down on it, while the cock descends to the ground to search for 266 On the Habits in Captivity of the Brush Bronzewing Pigeon . building materials in the shape of fine twigs. If the hen does not deign to come and inspect the site selected by her lord and master, the latter becomes impatient and flies to her and commences to chase her about, running and jumping after her, and every now and then stopping to bow and throw up his gorgeous wings over his back, spreading the tail, and uttering a soft grunting coo at the. same time. The Brush Bronzewing is rather smaller than its congener, the Common Bronzwing ; and after having kept both species for some time I must say that I much prefer the smaller kind, much as I love my old friend P. chalcoptera. Phaps elegans is about thirteen inches in length. The male has the forehead bright chestnut ; a band of the same colour passes from the eyes to the occiput ; lores black ; crown dark grey ; the hind neck and upper back rich chestnut with a purplish tinge ; lower back and wings rich brown ; cheeks and ear-coverts whitish ; a triangular patch of dark chestnut on the throat ; lower cheeks and underparts delicate bluish-grey ; bright metallic green, copper, blue and red reflections on the wing-coverts ; under wing-coverts light chestnut. The female differs in having all her markings duller and less distinct ; the breast and underparts dull brownish grey. The young bird at 17 days old is dark brown above, each feather having a narrow band of whitish buff at the tip ; a white line from the base of the bill runs below the eye to the ear- coverts ; underparts dark grey, the feathers more or less tipped with whitish. At 26 days old a rich chestnut tinge has appeared on the nape, and the borders of the feathers have become more reddish. At this age the sexes can be distinguished, as the male shows more chestnut on the nape and forehead, and white 011 the cheeks. At the age of nine or ten weeks the young bird moults into the adult plumage. ' On the Nesting of the Red-headed -, or Dominiean Cardinal. 267 NOTES ON THE NESTING OF THE RED-HEADED-, OR DOMINICAN CARDINAL. Paroaria larvata. By Arthur G. Butler, Ph.D. Although, according to the late Dr. Russ, this species is more generally bred in Germany than P. cucullata, I cannot call to mind a single instance of the rearing of a successful brood in England ; yet, with a bird frequently imported, it seems im¬ probable that it should not have been bred. As recorded in “ Foreign Finches in Captivity” I pur¬ chased my first example of P. larvata in February 1894, and as a second example given to me early in 1895 proved to be of the opposite sex, I turned the pair into one of my smallest aviaries and hoped for good results : in this case, as in many others, I was doomed to disappointment; for, although the pair played at build¬ ing and the discovery of a broken egg-shell on the floor clearly proved that the hen was ready, no nest was ever completed. After the death of this pair, I purchased no more Dominican Cardinals (or ‘ Popes ’ as they are sometimes called) until August 1903, when Mr. Housden brought me a very perfect pair, which I turned out into one of my bird-room aviaries. At the end of this aviary, near to the ceiling, is a sort of shelf of brushwood, the base being formed of pea-sticks resting at one extremity on a shallow square box screwed into the corner, at its centre by a stout natural branch let into the wall, and at the other extremity by nest boxes and the wire dividing this from the adjoining aviary. In March 1904 the cock bird began to sing vociferously to the hen, and chase her about the aviary ; she sang in reply, but in a lower key : shortly afterwards he began to carry about sticks and straws, pretending to put them into the shallow box support¬ ing the end of the pea-sticks, but invariably carrying them away again. Early in April I noticed the hen also carrying sticks about, and soon it was evident that a nest was being built in the extremely cramped situation selected by the birds. By the third 268 Dr. A. G. Butler, week in April the hen was sitting steadily, and I hoped that all would be well ; the cock sat on a branch near the nest and vigorously attacked every other bird which approached ; he even drove a Necklaced Dove paired to a hen White Barbary from their eggs, in a nest on top of the brushwood, so that the latter failed to get steadily incubated. At the end of the month both birds suddenly deserted the nest and seemed far from well ; on May 2nd the cock died, evidently from inflammation of the bowels ; and on the 4th the hen followed his example : I am afraid that a consignment of unusually dusty millet received a few days before they were taken ill, must have been at the root of the trouble ; but it is strange that no other birds in the aviary were affected. O11 examining the nest, two eggs were found in it ; owing to the cramped unnatural shape of the concavity (it could not be correctly called a cup) one egg was only so far incubated that the yolk was somewhat toughened, and burst through the shell when I tried to blow it; the other was distinctly incubated the embryo beginning to take form and veined with blood, but was not sufficiently advanced for the time ; indeed it ought to have been ready to hatch, as the hen had been sitting quite a fortnight. Both birds being in good condition, I sent them to a taxidermist to be prepared as skins ; and I asked him at the same time to sex them. On the iotli they came to hand with the following instructive information — “ The first Cardinal you sent was a $, my brother skinned it, and he says he should think the bird was laying, as the ovaries* were very large. The last one, which I skinned, was also a female.” It is perhaps a peculiarity of female Cardinals, when they possess two functional ovaries, that they are endowed with all the external characters and possess all the reproductive powers of male birds ; that the}? sing to and chase other hens, show them where to build, and indeed, so far as the aviculturist is concerned, answer the purpose equally well.f It is absolutely certain that * These italics are mine. — A. G. B. t The taxidermist must have mistaken the male organs for “ large ovaries.” If the eggs were really fertilized the bird was of course a male. — Ed. * on the Nesting of the Red-headed-, or Dominican Cardinal. 269 the bird described as having “large ovaries” was the only one that could have been responsible for the fertilization of the eggs, since the only other birds in the aviary were Java Sparrows, Saffron-finches, an aged Magpie Mannikin, and six Doves. As is well known to aviculturists, the male sex in the S. American Cardinals is smaller than the female : this is especially noticeable in the Green Cardinal (Giibernatrix cristata) but in the Red-headed species one does not notice it much during the life of the birds ; though, after death, when male and female can be compared side by side, the discrepancy is seen to be well- marked.* In the two skius now returned to me the male is about three-fourths of an inch shorter than the female, and there is no evidence of unnatural shrinkage in this skin or of unnatural stretching in that of the female: even allowing a margin for both, the discrepancy in size could not be ignored. I11 the second place the beak of the male is short and broad with well arched culmen, that of the female long and distinctly narrower with culmen slightly less arched ; the crown of the male is broader and shorter than in the female ; and the latter shows a little more white in the wings, but I think this character is variable. Considering that these two birds are both declared to be hens, it is a pity the young were not reared ; with two mothers they should have done well ! The eggs of P. larvata, according to Dr. Russ, are “pale green, spotted and speckled with brownish ” : strictly speaking this is not correct. The ground-colour of the egg is indeed extremely pale green, it might almost be called greenish-white, but the markings are olivaceous, not brownish. Of about the same size as a Dipper’s egg, but shaped more like that of the Missel-Thrush, it has the ground-tint of a Linnet’s egg, the marking of a Sparrow’s, but with the markings coloured as in the Dartford Warbler’s egg. It vaguely resembles some eggs of the Blackbird, but the ground-tint is paler and bluer, and the mark¬ ings far less red. * Herr Wiener speaks of the female P. cucullata as sometimes smaller than the male : perhaps he may be right.— A. G, B. 270 Miss R. Alderson, NESTING OF THE RUFOUS DOVE. Leptoptila reickenbachi. By Miss R. Aederson. A short time ago I was away from home, and whilst talking to an avicultural friend he suddenly asked me, “ Why do 3?ou care for those silly doves ? ” My first thought, when I had somewhat recovered at hear¬ ing my favourites so described, was that this was exactly the opinion I constantly heard at home. My second thought, that here was a fine opportunity to defend my pets, if only I could make the most of it: possibly I might even make a convert. Unfortunately this opinion is not a solitary one. Doves are not yet as popular as they should be, but those who do not keep them little know what pleasure they miss. I am constantly told “doves are so silly, they have no character. I had rather have one parrot than a dozen doves.” But both the doves and I have got hardened. We do not care for outside opinion, but are content to understand and enjoy each other’s society. I have always cared for these birds since the time when as small children we had one fine cock Barbary, whom (with a very vague knowledge of Latin) we named “ Cooey Columbies.” Like all Barbarys he got very tame, and would coo when we told him to, while I used to gaze in admiration on his soft creamy plumage, and beautiful eyes like jewels. Poor “ Cooey ” came to a sad end. He was found one day murdered and mutilated, a victim to the jealousy of a pet Jack¬ daw. After a solemn consultation we decided that the murderer, as a punishment, was to be taken from the aviary and put into what we called the “ educational cage.” This structure was really large enough lor him to have lived in comfortably, but before long he died, probably less from remorse than disappoint¬ ment and disgust at the fact that we had totally misunderstood the motive of his act. Years after this I read our valued member Mr. Cresswell’s most interesting article 011 doves in “The Feathered World.” on the Nesting of the Rufous Dove. 271 It revived the taste I had always had for these birds. I read and re-read it, wondering if I ever should be fortunate enough to possess all the doves whose portraits were depicted, but such good fortune seemed almost too much to expect. I must start with small beginnings, so I began my small collection with a pair of British Turtle-doves, gradually getting more birds until now I have about twenty-six kinds of doves and pigeons. But there are still many more that I am ambitious to possess, and I can honestly say the more doves I have the more I want. Aviaries, however, are not expansive, and doves are — fortunately — hardy, healthy and long lived, and as I do not care to part with old favourites in exchange for new ones, I have to limit my numbers. I got my first pair of Rufous Doves in September, 1902. To be more correct only one (the hen bird) was a Rufous, the cock is a dove I do not know the name of, but for convenience I will call it the Green Dove. These two birds, though rather alike in shape and size were quite different in colour. The true Rufous has an olive brown back and wings. The forehead is a lovely blue grey, the breast a warm rufous colour. A purple wash covers the shoulders. In size it is rather larger than a Bleedingheart but of a more upright build. The Rufous always looks as if it might have been sitting in a sunset, and caught some of the glow : its colour is so rich and warm. The Green cock is rather larger, of a greyish colour, getting darker on the back and wings. It has a most beautiful green sheen on the neck, like the green pearl in a shell, the eyes orange, and the inside of the wings a lovely copper colour. So many of the doves, Rufous, Bleedingheart, Bronzewing, Violet, and others have this last peculiarit}7, and it is most noticeable when the bird is bathing in a shower. To-day I was watching one of my Bronzewings laid perfectly motionless on its side in the heavy rain, with one wing stretched in a splendid arch over its back, showing the lovely copper lining to perfection. Any¬ one not used to the little ways of Doves, would have thought it dead, or very ill, but it was merely enjoying a shower bath to its heart’s content. 272 Miss R. Alderson, The supposed pair of Rufous Doves, by a mistake on the journey, got right down into Warwickshire, and though sent off on Frida}' did not reach me until Sunday morning. They had no food nor water in their hamper, but they seemed none the worse for their long journey. Their value is 25/- to 30/- per pair. Just about this time I had an offer of an odd dove from Brazil for 5/-. It was said to be the size and shape of a Bleeding- heart. At the time I declined it, but often (unfortunately for my purse) this fact of declining does not end the matter, and after I have refused a bird I generally only think the more about it. So it ended that I committed yet another weak extravagance, and made an exchange by which this little odd dove became mine. I found it rather smaller than the Green cock, but in other respects exactly the same, and I believe by a strange chance I have really (by a mistake) got a true pair of a rare dove. For a long time the new comer could not fly. Though otherwise strong and healthy, I have never had a dove with its wings in such a sore state, they were one long wound from end to end of each shoulder. I11 .1903 I put these three birds together in an aviary with others. Two separate nests were started at the same time, which at least showed I had one cock and two hens, but though they laid fertile eggs I never reared any young ones, nor did I succeed when previously the supposed Rufous had nested by them¬ selves. I11 November, 1903, I purchased a true pair of Rufous Doves — they were both alike, and the same as the hen bird I had got the year before. This pair I kept through the winter in another aviary, and in March they began to nest. But the eggs got broken, and the nests were failures. I then put my first hen in the same house, and the cock of the true pair quickly turned to her, forsaking his own mate, and only three or four days later the pair were nesting and sitting. The three birds agreed, but I thought it better to remove the odd hen into another aviary. Here she formed a great friendship with a Violet Dove that could not fly. It is perhaps a curious fact worth mentioning that after it became friends with the Violet Dove this Rufous always 273 on the Nesting of the Rufous Dove. kept to the ground, though it could fly quite well when they were first put together. Meanwhile the pair of Rufous were sitting well, and on April 26th the first egg was hatched. In the same aviary (which is about 16ft. by 6£ft.) were also the pair of Green Doves, and a pair each of Auritas and Bronzewings. All these four pairs were nesting at once in perfect peace, except for a small fight at first between the cock Rufous and cock Aurita. Both the Rufous Doves were ideal parents, and it was not until the young ones were about nine days old that the old birds left the nest even for a little time. The nest was very high up, but I managed to get a glimpse of one 3^oung bird. It looked strong and healthy and was olive brown with light brown breast, and white under parts. The forehead was light-coloured with a light whitish streak running from the beak over the eye. On May 13th, when the young birds would be about 17 days old, they both came out of the nest and reached the ground in safety. I have mentioned before in writing of doves that it is essential to have a wooden crib (made of 11 -inch high floor boards) on the aviary floor under the nest. The crib of course filled with a good bed of straw or hay. If you neglect this simple precaution you will probably find your young birds dead, or with a broken wing on their first descent from the nest, for they are very fragile little creatures, and their small bones are soft, and if startled by the other birds they may lose their hold and fall heavily, with fatal results. The Rufous family made such a pretty picture when I first found the young ones out, for all four were nestling together in the straw, the old birds in a state of great pride and contentment. I find most of my doves, if good parents, have great pleasure in their young ones, and they quite seem to wish me to share it too. I am sure birds have much more sense in this way than people give them credit for. Two days after the Rufous left the nest, the little Bronze- wings followed their example, and the four small birds used to sit together on the straw, the greatest of friends. 274 On the Nesting of the Rufous Dove. Now that the young Rufous were out, I could see them better. Their length was about seven inches, their beaks were long and dark horn-coloured, the feet and legs dark crimson, the two outer feathers on each side of the tail tipped with white. On the wings were light brown spots or marks, (like those on a young Violet Dove) ; the eyes were like those of all young doves — dark, and with a very innocent look about them. Meanwhile, the poor Green Doves had lost both their young ones when only a few days old. They used to watch the young Rufous with hungry eyes, and one day I was touched to see the Green cock timidly preening their feathers. When he found the little birds did not mind, he proceeded further, and started to feed them as well. As their own parents fed them well too it is no wonder the young Rufous thrived. “ Millie,” the hen Rufous, is a very loving motherly sort of bird. She preened the young Bronzewings, was devoted to her own young ones, and lavished the most affectionate caresses on her husband. In another division of the same aviary was a case of great contrast. A poor little Necklace Dove, just about the same age as the young Rufous, but getting weaker and weaker through the inattention of its parents, who had no affection for it, and were starting to nest again. At last I could stand their neglect no longer, and seeing the young Necklace would die if left with its parents, I determined to try it in the house where the Rufous were. I put the little Necklace on the floor, but it was so weak it could hardly stand. I saw the eye of the Green cock light up with pleasure, but he evidently did not dare to come to the rescue, though he was burning to do so, for he stands rather in awe of Millie. She acted very promptly, and at once took the matter in her own hands — or rather beak — for she went straight up to the young Necklace and began to feed it. It was very grateful, but Millie was evidently puzzled to find it so weak after her robust young ones, and still more perplexed when it tried to nestle under her for warmth. She was very gentle with it, but she could not well stay brooding it on the aviary floor all night, so eventually I got a pair of Barbary Doves and gave the Neck¬ lace to them. They took kindly to it, but it had got too weak to recover, and died later. Bird Notes Jrom the Zoological Gardens. 275 After the Rufous had left the nest the Green Doves took to it (the old Rufous having chosen another site) but the young ones still came back to their old home now and then, and it was pretty to see one 011 each side of the sitting Green cock — that good-tempered bird seeming quite to enjoy having them with him. I moved the young Bronzewings and Rufous when they were about five weeks old, for they began to be in the way of the old birds who were starting to nest again. The four young ones are now getting quite big birds. In the Rufous the spots on the wings have nearly disappeared, their foreheads are becoming lighter, and in one bird especially the ruddy breast is getting very decided. The nesting of the Rufous has been one of the pleasantest experiences I have ever had in rearing young birds, and is some consolation for my many disappointments and failures. If any¬ one wants to learn patience under failure, let him take up either photography or bird keeping: either is a good tutor. One thing is a great encouragement to me in my love for Doves, — I feel the general taste for them is gradually but surely growing. New and rare species are being imported, old kinds are cheaper and easier to get. I can see a great change even during the few years I have been keeping doves. So I end these notes with the hope that at no distant date my favourites may be understood and appreciated as they deserve to be. BIRD NOTES FROM THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. Additions during the month of May 1904 : May 2. 2 Nutmeg Fruit-Pigeons {Myristicivora bicolor).,. „ 2. 2 Nicobar Imperial Fruit- Pigeons ( Carpophaga insularis). „ 2. 4 Andaman Teal ( Nettion albigulare ). ,, 2. 3 Andaman Banded Crakes (Rallina canningi).*. . ,, 2. 6 Great-billed Andaman Parrakeets (. Palceornis magnirostris). ,, 3. 3 Spur-winged Geese (Pledropterus gambensis). .. Moluccas. Nicobar Is. Andaman Is. 99 99 W. Africa. 276 May ' 4- yy 5- yy 5- yy 6. yy 6. yy 6. yy 7- yy 11. yy 11. ,, 12. yy 12. yy 12. yy 12. yy 13. yy 13- yy 13- yy 14. yy 14. yy 14. yy 14. yy 14. yy 14. yy 16. yy 17- yy 17- yy 17- yy 17- yy 18. yy 18. yy 18. yy 19- yy 21. yy 21. yy 24. yy 24. „ 27. yy 28. yy 30. yy 30. Bird Notes from the Zoological Gardens. 2 Ring-tailed Pigeons (Columba carribbcea). .. Jamaica. 1 Gold-crested Mynah (Ampeliceps coronatus).* . . India. 2 Australian Cassowary (Casuarius australis). .. Australia. 1 Orton’s Guan ( Penelope ortoni). . . Ecuador. 2 Australian Barn-Owls {Strix delicatula). .. Australia, io Crested Pigeons (Ocypliaps lophotes). .. Australia, i Sarus Crane (Grus antigone). .. India, i Ring-necked Parrakeet (Palceornis torquata). .. India. 3 Blood-breasted Pigeons {Phlogasnas luzonica). . . Philippine Is. 8 Indian Tree-Ducks [Dendrocygna javanica). . . India. 6S Undulated Grass-Parrakeets (Melopsittacus undulatus), 30 3 , 38?. Australia. 1 Common Quail (var.) (Coturnix communis) (var.). Europe. 2 Spoonbills (Platalea leucorodia). .. Europe. 1 Yellow-collared Parrakeet (. Platycercus semitorquatus). . . Australia. 2 Cayman Island Amazons (Chrysotis caymanensis).* Cayman Is. 1 Hybrid Pheasant (between Phasianus reevesi and Thaunialea picta) 3. .. (Europe). 2 Cockateels ( Calopsitacus n 0 vce-h olla n dice) , 2 ? ... Australia. 1 Jay [Garrulus glandarius). .. British Isles. 1 Amaduvade Finch (Eslrclda amandava). .. India. I Crimson-winged Waxbill [Pytelia phcenicoptera). W. Africa. 1 Banded Grass-finch ( Poephila cincta). . . Queensland. 1 Fire-tailed Finch {Erythrura prasina). Java and Sumatra. 1 Laughing Kingfisher {Dacelo gigantea). .. Australia. I Ornamental Lorikeet (Trichoglossus ornatus). .. Celebes. 1 Perfect Lorikeet [Psitteuteles euteles). .. Timor. 1 Oven-bird {Furnarius rufus). .. Argentina. 2 Skylarks ( Alauda arvensis), 23 . .. British Isles. 1 Mountain-Witch Ground-Dove (Geotrygon crislata). (Jamaica). 1 Triangular Spotted Pigeon (Columba guinea). . . W. Africa. 2 Tigrine Turtle-Doves (Turlur tigrinus). .. Borneo. 1 Rose-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua moluccensis). .. Moluccas. 2 Long-eared Owls ( Asio otus). . . Europe. 1 Zebra Waxbill (Estrelda subplava), ? . . . Africa. 1 Yellow-winged Parrakeet ( Brotogerys virescens). Brazil. 1 Tui Parrakeet (Brotogerys tui). .. Brazil. 1 Slender-billed Cockatoo (Licmetis nasica) .. S. Australia. 2 Herring-Gulls (Lams argentatus). . . Europe. 4 Crowned Cranes (Balearica pavo?iina). .. W. Africa. 2 Melodious Finches (Phonipara canora), 3 ? . .. Mexico. New to the Collection. Bird Notes from the Zoological Gardens. 277 May 30. 1 Blue-capped Tanager ( Chlorophonia callophrys).* Mexico, „ 30. 1 Northern Mocking-bird (Minius polyglottus). . . Mexico. „ 30. 1 Grey Solitaire (Myiadedes unicolor)* .. Mexico. ,, 30. 1 Ariel Toucan (Ramphastos ariel). .. Brazil. The most notable additions are those which are starred, being- new to the collection, namely, three Andaman Banded Crakes, one Gold-crested Mynah, one Blue-capped Tanager, Grey Solitaire, and two Cayman Island Parrots. The gardens are particularly interesting to bird lovers at this time of year, as many species are nesting. Great numbers of young Pheasants of all kinds are being reared, as well as a good many Waterfowl of different kinds. Two young Brush-Turkeys have emerged from their mound, and I am informed that when only a few hours old they could fly well, and were seen scratching up little mounds on their own account. The Crested Screamers ( Chawia cristata ) in the old Flying Aviary have nested, probably for the first time on record in captivity. Three nests were built before the birds finally settled down to lay in the one selected, which was situated behind a large boulder. Three eggs were laid, but we have not heard of any young being hatched. Both eggs and young are said by those who have known the species in a wild state to closely resemble those of a Goose. The Laughing Kingfishers hatched and devoured their young, as they did last year. A Weka clutch has been hatched, the pai'ents of which belong to two distinct species, namely the Common Weka ( Ocydromus australis ) and Earl’s Weka ( O.earli ). This is probably the first time that Weka Rails have hatched in this country, as they nearly always eat their eggs. Mr. Blaauw has had eggs laid by Wekas, but these have almost invariably been eaten by the birds. One that was placed under a bantam hatched, but the young bird was not reared. — D. S.-S. * New to the Collection. 278 Mr. D. Seth-Smith, NESTING OF THE SCALY DOVE. Scardafella squamosa. By D. Seth-Smith, F.Z.S. The Scaly Dove is a bird that until recently was very rarely imported, though during the last two or three years Mr. Thorpe, of Hull, has had a good number through his hands, as well as many other rare Neotropical birds. I received a pair of these very pretty little Doves on the 28th of August, 1903, and turned them straight out into my out¬ door aviary. They showed no sign of nesting during the autumn, and spent the winter in the warmed aviary with the majority of my other birds. Early in April they were let out with most of the other Doves into the large outdoor aviary, and immediately showed signs of nesting. They selected a site on some rough ivy stems that had been fastened up in a plum tree. The cock would sit on this and coo, a peculiar coo unlike that of any other Dove I know, and at each coo he would throw up his pretty rounded tail into a perpendicular attitude. They commenced to sit on the 19th of April and sat well, taking turns with one another, the cock doubtless sitting in the day and the hen at night like other Doves, but they are so exactly alike that it was impossible to say which was the cock or hen. On the 8th of May I noticed both birds away from the nest, and upon examination discovered two young ones, apparently about a week old, dead in the nest. The night before had been extremely cold, and possibly the sitting bird may have been frightened off during the night and the young have perished from exposure. The pair soon set to work again however and repaired the old nest, which is exactly like that of other Doves, consisting merely of a few fine twigs. O11 the 12th of June I noticed three Scaly Doves sitting together on a branch, and except that the third was much smaller than the others, with a short tail and general baby-like appearance, it exactly resembled its parents. I have not heard of any case in which the Scaly Dove has reared young before in this country, although from an article by on the Nesting of the Scaly Dove. 279 Dr. Greene in Notes on Cage Birds (Second Series, page 252) it would appear as though there were nothing exceptional about the achievement of my little pair. The writer there says : “ The nestlings differ considerably from their parents in appearance, for their colour, until after the first moult, is a pale ashen-grey, very slightly marked with the scaly undulations that are so con¬ spicuous in the old birds.” This description does not at all agree with my young bird, which is slightly whiter than its parents, and the undulations perfectly distinct though not quite so broad as those of the adults. I do not know of any other Dove in which the young so very closely resemble the adults in plumage. I therefore wrote to Dr. Greene, asking him if he actually knew of a case in which young had been reared in this country, and he has kindly replied as follows : “I do not remember where I got the particulars about these Doves that appear in Notes on Cage Birds , but probably from Russ, whose work Die Fremdlaiidischen Stubenvogel, I have not by me now. I have not kept this species and have not any personal knowledge of its having bred in this country.” As several others of our members have pairs of these Doves it is quite possible that I am not the first to have bred the species, but perhaps in any case my experience is worth putting on record. The Scaly Doves are certainly not very peaceably inclined towards the other Doves in the aviary while they are nesting, and do their best to drive them all away ; nevertheless, two or three young Diamond Doves have been reared within a few yards of the nest of the Scalies. For the benefit of those who do not know the Scaly Dove I may say that it is about eight inches in length, of a very light brown above, and white below, with each feather edged with a crescentic bar of black, which gives it a very scaly appearance. This species seems to be subject to melanism, for the dealer from whom I obtained my pair also sent me, on approval, a pair that were almost entirely black. The Scaly Dove ranges from the southern border of the United States and Mexico, through Central America to Brazil. 28o Correspondence, Notes, etc. THE ILLUSTRATION FUND. The Council gratefully acknowledge the receipt of the following donations to the above fund : £ s- d. Rev. H. D. Astley 33 0 Mr. W. R. Fasey . . 10 0 Mrs. Octavia Gregory . . . . 0 10 0 Dr. F. Penrose . . 010 0 Mr. W. G. Percival . . . . 0 10 0 Lady Sutton . . 33 0 Mr. B. C. Thomasset . . 11 £9 17 0 0 Amount previously' acknowledged .. XO 5 6 Total received to June 22nd . . 20 2 6 THE SOCIETY’S MEDAL. Miss Aldersou has successfully reared y^oung of the Rufous Dove ( Leptoptila teichenbaclii) , and Mr. Seth-Smith has successfully bred the Brush Bronzewing Pigeon ( Phaps elegans). Accounts of both are now published, and it is believed that these are the first cases on record of the young of these two species having been reared in the United Kingdom. The Council propose to award a medal in each case. Should any member or reader know of a previous case he is requested to communicate immediately with the Hon. Business Secretar}’-. CORRESPONDENCE, NOTES, ETC. BREEDING BUDGERIGARS. Sir, — Could you please give me some hints on breeding Budgerigars ? I have had three pairs in a large outdoor aviary for the last six months, but I do not seem able to rear any young ones. The hens frequently drop their eggs while on the perch, and get egg-bound. Is this through incorrect feeding ? I give them three parts white millet and one part plain canary with a little hemp and crushed oats once a week. The seed pan in the aviary I a1 ways keep full. Is this a bad plan ? and would it be better to feed with a little seed night and morning. Although this way I should find rather troublesome. The aviary is partly grassed over and I give them green stuff every other day. Is soaked bread necessary' before the young are hatched ? I Correspondence , Notes, etc . 281 I believe also the mice get the eggs out of the husks, as I sometimes find eggs on the floor just bitten on one side, but the yolk is still in the shell and one would be inclined to think that if mice had been the robbers they would suck the eggs quite dry. Do you think the husks hung from the aviary ceiling a good way? They seem rather wobbly to me this way, mine at present are fastened secure to the wall and the birds seem to enjoy sitting on them. Frank Bathe. The following reply has been sent to Mr. Frank Bathe : I think the secret of your failure lies with the cocoa-nut husks. I have always noticed that the eggs and young are liable to be thrown out of these, as the actual nest is too near to the entrance hole. I have found boxes * to answer very much better. These are made five or six inches square by seven or eight inches high, with the entrance- hole (about au inch and a quarter in diameter) near the top. The bottom is made of thick wood and slightly hollowed. The lid is made to open, and the boxes are securely fastened against the wall ; not hung from the roof. The only seed required is canary, and the seed-pan should be kept full of this; and when the young are hatched soaked bread is very useful. Green food, such as chickweed, groundsel, or flowering grass, should be given in abundance. D. Seth-Smith. YEW TREES AND BIRDS. Sir, — In my new aviary I have planted some yew trees because they give such grand cover. I see in au old number of the Avicultural Magazine a note to the effect that yews are most dangerous in au aviary. Is this fact or fancy ? Of course I know they are bad for cattle. P.S. — Chiefly foreign finches in this division of aviary. - W. E. l'ESCHEMAKER. The following reply has been sent to Mr. Teschemaker : I am afraid that there is no doubt that yews are poisonous. I once tried one or two small yews in my aviaries, and about that time several of my little finches died : although I did not have post mortem examinations made of the bodies, it is probable that the yews were respon¬ sible for the death of some, at least, of them. Oddly enough, the berries of yew trees are eaten with impunity by many birds. A. G. Butter. WEST INDIAN PARROTS. Sir, — In his list of West Indian Parrots Mr. Bonhote has omitted Chrysotis caymanensis, of which there are two specimens now at the Zoo. P. E. SctaTER. * Similar to those recommended by Mr. Meade-Waldo for Tits and Nuthatches, and illustrated in this number. But for Budgerigars the bottoms must be slightly concave. — D. S.-S. 282 Correspondence , Notes , etc. HOODED SISKIN MULES : BREEDING WITH MULES. Sir, — I think you may be interested to hear that I have successfully paired my Hooded Siskin with a green Canary, and that they have reared three “ Mista Cauarias” (the fourth egg addled) which will be three weeks old on the 23rd. They are very forward and sit on perches all day and night, and one flew across the room to-day. Their markings are good but not very dark, and so far, though not green, are not the orange of the Mista canaria from Teneriffe, though I have no doubt they will get so after their first moult. I also paired the Mista canaria, but his hen sat badly and has only reared one bird out of four eggs. This bird seems smaller than the others and has quite as much orange tinge as the true Mista canarias. Both hens are beginning to prepare fresh nests. M. Norman. Chelsea , May 21st. - Sir, — Our member Miss M. Norman, having been successful in breeding with the offspring of the Hooded Siskin and Canary (the Mista canaria ), I asked her to allow her letter to be published in the Magazine. Although fertile hybrids are common enough in the orders Anseres, Columbce, and Gallince, they seem to be rarer in the Passeres, and particularly in the family Fringillidce ; it is therefore important to put every case on record. A. G. Butler. REARING DIPPERS AND HOODED CROWS. Sir, — Can j'ou kindly give me any advice as to rearing young Water Ouzels ? I am trying to bring up two. I have a nest full of Hooded Crows reared. I gave them egg (shell and all), raw meat and milk, and sometimes a lump of pap to stop their mouths when I was feeding the dogs or other birds. J. FFOLLIOTT DARLING. The following reply has been sent to Mr. ffolliott Darling : The late Lord Lilford tried very hard to rear Dippers, but was never able to keep them alive for more than three mouths. Three or four years ago Dr. Sharpe had a similar experieuce. If the Water Ouzel is to be reared, I should think “Century Food,” given very moist until the young were able to pick, would be most likely to succeed. I should add small earthworms, and, if 3-011 can get them, caddis- worms. The failure to rear many’ insectivorous birds is undoubtedly due to their being fed upon minced raw beef, which brings on diarrhoea and apoplectic fits. I believe it is possible to rear any of the Crows upon soaked bread and minced raw beef; but, with the typical insectivorous birds, it is another matter altogether. A. G. Bui'LFR. RED-FACED LOVEBIRDS. Sir, — As you ask for a discussion re treatment of Red-faced Love¬ birds, I will begin by stating that my first lot came to me in 1880. My first 283 Correspondence, Notes, etc. investment in foreign birds was in the previous year, when I had bought one dozen cock Budgerigars from the late Anton Jamrach. The Lovebirds were turned into a large cage with the Australian Parrakeets. A cocoanut shell was hanging on the centre post, and within a very short time one of the hens took possession and began to lay eggs, which the mischievous Budgerigars quickly threw out. I knew nothing of bird-life then, and have so often regretted that I did not clear out the Budgerigars, and leave a clear field for the Lovebirds, for I did not know it was rare for them to breed. I cannot understand why the wing feathers are cut, as the birds are far quieter than Budgerigars which arrived unmutilated. Their quill stumps I have never attempted to pull out, but let the birds moult them as best they can. For food they get Indian spray and Italian white millet — chickweed and sprays of grass in seed and flower. They are fond of gnawing cuttle-fish bone, but although grit is kept at the bottom of the cage, I have never during all these years seen one on the floor pecking it. I lately had a pair from one of our members who said he fed them on canary seed and rice, and had never lost any. Although I have tried mine with oats, grass seeds, and canary in separate dishes, they will not touch them, but remain true to the millet. With me the average life in cages is six years, but I kept one hen for nearly ten years. W. T. CaTeeugh. APPRECIATION OF KINDNESS BY ROBINS. Sir, — I should like to relate a short incident showing that birds do really understand and appreciate our care for them. We had a pair of wild Robins in the garden that I had tamed. The hen fed from our hands, the cock who was shyer would only feed at our feet. If he was alone he gave a peculiar whistle which quickly brought the hen, however far out of sight she might be, and with her coming he grew bolder. These Robins had a family in a nest made in an old tin in a wood below our garden, and I used to try and help the hardworking little pair by feeding them to support their young ones. I generally fed them by the aviary door, and one very wet day the old birds came to me bringing their eldest son and heir to show me; a poor little draggled baby Robin, wet through, but all the same a great source of joy to his parents. I think it was on the next day I went down to the aviary, and as I drew near the door I saw the Robins in a state of great excitement. They had brought no less than seven baby Robins for me to see, such sweet little things with spotted breasts and the blackest of black eyes. The parents were in a state of great pride and excitement, trying to keep the young ones in a circle near the door, a somewhat difficult matter. You may imagine how I appreciated my Robins’ trust in me, and I felt I could not do less than throw the babies a handful of mealworms to celebrate such an auspicious occasion and wish them good luck. Rosie Aeoerson. 284 Post Mortem Examinations. POST MORTEM EXAMINATIONS. Cock Virginian Nightingale, three Pectoral Finches (Capt. G. Rice). [Your bird has been ailing for some time. The right lung was con¬ solidated as a result of pneumonia. The bird was much emaciated. The immediate cause of death being acute pneumonia of left lung. Two of. the Pectoral-finches died of enteritis. There was an inordinate amount of grit in the gizzard and intestines which might have caused this. You should be cautious in the use of grit to new birds, as if this has been withheld for a considerable time, birds are apt to overdo themselves if given freely. The third bird was too decomposed to make a satisfactory examination. Both birds reported on were hens]. Californian Quail, hen (Rev. R. H. Wilmot). [She died of a fractured skull ; probably frightened, and in flying up struck her head]. Rock Pebbler, lieu (Mrs. Noble). [The bird died of dysentery and exhaustion]. Masked Fire-finch (Mr. Roberts). [Your bird died of concussion of the brain]. Young Budgerigar (Rev. R. H. Wilmot). [This is undoubtedly one of those cases in which for some cause (usually weakness from over¬ breeding) the parents become inattentive to their young. The young come out of the nest before they are strong enough owing to being hungry. The dirty nest is another proof of the parents’ inattention. The young birds which die in the nest should be removed at once, as, if decomposition commences, the vitiated atmosphere causes sickness and sometimes death amongst the others. Do not let them raise more than four for the next nest or two. Your bird died of starvation]. Orange-cheeked Waxbill (The Hon. Lilia de Yarburgli Bateson). [Your bird died of jaundice. It was a hen]. Siskin (The H011. Lilia de Yarburgli Bateson). [Pneumonia was the cause of death], Bloodrump Parrakeet (Mr. Moerschell). [Your bird died of enteritis (inflammation of the bowels). I should be almost inclined to blame the green food. Should you have another case of diarrhoea, separate the bird and give three drops of Browne’s clilorodyne and 15 grains of prepared chalk in one ounce of drinking-water, and stop the green food]. Bullfinch, hen (Mr. Moerschell). [Concussion of brain -was the cause of death. Possibly the Cockatiels are responsible for it]. Two Golden Pheasant chicks (Miss Appleton). [Both chicks died of enteritis. Try the following food: Good ants’ eggs, fresh if possible ; egg-yelk> hard boiled, put through a potato-masher ; Osborne biscuit, and plenty of finely-chopped fresh grass. As soon as large enough, give in addition to above, but separate, canary and millet seed. I have found no difficulty whatever in successfully rearing Pheasants and Quail on this diet. I have great confidence in the grass for the staple food. Many thanks for P. O. for 2/6]. F. C. THORPE, Importer of all Varieties of foreign Birds and (flaterfoml. ANIMALS IMPORTED TO ORDER. All Birds kept in Aviaries not Cages, and sent on approval. NOTE THE ADDRESS— 75, SOUTH PARADE, HULL. Stock in hand June 1st, 1904. 2 pairs Pennant’s Parrakeets 45/- pair, 1 pair rare Red-bellied Parrakeets 45/-, 2 pairs White-eared Co mires 30/- pair, Rosellas 30/- pair, Budgerigars 5/- pair adults, Red-faced Lovebirds 15/- pair, Madagascar Lovebirds 4/6, 2 Nan day Parrakeets 25/- pair, 1 Leadbeater’s Cockatoo £2, 1 Blue-crowned Conure £1, 6 Yellow Budgerigars 26/- pair, 7 aviary-bred young Cockatiels 6/6 each, 1 Blue-winged Lovebird 5/6, 2 acclim. Rose Cockatoos 10/- each, 4 pairs Plumhead Parrakeets 15/- pair, 4 Redrumps £1 10/- pair, 1 pair Port Lincolns 45/-. Also finest lot of Doves in England— 6 pairs Red Mountain Doves £5 pair, 7 rare Brazilian Doves (name not known) £2 pair, 2 pairs Scaly Ground-Doves £1 pair, 2 pairs genuine Pigmy ( Minuta ) Doves 25/- pair, 12 pairs Talpacoti Doves 10/6 pair, 2 pairs Steel-barred Doves 15/- pair, 2 pairs Wells’s Doves £1 pair, 3 pairs Indian Turtle Doves 12/6 pair, 2 pairs Barbary Doves 10/6 pair, Half-collared Doves 7/6 each, White-winged Doves 7/6 each, 6 Australian Crested Doves £1 5/- pair, Nicobar Pigeon (acclim.) 25/-, Geoffrov’s Dove 15/6, 2 pairs Blue Grosbeaks 20/- pair, 20 pairs Zebras 3/6 pair, 12 Singing-finches 4/6 pair, 15 Whydalis 5/- pair, Senegal Finches 2/- to 5/- paii*. Laughing Jays 20/- and 40/- each, 2 varieties Wandering Pie^i, Archbishop Tanager 20/-, aviary-bred Cutthroats 4/- pair, ditto Rufous¬ tailed Grass-finches 6/6 each, ditto Diamond Finches 8/6, 6 Blue-fronted Amazons 16/- to 30/- each, 8 Californian Quails 16/- pair, 10 cock Indigos 6/6 each full colour, hens 6/- each, 12 cock Nonpareils 8/6 each, hens 6/6, Bib Finches 8/6 pair, 7 Sydney Waxbills 12/6 pair, Vinaceous Waxbill cock 12/6, 1 Long-tailed Glossy Starling 40/-, 20 Rosy Pastors fine 7/6 each, 7 rare Weavers 6/- each, 10 Grenadiers coming into colour 6/6 each, 6 Madagascar Weavers 6/- each full colour. Also quantity rare and common Waterfowl, Chinese and Egyptian Geese, Barr-head, Bean, and Brent Geese, Muscovy, Cayuga, Indiau-Runner, Mandarin, Carolina, Spotted-head Ducks, Widgeon, Teal, Garganey, Pintail, Bahama Ducks. Mallards, Tree Ducks, Fulvous Ducks, Brazilian Blue-winged Teal, Shellducks, Ruddy Ducks, etc., etc. Stock Always Changing. IV. Notices to Members— Continued. Pair Pectoral Finches, 15/-, have been over two years in England ; hen Blackhead Gouldian, acclimatised, moulting, will exchange for good cock. Captn. Horsbrugh, Seabrook Vale, Shornecliffe Camp, Kent. Doves — breaking up collection. Pair each Red Mountain, Red-naped, Geoffroy’s, Crested, Pigmy, Wells’, Scaly, Cinnamon, Steel-barred. Also pair Red-faced Lovebirds, outdoors, pair Black-headed Gouldians, cold aviary. Baseinton Mason, North Parade, Lincoln. African Grey Parrot, thoroughly acclimatised, splendid health and condition, good plain speaker of many words and sentences, perfectly tame, ^5. B. Mason, North Parade, Lincoln. Adult Adelaide Parrakeet hen, 35/- ; Cockatiels, 5/- each ; Budgerigars, 5/- eacli ; Budgerigars, 5/- pair. All outdoors. SaeTER, Thame. Pair Redrump Parralceets, 22/-; hen Rosa’s Parrakeet, been two years outdoors, 10/-. F. H. Rudkin, Belton, Uppingham. WANTS. (These are charged for at the same rate as Birds for Sale). Pair Parson-Finches, hen Diamond-Finch, Pair Peach-faced Lovebirds. A. Cummings, Promenade, Cheltenham. Cock Green Cardinal, exchange hen sitting on eggs, in outdoor aviary, acclimatised. Wanted also, good cock Blue Robin. M. Hawke, Wigliill Park, Tadcaster. Healthy pair Chinese Painted Quails. R. H. Wiemot, Poulton, Fairford. Notices to Members— (Continued from page ii. of cover). NEW MEMBERS. Mr. Chari.es W. Pantin ; Heathdene, Vanbrugh Park Road East, Blackheath. Mr. J. T. Hoeeins ; 7, Lowther Arcade, Harrogate. Miss Merryeees ; 16, Harley Street, Cavendish Square, London, W. Captain Robert George Edward Twiss ; Birdhill House, Birdhill, Limerick. Colonel .Somerset J. Buteer, Kilmurry, Thomastown, co. Kilkenny. Miss Bubb ; Ullenwood, near Cheltenham. The Rev. Cecie W. Wieson, Holy Trinity Clergy House, Bolsover Street, London, W. Lady Peee, Potterton Hall, Barwick-in-Elmet, Leeds. CANDIDATE FOR ELECTION. Mr. A. D. Beardaee, 12, Middle Hill, Weekday Cross, Nottingham. Proposed by Dr. BuTEER. MEMBERS’ SALE AND EXCHANGE COLUMN. The charge for private advertisements is one penny for every four words. Names and addresses of advertisers must be paid for. Each statement of price, such as 3/6, is counted as one word. Every advertisement must be prepaid, and MUST reach the EDITOR not later th publication in the Magazine, Books for Review, and Private Advertisements should be addressed to the Editor, Mr. I). SK'i'H- Smith, Glengarry, Canning Road, Addiscombe, Surrey. All Queiies respecting Birds (except post mortem cases) should be addressed to the Honorary Correspondence Secretary, Dr. A. G. Bu'i'r.ER, 124, Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent. All other correspondence, and Subscriptions, should be sent to the Hon¬ orary Business Secretary, Mr. T. H. Newman, 20, Montpelier Square, Loudon, S.W. An}' change of address should be at once notified to him. Advice is given, by post, bv members of the Council to members of the Society, upon all subjects connected with Foreign and British birds. All queries are to be addressed to the Hon. Correspondence Secretary and should contain a penny stamp. Those marked “Private” will not be published. The Magazine is published by Mr. k. H. Porter (7, Princes Street, Cavendish Square, W.) to whom all orders for extra copies, back numbers, and bound volumes (accompanied by remittance) should be addressed. Cases for binding Vol. I., New Series, of the Magazine (in art cloth, with gold block on side) can be obtained from the Publisher, post free ami carefully packed, at 1/6 each; or the Publisher will undertake the binding of the Volume for 2/6, plus 8d. for packing and postage. All orders must be accompanied by a remittance in full; and Members are requested to state whether they want the wrappers and advertisements bound in at the end or not. BOUND COPIES OF THE “ AVICULTURAL MAGAZINE.” The following can be obtained from the Publisher at the prices given below. Postage 6d. per volume extra : Vol. II., 6/- to members; 8/6 to the public. Vols. V. to VI I., to/6 each to members ; 12/6 each to the public. Vol. VIII., 14/- to members ; 17/6 to the public. Vol. I., New Series, 21/- to members; 30/- to the public (revised prices). Current Monthly Numbers 1/6 each (except in special cases, such as the Number containing the List of Members, when the Committee may increase the price), by post 1/7; for back Numbers a higher price is charged according to circumstances. Vols. I., III. & IV., are out of print. Second-hand copies sometimes reach the Publisher, to whom application should be made. ( Continued on page Hi. of cover). The Practical Scientific Cabinet Makers. J. T. CROCKETT & SON Established over 50 Years. MAKERS OF EVERY DESCRIPTION OF Cabinet Gases & Store Boxes TAXIDERMY IN ALL ITS BRANCHES. Apparatus and Appliances for the use of Specimens for Entomo¬ logists, Botanists, Ornithologists, Geologists, Mineralogists, Numismatists, Conchologlsts, etc., And for the use of Lecturers, Science Teachers, College Students, &c. MUSEUMS FITTED AND ARRANGED. Specially made Cabinets for Birds’ Eggs and Skins, the Drawers graduate in depth and are all interchangeable. STORE BOXES, fitted with Camphor Cells, 2/3, 3/6, 4/3, 5/3 SETTING BOARDS, flat or oval, i-in. 5d., i|-in. 7d., 2-in. 9d., 2§-in. lid., 3i-in. 1/2, 4-in. 1/4, 5-in. 1/8. PLAIN RING NETS, wire or cane, 1/6, 2/-, 2/3. FOLDING NETS, 3/-, 4/- UMBRELLA NETS, sell-acting, 6/9. POCKET BOXES, 6d., 8d., lid., 1/5 SUGARING TINS, with brush, 1/4, 1/10. SETTING HOUSES, fiat or oval boards, 8/6, 10/-. Cork back, 12/9. BREEDING CAGES, 2/3. Improved style, fitted with tanks, 3/7. COLEOPTERIST COLLECTING BOTTLES, 1/4, 1/6. INSECT and EGG CASES, from 2/3 to 10/- Best Steel FORCEPS, 1/5 pair. TAXIDERMISTS’ COMPANION, containing eight useful articles for Skinning, 9/6. EGG DRILLS, from 3d. BLOW PIPES from 2d. to 5d. ZINC RELAXING BOXES, 8d., lid. NESTED CHIP BOXES, 4 doz. 7d. ENTOMOLOGICAL PINS from 1/- per oz. ZINC LARVAE) BOXES, 8d. lid., 1/5. BEST WHITE CEMENT, 5d. a Bottle. SPECIAL CORK CARPET, 9d. per square foot. CABINET CORKS, 7m by 3|in., lid. and 1/2 per dozen sheets. The “PERFECTION” FLAT SETTING BOARDS, for English style of Setting. Supersedes the old Boards. Same prices as ordinary Setting Boards. All Goods not approved may be exchanged, or money returned. All Goods Store Brices. All Best V/or k. Estimates given. Great Advantages in dealing direct with Makers. Send for Full Detailed Price List before ordering elsewhere. 7a, PRINCES ST., CAVENDISH SQ., (7 Doors from Oxford Circus) London, 'W. Factories : 34, RIDING HOUSE ST., and OGLE ST. W. HYDE’S Patent Iron Tonic Grit For all Cage Birds, Pigeons and Fowls. HYDE’S ESTHETIC SEEDS. For Song Birds. A combination of rare and expensive Seeds blended to suit their natural requirements. HYDE’S LARK FOOD. Hyde’s Vitaz FOR POULTRY. HYDE’S NATURAL FOOD. For Aquarium Fish and Insectivorous Birds. Sold in Tins. Sample Box, Id. The latest achievement in Ornithology from a letter from Mr. J. PARKINSON,. NATURALIST, BLACKPOOL, ENGLAND, October 30th, iqoi. “ Your Traveller was right in saying that the three nests ot Parrots which I have reared were brought up on your ^Esthetic Seeds, which were boiled for about half an hour, and the birds when old enough they fed upon your famous Parrot Food. Your Traveller has handled the eggs and seen the young ones. progressing into maturity. More tliai. two hundred people, from all parts of the country, have visited me in order to see the Parrots ; and four gentlemen, who are Bird Naturalists, are presenting me with a Silver Cup, in commemoration of such an unprecedented accomplishment.” The “ BLACKPOOL GAZETTE” of Dec. 4th Says— “Mr. Parkinson has apparently solved the problem oF Parrot-rearing, which has troubled Bird Fanciers generally throughout the country, and his skill in this direction has been recognised by the presentation of two .Silver Cups at the local Bird Show.” A Id I. V TRADE fflfrrMftjMARK fyuam CACE BIRDS PIGEONS S,c R. HYDE & Go., Ltd., 54, L1LFORD RD„ CAMBERWELL. I Cloth, gilt top, Small 8vo., Six Shillings net. THE BIRDS OF TENNYSON, BY WATKIN WATKINS, B. A. Cantab. Member of the British Ornithologists' Union. “ Many as are the volumes which have been written on different phases and aspects of our late laureate’s works, this, we think, is the first time that a whole book has been devoted to “The Birds of Tennyson.” Mr. \V. Watkins, the author, is a member of the British Ornithologists’ Union, and has, therefore, a scientific as well as a literary interest in the subject. And his verdict in the matter is this— that ‘ No poet is so satisfactory to the ornithologist [as Tennyson], for no poet had a more accurate knowledge of birds or had a happier power of describing their peculiarties.’ Mr. Watkins’ pages are, indeed, themselves a testimony to the acuteness as well as tli^ frequency with which Tennyson described the ‘ feathered tribe.’ All this, of course, is an old story to the students of the poet, but it is pleasant to find Tennyson’s references to birds collected and systematised as they are in this agreeable treatise, which is, as it should be, carefully and usefully indexed. In his introduction Mr. Watkins deals with Tennyson’s allusions to birds in general, and in subsequent chapters discourses successively of birds of song, birds of passage, birds of prey, birds of sport and so forth The result should convince those who are not already convinced that as a poet of the birds Tennyson ranks with Shakespeare. Mr. Watkins, as a naturalist, of course appreciates fully the poet’s stanzas on ‘ The Throstle,’ of which the ignorant have been accustomed to make game. He recognises the fidelity with which the bird’s ‘ note ’ is reflected in such lines, homely enough, as— ' Summer is coming, summer is coming, I know it, I know it, I know it.’ And he gives other instances of the poet’s successful translation of birds’ song into literary speech.” — The Globe. “ Rovers and all in quest of unhackneyed forms of endearment could not do better than add to their possessions a copy of ' The Birds of Tennyson,’ by Watkin Watkins. The book is a well-compiled number of extracts from the poems of Tennyson, Wordsworth Shakespeare, Bvron, Chaucer, Milton, Cowper, and other poets, in which the manners and customs of birds are introduced as similes, in dainty lines. The volume contains some excellent illustrations of birds by G. IS. Lodge.”— Pall Mall Gazette. “ Mr. Watkins, who must have spent a vast deal of time in the study of Tennyson’s poetry from the natural history point of view, publishes a number of extracts, and enlarges on them in a most interesting manner. Mr. Watkins’ book should prove very acceptable to Tennyson lovers.” — The Yorkshire Post. “ ‘ The Birds of Tennyson ’ should have a strong attraction, for its well-written pages are a powerful proof of the great influence exercised upon the impressionable mind of the poet by the beauties of form and the joyous songs of the feathered kingdom. There is another class of readers who should also find much pleasure in a perusal of the volume— those lovers of Tennyson as a poet who, not taking any special thought about birds, will be astonished to find how much their favourite poet knew about them and how narrowly he observed the life that moved about him. They will find, too, by the aid of Mr. Watkins’ comments as an expert, how appropriately Tennyson employed his innumer¬ able references to birds of all kinds, and especially song birds. Excellent illustrations by G. E. Lodge enhance the value of the volume.” — The Shrewsbury Chronicle. LONDON : R. Porter, 7, Princes Street, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. CROSS, (Known throughout the Civilised and Uncivilised World). King of Wild Beast Merchants Anything from “A HUMMING BIRD TO AN ELEPHANT,” TRADE SUPPLIED, TRADE SUPPLIED. GREY AFRICAN PARROTS. Fresh Arrivals Daily. FOREIGN WATER FOWL, Hungarian Partridges for turning down. Thousands of .Small Foreign Birds, suitable for Aviaries. OLD ENGLISH RINGLESS PHEASANTS. CROSS’S TRADING MENAGERIE. Is always on view for Visitors who are desirous of seeing the Wild Animals. At present it contains numerous LIONS, TIGERS, ELEPHANTS, ETC. Always something- New. Hundreds of arrivals weekly. May be viewed daily from n to 4 p.111. Admission 6d. INSECTIVOROUS BIRD FOOD. (Carl Capelle’s, Hanover). A bsolutelv the finest food for soft-billed birds. Sole English Agent: “CROSS, LIVERPOOL.” Birds & Animals Stuffed & Preserved. National Telephones! 6491 CENTRAL and 728 ROYAL. Telegrams and Cablegrams! “CROSS,” LIVERPOOL. “ CROSS” (Known throughout the Civilized and Uncivilised World). KING OF WILD BEAST MERCHANTS, GREATEST ZOOLOGICAL EMPORIUM ON EARTH. LIVERPOOL i ■ Avicultural Mas 285 THE Hvucultural flfoagasme, BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE AVICU LTURAL SOCIETY. New Series. — VOL. II. — IMO. 10. — A ll rights reserved. AUGUST, 1904. ON THE BREEDING IN CAPTIVITY OF THE TATA U PA TINAMOU ( Cry p hints tataupa). By D. Seth-Smith, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. The remarkable groups of Neotropical birds known as Tinamous, and constituting the order Crypturi are not very well known to aviculturists, with the exception of perhaps one or two of the commoner species, but they are such interesting and curious birds as to be very well worth special attention. In size they vary from that of a good-sized fowl to that of a Quail, and, though somewhat resembling the Gallincz in outward appearance, they are, in reality, widely different from these, both in structure and habits, and show considerable affinity to the Ratitcc. The common Rufous Tinamou, Rhynchotus rufesce?is, is well known to most people, and has frequently bred in this country, both in aviaries and at liberty, and the late Mr. Bartlett has written an interesting paper on the nesting of this species at the Zoo. ( Proc . Zool. Sac., 1868, p. 115). The smaller species are however little known in this country, being very seldom imported ; and I was very glad, last autumn, to have an oppor¬ tunity of securing a pair of the small Crypturus tataupa, from Brazil, a species about the size of a Californian Quail, which has not been represented in the London Zoological Gardens for more than twenty years. Azara wrote an interesting account of the habits of the Tataupa as long ago as 1805 : He tells us that it is often found 286 Mr. D. Seth-Smith, near to Country bouses, and inhabits woods and thickets. It lays four eggs, of a beautiful purple colour, and the sitting bird, when disturbed, flutters from the nest feigning lameness. He kept some alive in a room where they carefully hid themselves, only appearing to feed when no one was near. The notes are louder and more brilliant than those of any of their congeners. It commences its song with one high note, followed by an interval of eight seconds ; then the note is repeated at shorter intervals, and then runs into a trill, followed by a sound like ■chororo, repeated several times. He put three adults in a cage during October and November, which sang ; and in September the following year they laid three eggs, but did not sit. When sitting close, he tells us, it tips the body forward, pressing its breast on the ground, and raising the rump higher than the back, opening the feathers and spreading them into a semi-circle over the back, so that when looked at from behind nothing is visible but a fan of feathers. Mr. W. A. Forbes, writing on “ Eleven weeks in North- Eastern Brazil ” (Ibis, 1881, p. 369), remarks : “ The ‘ Nambu,’ as the present species of Tinamou is called, is not at all an uncommon bird in the neighbourhood of Macuca and Garanhuus, where I several times heard its cry, and once or twice flushed it. Its flight, however, though strong, is short, the bird soon settling again ; and the country is so thickly covered with brushwood and undergrowth that it is, in consequence, 110 easy matter to shoot these birds, at least without the aid of dogs. Sometimes they are startled and shot by Brazilian sportsmen ; but more usually they are snared. At Garanhuus I bought a lot of seventeen Nambus and a pair of the next species * for 2500 reis {about five shillings) — not a bad bargain perhaps! — from a boy who had just caught them ; and afterwards I had many more offered me for sale.” My pair of Tataupas arrived on the 28th of August, 1903, and were put into a fairly large aviary, consisting of a wooden shed, some twelve feet square, with a grassed run of slightly larger dimensions. The pair took kindly to their new home ; * C. nociivagus. on the Breeding i?i Captivity of the Tataupa Tinamou. 287 and when they had been with me but a week or so I began to find eggs dropped about in various places. On October the 4th I noticed a nest behind a box in a corner of the covered part of the aviary. It consisted simply of straw, feathers and leaves, the only materials available at the time : and when discovered it con¬ tained two eggs. O11 the morning of the 6th another egg had been laid, and incubation, performed by the male only, was commenced. The female, from the moment her mate commenced to sit, took no further interest in the proceedings, in fact if she happened to approach the nest the male would make a rush at her with open mouth, so that she fled in terror. The male sat well, very seldom leaving the nest, and when he did so, he always covered the eggs most carefully with some of the rubbish with which the nest was •composed. On the 2Sth of October, quite early in the morning, I noticed the male off the nest, and upon examination discovered that all three eggs had hatched. Two youngbirds were crouching in the nest, but the third was just outside, and quite dead, having apparently left too soon, and got chilled. The other two were covered by their parent in the nest the whole of that day, and did not leave until the morning of the 29th. The beginning ■of November was cold, and I thought it best to transfer the brood to a warmed aviary. They fed well on small earthworms, gentles, and seed, but although for the first week they seemed to •do well it was quite the wrong time of year to rear 3^oung Tinamous, and on the seventh day after their birth one was found dead. The other lived until a fortnight old, but for some •days before it died it was decidedly weakly. The birds were then separated for the winter, as they were most anxious to nest again. When separated they constantly called to one another, or rather the female called and the male answered. The call of the female, which is much more often heard than that of the male, consists of two or three loud notes uttered at intervals of one or two seconds, followed by a rapid succession of similar notes which run into a trill. The male’s call consists of three notes only, similar to, but some¬ what less full than those of the female. Early in April the two birds were put together again and immediately commenced nesting operations. Before laying 288 Mr. D. Seth-Smith, commenced the female would spend a good deal of her time at the nest, and a low clucking sound was audible. On April 19th the male commenced to sit on four eggs, and, as before, the female took no further interest in the proceedings. She was heard to call frequently however, and when the male came off the nest to feed, would run to him and display before him in the most curious attitudes, with the obvious intention of persuading him to mate with her again. The only effect, however, was to make him furiously angry, and to display his auger by chasing her round the aviary with open bill. On May the iotli three chicks emerged from the four eggs, the fourth containing a dead young bird. On the morning of the 1 1 th the male left the nest with two chicks, the third being left dead just outside the nest. The two chicks were remarkably strong little birds, and I have no doubt that both would have been successfully reared to maturity had not one of them, to my inexpressible disgust, been accidently killed, having run behind a moveable wire run, and been crushed. The brood was therefore reduced to a single individual. This bird progressed splendidly. He was fed on soft food (preserved yolk of egg, fine crissel, preserved ants’ eggs and bread crumbs) to which was added finely chopped chickweed ; small earth¬ worms, which he was very fond of, and the most important item of all — live gentles, which are kept in dry sand for two or three days before being used. At the age of ten days this chick could fly so well and strongly that there was a danger of his injuring himself against the wire-netting at the top of the aviary, and I thought it advisable to catch him and clip the feathers of one wing. This effectually prevented his flying for a week or so, but, as the feathers when cut were not nearly full grown, he was able to fly well again after a short time, and the operation had to be repeated. By June the 6tli another clutch of five eggs had been laid, and the male commenced to sit ; and on the 25th I noticed egg shells outside the nest, although the male bird was sitting tight. He left the nest the following morning with three chicks. % on the B feeding in Captivity of the Tatafipa Tinamou. 289 % and a fourth was left dead in the nest, the fifth egg being addled. All three are well and strong as I write (July 8th). I cannot understand why the fourth chick was dead, for it was right in the nest, and could not therefore have died of cold. Neither could it have died of starvation, although the chicks remain in the nest some twenty-four hours after hatching, for upon dissection its stomach was found to contain a large amount of yolk, which would have lasted it for several hours. The young Tataupas are most charming little creatures, and the very accurate and beautiful drawing which Mr. Gronvold has prepared to accompany this paper shows the chick just emerged from the shell, and is, I think, the only illustration that has ever been made of the young of this species, and I much doubt if the adult has been accurately figured either. These chicks are extraordinarily strong on the leg from the time they leave the nest, and are much more independent than the young of the true gallinaceous birds, the parent seeming to take but a casual interest in his chicks. Should a human being approach close to the brood, he will not attempt to defend his charges, but will immediately run away, while they will take shelter in any scrap of herbage or rubbish that may be near. As far as I have been able to observe, the chicks are absolutely silent. A faint note is frequently heard, which I at first thought was uttered bv the chick, but I am now convinced that it is the parent’s call-note to summon them to him. A peculiar habit of the adult bird when alarmed was noted by Azara, as mentioned above, namely, that of squatting 011 the breast and throwing the tail into the air, forming the under tail- coverts into a screen to hide the rest of the body, and thereby fig. 1. fig. 2. 290 Mr. D. Seth-Smith, becoming practically invisible amongst herbage or undergrowth of any kind. (Figs, i and 2). It is very interesting to see this habit, developed to a moderate extent, in the very young chicks; the)'' too will, when they suspect danger, squat and throw up their little tails, almost always arranging that the latter shall be towards the object of their alarm. A detailed description of the chick is unnecessary with the plate before us, * but I may remark that in the plumage of the chicks, as in that of the adult birds, there is an abundance of the substance known as “powder down,” and the living chick, although exactly corresponding to the drawing in other respects, looks considerably greyer, on account of the presence of this substance. At the age of twelve days the chick is full-winged and can fly strongly. The wing coverts are tipped with buffisk spots. A few da}^s later the dark grey feathers begin to appear through the down on the bod}r, but the feathers on the head are the last to appear, as in most birds. The single bird reared from the brood hatched on May the 10th, although still rather small (July 8tli) is the image of the adults, with the exception that it is still slightly spotted on the wings, the feathers on the flanks and vent are less distinctly margined with whitish, and the bill is lead-colour. A description of the adult is quite unnecessary with the plate before us (which certainly does very great credit both to the artist and the chromo-lithographers). The living bird how¬ ever does not show quite such a contrast between the grey of the head and neck and the brown of the back as shown in the plate, on account of the presence of the “ powder down,” before referred to, which gives the whole bird a lead-coloured appearance. The bird figured is the female, a slightly larger bird than the male, and with a redder bill. She is not supposed to be taking any notice of the chick, which, as above stated, looks to its male parent entirely for support. The egg-shell in the plate exactly represents the shell after hatching ; but it is then a dull thing as compared with the * The nestling of only a few days old was described by Dr. Allen in the Bulletin of ike American Museum of Natural History (Vol. v. p. 151). — D. S.-S. on the Breeding in Captivity of the Tataupa Tinamou. 291 newly laid egg, which is an extremely beautiful object, as in fact are the eggs of all the Tinanious. I think I can best describe the colour as rich pink chocolate, and the surface is highly glossed. The colour of the egg unfortunately fades rapidly after it is blown. I was shown one in the British Museum, the only one in the collection, which was a dirty whitish colour — about as different to the thing when fresh as it could possibly be. The egg measures 1-65" x 1.25". At page 104 of the present volume I called attention to a most interesting account of the breeding in captivity of the Martineta Tinamou ( Calopezas elegans ), by M. Delaurier, in France, and I pointed out that he had proved this species to be polyandrous, and I suggested that most probably all of the Tinamous, and perhaps some other orders, would prove to be so when their habits were known. Although the evidence that I am able to bring forward is perhaps not quite as conclusive as it might be, I have at any rate quite satisfied myself that polyandry is the order of things with the species now under consideration, and I think there can be little doubt that it obtains in all of the Tinamous. I have stated above that the female, very soon after having laid a clutch of eggs, showed unmistakably that she wished to pair again with the original male, no other being then at hand. On the first of June I heard from Mr. Thorpe, of Hull (the dealer from whom I obtained the original pair of Tataupas) that he was expecting a single bird of this species in a few days, and, being anxious to prove whether this species were polyandrous, I asked him to send it on immediately it arrived, hoping that it would prove to be a male. It arrived on the 6th, and I could tell from its small size that it was cer¬ tainly a male, so I was glad to keep it. At this time the original male had just commenced to sit on a batch of six eggs ; nevertheless the female, when intro¬ duced to the new male, showed unmistakable signs that she was not only willing but anxious to nest again immediately. But having been so very recently imported, and being unusually timid, the new bird would have nothing whatever to do with her ; but she made a nest behind some logs of wood and laid 292 Mr. W. H. St. Quintin, two eggs within three weeks of the arrival of the new bird. I think there can be no doubt whatever that had the new bird been an acclimatised specimen and in breeding condition, the female would have laid a full clutch, which he would have incubated. RAVENS BREEDING IN CAPTIVITY. By W. H. St. Quintin, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. I picked up two Ravens in London in the spring of last year, and thought that I had secured a pair, for the birds differed considerably in size, and were excellent friends. However a third was given to me a few mouths later by a kind friend, and though a large Raven, I at once saw from its slender build and. much less powerful beak, that this, at any rate, w'as a hen. Soon after Christmas, it was evident that the new comer had made a match of it with the big bird, and the lesser one had such an uncomfortable time that I was glad to find it a peaceful home elsewhere. In the middle of February I fixed up a large flat basket in a corner of the aviary where the Ravens were kept, and broke up a faggot of larch twigs upon it, and supplied freely birds, cockroaches, wool, and moss (the latter was never used). The birds soon made up their minds, and set to work with such energy that in a week the nest was ready for eggs. We kept the aviary very quiet, as the female Raven was rather timid, and I cannot give the exact date at which incuba¬ tion commenced. I had to leave home on March ioth, and the Raven was sitting close. As events turned out I believe that I made a mistake in leaving instructions that, as soon as young were heard, the parents were to be plentifully supplied with small young rabbits, which the keepers, at the time, were killing down ; and such Sparrows and mice as could be procured, and I regret now that their diet was not varied with a more nourishing rdgime, for I believe that the young in consequence suffered. Anyhow, when I returned in the third week of April I found that, though there were two noisy, and otherwise on Ravens Breeding in Captivity. 293 vigorous, young in the nest, there was something uncanny about their beaks, as they showed above the edge of the nest, and they were plainly quite deformed. A week later I inspected the nest and found one j^oung bird recently dead, with its leg tightly twisted up in the wool which lined the nest. Its beak was both twisted awry and the upper mandible projected unnaturally over the lower one; the living nestling being also disfigured in the same way. Moreover, if closely examined one sees that the toes of one foot do not spread as they should. However these defects do not affect the young bird’s spirits, and only the other day I watched him playing with a flat piece of bone, burying it, and immediately digging it up, as if dissatisfied with the security of his treasure, in the quaint way common to the Crow family. But the poor bird cannot tear up tough food, and we have to be careful to supply pieces that he can manage. The parents, rather grudgingly, still (mid. July) feed him, and should they cease to do this, I am afraid he may have some difficulty in picking up a living. I attribute these defects to insufficient nourishment (quality not quantity) when the nest¬ lings were growing, as it seems to me to be a form of “ rickets.” Anyhow I shall take care that, if I am lucky enough to have another Ravens’ nest next spring, there shall be plenty of more substantial food at hand. It did not occur to me at the time, but as a falconer I ought to have remembered that, though rabbit flesh is a good change of food, especially in hot weather, Hawks cannot work hard upon it ; and if fed too freely upon this meat, will rapidly lose condition and stamina. I11 conclusion may I appeal to anybody who keeps a tame Raven, to see that he has a daily opportunity of a wash in a deep bath of clean water, or the plumage will never be kept smart. My Ravens are in faultless condition, and are constantly bathing. Indeed one can scarcely give them greater pleasure than to change their bath water, even several times a day, in summer weather. 294 Mr. A. E. L. Berteing, ON THE HATCHING AND REARING OF THE BRUSH TURKEYS AT THE ZOO* By A. E. E. Bertling. (. Head Keeper of the Zoological Society's Gardens.') In concluding my notes on the Brush Turkey (Talegalla lathami ) I am glad to say we have now four young birds which are thriving well. Being somewhat doubtful as to the issue of the cock’s parental diligence, quite six weeks having elapsed since the hens started laying, I decided to open the mound and see how matters stood. Working the material away at one side we got towards the centre and there discovered three eggs, which lay about a foot away from each other and eighteen inches below the top of the mound. They were placed in an upright position, the larger end being uppermost, and it is quite evident they are not turned as in the case of those laid by other birds; for we could plainly see that a deep narrow hole had been excavated by the hen, in which the egg had been dropped in an upright position, and that the lower part of the egg did not touch the bottom of the hole, as it was quite white, whilst the upper half was soiled and stained, where the material had been stamped oil to it. After a few more moments search we were delighted, and not a little astonished, at coming across a pretty chick, who winked and blinked on having the bright sunshine suddenly turned on to it. It was of mouse colour, inclining to yellow on the head and underparts, whilst the red skin on the head and upper portion of the neck was distinctly visible through the scanty covering of bristly down, and at the sides of the face the hair was so thin as to almost appear bare, the ears being plainly visible. The flights, in this chick, were nearly three inches long, and, as the bird could fly fairly well, I have come to the con¬ clusion that the young remain at least thirty-six hours, if not For an account of the construction of the nest and laying of the eggs, see page 217. on the Hatching & Rearing of the Brush Turkeys at the Zoo. 295 longer, in the mound before making an appearance, as the three others, which hatched in the incubator, were not nearly so advanced when hatched. The beak and feet are strong, of a dark horn — nearly black — hue. The young have the same digging propensity as the adults,, and nothing pleased them so much as a heap of peat, upon which I scattered their food ; for they picked up quite large pieces with first one foot and then the other, throwing them backwards in order to get at fragments of food which had fallen between the lumps. They invariably commenced with the left foot, and would rarely touch the food on the flat ground whilst there were any particles left on the peat. Their pugnacity is evinced at an early stage. The day after the first chick made its appearance a second hatched in the incubator, which, when dried off thoroughly I placed with its elder relative, who immediately dropped its wings into a fighting attitude and pounced upon the new arrival. They soon, however, got to be good friends. After finding the chick, we decided not to go any further with the e-xcavatiou, thinking it would be more interesting to have the young emerge from the heap themselves ; so we replaced the material, and left it as near as possible as we found it. After waiting another fortnight, and no more chicks¬ appearing, I decided to thoroughly overhaul the mound. Almost the first thing we came across was a dead young one, which caused us to come to the conclusion that the density of the materials had prevented it finding its way out, and that the remainder of the eggs had better be removed to an incubator. Seven of these were discovered, two of which, containing living embryos, were unfortunately broken in unearthing. Of the remaining five two hatched and three were addled. To emphasize the fact as to the thinness of the shell, I may remark that the young ones do not chip round the upper part of the egg when emerging, as is the case with other gallinaceous, and most birds, but appear to give a violent wriggle and shatter the whole shell, although they still remain encased in the inner membrane, which is not torn open for some hours afterwards. 296 On the Hatching & Rearing of the Brush Tin keys at the Zoo. When first hatched the primaries and secondaries of the young are encased in a thin filmy covering, which gives the wing the appearance of being full of blood feathers or quills, but directly the chick dries this membrane peels off, leaving the bird ready for flight. Those hatched at the Zoo did not appear to be great eaters and they were supplied with a variety of food, such as hard-boiled egg, crissel, chicken meal, ants’ eggs, dried flies, boiled potatoes, boiled rice, boiled carrots, groats and grain, of all sorts, both dry and soaked. They were fond of lettuce, watercress, and grass in seed, but evinced the greatest partiality for chopped onions. When large enough they were removed to one of the pheasantries where they do well, and are constantly catching flies on the grass or rushing up and down from one •end of the place to the other in a state of great excitement. They like to roost as high as they can get, and the gravel paths in their enclosure are frequently turned upside down by their powerful — although not clumsy — feet. At three weeks the black feathers are distinctly visible through the down, and at six the birds are a repetition of the adults, although smaller, and the yellow wattle at the base of neck can be plainly seen. Respecting the dead chick in the mound, I may say that a week before we opened it the cock was seen to be in a great state of excitement, and constantly putting his head into a deep, narrow cavity ; so I have come to the conclusion that it was about time that the young one hatched. And with regard to the theory advanced that the male bird tests the heat of the mound by putting his head, bare neck, and wattles into the mound, I am rather inclined to think he only does this when the eggs are due to, or have hatched, and that it is from parental affection, or anxiety for the 3'roung, as in both cases where chicks were found — living or dead — a narrow opening leading from the }'oung ones to the upper exterior portion of the heaps, was noticed, and although the}r are particularly silent — only emitting a slight grunt at times — the cock can probably hear some movement in the egg, which either causes him to open the mound when the ■chick is ready to emerge or to further energetic repulsion of intruders. On White-crested Thrushes. 297 Next season, if all is well, I hope to have thirty or forty sacks of dried leaves ready for them, in which case the little ones may be able to find their way out of the mound without human assistance. Of course a dry season is most essential and a lot of rain very detrimental. WHITE-CRESTED THRUSHES. # By the Rev. C. D. Farrar. I11 Trinidad there is a certain little brown fish called the Cascaladon, possessing a flavour of the most subtle, entrancing, and captivating description. So much so, indeed, that it is said if a man eat of it, he shall never leave again Trinidad. None, having once partaken, are able to tear themselves away from the fish. All the helpless creatures can do is to succumb, and live and eat and die within reach of it. That is much my present position. Some two years ago I was reluctantly compelled to give up birds — as I then thought for ever. So certain was I of this, that I not only sold the birds, but even pulled down the aviaries, on the principle, I believe, of removing temptation ; and yet here I am to-day, with bird fever as bad as ever. I am beginning in a very humble way, with only just a few pairs ; and yet I am just as keen to begin as a heifer is for salt ; but still I bear in mind the old Batin motto, Festina lente— Go slowly. In getting together a collection of birds you must bide your time and watch your opportunity. Dimidium facti , aui bene cepit , habet. This is not intuitive wisdom 011 my part, but is gathered slowly and painfully among the thorns of experience. Now in starting to keep birds afresh, I find one of the greatest difficulties is to secure pairs. Man is sent into the world unfinished. Nature seems to say to him, “You are in¬ complete : I have made the other part of you, but I do not remember where I put it : you will have to hunt for it.” It is much the same with birds — the pairs are there if you can only find them. Presumably the White-crested Jay-Thrusli ( Garrulax leucolophus) of the Himalayas.— Ed. 298 On White-crested Thrushes. One day during the recent Whitsuntide holidays, I took my j^oungest boy to Hull for the da}'-, and while there called upon a certain well known bird dealer to see what he might have on hand. Amongst other birds I noticed two White-crested Thrushes in a big cage. These the dealer declared to be a pair ; but 011 this point I felt like Hans Breittmann, ‘ skebdigal,’ as the reputed lady kept on the bottom perch, like the immortal Mrs. ■Gummidge, in a very forlorn and subdued manner. However, the dealer being a good sort, although still standing stoutly to his own opinion, offered to allow me to take the birds home and try them in an aviary. I gladly acceded to the offer; only to find my judgment instantly confirmed ; for the reputed lieu spent its whole da\r in seeking first for one city of refuge and then another, and to save her life I had to move her to other quarters. It was now a question once more of Cherchez la femme. Happening to write to a bird friend, announcing my return to the ‘ birdy world,’ and asking him if he had anything he could offer me, he returned a long list, and amongst them I saw a Crested Indian Thrush scheduled. I accordingly wrote off for it on the chance it might be a White-crested Thrush and a lady. A few days later the bird came to hand, and whatever else it might claim to be it certainly belonged to the ragged regiment. I felt sure however at the first glance that I had got a hen, and my private opinion was at once confirmed by the cock when I introduced the stranger, for after contemplating each other for a moment with the most offensive curiosity, they went into a perfect shout of welcome. I think the cock’s shout was one of astonishment ! The hen was perfectly naked from the middle of the breast, and to increase the grotesque effect she had three broken and disjointed feathers in her tail. However, the gentleman apparently considered that half a wife was better than none, and very soon they were seated amicably side by side. The enjoyment of female society, like other things, depends on the scarcity. I feed the Thrushes on my own mixture — which of course I think the best in the world — and a fair supply of mealworms and blaclcclocks. The poor clocks have a bad time. Each leg is Stray Notes. 299 chopped off scientifically before the body is swallowed. The Thrushes are evidentl}7 vivisectionists 011 principle — much like the old lady who, after listening to a very violent anti-vivisec- tionist sermon, remarked: “It is perhaps all true, but I must confess that I like to eat oysters alive ” ! I cannot say that the Thrushes are ‘ sweet singers,’ like David. Their voices are loud and insistent. If any fresh food is put into their dish they exclaim at the top of their voices : Pozu, poiu, pow pozv — pow, pow ; reminding one irresistibly of Haydn’s remark on hearing the singing of a Presbyterian congregation — “ Ach, Gott is merciful!” In appearance my friends are of a plain and sober garb : dressed in russet brown, with white heads and waistcoats, and elongated black eye patches. They have a curious habit of playing leap-frog over each other’s back sideways — a most comical sight. I am in good hope that someday they will enable me to win another medal, but at present they are recuperating. They are most amusing birds to watch and are great bathers. I have written this paper to let my fellow members know that I am once more on the war path and very much alive, and I make no sort of doubt but that I shall find that before so very long I shall be able to say of bird keeping, what Napoleon once said of war: “ Eh, bien ! C’est un grand jeu — belle occupation ! ” STRAY NOTES. I11 the Zoologist for June last Mr. J. H. Gurney publishes his annual •“ Ornithological Notes from Norfolk,” andrecords the fact ofa Pekin Night¬ ingale ( Liothrix lutea) having been shot at Holkliam on the sixth of Novem¬ ber last. It is a great pity that any brightly-coloured bird that is seen in this country must be immediately shot. Liothrix lutea is a species that might do very well if established in this country, and there could be no objection to it on the ground of upsetting ornithological records, for it is impossible for it to come here on its own account. We are told that the specimen above referred to “showed no signs of confinement,” but it should be remembered that the present day method of keeping birds in large aviaries •ensures their plumage and general appearance being quite as perfect as that of the perfectly wild bird. Stray Notes. 300 Mr. St. Quintiu contributes the following note to the Field of June 2nd, on some Hybrid Blackgame and Grouse, hatched in captivity: “ Hybrids between Blackgame and Grouse occurring in the wild state must be more common than most people might suppose, for Mr. J. G. Millais, in his work on British Game Birds, speaks of having examined some twenty specimens. Probably most of these were wild-bred animals. I have just succeeded in hatching, but, alas ! not in rearing, a brood of these hybrids in confinement. Having two tame hen Grouse but no male, I inclosed a fairly tame Blackcock with them this spring, and presently one of the Grouse went to the nest and laid seven eggs. I made the mistake of removing them to a common hen when chipped, substituting three Pheas¬ ants’ eggs at the same time. Three of the Grouse’s eggs hatched ; one was promptly crushed by the lieu selected for her supposed gentle nature, and one of the remaining chicks lived only for a day, never really feeding properly. The survivor, with a small brood of common Pheasants slightly younger than itself, lived just a week, and as it fed freely upon fresh ants’ eggs and chopped egg etc., I hoped it might have been reared. However, it was found dead one morning, and with its poor brother (or sister) has been committed to spirit with a view to closer examination. I may here notice that, as in the subject of Mr. Millais’s illustration killed in Inverness-shire, my birds took after their male parent in respect of the toes, which were quite unfeathered. The Grouse has proved an excellent mother to the young Pheasants, and I greatly regret that, from excessive anxiety, I did not leave her own eggs to her care. Curiously, the other hen Grouse shares in the brooding, and the chicks are often divided between the two old birds. I have several times seen the foster nurse brooding the three chicks, while the bird that hatched them sits on some hurdles close above them, as if on guard.” I11 the same issue of the Field appears the following note which is of great importance from an avicultural point of view, as it was supposed that the young Weka at the Zoo, was the first hatched in captivity in Great Britain. Mr. Charles Langham, of Tempo Manor, co. Fermanagh writes: “ I have kept Wekas in confinement for some years, and they have successfully reared from twenty to thirty young ones to maturity. My first pair I bought from the London Zoo., and placed them in a small grass inclosure 011 the margin of a lake. They had plenty of covert and could wade about in the water, which they were very fond of doing; they almost immediately started to build a nest in a box provided for the purpose, and soon laid three eggs, only one of which hatched; but this they reared without any difficulty. I then placed them in a larger inclosure under some beech trees, and they reared many young ones, turning over the dead leaves and digging with their powerful bills for worms to feed their young 301 Bird Notes from the Zoological Gardens. with. They generally begin nesting about February or March, but the eggs then seldom hatch, owing no doubt to frost and cold. I usually remove these eggs after about a month’s incubation, and they start again shortly and generally rear three or four young out of five or six eggs laid. When the young ones are nearly full grown I remove them from their parents, as I find the old ones are apt to kill them then. They usually bring out two broods every year besides the first nest. I find it almost impossible to keep more than one adult pair together, as the}' fight desperately. They are very savage with birds of their own size or under, even killing nearly full grown Pheasants. I once saw a cock Weka Rail go up to a good sized cock Pheasant take him by the back of the neck, drag him to the water and drown him. I feed my Wekas on raw bullock’s liver, together with corn, bread and scraps, but they get a large quantity of worms and insects for themselves in their inclosure. They even kill small wild birds that come down to feed with them. They make a large nest of moss sticks and fibrous roots, generally under the root of a tree or under some faggots which I provide for the purpose.” BIRD NOTES FROM THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. By far the most important event since my last notes were written is the hatching of three young Crested Screamers on the ,5th of July. As before stated, these curious birds have probably never nested in captivit}*- before, and very little was known about their nesting habits. The incubation period is now known to be ■six weeks ; the young are clothed in yellowish down, and except for their small beaks and large feet, are not unlike young goslings. One of the chicks was trodden upon and killed by its mother, and an opportunity has thus been given to the authorities •of fully examining the structure of these birds when newly hatched, and it is to be hoped that a definite conclusion may be arrived at as to the position these unique creatures occupy in the Order of Birds. A full account of the breeding of these birds with illustrations of the young will doubtless appear in the Proceedings of the 'Zoological Society. Two hybrid Rheas, between the Common (T., CAVENDISH SQUARE, NOTE.— A new volume commences every November. II. *•" All Subscriptions should be sent to the Honorary Business Secretary. THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY. Persons wishing to join the Avicur.TURAT, SOCIETY are requested to communicate with either of the Hon. Secretaries or the Editor. NOTICKS TO MEMBERS. The Subscription to the Avicultural Society is 10/- per annum, due on tli e ist of November in each year, and is payable in advance. The entrance fee is io 6. The Avicultural Magazine is sent free to members monthly. Members joining at any time during the year are entitled to the back numbers for the current year, on the payment of entrance fee and subscription. All MSS. fo> publication in the Magazine, Books for Review, and Private Advertisements should be addressed to the Editor, Mr. I). Seth- SMITH, Glengarry, Canning Road, Addiscombe, Surrey. All Queries respecting Birds (except post mortem cases) should be addressed to the Honorary Correspondence Secretary, Dr. A. G. BuTr.ER, 124, Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent. All other correspondence, and Subscriptions, should be sent to the Hon¬ orary Business Secretary, Mr. T. H. 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All orders must be accompanied by a remittance in full; and Members are requested to state whether they want the wrappers and advertisements bound in at the end or not. BOUND COPIES OF the “AVICULTURAL MAGAZINE.” I'he following can be obtained from the Publisher at the prices given below. Postage 6d. per volume extra : Vol. II., 6/- to members; 8/6 to the public. Vols. V. to VII., to/6 each to members ; 12/6 each to the public. Vol. VIII., 14/- to members ; 17/6 to the public. Vol. I., New Series, 21/- to members; 30/- to the public (revised prices). Current Monthly Numbers 1/6 each (except in special cases, such as the Number containing the List of Members, when the Committee may increase the price), by post 1/7; for back Numbers a higher price is charged according to circumstances. Vols. I., III. & IV., are out of print. Second-hand copies sometimes reach the Publisher, to whom application should be made. ( Continued on page Hi. of cover). The Practical Scientific Cabinet Makers. T. CROCK Established over 50 Years. MAKERS OF EVERY DESCRIPTION OF Cabinet Gases & Store Boxes TAXIDERMY IN ALL ITS BRANCHES. Apparatus and Appliances for the use of Specimens for Entomo¬ logists, Botanists, Ornithologists, Geologists, Mineralogists, Numismatists, Conchologlsts, etc., And for the use of Lecturers, Science Teachers, College Students, &c. MUSEUMS FITTED AND ARRANGED. Specially made Cabinets for Birds’ Eggs and Skins, the Drawers graduate in depth and are all interchangeable. STORE BOXES, fitted with Camphor Cells, 2/3, 3/6, 4/3, 5/3 SETTING BOARDS, flat or oval, i-in. 5d., iA-in. 7d., 2-in. 9d., 2*-in. lid., 3|-in. 1/2, 4-in. 1/4, 5-in. 1/8. PLAIN RING NETS, wire or cane, 1/6, 2/-, 2/3. FOLDING NETS, 3/-, 4/- UMBRELLA NETS, selr-acting, 6/9. POCKET BOXES, 6d., 8d., lid., 1/5 SUGARING TINS, with brush, 1/4, 1/10. SETTING HOUSES, flat or oval boards, 8/6, 10/-. Cork back, 12/9. BREEDING CAGES, 2/3. Improved stvle, fitted with tanks, 3/7. COLEOPTERIST COLLECTING BOTTLES, 1/4, 1/6. INSECT and EGG CASES, from 2/3 to 10/- Best Steel FORCEPS, 1/5 pair. TAXIDERMISTS’ COMPANION, containing eight useful articles for Skinning, 9/6. EGG DRILLS, from 3d. BLOW PIPES from 2d. to 5d. ZINC RELAXING BOXES, 8d., lid. NESTED CHIP BOXES, 4 doz. 7d. ENTOMOLOGICAL PINS from 1/- per oz. ZINC LARVAL BOXES, 8d. lid., 1/5. BEST WHITE CEMENT, 5d. a Bottle. SPECIAL CORK CARPET, 9d. per square foot. CABINET CORKS, 7in by 35m., lid. and 1/2 per dozen sheets. The “PERFECTION” FLAT SETTING BOARDS, for English style of Setting. Supersedes the old Boards. Same prices as ordinary Setting Boards. All Goods 7iot approved ??iay be exchanged , or 7nonev returned. All Goods Store Brices. " All Best Work. Estimates given. Great Advantages in dealing direct with Makers. Send for Full Detailed Price List before ordering elsewhere. 7a, PRINCES ST., CAVENDISH SQ., (7 Doors from Oxford Circus) London, w . Factories : 34, RIDING HOUSE ST., and OGLE ST. W. HYDE’S Patent Iron Tonic Grit For all Cage Birds, Pigeons and Fowls. HYDE’S AESTHETIC SEEDS. For Song Birds. A combination of rare and expensive Seeds blended to suit their natural requirements. HYDE’S 1 SBHEBlk HYDE’S ild.iL Id LARK FOOD. 1 H CACE BIRDS PIGEONS Sip Hyde’s Vitaz MS* | FOR POULTRY. > Isjlllll) HYDE’S NATURAL FOOD. For Aquarium Fish and Insectivorous Birds. Sold in Tins. Sample Box, id. The latest achievement in Ornithology Extracts from a letter from Mr. J. PARKINSON* NATURALIST, BLACKPOOL, ENGLAND, October 30th, iqoi. “ Your Traveller was right in saying that the three nests ot Parrots which I have reared were brought up on your ^Esthetic Seeds, which were boiled for about half an hour, and the birds when old enough they fed upon your famous Parrot Food. Your Traveller has handled the eggs and seen the young ones progressing into maturity. More than two hundred people* from all parts of the country, have visited me in order to see the Parrots; and four gentlemen, who are Bird Naturalists* are presenting me with a Silver Cup, in commemoration of such an unprecedented accomplishment.” The “ BLACKPOOL GAZETTE” of Dec. 4th Says— “ Mr. Parkinson has apparently solved the problem of Parrot-rearing, which has troubled Bird Fanciers generally throughout the country, and his skill in this direction has been recognised by the presentation of two Silver Cups at the local Bird Show.” R. HYDE & Go., Iitd., 54, LILFORD RD„ CAMBERWELL. Cloth, gilt top, Small 8vo., Six Shillings net THE BIRDS OF TENNYSON, BY WATKIN WATKINS, B. A. Cantab. Member of the British Ornithologists’ Union. “ Many as are the volumes which have been written on different phases and aspects of our late Laureate’s works, this, we think, is the first time that a whole book has been devoted to “The Birds of Tennyson.” Mr. W. Watkins, the author, is a member of the British Ornithologists’ Union, and has, therefore, a scientific as well as a literary interest in the subject. And his verdict in the matter is this— that ‘ No poet is so satisfactory to the ornithologist [as Tennyson], for no poet had a more accurate knowledge of birds or had a happier power of describing their peculiarties.’ Mr. Watkins’ pages are, indeed, themselves a testimony to the acuteness as well as the frequency with which Tennyson described the ‘feathered tribe.’ All this, of course, is an old story to the students of the poet, but it is pleasant to find Tennyson’s references to birds collected and systematised as they are in this agreeable treatise, which is, as it should be, carefully and usefully indexed. In his introduction Mr. Watkins deals with Tennyson’s allusions to birds in general, and in subsequent chapters discourses successively of birds of song, birds of passage, birds of prey, birds of sport and so forth The result should convince those who are not alreadv convinced that as a poet of the birds Tennyson ranks with Shakespeare. Mr. Watkins, as a naturalist, of course appreciates fully the poet’s stanzas on ‘ The Throstle,’ of which the ignorant have been accustomed to make game. He recognises the fidelity with which the bird’s ‘ note ’ is reflected in such lines, homely enough, as — ‘ Summer is coming, summer is coming, I know it, I know it, I know it.’ And he gives other instances of the poet’s successful translation of birds’ song into literary speech.” — The Globe. “ Lovers and all in quest of unhackneyed forms of endearment could not do better than add to their possessions a copy of ‘The Birds of Tennyson,’ by Watkiu Watkins. The book is a well-compiled number of extracts from the poems of Tennyson, Wordsworth Shakespeare, Byron, Chaucer, Milton, Cowper, and other poets, in which the manners and customs of birds are introduced as similes, in dainty lines. The volume contains some excellent illustrations of birds by G. E. Lodge.”— Pall Mall Gazette. “ Mr. Watkins, who must have spent a vast deal of time in the study of Tennyson’s poetry from the natural history point of view, publishes a number of extracts, and enlarges on them in a most interesting manner. Mr. Watkins’ book should prove very acceptable to Tennyson lovers.” — The Yorkshire Post, “ ‘ The Birds of Tennyson ’ should have a strong attraction, for its well-written pages are a powerful proof of the great influence exercised upon the impressionable mind of the poet by the beauties of form and the joyous songs of the feathered kingdom. There is another class of readers who should also find much pleasure in a perusal of the volume— those lovers of Tennyson as a poet who, not taking any special thought about birds, will be astonished to find how much their favourite poet knew about them and how narrowly lie observed the life that moved about him. They will find, too, by the aid of Mr. Watkins’ comments as an expert, how appropriately Tennyson employed his innumer¬ able references to birds of all kinds, and especially song birds. Excellent illustrations by G. E. Lodge enhance the value of the volume.” — The Shrewsbury Chronicle. LONDON : R. Porter, 7, princes Street, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. CROSS, (Known throughout the Civilised and Uncivilised World). King of Wild Beast Merchants Anything from “A HUMMING BIRD TO AN ELEPHANT,” TRADE SUPPLIED, TRADE SUPPLIED, GREY AFRICAN PARROTS. Fresh Arrivals Daily. FOREIGN WATER FOWL, Hungarian Partridges for turning down. Thousands of Small Foreign Birds, suitable for Aviaries. OLD ENGLISH RINGLESS PHEASANTS. CROSS’S TRADING MENAGERIE. Is always on view for Visitors who are desirous of seeing the Wild Animals. At present it contains numerous LIONS, TIGERS, ELEPHANTS, ETC. Always something- New. Hundreds of arrivals weekly. May be viewed daily from n to 4 p.m. Admission 6d. INSECTIVOROUS BIRD FOOD. (Carl Capelle’s, Hanover). A bsolutely {lie finest food for soft-billed birds. Sole English Agent : “CROSS, LIVERPOOL.” Birds & Animals Stuffed & Preserved. National Telephones: 6491 CENTRAL and 728 ROYAL. Telegrams and Cablegrams! “CROSS,” LIVERPOOL. “ CROSS” (Known throughout the Civilized and Uncivilised World). KING OF WILD BEAST MERCHANTS, GREATEST ZOOLOGICAL EMPORIUM ON EARTH. LIVERPOOL Avicultural Magazine. NEWLY HATCHED PAINTED QUAILS. THE 311 Hvicultural /Hbaga3tne, BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY. New Series. — VOL. II. — NO. 11. — All rights reserved. SEPTEMBER 1904 SOME NOTES ON THE PAINTED QUAILS. Excalfactoria . There are few birds which give me more pleasure as an aviculturist than the tiny Painted Quails ; their small size, the readiness with which they become tame, the free way in which they reproduce their kind in captivity, and the ease with which the young may be reared, all commend these beautiful little birds to the consideration of aviculturists. I obtained my first pair of the Common Painted Quail, E. chineiisis, in the autumn of 1897, and have never been without examples since, and I have also kept and bred the Australasian form, E. lineata, so perhaps a few notes on these birds may not be out of place. The genus Excalfactoria contains, according to Dr. Sharpe’s Hand List , four species. All are very small birds, about five inches in length. The tail is composed of only eight very short feathers, which are entirely hidden by the upper tail-coverts. The sexes are entirely different in plumage, and the males are decidedly beautiful. The common species, E. ckinensis, ranges throughout the Indian Peninsula, Ceylon, and the Indo-Chinese countries. It is also found in the islands of Formosa, Celebes and Ternate. This species is well known to most of my readers, and those who do not know it should refer to Vol. IV. (First series) p. 1, 312 Mr. D. Seth-Smith, where a coloured illustration of it is given. The plate does not do justice to the subject, but conveys a fair idea of the birds. The Australian Painted Quail, E. lineata , inhabits Aus¬ tralia, the Philippines, Borneo, Java and Sumatra. It is slightly smaller than E. chinensis , and darker in colour. The New Britain Painted Quail may be distinguished from either of the above by the absence of chestnut on the wing- coverts, and by the underparts being almost entirely slaty-blue. It inhabits New Britain, New Ireland, and the Duke of York group. Adanson’s Painted Quail, E. adansoni , inhabits the greater part of Africa, and differs but slightly in plumage from the others. It is with the common species, E. chinensis , and the dark form from Australasia, E. lineata , that I have had some ex¬ perience in captivity, and to which I shall chiefly confine my remarks. I do not believe that living examples of either of the other two forms have reached this country ; and I think that the three examples — one male and two females — of E. lineata, that I received from Australia in 1900, were the first, and perhaps the only specimens ever imported. Mr. Ogilvie-Grant considers E. lineata to be merely a sub-species of E. chi?iensis ; and probably he is right, though observation of the two forms in captivity shows them to differ considerably in some of their ways. The point which I think is worth especial notice in this connection is the difference which exists in the colour of the newly-hatched young of E. chinensis and E. Ibieata, and one of my chief objects in writing this paper is to call attention to this point, which I believe was never noticed by ornithologists until I called attention to it at a meeting of the British Ornithologists’ Club in June 1903. The young of the typical E. chinensis (Fig. 1) are like the young of the Common Quail, only much smaller. The pre¬ dominating colour is very dark brown. On the back are two very distinct stripes of sand}'- buff, running from the nape to the tail. The head is sandy buff, with two distinct stripes of very dark 3i 3 on the Painted Quails. brown. The throat is pale j^ellow, and the underparts yellowish. It would naturally be supposed that the newly hatched chicks of the Australasian form, differing so slightly when adult, from the Asiatic birds, would be identical with the young of the latter, but instead of being so they are absolutely distinct, being almost entirely black (Fig. 2). On the head one can just trace the buffish lines, which however are entirely absent on the back, which is entirely blackish. The throat is yellow as in E. chinensis , but the underparts are considerably darker than in the typical form. * The two forms interbreed perfectly freely, and the newly hatched chicks, as might be supposed, are intermediate between the two, — much darker than in E. chinensis , but showing faintly the buffish stripes which are lacking in E. lineata (Fig. 3). These hybrids, or mongrels, are perfectly fertile, which seems to show that Mr. Ogilvie-Graut is right in calling E. lineata merely a sub-species of the Asiatic form, though it is as distinct from that form as, for example, is the Japanese Pheasant ( Phasianus versicolor) from the common Ring-necked birds (P. torquahis). If only we could get living examples of Excalfactoria adansoni and E. lepida we might be able to prove, by crossing them with E. chinensis , whether they too would produce fertile hybrids, or whether they are really good species. It has been fairly proved in the case of the Pheasants that most forms of Phasianus are merely local varieties or sub-species, and this has been shown chiefly by crossing the different forms and finding that the young are perfectly fertile however they are crossed. It is reasonable to conjecture that the result of ex¬ periments in breeding Excalfactoria would show that the forms which are now regarded as distinct species are merely local races or sub-species. When acclimatised, the Painted Quails are quite hardy and need no artificial warmth during the winter, if kept in a dry, sheltered aviary. To breed them successfully, I consider that a * It is perhaps worth mentioning that the male E. lineata showed no parental affection towards his chickens; whereas the males of the Eastern form always, as far as I have been able to observe, brood their offspring to the same extent as the females, each parent, as a rule, taking charge of about half of the brood. 3H On the Painted Quails. grassed aviary is necessary, although I have known a hen to sit and hatch off a brood in a perfectly open, uncovered nest. The grassed run need not be more than say eight feet square. The nest usually consists of a slight hollow under a tuft of coarse grass, slightly lined with hay. It is generally most cleverly hidden, and approached through a tunnel in the grass. The birds usually commence to breed in May. The clutch consists of from five to seven eggs, generally five or six in the first nest, and seven in the others. There are three nests in the year as a rule, although a pair of E. lineata hatched four broods in 1900, when only recently imported ; the last brood however were found dead early one morning in October. They had been hatched the previous evening, but had succumbed to a frosty night. When hatched, the young Quails are very minute, about one inch in length, and, as I have noticed on more than one occasion, they are quite capable of getting through half-inch mesh wire-netting. They run at once, and resemble tiny animated balls of fluff. Though so minute the chicks are easy enough to rear. Live ants’ cocoons are the very best food they can have, but failing these almost an3^ good soft food that contains a good proportion of yolk of egg is readily eaten. Very small gentles are useful, though I have reared broods on the egg-food entirely. Seed is eaten when the chicks are still quite small, and I have found the small “Indian” millet very useful when they first take to a seed diet. The chicks can fly at ten days old, and, as was first pointed out by Mr. Meade-Waldo (cf. Vol. V. page 2) at five weeks old they have assumed the adult plumage. D. Seth-Smith. Oil some Birds of the White Nile. 315 NOTES ON SOME BIRDS OF THE WHITE NILE. By Mrs. A. C. Charrington. Leaving England on the 19th of last December, we went by way of Cairo, Assuan, Wady Haifa, to Khartoum. There we found a Government steamer, the “ Dal,” which was to start in a few days for Gondokoro, the farthest navigable port on the White Nile, and some 1,200 miles farther south. In the Palace Gardens at Khartoum I made my first acquaintance with the Whale-headed Stork (. Balczniceps rex) a quaint bird with an extraordinary mouth which positively smiles at times. The bird at the Palace has a Sudanese boy as attendant, who feeds him with small fish, and if he does not swallow them fast enough gently strokes down his neck with anxious care ! The colour of this bird is a slate grey, as in a Heron. The “ Dal,” on which we started, January 15th, is the same boat on which Lord Kitchener went to Fashoda during the Colonel Marchand incident in 1898. In a barge alongside we had goats for milk, poultry, and fourteen donkeys, the property of Major Harrison, who was going shooting in the interior. Two days south of Khartoum Ducks and Geese of many kinds abounded, the latter mostly Spurwing (a). At Kawa Major Harrison brought in a beautiful Roller with deep blue and cobalt wings, soft blue grey head, and fawn back (p), also a chestnut and black Whydah (e) with long hair-like tail-feathers terminating in a spatule, also some small species of Hornbill. Major Harrison was clever at skinning, and this gave me oppor¬ tunities of seeing many birds which would not have occurred otherwise ; as he was collecting for a museum. The banks were dotted with beautiful water birds : Crowned Cranes (the latter very tame and strolling along in a most dignified way), Demoiselle Cranes, large and small White Herons, a Grey Heron (?), Buff- backed Heron, and dense flocks of Spurwing or Egyptian Geese ; in places a Whistling Teal (d), and a large brown and black duck (?) were in densely packed (a). Plectopterus riipelli. (d). Coracias gar ruins. (c) . Steganura paradisea. (d) . Dendrocygna viduata. 3*6 Mrs. Charrington, masses of several thousands, and rose laziljr, flying a few hundred yards as the steamer came up with them ; Sandpipers and Curlews also abounded. At Goz-abu-Guma the shallow water near the banks was studded with large white water lilies, on and about which were Coot-like birds with very long toes: Jacanas. A Darter was added to the specimens on board, a curious Cormorant-like bird that swims under water with only its head and neck out : towards evening they gather in groups on the Ambatch bushes, and stand immovable with wings outstretched as if to dry them in the air. Beyond Renk, 280 miles south, the banks are fringed with reeds and bushes which are hung thickly with Weaver- birds’ nests. A very brilliant Vermillion and black Shrike was shot here (•). The Blue-uaped Coly, Coitus macrurus. (s). Lamprotornis porphyropterus . On Characters hi Birds' Wings. 319 CHARACTERS IN BIRDS’ WINGS. By Dr. A. Q. Butler. My attention has again been called to this important point by my fiiend Mi. F. W. Frohawk’s interesting article on the sexual chaiacteis of the Lapwing Ibis,’ Vol. IV., pp. 446-451). As is well known to many of our Members, I have written articles on the sexual differences exhibited in the wings of birds both in ‘ 1 he Zoologist ’ and in our Magazine. As I have already suggested, every Museum should make a collection of the expanded wings of all birds, in addition to the collection of skins ; not only to enable the systematic Ornitho¬ logist to see, at a glance, all sexual characters, and all important generic differences which an open wing brings to light ; but to enable him to describe his birds correctly. A short time since, I lost a fine example of the Brambling (Fringilla montifrhigilla $~) ; and, as I did not require the skin, I cut off and mounted the wings. On comparing these with the description of the Brambling in the Museum ‘ Catalogue of Birds,’ I at once noticed inaccuracies, which perhaps could hardly be avoided by anyone describing from skins alone, but which could not have crept into any description if open wings had been available for comparison. I should describe the wing as follows : — Scapularies and lesser coverts bright tawny sienna ; median coverts white, all the outer ones more or less washed with tawny ; greater coverts black, the inner web somewhat greyer, the first tipped with white, the second with white slightly washed with tawny, the latter colour gradually increasing in depth of tint and width to the ninth, when the inner web becomes white-tipped; bastard wing black externally, dark brown internally ; primary coverts dark brown ; quills with more or less black outer webs, black shafts, and greyer inner webs ; bastard primary quite as well developed as in the House-Sparrow ( Passer domesticus') ; second primary with narrow white edge to outer web ; remaining primaries with this edging more or less interrupted and partly brimstone yellow ; the fifth to the tenth with a conspicuous elongated white patch on outer web, 320 On Characters in Birds' Wings. washed in front with sulphur yellow; third to fifth primaries emarginate in front towards their extremities; second and third primaries with ashy borders to inner webs excepting towards the tips, the fourth to tenth with broad white borders to inner webs : anterior secondaries with a tapering marginal white streak towards extremities on outer web ; this streak becomes gradually more tawny and encircles the tips in the posterior secondaries ; in continuation of the elongate white patches on the outer webs of the primaries, the secondaries show cuneiform white patches faintly stained in front with tawny ; the narrow white and sulphur edging to the outer webs in the primaries is represented on the anterior secondaries by a broader (and shorter) streak, which increases in width and gradually becomes tawny on the inner secondaries, encircling the tips of the last three ; the first six secondaries have broad white borders to the inner webs excepting towards their extremities. Wings below grey, with white inner borders to the flights ; under wing-coverts whitish, becoming yellow at base of wing. I think it will be admitted that in the dried skin it would be hopeless to attempt to describe all these details ; and there¬ fore once more I would urge upon our elder brothers — the systematists, to delay no longer in adding as complete a series as possible of sexed mounted wings to the collections under their charge. I am quite sure, if they will do this, that many unsuspected characters of importance will be brought to light, which will be of assistance to them in their studies ; I am equally certain that it will enable them to distinguish with ease the sexes of many species which have hitherto been doubtfully or even incorrectly determined by collectors and taxidermists. Of course, in comparing some species, such as the Dunlin, in which the wings of male and female are almost uniform in size and structure, the weight and size of the bodies must not be overlooked ; the male, with its smaller body but equally large wings has a great advantage over the female when flying. 321 On Rearing Sandpipers. THE REARING OF THE SANDPIPER. By the Rev. C. D. Farrar. To know just how good brandy is in a mince pie, you must be a Protectionist. I suppose the zest of anything depends on the deprivation if not on the prohibition. I remember that a great traveller once said to me, that the much vaunted cataract of the Ganges was a poverty stricken puddle, but that in a country where there is no water, a puddle looked like an inunda¬ tion. It is much the same with me at present. Having parted with all my rare birds, I am for the present compelled to make the most of what we will call the less rare. For some odd reason chances do not come readily to those who greatly desire them ; therefore it is no wonder that when they do. we behave as though we were singing the song of Hannah. I had much her feeling of exultation when one summer afternoon in early July, I secured my family of Sand¬ pipers. They were “bred and born,” as Brer Rabbit was so fond of saying, on the banks of the Aire, but far far away from smoky Leeds, and I fancy that when I have related all the circumstances of their up-bringing the Council will feel that in very admiration they are bound to make an exception in this case and award me a Medal ! When discovered the little Sandpipers were barely out of the egg shell. In fact they were not dry, and so tiny were they that they looked like big bumble bees on legs. So feeble was the spark of life that they had to be warmed in the kitchen oven, or what Shakspeare calls : “The vital spark of heavenly flame” would have very quickly disappeared. There were three of the little beauties and the mother also came to me, but we will not say how. To have taken the babies and left the mother would have been not only gross cruelty, but madness ; and I was going to run no risks. Whether my walk or their lives would end first, was for a time a very nice problem. Fortunately, I managed to get them to 322 Rev. C. D. Farrar, the fire , though not in quite the same sense as Cranmer once used the expression. As I watched the poor little flicker of life, I must confess that I felt a tightening of the heart and throat, the sensation produced on some people by sacred music or the shimmer of moonlight on the sea. Presently beneath the grateful warmth, I could hear the feeblest of feeble little pipes — Peep — Peep — Peep continually repeated. For a long time life was at so low an ebb that they could not stand. As soon as I got home, I put them into one of my small aviaries with their gentle little mother. It was the prettiest sight in the world to see her call them and to watch them snuggle under her just like little chickens do under a hen. She seemed to know no fear, and might have been used to see a six foot parson standing over her all her life. This is all the more wonder¬ ful if we remember what a shy and timid bird the Sandpiper is. Perhaps she was of the same opinion as one of my miners, for he once said to me quite seriously, “ Eh, Mester Farrar, but if ye nobbut seed two cocks a fightin on t’ road, yer heart ’d tak part wi one o’ them.” My heart certainly did go out to the brave little hen, as she looked so sweet and confiding, with her soft brown eyes fixed on me, as much as to say, I know you will see me and my babies through this bit of bother. I had my doubts as to how to go to work, but some doubts are like dirty water, let them alone and they will evaporate. It was so in the present case. Had I not reared other tender birds ; why then should I be beaten by a nest of Sandpipers ? Still the magnitude ot the task, as Mrs. Nickleby said on another historic occasion — came upon me like a flash of fire and almost froze my blood. I knew very little about Sandpipers and their “ little Marys,” but I judged that they would probably live on little fresh water shrimps and such small deer as abide beside running waters. It was clear, however, that I could not get shrimps at on Rearing Sandpipers. 323 Micklefield, and the “pink un’s” from Scarboro’ would scarcely do. I felt that the only thing was to try various likely dainties. The common or garden worm was an obvious thought. Away I went and dug for dear life ; but as the ground was as hard as a brick-bat, or shall we say — the heart of a brother avi- culturist — the yield was not encouraging. I hurried back with what food I could get, and laid them down with some ceremony before the family. An Alderman at a City feast, if offered rice pudding in place of rich Turtle, could not have looked more disdainful. They simply did to the worms what the Israelites did to Jericho — they trod them under foot. Here was a nice predicament. Mealworms might do, but where was I to get mealworms to feed a family of hungry Sandpipers in July? Only a week before I had bought a quart at ten shillings, and was told plaintively that “ they was getting wery scarce.” At the price Sandpipers would soon literally be worth their weight in gold. A buzzing bluebottle suggested the humble but succulent maggot. I had a few. I humbly placed some on a saucer and turned away my head. When I looked again a moment later, they were gone completely, and the little Sandpipers were like David Copperfield “plainly asking for more.” More I could not give them for my supply was very limited. I set about there¬ fore and made them some food of my own, on the off chance that they would take to it. Failing this, I determined to give them their liberty, sooner than see them die before my eyes. To my intense surprise they took to it most kindly, and when I went to look at them in the morning, instead of finding them all dead corpses, I found as merry a party of Sandpipers as ever you saw. The soft peep, peep, peep, never ceased for many days. I suppose it is by the voice that they keep in touch with each other when at liberty. After each feed they regularly ran back to their mother for warmth, comfort, and forty winks. For a few days the wire divisions seemed to puzzle them, and they used to roam up and down as restlessly as some of the beasts do at the Zoo. 324 On Rearing Sandpipers. For some days they were covered all over with soft hair like down and long filamentous particles where their tails would one day be. It was not for about a fortnight that they began to feather, and it is only now at about two mouths old that they are begin¬ ning to resemble the old bird. The sexes are easy to tell, as the cock has a much whiter waistcoat than the lieu. They have long been able to fend for themselves. As they are Waders, I provided them with a small “ Lake,” made out of a disused scullery sink, and all day long they are about in it, looking for imaginary prey. They love to bathe, and when engaged in their tub they have a curious habit of lashing the water up with their sterns. I do not think they would hurt a healthy bluebottle, unless perchance they ate him, but they have a habit of running up to a bird with their necks stretched out very stiffly and seizing him by a wing. The small bird merely looks at them disdainfully and hops away, as much as to say What the dickens are you trying to do ? ” They are the prettiest and daintiest little birds imaginable, with their soft browny grey plumage ; snowy waistcoats and long aristocratic looking legs, quite reminding me of some of our best County families ! I love to see them moving about in a manner at once indicative of quiet security and an untroubled conscience. They only get maggots about twice a week now, and the other inmates of the aviary have to be pretty spry to get any.* We would especially urge members to send in accounts of their breeding results during the present summer, and we would also remind them that any notes on rare birds are at all times most acceptable. No member need be afraid to write if he or she has anything of interest to communicate. * I gave tlie Sandpipers their liberty to-night, August 17th, on our “Cars” or water meadows, not wishing to keep them all the Winter. — C. D. F. On Gray's Bare-throated Francolin. 325 GRAY’S BARE-THROATED FRANCOLIN. Pternistes leucosepus. By L. M. Seth-Smith, B.A., M.B.O.U. The African genus Pternistes, of which there are nine species, is characterised by the curious throat being entirely devoid of feathers ; also the bare patch round the eye is large and conspicuous. Seven of the species have the feathers of the back and scapulars with dark brown or black shaft-stripes, while the remaining two have the same feathers with white- shaft-stripes. The subject of this article is one of the latter class and inhabits North-East Africa, Abyssinia, and North Somaliland ; the other, P. infuscatus, being a more southern representative, and inhabiting East Africa from Mamboia northwards to Kilimanjaro and Southern Somaliland. Mr. Ogilvie-Grant thinks it probable that the two forms intergrade in Somaliland. At the beginning of March, Mr. F. C. Thorpe, the well known Hull bird dealer, sent me on approval a male and two female “ Abyssinian Francolins,” which were in such splendid condition, and such fine birds altogether, that I bought them, although I had been told that Francolins are fearful screechers. The plumage of the sexes is similar and the feathers being white with brown margins, give the birds a very speckly appearance. The skin round the eye is bright red and very conspicuous, and that on the neck light orange. In spite of the plumage being similar, the sexes can be easily distinguished by the male being considerably larger than the female and having a pair of sharp spurs, sometimes supplemented by a second blunted pair. As soon as I obtained my birds I put them into an out¬ door aviary with some evergreen cover, of which they took full advantage, being very shy. I planted turf also to give them more cover later on, but they would not allow it to grow, eating every green bitoff. They were fed almost entirely on malee, 326 On Gray's Bare-throated Francolin. which, though I believe usually very fattening, does not seem to have hurt them in the least, which I attribute to the fact of their having a good deal of room and being very active, continually running backwards and forwards. They are extremely fond of worms and scratch the earth and grass up a good deal in their search for them. Although living outside almost altogether, they had access to a wooden shed with plenty of dry sand in which they delighted to dust themselves. At first they agreed well together, but about the beginning of April I noticed that the hens always kept to their run on one side of the aviary, while the cock had his on the other side and was very savage if the hens trespassed, driving them away immediately. Towards the end of the mouth they seemed to get on better however, but still there was no grass and only a few nettles. In the next compartment, how¬ ever, in which were some Rain Quails, there was a fine crop of nettles, and so, on the 30th, I changed them round, putting the Fraucolins into the run with nettles two feet high and the Quails into the other. They seemed to like the change and very soon I saw the cock coming through the nettles with wings drooped and face inflated, showing off to one of the hens. On May 7th I found an egg laid in a comparatively deep hollow under some fir branches. There were a few pieces of grass in and about the nest, but it could not be called a lining. The egg looks at first glance a sort of dirty white all over, but on examining it more closely it is found to be minutely speckled with chalky-white. The crow of the cock has been compared, not altogether inaptly, to the bray of a donkey : to me it is not an objectionable sound. It has also several softer guttural notes. But hard indeed is the aviculturist’s lot! just when things seem at their best and hopes are highest there comes a blow. The next day, May 8th, the hen was found to be egg- bound. The miserably cold weather probably accounted for it, but still I do not fancy it is common for so large a bird to be egg-bound. I immediately took her into a warm kitchen and Bird Notes from the Zoological Gardens. 327 treated her, and about eight hours afterwards she laid a thin- shelled egg, and immediately after that was quite well again. [My brother left England for Uganda early in June and asked me to look at his Francolins wheuever I was in the neighbourhood. I fear, however, there is not much to add to the above notes. The hen that was egg-bound suffered from the same complaint on two occasions later and was then removed to another compartment. On the 16th of July, in peeping through the wire I noticed a batch of five eggs in a “ scratch” under some branches in a corner of the aviary, these having been laid by the second hen. I did not see them again until the 7th of August, when there were seven cold eggs in the nest, on which the hen had apparently never attempted to sit. As they looked perfectly good I decided to take them and attempt to hatch them in an incubator. I fear, however, that having lain so long unturned in the nest, there will be little chance of their hatching. D. Seth-Smith.] BIRD NOTES FROM THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. Additions during the month of July 1904 July i. i Leadbeater’s Cockotoo [Cacatua leadbeateri). ,, 2. 1 Vulturine Eagle ( Aquila verreauxi). ,, 3. 2 Ortolan Buntings (Einberisa hortulana). .,, 5. 3 Crested Screamers (Chauna cristata). ,, 5. 1 Emu {Dromceus novae — hollandice) s . „ 5. 2 Egyptian Geese (Chenalopex cegyptiacus). „ 5. I Common Buzzard {Buteo vulgaris). „ 7. 5 Upland Geese ( Chloephaga magellanica). „ 8. 2 .Spur- winged Geese (Plectropterus gambensis) 8. 1 Angolan Vulture (Gypohierax ahgolensis). ,, 8. 1 Short-eared Owl (Asio brachyotus). ,, 8. 2 Grey-headed Love-birds ( Agapornis can a). ,, 8. 1 Great-billed Andaman Parrakeet Madagascar. (Argentina). (Patagonia). W. Africa. Africa. Europe. Australia. N. Africa. Europe. Australia. S. Africa. Europe. (. Palceornis inagnirostris Andaman Is. British Isles. 9. 3 Hobbies ( Falco subbuieo). Bird Notes from the Zoological Garde?is. 328 JUI.Y 11. 11. 12. yy 12. yy 13* y y 14. yy 14. ■y t 14. yy 14. yy 14. yy 15- yy 15- yy 15- yy 15- yy 15- yy 15- yy 18. yy 20. yy 20. yy 20. yy 20. yy 21. yy 21. yy 21. yy 22. yy 23- yy 23- y y 23- jy 23- yy 25- yy 26. yy 26. yy 26. ■y y 27. yy 27. yy 27. yy 27. yy 27. yy 2S. X Common Cormorant {Phalacrocorax carbo). .. Europe. 2 Little Ringed Plovers ( ZEgialitis curonica). 4 Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus). 2 Greater Black-backed Gulls ( Larus marinus ) 3 Lettered Aracaris (Pteroglossus inscriptus). .. Brazil. 1 Ostrich ( Struthio camelus ) 4 . Gambia, W. Africa. 3 Levaillant’s Parrots ( Pceocephalus robustus). ,, ,, 1 Browu-throated Conure ( Conurus ceruginosus). S. America. 2 Hybrid Rheas (between Rhea americana and Rhea darwini). „ 4 Purple Herons {Ardea pitrpurea). . . Europe. 10 Glossy Ibises (Plegadis falcinellus). . . „ 1 Red- veil ted Parrot (Pionus menstrnus). . . S. America. I Eupatorian Parrakeet (. Paleeornis eupatria) ? .. India. 1 Calandra Lark (M ela nocorypha calandra). . . Europe. 2 Yellow-bellied Liotlirix (Liothrix luteus). . . China. 3 Common Kestrels ( Tinnunculus alaudarius). . . British Isles. 2 Crowned Cranes (Balearica pavonina). . . White Nile. 1 Musky Lorikeet (Glossopsiltacus concinnus). . . Australia. 1 Swainsou’s Lorikeet ( Trichoglossus novce — hollandice). „ r Ornamental Lorikeet (Trichoglossus ornatus) . . ,, 1 Black-bellied Weaver-bird ( Euplectes afer) s . .. W. Africa. 1 Great Eagle Owl {Bubo maximus). . . Europe. I Barn-Owl ( Strix flammed). . . British Isles. 4 Shoveller Ducks ( Spatula clypeata ). . . Europe. 1 Blue-fronted Amazon (Chrysotis cestiva). .. S. America. 1 Brazilian Tanager ( Ramphoccelus brasilius ) S . . Brazil. 1 Blue-sliouldered Tanager ( Tanagra cyanopte7'a). ,, 1 Yellow-crowned Penguin (. Endyptes antipodum). New Zealand. 2 Rock-hopper Penguins {Eudyptes chrysocome ). Patagonia. 2 Glossy Ibises ( Plegadis falcinellus). . . (Europe). 1 Cormorant ( Phalacrocorax carbo). . . Europe. 1 Crowned Crane (Balearica pavonina). .. W. Africa. 1 Ring-necked Parrakeet ( Paleeornis torquata). India. 1 Black-breasted Peewit (Sarciophoj’us pectoralis). Australia. 2 Ural Owls (dark var.) ( Syrnium uralense). .. N. Europe. 6 Scops Owls [Scops giu). .. S. Europe. 2 Naked-footed Owlets [Athene noctua). .. Europe. 2 Golden-crowned Conures {Conurus aureus). .. S. E. Brazil. 1 Greater Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacalua galerita). Australia. The three examples of Levaillant’s Parrot (. Pceocephahis 329 Weka Rails Breeding in Captivity. robustus') received on the 14th of July are noteworthy additions to the collection, for the species is very rarely imported, and has not been represented at the Gardens for many years. It inhabits South Africa but is a rare and local species. The pair of Tickell’s Ouzels ( Merula unicolor) presented to the Society by Mr. Harper in 1900 have nested in the new Pheasantry. Three young were hatched but one died ; the other two are doing well, and at the present moment (Aug. 20th) are just about leaving the nest. The species inhabits the Himalayas during the breeding season, and descends to the plains of India during the Winter months. The pair at the Zoo. are probably the only ones ever brought alive to this country, and the fact of their breeding in the Gardens is a matter for congratulation. The breeding season at the Zoo. may now be said to be about over, and, so far as the birds are concerned, it has been one of the most successful seasons on record. The credit for this must go primarily to Mr. Bertling, the Head Keeper, who has had especial charge of the birds. — D. S.-S. WEKA RAILS BREEDING IN CAPTIVITY. The partial success of Mr. Blaauw in rearing young of the Weka Rail ( Ocydromus azistralis) in his Park at Gooilust in Holland was referred to at page 277. Since the publication of his notes on the subject in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society (March, 1899) he has attained complete success, and we are indebted to him for a copy of a paper read at the Zoological Congress in Berlin in August 1901. The pair of Wekas had been kept for some years in the open, in an enclosure with growing plants. In the spring of 1900 they made a large nest of all kinds of vegetation, under a beech tree, and both birds sat in turns on the three eggs, which were whitish, spotted, and streaked with red. O11 June 8th, after twenty-eight days incubation, young- 330 Weka Rails Breeding in Captivity. birds were observed. These, two in number, were an almost uniform chocolate brown, with black eyes and beak and reddish legs and feet, and they were carefully fed and looked after by their parents. On the first day the young remained in the nest, but on the second they began to follow the adults, who diligently searched for food, which consisted of all kinds of worms and insects. At first the whole family remained under the cover of overhanging plants, but later they went more and more into the open, and at length both old and young would run fearlessly out when food was brought. When the young birds were about a fortnight old the legs began to grow very long, so that their small bodies were carried remarkably high. Provision was thus made for rapid movement at an early age. When about five weeks old the legs of the young birds began to get yellowish, and soon became so alto¬ gether. Feathers now appeared on the shoulders and sides, and as no trace of a tail was yet visible they bore a superficial resemblance to the Apteryx. By July 26th they were fully fledged, although the feathers were still short, and the legs became a dark red, the colour being however still mixed with black. The bill was still black and short, but it soon increased in length and became brightly coloured, and in a short time the birds were fully grown. The first plumage is similar to that of the adult ; but the black marks are less clearly defined, and the general colour is darker. Mr. Blaauw found the Wekas very tame, intelligent and hardy, and possessing one fault only, namely, that they will kill whatever they can master; on one occasion even killing a young Rhea. However with an enclosure to themselves this bad characteristic need not be taken into consideration. Correspondence, Notes, etc. CORRESPONDENCE, NOTES, ETC. 331 MELANISM IN GOULDIAN FINCHES. Sir, — In 1902 Dr. Butler wrote to The Ibis describing a very curiously marked specimen of Gouldian Finch. At the present time there is a live specimen at the Regent’s Park Zoo. very like the one he mentioned. The keeper (Insect House) tells me it is one of five which arrived in October last in their grey nestling plumage, and that it has quite recently moulted into the present colouring. WiqrjAM Ingram. Sir, — The accompanying letter from Sir Win. Ingram, Bart., is I think of interest. My bird only acquired its deep colouring gradually, during the last three or four years of its life; but the specimen now at the Zoo. has assumed it as its first adult plumage. It seems possible that such excess of pigmentation may be due to unusual vigour resulting from a succession of unrelated marriages in this bird’s ancestry. A. G. BuTqER. [Is it not more likely a result of high feeding and practically no exercise ? — Ed.J THE “LAUGHING OWL” OF NEW ZEALAND. (, Sceloglaux albifacies). Letter received by a member from a taxidermist in Dunedin, N. Z. To get live Owls is a much rarer thing than you are aware of. A pair were sold a few years ago to a gentleman in England for £100. The pair I have could not be sold under ^50. This bird is rapidly becoming extinct, as the country is getting settled very fast. It cannot stand being disturbed, and its food, rats, mice, etc. are getting scarce since stoats and weasels were introduced. All the sheep farmers set fire to the native tussock grass, then the ferrets, stoats, and weasels do the rest. These birds have been in confinement for about five years, and have laid each year. They were taken from the nest and are so tame that they will allow themselves to be stroked, although they seem not to care for such attentions. They are fed on steak, sheep’s heart, or any meat not too tough. In all cases I chop up the meat in small bits, and about twice a-week I give a little bit of sheep’s liver and lung. I have tried them with birds, rats, and mice, but if I put in the usual little dish of chopped meat they will never touch the others. They will eat almost any kind of tender meat. I give them fresh meat every evening, and a large pie-disli of water : they are fond of bathing, and cannot do without it. In the southern part of N. Z.they inhabit the wild rocky sides of hills where there is plenty of frost and snow in winter; here there are many Correspondence , Notes, etc. winters without snow, and as a rule the frost disappears by eleven o’clock, but there is a good deal of cold wind. They are housed in a very large packing-case, and inside there is a small box where they stay all day or run into if disturbed in the evening. We have got a small Owl here about half the size of the other, say twice as big as a Blackbird; it is called the Morepork, which it calls out on moonlight nights pretty plainly. It inhabits large trees so overgrown with creepers that it is difficult to get its nest. It is not nearly so scarce as the other. I think a pair might be got for £20, but it might take a year or more to procure them. The Morepork is a great mouser, and eats moths and such like : it is hardy in confinement and any kind of meat that is not tough will do. Both these Owls are a tawny brown. The large Owl has black eyes, and the small one bright orange-yellow. In any good museum library you can see in Buller’s book (2nd edition, Vol. II.) a good cut and description of both. ( Signed ) W. Smyth. SINGING-FINCHES BREEDING. Sir, — Referring to Miss Merrylees letter, I find the Grey Singing- finch most easy to breed in a large aviary, and the young are reared without any trouble. I notice that when the birds have young they pick the green food over very frequently. I supply large bundles of flowering grass, shepherd’s purse, plantain (rats’ tails), lettuce, cliickweed, groundsel, and any plant or shoot from rose or fruit-trees that is infested with blight. The Grey and Green Singing-finches I find cross very readily, the young taking after the Grey, but generally shewing the dark clieek-mark of the Green ; they are excellent singers. Are these cross-bred birds likely to be fertile ? F. H. Rudkin. THE DIAMOND DOVE. Geopelia cuneata. These beautiful and graceful little Doves do extremely well in out¬ door aviaries in which there is plenty of cover in the shape of growing fir trees and bushes or bundles of thick brushwood. In my own aviary nest after nest is built and the young are reared without the slightest difficulty. The nest is placed generally from five to ten feet from the ground, and is made of very fine twigs and bents. It is difficult to say exactl}' how many young have been reared this year, but I think ten or twelve. I11 the winter the Diamond Doves certainly need warmth ; the cold seems to paralyze them, especially the hens, and I used generally to lose several before I had my aviaries properly warmed in winter. D. SETH-SMITH. 333 Correspondence, Notes, etc. THE INDIAN GREEN-WINGED DOVE. Chalcophaps indica. The breeding of this handsome species in captivity being, I believe, a somewhat rare event, it may perhaps be worth while recording the rearing of two pairs of “squeakers ” in my aviar}\ The lien is a very old bird that was given to me about two years ago by my friend Mr. B. Thomasset. She had laid eggs while in his possession. Last summer (1903) I obtained a mate for her— a very perfect and beautiful bird, — and she wanted to nest at once. The new bird, however, was very shy at first, though he soon got tamer. I11 the late autumn they nested, but failed to rear the young. In the spring of the present year they went to nest again, and successfully reared a pair which are now nearly as fine as their parents. A second pair of squabs left the nest on August nth and are doing well. The young birds are very small when they leave the nest, though they fly well. The first time I saw one, perched on a branch of plum tree, I could hardly make out what it was, as I did not expect to see the young Greeuwings out so soon. Although the wings were fully feathered the head was almost naked, and it looked a most peculiar little creature. The plumage of the young is very interesting, and very different from that of the adults. The feathers are very dark brown — almost black — broadly tipped with reddish brown. Even in the nest however a few green feathers are visible on the back and wings. The change to the adult plumage takes place gradually, though somewhat rapidly, but in the first adult stage the plumage is not so bright as in the old birds. Probably they wait until the following spring for the brilliancy of maturity. I may mention that the egg of this species is distinctly cream-coloured, not white. D. Seth-SmiTh. WHOOPER SWANS NESTING IN CAPTIVITY. Sir, — I think it may be of some interest to the readers of the Aviculiural Magazine to know that we have had a pair of Wliooper Swans ( Cygnus ferns), pinioned, on the lake here since the Spring of 1903. They nested this Spring — began to sit on April 25th, and on June 6th hatched four young ones. About three da}'S after three of them were found dead; it is believed they got lost from the old birds who had been fighting, and died of starvation — the remaining cygnet is thriving. F. Harewood. OFFICERS FOR THE YEAR 1904-5. In accordance with Rule 8 (as amended June 1904) the Council recommend that Messrs. E. G. B. Meade-Waldo and Russell Humplirys retire from the Council for the year 1904-5, and that Miss D. Hamilton and Mr. Bernard C. Thomasset be elected in their stead. Also that Mr. Russell Humplirys be elected as Auditor and Mr. Nicholas S. O’Reilly as Scrutineer. 334 Post Mortem Examinations. THE ILLUSTRATION FUND. Mr. Russell Humplirys and Mr. Trevor-Battye have each kindly given a donation of one guinea, and Mr. P. Peir (of Sydney) five shillings, towards the above fund. This brings the total amount received to August 24th, up to ^28 10s. 6d. POST MORTEM EXAMINATIONS. Gouldian Finch, cock (Mr. W. F. Moore). Appeared ill some days. A gathering like a blister was found on the left side of neck. This was pricked and an oily fluid pressed out. It seemed better and was replaced in a flight cage, but it died during the afternoon. Food consisted of canary, millet, a mealworm occasionally, greenfood and softbillo once a week. [Your bird suffered from a cyst 011 the side of the neck, but this did not involve any important structures and had nothing to do with its death. It suffered from fatty degeration of the liver, which was the cause of death]. Bengalee (Mrs. Slierston). Had been rather puffy for a little time, but sang and seemed all right. Noticed the upper mandible was over¬ grown; would that prevent the proper cracking of seed? The bird seems well-nourished, but it might have swallowed seed whole, and died of indigestiou. [The upper mandible was overgrown, but the seed in the crop was properly cracked. It died of inflammation of the liver]. ROSELLA Parrakeet, lien (Mr. D. Parker). Only seemed to be ill two or three days, sitting moping 011 the seed-pan. Kept in a good-sized aviary in company with another Rosella and two Redrumps. Food consisted of hemp, millet, and canary seed. They had been in the aviary about six weeks. [The bird died of inflammation of the bowels, in my opinion brought on by chill. I should be inclined to add to the food you now give, wheat, dari, and oats, and do not give too much hemp. Many thanks for P. O. 2/6]. Budgerigar (Mrs. Williams). [Your bird died of concussion of brain]. •Orange-cheeked Waxbii.L (Mrs. Noble). No sj'mptoms. [Death was due to acute pneumonia]. -ST. Helena Waxbii.L and Orange-cheeked Waxbill (Mrs. E. Mellor). [The St. Helena died of concussion of the brain, and the Orange¬ cheeked of inflammation of the bowels. Be careful with the green food]. Nonpareil, cock (Mrs. Tomes). Found dead. [Apoplexy. There was a large blood extravasation over the left side of brain], Arthur Gill. F. C. THORPE, Importer of all Varieties of Foreign Birds and (Ilaterfoinl, ANIMALS IMPORTED TO ORDER. All Birds kept in Aviaries not Cages, and sent on approval. NOTE THE ADDRESS— 75, SOUTH PARADE, HULL. Stock in hand August 20th, 1904. i pair Pennant’s Parrakeets 45/- pair, 2 pairs Red-faced Lovebirds 15/- pair, Madagascar Lovebirds 4/6, Nandav Parrakeets 15/- each, 1 Leadbeater’s Cockatoo £ 2 , 1 Blue-crowned Connie 10/-, 2 Yellow Budgerigars 20/- pair, 2 acclini. Rose Cockatoos 10/- each, Plunihead Parrakeets 15/- pair, 4 Redruuips ^1 10/- pair. Also finest lot of Doves in England — 1 pair Red Mountain Doves £3, 3 rare Brazilian Doves (name not known) £2 pair, pair Scaly Ground-Doves £1, 12 pairs Talpacoti Doves 10/6 pair, 4 pairs Steel-barred Doves 15/- pair, Blue Grosbeaks 20/- pair, 5 pairs Zebras 3/6 pair, 7 Singing-finches 4/6 pair, Senegal Finches 2/- to 5/- pair, aviary- bred Cut-throats 4/- pair, 6 Blue-fronted Amazons 16/- to 30/- each, talking Amazons £2 each, 2 cock Indigos 6/6 each full colour, 1 Long-tailed Gloss}' Starling 40/-, 6 Rosy Pastors fine 7/6 each, 8 Grenadiers in colour 6/6 each, 1 pair Blue-cheeked Jays ^3 10/-, 1 small rare Macaw 36/-, pair Scarlet Tanagers 30/- true pair, 2 Lavender Tanagers 12/6 each, 2 rare Brown Starlings 6/6 each, rare Yellow-bellied Grosbeaks 30/- each, 6 adult Demoi¬ selle Cranes (pinioned) £5 10/- pair, Flamingoes ^10 pair, 6 pairs Arau- canian Scaly - necked Pigeons from Chili £3 pair very rare, 10 pairs Senegal Doves beauties 10/6 pair, Crown Pigeons, Crown Tanagers, White Javas 10/- pair, Australian Crested Doves 22/6 pair. Also due to arrive in October Sarus Cranes, Common Cranes. Also Grus vipio, Grus leucauchen, Grus monacha, Lories, Houbara Bustards, Talking Minahs, Shatnas, Pittas, Broad-billed Rollers, Thickbills, rare Laughing Jay Thrushes, Green Ava- davats, variety of rare Ducks, Geese, and Jacanas, Pheasants. 2 Vinaceons Amazons £3 each, 1 Guan Fowl £1 15/-, x Red-winged Amazon £4, 6 All- green Parrakeets 12/6 pair, 4 Great Tinamous £1 5/- each, 1 Rhea hen £6 10/-, 4 pairs Pileated Parrakeets ( Pionopsittacus pileatus) £6 10/- pair, 3 Red- masked Amazons £4 each, 1 pair Violet Doves £2 2/-, 2 pairs Vinaceons Doves £2 pair, 1 .Superb Tanager 16/-, 10 pairs Orange Bishops in colour 8/6 pair, 1 Blue Robin hen 7/6, 2 pairs Green Cardinals 20/- pair, 2 pairs Red¬ headed Hangnests £3, 1 Muller’s Parrot £3. 1 Agelacus cya?iopus £3 very rare, 6 Whydahs in colour, Paradise and Pintail, 5/6 each, 12 out of colour 5/6 pair, 4 rare Blue-winged Pigmy Amazons, rarest birds in England, ^'3 io/- each. Also quantity rare and common Waterfowl, Chinese, Bean, and Brent Geese, Muscovy, Cayuga, Indian-Runner, Mandarin, Carolina, Widgeon, Teal, Garganey, Pintail, Mallards, Tree Ducks, Brazilian Blue-winged Teal, Shellducks, Ruddy Ducks, etc. Stock Always Changing. IV. Notices to Members — Continued. Reducing private collection of Pheasants — One male Elliott 50 /- ; one male, two female Silver 30/-. All in perfect condition. Mrs. Nobee, Park Place, Henley-on-Thames. Pair Rosellas 40/-; Hens: Pennant 30 /-, Adelaide 32/6, Virginian Cardinal 15/-. Cock Barnard 30/-. All acclimatised. Number of young Cockatiels. SaeTER. Thame. Pair Zebra Doves 3/6; Pennant’s Parrakeets £1 each; Rosellas 15/- each ; 5 young Cockatiels, aviarv-bred, £1 the lot; hen Grenadier Weaver 2/6 ; hen Bishop 1/- ; pair Redrumps 25/- ; Indian Weaver, yellow and brown 6/6; Yellow Budgerigars 21/- pair. All in outdoor aviary. C. P. Arthur, Melksham. The following aviary-bred birds for sale, all absolutely perfect : Tataupa Tinamous ^3 10/- pair ; Brush Bronzewing Doves ^3 10/- pair ; cock ditto 30/-; Indian Greenwings 20/- pair ; hen Man5’-coloured Parra- keet, £3. D. Seth-Smith, 14, Canning Road, Croydon. From unheated room aviary. Pairs: Parson-Finches, Chestnut-breasted Finches, White-throated Finches, Masked Finches, Zebra Finches, cock Pectoral Finch, cock Green Singing-finch. Miss Husband, Clifton View, York. Diamond Doves 10/6 pair; Diamond Sparrows 15/- ; acclimatised, outdoor aviary. Frank Bathe, Montgomery Road, Sheffield. WANTS. ( These are charged for at the same rate as Birds for Sale I. Hen Rock-peplar, two Diamond Sparrows, Virginian Nightingale. Mrs. NobeE, Park Place, Henley-on-Thames. Cock Chinese Painted Quail. H. L. Sich, Lydfords, East Hoathly, Sussex. Young pair Amherst Pheasants, unrelated; also Meally Rosellas. SaeTER, Thame. Notices to Members —(Continued from page it. of cover). NEW MEMBERS. Miss Florence Champion ; Moira House, College Road, South Dulwich. Miss Georgina Wolfe ; St. John’s, 57, Grenada Road, East Southsea. Sir Wm. Ingram, Bart. ; Westgate-on-Sea. Mr. Robert L. Gunther ; Park Wood, Englefield Green, Surrey. Mr. W. L. SclaTER, M.A., F Z.S., Director of the South African Museum, Capetown, South Africa. Mr. Allen Silver; Long Melford, Suffolk. CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION. Miss Ellen Crowsfoot, Blyburgate House, Beccles. Proposed by Mrs. Johnstone. Mrs. W. SeTh-Smith, Alleyue, Caterham Valley, Surrey. And Mrs. Chas. Stirling ; 32, Snowdon Place, Stirling, N. B. Proposed by the Hon. Editor. MEMBERS’ SALE AND EXCHANGE COLUMN. Ihe charge for private advertisements is one penny for every four words. Names and addresses of advertisers must be paid for. Each statement of price, such as 3/6, is counted as one word. Every advertisement must be prepaid, and MUST reach the EDITOR not later than the 19/A of each month. The Council reserve the right of refusing any advertisement they may consider undesirable. Two pairs young Java Sparrows, white, 7/- pair ; mottled grey ditto, 5/- pair. Aviary-bred Red- and Black-headed Gould’s finches. No cards. Miss Bamford, The Leys, Bedford. Pairs, each from Garden aviary— Leadbeater’s Cockatoos £3 15/-; Crimson- wing Parrakeets £3 5/- ; Pennants^; Rosellas £1 15/-; Blue-winged Lovelrirds 6/6. All in perfect condition. J. J. Mumford, The Poplars, Kettering. Mrs. Johnstone, is leaving Suffolk, and parting with many of her birds. List sent on application. Rougham Hall, Bury St. Edmunds. {Continued on opposite page). JOHN D. HAMLYN, NATURALIST, . 221, St. George’s Street East, London. THE ACTUAL IMPORTER OF RARE FOREIGN BIRDS & ANIMALS DIRECT FROM OUR Indian, Australian, and African Empires. Absolutely THE ONLY DEALER who attends Shipping at London, Southampton, Plymouth, Antwerp, Bordeaux, Havre, and Marseilles. REFERENCES TO EVERY AMATEUR OF NOTE. LIST ON APPLICATION. OUCCESS IN BIRD KEEPING & BREEDING ^ CAN ONLY HE SECURED BY USING •5* ABRAM AM S’ *5* WORUD-FAMBI) (MF- Specialities in BIRD FOOD. LARGE STOCK OF RARE FOREIGN BIRDS. HARTZ MOUNTAIN ROLLERS, Norwich, Yorkshire and Lizard Canaries Cock Birds in full Song now in Stock ABRAHAMS’ TONIC for Diarrhoea and Strengthening Birds. EVERY DESCRIPTION OF Cage and Aviary Appliance, Seed, etc., in stock. For complete Pi ice List apply to — J. ABRAHAMS, 191 & 192, ST. GEORGE STREET EAST, LONDON, K. .ABRAHAMS’ is the oldest and most reliable Establishment in England. MONTHLY. OCTOBER, 1904. CONTENTS.^ Report of the Council for the year 1903-4 Alphabetical List of Contributors List of Plates, and List of Illustrations in the Text Krrata The Orange-billed Tanager, by Dr. A. G Burr.RR On the Breeding- in Captivity of the ked-backed Shrike, by Dr. Albkrt Gunther A Chapter of Accidents, by A. Trevor-Battyb, M.A., F.L.S., M.B.O.U. The Breeding of the Red-faced Lovebird, by G. C. Porter Nesting of the Yellow-rumped Parrakeet, by Wm. R. Fasey, F.Z.S. Talpacoti Doves Breeding in Confinement, by C. Casti.e-Sloane, F.Z.S, An account of some experiments in Rearing Wild Finches by Foster-Parent Birds, by Prof. W. E. D. Scott On the Health of Small Finches, by Mrs. Johnstone Birds of Paradise in England Further Notes on the Tataupa Tinamou, by D. Seth-Smith, F.Z.S. , M.B.O.U. A Station for the Study of Bird-Life ... Bird Notes from the Zoological Gardens The Society’s Medal Correspondence, Notes, etc. — The Management of the Avicultural Society, 367 ; The Great¬ billed Parrakeet, 369 ; The Diamond Dove, 370 ; “Notes on Some Birds of the White Nile,’’ 370 ; “ Ravens Breeding in Captivity,” — A Correction, 371. Post-mortem Examinations Index PAGE iv. vii. xv. xvi. 335 339 347 35° 353 354 354 360 362 362 364 365 366 371 372 LO N DO N l H. PORTER, 7, Princes St., Cavendish Square, W. NOTE.— A new volume commences every November. new series. voi. 11. No. 12. Price is 6d* r=n Members’ Annual Subscription, 10/- J payable in advance. THE JOURNAL OF THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY. II. All Subscriptions are now due and should be sent to the Honorary Business Secretary. THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY. Persons wishing to join the AvicueTurat, Society are requested to communicate with either of the Hon. Secretaries or the Editor. NOTICES TO MEMBERS. The Subscription to the Avicultural Society is 10/- per annum, due on the ist of November in each year, and is payable in advance. The entrance fee is io 6. The Avicultural Magazine is sent free to members monthly. Members joining at any time during the year are entitled to the back numbers for the current year, on the payment of entrance fee and subscription. All MSS. for publication in the Magazine , Books for Review , and Private Advertisements should be addressed to the Editor, Mr. I). SE'i'H- Smith, Glengarry, Canning Road, Addiscombe, Surrey. All Queries respecting Birds (except post mortem cases) should be addressed to the Honorary Correspondence Secretary, Dr. A. G. BuTRER, 124, Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent. All other correspondence, and Subscriptions , should be sent to the Hon¬ orary Business Secretary, Mr. T. H. Newman, 20, M ontpelier Square, London, S.W. Any change of address should be at once notified to him. Advice is given, by post, by members of the Council to members of the Society, upon all subjects connected with Foreign and British birds. All queries are to be addressed to the Hon. Correspondence Secretary and should contain a penny stamp. Those marked “ Private ” will not be published. The Magazine is published bv Mr. R. H. Porter (7, Princes Street, Cavendish Square, W.) to whom all orders for extra copies, back numbers, and bound volumes (accompanied by remittance) should be addressed. Cases for binding Vol. I., New Series, of the Magazine (in art cloth, with gold block on side) can be obtained from the Publisher, post free ami carefully packed, at 1/6 each ; or the Publisher will undertake the binding of the Volume for 2/6, plus 8d. for packing and postage. All orders must be accompanied by a remittance in full; and Members are requested to state whether they want the wrappers and advertisements bound in at the end or not. BOUND COPIES OF The “AVICULTURAL MAGAZINE.’’ l'he following can be obtained from the Publisher at the prices given below. Postage 6d. per volume extra : Vol. II., 6/- to members; 8/6 to the public. Vols. V. to VII., to/6 each to members ; 12/6 each to the public. Vol. VIII., 14/- to members ; 17/6 to the public. Vol. I., New Series, 21/- to members; 30/- to the public (revised prices). Current Monthly Numbers 1/6 each (except in special cases, such as the Number containing the List of Members, when the Committee may increase the price), by post 1/7; for back Numbers a higher price is charged according to circumstances. Vols. I., III. & IV., are out of print. Second-hand copies sometimes reach the Publisher, to whom application should be made. ( Continued on page Hi. of cover). The Practical Scientific Cabinet Makers. J. T. CROCKETT & SON, Established over 50 Years. MAKERS OF EVERY DESCRIPTION OF Cabinet Gases & Store Boxes TAXIDERMY IN ALL ITS BRANCHES. Apparatus and Appliances for the use of Specimens for Entomo¬ logists, Botanists, Ornithologists, Geologists, Mineralogists, Numismatists, Conchologlsts, etc., And for the use of Lecturers, Science Teachers, College Students, &c. MUSEUMS FITTED AND ARRANGED. Specially made Cabinets for Birds’ Eggs and Skins, the Drawers graduate in depth and are all interchangeable. STORE BOXES, fitted with Camphor Cells, 2/3, 3/6, 4/3, 5/3 SETTING BOARDS, flat or oval, i-in. 5d., 15-in. 7d., 2-iu. 9d., 2l-in. lid., 3|-in. 1/2, 4-in- 1/4, 5-in. 1/8. PLAIN RING NETS, wire orcane, 1/6, 2/-, 2/3. FOLDING NETS, 3/-, 4 /- UMBRELLA NETS, sell-acting, 6/9. POCKET BOXES, 6d., 8d., lid., 1/5 SUGARING TINS, with brush, 1/4, 1/10. SETTING HOUSES, flat or oval boards, 8/6, 10/-. Cork back, 12/9. BREEDING CAGES, 2/3. Improved style, fitted with tanks, 3/7. COLEOPTERIST COLLECTING BOTTLES, 1/4, 1/6. INSECT and EGG CASES, from 2/3 to 10/- Best Steel FORCEPS, 1/5 pair. TAXIDERMISTS’ COMPANION, containing eight useful articles for Skinning, 9/6. EGG DRILLS, from 3d. BLOW PIPES from 2d. to 5d. ZINC RELAXING BOXES, 8d., lid. NESTED CHIP BOXES, 4 doz. 7d. ENTOMOLOGICAL PINS from 1/- per oz. ZINC LARVAE BOXES, 8d. lid., 1/5. BEST WHITE CEMENT, 5d. a Bottle. SPECIAL CORK CARPET, 9d. per square foot. CABINET CORKS, 7in by 35m., lid. and 1/2 per dozen sheets. The “PERFECTION” FLAT SETTING BOARDS, for English stvle of Setting. Supersedes the old Boards. Same prices as ordinary Setting Boards. All Goods not approved may be exchanged, or money returned. All Goods Store Prices. All Best Work. Estimates given. Great Advantages in dealing direct with Makers. Send for Full Detailed Price List before ordering elsewhere. 7a, PRINCES ST., CAVENDISH SQ., (7 Doors from Oxford Circus) London, W. Factories : 34, RIDING HOUSE ST., and OGLE ST. W. HYDE’S Patent Iron Tonic Grit For all Cage Birds, Pigeons and Fowls. HYDE’S ESTHETIC SEEDS. For Song Birds. A combination of rare and expensive Seeds blended to suit their natural requirements. Iyde’I HYDE'S LARK FOOD. 'HffDEkU lid. A id] ]N irade^^Mharn -Jti CACE BIRDS. PIGEONS m Hyde’s Vitaz FOR POULTRY. §§ HYDE’S NATURAL FOOD. For Aquarium Fish and Insectivorous Birds. Sold in Tins. Sample Box, Id. The latest achievement in Ornithology Extracts from a letter from Mr. J. PARKINSON, NATURALIST, BLACKPOOL, ENGLAND, October 30th, iqoi. “ Your Traveller was right in saying that the three nests ol Parrots which I have reared were brought up on your Esthetic Seeds, which were boiled for about half an hour, and the birds when old enough they fed upon your famous Parrot Food. Your Traveller has handled the eggs and seen the young ones progressing into maturity. More than two hundred people, from all parts of the country, have visited me in order to see the Parrots ; and four gentlemen, who are Bird Naturalists, are presenting me with a Silver Cup, in commemoration of such an unprecedented accomplishment.” The “ BLACKPOOL GAZETTE” of Dec. 4th Says— “Mr. Parkinson has apparently solved the problem of Parrot-rearing, which has troubled Bird Fanciers generally throughout the country, and his skill in this direction has been recognised by the presentation of two Silver Cups at the local Bird Show.” R. HYDE <& Co., Ltd., 54 , LILFORD RD. CAMBERWELL. * Cloth, gilt top, Small 8vo., Six Shillings net THE BIRDS OF TENNYSON, BY WATKIN WATKINS, B.A. Cantab. Member of the British 07'nithologists' Union. “ Many as are the volumes which have been written on different phases and aspects of our late Laureate's works, this, we think, is the first time that a whole book has been devoted to “The Birds of Tennyson.” Mr. W. Watkins, the author, is a member of the British Ornithologists’ Union, and has, therefore, a scientific as well as a literary interest in the subject. And his verdict in the matter is this— that ‘ No poet is so satisfactory to the ornithologist [as Tennyson], for no poet had a more accurate knowledge of birds or had a happier power of describing their peculiarties.' Mr. Watkins’ pages are, indeed, themselves a testimony to the acuteness as well as the frequency with which Tennyson described the ‘ feathered tribe.’ All this, of course, is an old story to the students of the poet, but it is pleasant to find Tennyson’s references to birds collected and systematised as thev are in this agreeable treatise, which is, as it should be, carefully and usefully indexed. In his introduction Mr. Watkins deals with Tennyson’s allusions to birds in general, and in subsequent chapters discourses successively of birds of song, birds of passage, birds of prey, birds of sport and so forth The result should convince those who are not already convinced that as a poet of the birds Tennyson ranks with Shakespeare. Mr. Watkins, as a naturalist, of course appreciates fully the poet’s stanzas on ‘ The Throstle,’ of which the ignorant have been accustomed to make game. He recognises the fidelity with which the bird’s ‘ note ’ is reflected in such lines, homely enough, as — 1 Summer is coming, summer is coming, I know it, I know it, I know it.’ And he gives other instances of the poet’s successful translation of birds’ song into literary speech.”— The Globe, “ Lovers and all in qnest of unhackneyed forms of endearment could not do better than add to their possessions a copy of 'The Birds of Tennyson.’ by Watkin Watkins. The book is a well-compiled number of extracts from the poems of Tennyson, Wordsworth, Shakespeare, Byron, Chaucer, Milton, Cowper, and other poets, in which the manners and customs of birds are introduced as similes, in dainty lines. The volume contains some excellent illustrations of birds by G. E- Lodge.”— Pall Mall Gazette. “ Mr. Watkins, who must have spent a vast deal of time in the study of Tennyson’s poetry from the natural history point of view, publishes a number of extracts, and enlarges on them in a most interesting manner. Mr. Watkins’ book should prove very acceptable to Tennyson lovers.” — The Yorkshire Post. “‘The Birds of Tennyson’ should have a strong attraction, for its well-written pages are a powerful proof of the great influence exercised upon the impressionable mind of the poet by the beauties of form and the joyous songs of the feathered kingdom. There is another class of readers who should also find much pleasure in a perusal of the volume— those lovers of Tennyson as a poet who, not taking any special thought ahout birds, will be astonished to find how much their favourite poet knew about them and how narrowly he observed the life that moved about him. They will find, too, by the aid of Mr. Watkins’ comments as an expert, how appropriately Tennyson employed his innumer¬ able references to birds of all kinds, and especially song birds.' Excellent illustrations by G. E. Lodge enhance the value of the volume.”— The Shrewsbury Chronicle. LONDON : R. Porter, 7, Princes Street, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. CROSS, jKnown throughout the Civilised and Uncivilised World). King of Wild Beast Merchants Anything from “A HUMMING BIRD TO AN ELEPHANT,” TRADE SUPPLIED. TRADE SUPPLIED. GREY AFRICAN PARROTS. Fresh Arrivals Daily. FOREIGN WATER FOWL. Hungarian Partridges for turning down. Thousands of Small Foreign Birds, suitable for Aviaries. OLD ENGLISH RINGLESS PHEASANTS. CROSS’S TRADING MENAGERIE. Is always on view for Visitors who are desirous of seein g the Wild Animals. At present it contains numerous LIONS, TIGERS, ELEPHANTS, ETC. Always something New. Hundreds of arrivals weekly. May be viewed daily from n to 4 p.111. Admission Gd. INSECTIVOROUS BIRD FOOD. Carl Capelle’s, Hanover). Absolutely the finest food for soft-billed birds. Sole English Agent: “CROSS, LIVERPOOL.” Birds & Animals Stuffed & Preserved. National Telephones! 6491 CENTRAL and 728 ROYAL. Telegrams and Cablegrams! “CROSS,” LIVERPOOL. “CROSS” (Known throughout the Civilized and Uncivilised World). KING OF WILD BEAST MERCHANTS, GREATEST ZOOLOGICAL EMPORIUM ON EARTH. LIVERPOOL. Avicaltural Magazine . THE 335 Hvicultural fllbacjastne, BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY. New Series. — VO L. II. — NO. 12. — All rights reserved. OCTOBER, 1904. THE ORANGE-BILLED TANAGER. Saltator auraniiirostris. By Arthur G. Butler, Ph.D., etc. This, one of the largest but most sombrely coloured of the Tanagridce, is an inhabitant of Paraguay, Uruguay, and the northern and western portions of the Argentine Republic. Of the few examples which have from time to time come into the English bird-market, it is tolerably certain that all must have been imported from Argentina ; and that, previous to the creation of our Society, these few found their way to the Zoological Gardens of this country. The Orange-billed Tanager appears to breed late in the year; d’Orbigny having found it in Corrientes nesting in November. Being a confiding species for a Tanager, it constructs its untidy open nest of roots in the vicinity of human habitations. The eggs are two to three in number, of a greenish blue colour, slightly spotted at the larger end with blackish and reddish zigzag markings. In 1896, as recorded in the 4 Ibis,’ Mr. J. G. Kerr observed many examples of this and other species of Saltator on a low-lying brush-covered island in the middle of the River Paraguay, which it divides into two channels ; but he records nothing respecting the habits of the genus. The general colouring of the upper parts of the present species is brownish ash washed with olive, the crown of the head being distinctly darker and more slaty than the back, 336 Dr. Arthur G. Butler, becoming in fact almost black on tbe forehead ; the sides of the head and of the throat are black ; a broad superciliary stripe which commences above the middle of the eye, passes with a distinctly marked angle, behind the ear-coverts to the back of the cheeks ; in fully adult males this stripe is white above the eye, in hens it is pale buffish, in }'oung birds fulvous; the remainder of the stripe is rather more deeply fulvous at all ages; the chin in adult males is more or less varied with white. In male birds at all ages (not in adults only as was supposed) there is a well-defined black gular collar uniting the sides of the throat; the tail is slate-grey; the outer rectrices, apparently only in old birds, more or less varied with white at the ends ; the under parts from and including the centre of the throat backwards, are of a dull rusty testaceous hue, the throat being a little brighter than the breast or abdomen ; the breast in front is also somewhat, smoky (which perhaps makes the throat seem rather brighter than it actually is). The beak in young birds is dark horn-colour suffused with leaden grey, but as the bird gets older it gradually changes to orange-ochreous witli blackish tip ; the culmen and one or two streaks on the mandible or lower portion of the beak remaining for some time after the other parts have become orange ; the feet are leaden grey ; iris dark brown. With this peculiar type of colouring, it is not surprising that the late Dr. Russ should have regarded this and the other species of Saltator as Grosbeaks, referring them to the genus Coccothraustes ; but why he should have applied to them the misleading trivial name of “Parrot-finch” (Papagei-fink) is a poser, unless the dentirostral character of the species suggested the misnomer: he gathers from Burmeister and Frantzius that it must have a lovely song.* It would seem that Dr. Russ is not the only one who has been struck with the Grosbeak-like aspect of this bird; for three examples imported in September 1903, were regarded as “American Hawfinches.” My friend Mr. James Housden * Mr. J. Graham Kerr, however (Ibis 1892, p. 125) says that it “utters a series ot chirping notes of small range.” Mr. W. Goodfellow (Ibis 1901, p. 472) speaks of Saltalot tuperciliosus having a loud sweet song, uttered from the highest twigs. 337 on ihe Orange-billed Tanager. secured these birds (together with a consignment of so-called Brown-throated Cardinals, Yellowish Finches, and three Red Oven-birds), and I considered myself fortunate in being able to buy one of them: it was said to feed upon canary-seed only, and had apparently been imported upon that diet; but, seeing the Tanagrine character of the beak, I felt doubtful as to this being its correct diet, and I soon discovered that it greatly preferred soft food, fruit and insects, though it would occasionally eat a little canary-seed which I scattered upon the floor of the cage and sometimes would eat a few grains from a small pan : all the seeds were husked in the orthodox manner. Orange, ripe figs split lengthwise, ripe pears, and grapes, were eaten with great relish. For soft food I gave my regular mixture, — bread crumbs, powdered sweet biscuit, yolk of egg, and ants’ eggs ; of this it ate moderately, but evidently preferred it when mixed with grade i of “ Century Food.” In the matter of insects it was not particular, leaving all other food to seize cockroaches, mealworms, caterpillars, or the so-called rat-tailed flies (Eristalis tenax) which buzz about the Michaelmas daisies and closely resemble honey-bees : any of these it would take from my fingers after its second day in my possession. I suppose the unnatural diet upon which this bird had been fed during its importation had sown the seeds of the disease from which it eventually died, for two or three days after the Saltator came into my possession I noticed that it became sleepy and sluggish ; and although, by clearing my garden of every spider I could find, and particularly the full-grown females of our old friend the typical garden-spider ( Epeira diademataj, I restored it in a few days to apparently good health and increased activity, it subsequently relapsed to such an extent that, although it bathed regularly, it never took the trouble to cleanse its feathers by passing them through its beak. Doubtless the chill of the matted plumage, which naturally became clogged on the breast with sand and juices from the fruit, accelerated the progress of the disease, so that on November 4th I found it dead.4'4 * So far as I have been able to ascertain, it would appear that none of the examples imported in 1903 are now alive. 333 On the Orange-billed Tanager. Being offered to me originally under tlie dealer’s fancy name of “American Hawfinch,” it may be imagined that I was at first puzzled as to what this bird was. As the form of the beak and the bird’s evident preference for soft food suggested Tanagrine affinities, I waded through the Museum Catalogue of those birds : I paused when I came to Saltator, but even the description of S. aurantiirostris did not seem to fit it exactty. I therefore wrote to Dr. Sharpe enclosing a rough coloured sketch which I did from memory; I also wrote to our Business- Secretary and Editor. All three gentlemen suggested that it was probably Saltator aurantiirostris ; but, as I was still in doubt, I went up to the Natural History Museum and had a look at the series of skins. I found that my bird was unquestionably a not perfectly adult male of the Orange-billed Tanager, but there was only one skin in the Museum which nearly approached it in colourings all the other skins were paler and less brightly coloured, so that the description in the Catalogue taken from these skins necessarily gave me the idea of another, though allied species, (tawny colours fade quickly) : but what put me off the track as much as possible was the wording of part of the description, which gave me the impression that the throat of S. aurantiirostris was wholly black. At the Palace Show in October, Mr. Housden exhibited the other two specimens of this species, which appeared to be both hens (the gular collar being absent) and Mr. Swayslaud brought up one of four quite young males which he had recently received ; and which, on account of their dark beaks he thought must represent a distinct species : I was however able to assure him that this was not the case. Of all the Tanagers with which I have hitherto come in. contact, the Orange-bill seems naturally to be by far the most steady. Most Tanagers when first imported are more or less wild and nervous, nor have I ever known them to become thoroughly trustful ; but S. aurantiirostris from the time that I turned it into its small flight was perfectly friendly; and, although at first it would fly up to its perch if I put my hand On the Breeding in Captivity oj the Red-backed Shrike. 339 in to renew its food, it eventually did not even trouble to do this, but merely turned its head to see that I did not attempt to take it out (as I had been obliged to do when Mr. Grotivold was preparing its portrait). Always when I passed the cage it would come to the front and look over to see whether I had anything for it. It is a confiding disposition like this which endears a bird to its owner, far more than mere brilliance of colouring. Scarlet and male Superb Tauagers become fairly tame in time ; but either docility is inherent in the Orange-bill, or the poor feeding which the bird had experienced before it came into my possesion served, by contrast, to render me a particular benefactor in the bird's estimation ; yet even the Cardinals brought over at the same time were marvellously steady, so that I should rather be inclined to believe that the importer was more than ordinarily gentle with his birds ; though doubtless low feeding does tend to subdue living things. ON THE BREEDING IN CAPTIVITY OF THE RED -BACKED SHRIKE. By Dr. Albert Gunther, Hon. M. A vie. Soc. On July 31st of last year I bought three young Red-backed Shrikes. Being well acquainted with the general treatment and feeding of this species in captivity, I had no difficulty in rearing the youngsters; they grew into strong birds, became very tame and confiding towards the people in the house, and showed themselves always ready for a game, during which they strike those peculiar attitudes so closely resembling the antics of young Kestrels or Hobbies. Singularly, I never saw them playing with each other in the same fashion ; on the contrary, soon after they had commenced to feed themselves, and to deposit food each in its own larder, their frequent quarrels compelled me to separate them. * They had the strongest objection to the approach of strangers and visitors, and one day, frightened by a workman, two of them squeezed themselves * I use for this Shrike an ordinary Thrush’s cage with wooden bars. 34° Dr. Albert Gunther, through the bars of their cage and escaped into the garden. One returned on the evening of the same day, whilst the other enjoyed its liberty for another day, when it demanded readmission to the fleshpots of Egypt by flying against the window, behind which its cage was still standing. Late in the autumn they moulted, and proved to be two males and one female. Already before the moult they had diligently exercised their vocal powers, even the female at first taking part in these musical efforts. However, she soon dis¬ continued to sing, whilst the two males became in the end accomplished songsters, mixing with their own notes those of a Garden Warbler. Contrary to 1113’ former experience these birds did not damage their feathers by unrest during the period of migration; the whole of their plumage remained perfect throughout the winter, and in spring the lower parts of the bod\r of the males became suffused with a pinkish blush. In the first week of May of the present >rear I turned out one of the males and the female into an aviary, erected against the garden wall. Although open at the top and on three sides it occupies a sheltered position, and with a height of 6ft. it covers an area of 10ft. by 13ft. The half nearest to the wall is planted with densely foliaged bushes, a thick holly-bush among them. After a few days I noticed that both birds had the feathers round the base of the bill knocked off: I could never find out whether this injury was caused by disturbance from a night-prowling cat which made them fly against the wire-netting, or by their working and shredding the dry rough fronds of pampas-grass. At any rate, it must have been in the second week of May that they built their nest. This was done entirely in the early morning hours ; the gardener saw them then busy with carrying materials, but the operation escaped me altogether, as I never visited them before eight o’clock. On the 22nd the prolonged disappearance of the hen-bird induced me to examine into the matter. Then I found in the most hidden and densest part of the holly-bush, four feet from the ground, a well-built typical Shrike’s nest with five warm eggs in it. The first egg was probably laid on the 16th. oh the Breeding in Captivity of the Red-backed Shi ike. 34 May 22nd to 28th. The lien attends most assiduously to the duties of incubation, while the cock takes no part in them. Twice only has she yielded to the temptation and come to my call to receive from my hand her allowance of mealworms. Other¬ wise she depends entirely on her husband who carries every kind of food to her. But he exercises great caution in this, never approaching the nest when he perceives or fancies himself to be observed. Tame and without any fear as he is in his intercourse with me, he never betrays by any action the presence or locality of his nest. The forenoon of the 27th must have been particularly trying to the hen : a violent thunderstorm of two hours duration, with torrents of rain broke over Kew, but she did not allow herself to be disturbed. May 29th to June 2nd. The storm of last week was succeeded by some days of dull weather ; the temperature fall¬ ing to 48°, and rising at midday to 590. The hen would not leave the nest at all during the day, but I provided at nightfall an extra supply of fresh food with mealworms and cockroaches, which she would find in the early morning, beside the food carried by the cock. This practice I have continued throughout the breeding period. On June 3rd the weather had improved, and noticing the hen twice off her nest, I took this opportunity of entering the aviary with the object of having a peep at the eggs. But the hen foiled me both times ; she slipped into the nest before I could reach it ; and, moreover, the second time the cock made a most determined attack upon me, inflicting a deep scratch with his claw upon the side of my face. I tried to drive him off with my handkerchief, but this made him still more furious, although, fortunately for my face, the handkerchief became now the object of his attack. My speedy retreat restored his equanimity, and a few minutes afterwards when I offered him a mealworm, he was as amiable as ever. Five young were hatched in the night from the 5th to the 6th of June. The incubation px'obably lasted 14 days, the normal period stated by all ornithological authorities. Wild Shrikes 342 Dr. Albert Gunther, would now only commence their nesting operations, at least in the Midland and Eastern counties. On the Stli there was again a change of the weatlier for the worse ; a low temperature with occasional cold showers of rain reminded one of March. Yeti had no apprehension about the well-being of the young, as the hen continued to cover them with scarcely any interruption. She did not give me any opportunity of examining the nest until June nth, when I found to my sorrow only two remaining in the nest ; the three others had completely disappeared, and a search amoi^ the leaves and litter on the ground was without result. On th !jext day one only was left, and on the 14th the last had disappeared On a renewed search I discovered both at some distance f 1 the nest, close together, with the scalp torn, but without other injury ; they were of good size, and had the head covered with stubbles. Of the conjectures as to the cause or manner of death, the following appears now, with the light of subsequent events, the most probable. The young perished from the cold temperature, which supervened during the greater part of their short life. The dead bodies were removed by the parents, those of the tiniest were lost beyond recovery, whilst the oldest and heaviest had their skin torn by the efforts required for their removal. June 20th. The male renewed his attentions to the female in a very conspicuous manner shortly after the catastrophe related. His jealous conduct, whenever she attempted to take her food directly from me, was most ridiculous to see. No new nest was built ; and this morning the old nest was still empty. I left home in the afternoon, and returned on June 24th, when I found the hen sitting ; she left after a little persuasion, so that I could obtain a good look at the eggs which again were five in number. They were more brightly ornamented than those of the first clutch, the brown spots near the broad end forming an almost confluent deep-coloured circular head. The period of incubation passed under more favourable meteorological conditions than on the former occasion. The male kept the hen regularly supplied with food, which, however, did not prevent her from coming sometimes to my call to receive an extra supply of mealworms. on the Breeding in Captivity of the Red-backed Shrike. 343 July 7U1. To-day the eggs were due to hatch, so I ex¬ amined the nest in the morning, and found four of them hatched. The fifth young appeared on the following da}' ; it was conspicuously smaller than the others, and survived one day only. On the nth a second, also of smaller size, died. The bodies of both were found at a distance from the nest, nearly in the same place, quite uninjured. July 8th to 22nd. In the glorious weather which we were enjoying during this mouth, the surviving young made good pro¬ gress. Both parents fed them ; their jealousy had much abated, and they never resented my daily examination of the .t. On one occasion I surprised the male quietly squ hg on the margin of the nest, with food in his beak, and w ng until it was demanded from him. July 23rd. The excitement of the parents indicated some unusual occurrence; two of the young had left the nest, and the third followed later in the day. All were on the ground, making their first attempts at locomotion, but in a more awkward or helpless manner, than can be seen with Finches or Warblers which have just left the nest. Whether this want of strength is common to all Shrike fledgelings, or whether it is due to the artificial conditions under which the old parents lived, I am unable to say. Their wing-feathers were so little developed that it took three days before they could manage to scramble again into their holly-bush ; and the weaker of the three is still, after six days, unable to take a flight, however short. Yet in all other respects they show themselves to be healthy and in normal condition. I was particularly pleased to see that their instinct leads them during rain into sheltered or dry places. In the night of the 26th they were exposed to the fierce downpour of rain, which flooded London and the suburbs; and it was a great relief to find all three well in the morning. Probably, the lien afforded them some protection. The cock always roosts by himself. By August 2nd the)'' had made rapid progress in their growth and strength, although a great part of last week was dull and showery. The two strongest fly freely about for some distance, and reach the top-perclies without difficulty ; occasion- 344 Dr. Albert Gunther, ally they pick up food. In size they are scarcely to be distin¬ guished from their parents, but their tails are onty half the full length. The third is more backward, though apparently in good health. Aug. 9th. All went well during the week. If kept in a cage by themselves the young Shrikes would now entirely feed themselves, but as the parents seem to take special delight in carrying the food, the young are never hungry enough to cater, for themselves, although they pick up scraps which happen to come in their way. In some respects it might be better now to cage them. The hen is sometimes busy hunting for small earth¬ worms, which she tears into smaller pieces to give to the young. I have never before noticed a Shrike eating them. She also confines her care in feeding to one of her children, the strongest, which usually settles on a particular perch, whilst the cock attends upon the two others which are of a more roaming dis¬ position. I often witness the feeding during the day, but since I observed the partiality of the parents to particular young ones, I have never noticed a variation of this habit. Aug. 14th. The young help themselves freely from the dish containing the food for the family; but mealworms and similar tit-bits are still carried to them by their parents. They can be distinguished from the old hen by their lighter colour only ; one, probably a male, exceeds its mother in size. The old male has recommenced to sing, one of the young often sitting beside him. Aug. 28th. The parents have discontinued to feed the young, and leave them entirely to their own resources. The Butcher-bird sitting 011 the top of a hedge-row or thorn-bush is a familiar object, and there will be but few orni¬ thologists who have not seen its larder and are not otherwise well acquainted with its habits and domestic economy generally. But there are certain of its habits and traits in its character which it would be difficult to observe in the field, and which in my opinion render this species particularly attractive and full of interest to the aviculturist. Some of its habits remind us of those of the smaller Hawks : such as the manner in which it uses on the Breeding in Captivity of the Red-backed Shrike. 345 its claws when striking in an attack upon an enemy or large prey, or in which it uses them when grasping and holding up a large beetle or bumble-bee whilst it is pulling the prey to pieces. I have already mentioned the Hawk-like attitudes of the male when he is inclined to play. While this species readily accom¬ modates itself in captivity to associations with man, it never¬ theless does not deteriorate in its natural character. No bird is more observant of everything going on around it ; it watches and understands every one of your movements, every bird or animal which happens to pass within the range of its keen vision, betraying by an angry chatter the approach of a stranger, a cat or a Hawk, whilst the members of the household, even the dogs, are viewed with indifference or received with pleasure. The birds I have at present readily come to the call, either to receive food which they take from the hand in a particularly gentle manner, or merely for the sake of amusement, for the male likes to play with a finger held out to him, a stick, or similar object. The qualification of the Butcher-bird as a songster is of no mean order, although I have never among English specimens met with so accomplished an artist, as was a German bird which imitated the song of a Blackcap-Warbler to perfection. My male which is living in celibacy, has now continued to sing from November to the end of August. Whether other species of Shrike would make equally attractive cage-birds, I have no experience. The Larger and Lesser Grey Shrikes which I have kept, had previously passed through hands, in which they had not the advantages of proper treatment. I am now very anxious to try the Woodchat. To domesticate Shrikes (if I may use that expression), and to com¬ pletely reconcile them to life in captivity, it is necessary to take them from the nest. Older birds never lose their natural shy¬ ness, and survive the loss of their liberty for a short time only, so that no attempt should be made to cage them. The young birds reared in my aviary, were at first very timid, but by the time they fed themselves, they came and took mealworms from the hand, being nearly as tame as were their parents when of 346 On the Breeding in Captivity of the Red-backed Shrike. the same age. If they survive till next spring (and there is no reason why they should not) the doors of their and their parents’ cages will be opened at a place distant from London fogs and cats, where they will find eveiy inducement to stay and pro¬ pagate their species. This report extends to a greater length than I anticipated, but before concluding it, I may add a few words on the food on which I found my Butcher-birds to thrive. I gave them a mixture of dried ants’ eggs, artificial food (Century or Abrahams’,) mixed raw beef and hard boiled egg, and finely scraped raw carrots. The proportions of these ingredients vary at different times of the year, and according to the state of health of the birds. At times (for instance, during moulting or in very cold weather) the supply of beef is increased ; when they are restless at night, the vegetable substances are given in larger proportions, but at all times dried ants’ eggs are required to facilitate the formation of castings which in Shrikes are as sure a sign of health as in Hawks. When fresh ants’ eggs are available, I give them mixed with the dried. The birds receive, besides, daily from four to ten mealworms, in addition to cockroaches or other insects, if such happen to be at hand. With this food my birds, after the strain of having had two broods of young in succession, are in as health)^ a condition as they were at the beginning of summer. They have never shown the least sign of impatience at the confinement, in which they have passed the first year of their life ; and I therefore feel all the more justified in recom¬ mending this species to aviculturists, and hope that they will derive from it as much pleasure as my birds have given me. On a Chapter of Accidents. 347 A CHAPTER OF ACCIDENTS. By A. Trevor-Battye, M.A., F.L.S., M.B.O.U. When our late Honorary Secretary kindly asked rue to send an aviary letter to the Magazine, I thought it better to wait until the breeding season was over and there was more to say, for here we only keep a few birds. But meanwhile perhaps the following remarks on the bad luck this year of certain of the wild birds of our garden may not be uninteresting to some of our members. If it does not make this letter too long I may just sketch the kind of country in which the garden lies. We are on the slope of a hill which falls to the valley of the Test ; at this point the river is nearly one hundred and fifty feet above the level of the sea. A quarter of a mile below the house the river runs, split here into two widely-separated chan¬ nels, and receiving a considerable tributary from the Micheldever hills. The valley below is all green and soft ; water-carriers, bog- lands and peat-holes are its characteristics, from the big common of Bransbury above us, to Stockbridge, and further, below. Above the house rise the high down-lands (now for the greater part ploughed up) stretching away to Winchester and the Itcheu valley. Across the valley the corresponding chalk hills range away to the Berkshire border and the valley of the Kennett. These hills are generally bare, saving for solitary clumps of beeches or some¬ times of fir. About two miles away lies a wood of some two thousand acres — the remains of the ancient forest of Harewood, where Daphne mezereum grows wild — and some of the landed estates have fair-sized coverts ; yet it is an open not a wooded country, with an almost total want of hedgerow timber. Of course each of these areas has its own distinctive character of plant, insect and bird life. The down-lands have their gentian, Chalk-hill blue butterflies, Wheatears, and Thick- knee Plovers, and in the fir-clumps Long-eared Owls ; the valley has its sundew, buck-bean, Ephemeridce , Water-rails, Snipe, Dab- chicks, and Duck ; the great isolated woodland its yews, White Admiral butterflies, Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, and Tawny Owls. 343 Mr. A. Trevor-Battye, Here though close to the river we are quite away from the woods ; Snipe, Duck and Plovers cross the garden, Dabchicks visit at night the little pool in the Flamingos’ enclosure, but although there are many big elm trees about the garden we never have a Woodpecker there nor a Nuthatch, and the Wryneck is very seldom heard. While the Great and the Blue Titmouse are always with us (except in the month of August, when they dis¬ appear with their young till the sunflower seeds are ripe), and nest in the boxes, the Marsh Tit is very rarely seen in the garden and the Cole Tit never. Now for our run of bad luck. We have no rookery in the garden and we want the Rooks to settle there. In the winter they would come down close to the window and feed at the birds’ table. This spring, to our great delight, a pair came and built a nest in the top of the biggest elm a few yards from the house. The eggs were hatched, the young were being fed, when everything unaccountably stopped. The old birds gave up com¬ ing and the young ones died. Once more we were doomed to disappointment. There are Barn Owls in the thatched roof of the cottages ; we wanted them near the house. We made an excellent loft for them under the thatch of the seed-room roof, and fixed up two Owl- boxes in the elms. A neighbour sent us last year a pair of Barn Owls, with their two big young ones ; the old birds were set free and went straight off to their home three miles away, the j7oung ones we kept in an aviary. Towards autumn they were liberated, and fed from the roof of the aviary. They lived partly in the seed-room loft, partly in one of the boxes in the trees. Thus they flew at hack for some time, eventually catering entirely for them¬ selves and leaving untouched the food we provided. They ornamented the tennis lawns with many large castings — always composed of mice and vole remains. Towards the end of April and the beginning of May they were very interesting, and for several days running came out for their evening flight just as we were going in to dinner. One (perhaps the male bird) always gave a loud screech as it left the box and then sitting on a dead branch waited for its companion to join it. They used to beat the garden and paddocks very regularly each night. They never 349 07i a Chapter of Accidents. seemed to hunt the water-meadows, but always after they had finished at home they moved off to the high down-land behind the house. Early in June they began nesting in one of the boxes and as afterwards transpired laid six eggs. Ours is a great bee country because of the good supply of thyme and other bee flowers on the downs. There are many hives in every village ; in one field not far off are over seventy hives in a row. East year (1903) a swarm of bees took possession of one of the Owl-boxes and gave us 25lbs. weight of pure honey. The box was then unoccupied so it was of little moment. But, again this year a strong swarm suddenly appeared in the air and went straight into the box where the Barn Owls were with their eggs. The poor birds remained in the box all day in spite of their myriad foes, but with evening they could bear it no longer ; and a little before their usual time both flew from the box to return to it no more. When after much difficulty we had removed the box and driven out the bees, there were the six eggs, each containing a dead young Owl that would have been hatched in a few days’ time. The ill luck of these birds might clearly have overtaken them just the same had they been quite wild birds in their hollow tree. But Rooks and Owls are not the only wild birds that have fared badly in our garden this summer. A pair of Yellow- hammers made a nest right in the middle of a big rhubarb leaf a foot or more above the ground. The hen laid five eggs and began to sit. It was an odd, ill-considered place, yet doubtless she would have hatched; but there chanced a day when a sudden storm of wind upset the nest, and all the eggs rolled out. A Tree-creeper, again, hatched seven eggs in the thatched side of a garden hut. All went well until the young were just ready to fly and then one morning saw them all dead in the nest. Something no doubt had killed the old birds, but what ? A weasel could have climbed up but would have taken the young as well ; nor have we ever seen a weasel in the garden. We had also a Goldfinch’s nest in the top of a twenty- 350 Mr. G. C. Porter, foot Austrian pine in the stable yard. The hen was sitting, and the cock, perched above her on the very tip of the leading shoot sang there by the hour most charmingly. This nest was des¬ troyed, I believe by Sparrows who pulled it to pieces, scatter¬ ing the eggs to the ground and pilfering the material for their own nests. In addition to this a persistent two days’ rain killed all the young in a Grey Linnets’ nest. Now of course it was merely a coincidence that so many accidents should have befallen nests in a single garden. But the fact does go to show some of the risks run by all wild birds at nesting time from natural causes, though we do not always have them so easily under observation. P.S. — We keep a careful eye on our Sparrows’ nests in the interests of a nursery of Burrowing Owls ; and, although it has little connexion with the foregoing, I may add that several Sparrows’ nests this year both in the ivy of the walls and in the bird-boxes contained but a single egg, and consequently but one nestling. It is also worth remark that in one of the bird-boxes this summer a cock Sparrow did practically the whole of the sitting. I only saw the hen sitting on one occasion, just before the young one (there was but a single egg) hatched. THE BREEDING OF THE RED-FACED LOVEBIRD. Agapornis pullaria. By G. C. Porter. Early in the summer I was offered a freshly imported lot of Red-faced Lovebirds. I had never kept these birds before, as they are popularly supposed to be rather stupid and delicate birds. I had my doubts about buying them, especially as the dealer encouragingly remarked that he should not be surprised if they all died like flies, but I could have them cheap if I cared to. Finally curiosity prevailed over prudence and I carried off my purchases, not however without some misgivings as to the future. They looked well and seemed wonderfully tame, but I found out that this was partly induced by the small space they 07i the Breeding of the Red-faced Lovebird. 351 had been confined in and partly by their each having a clipped wing. By the way, I cannot understand why it should be thought necessary to clip the wings of this bird more than the other Lovebirds, which seem to be mostly brought over intact. On my return home I looked up my biggest cage, turned them out into it, and placed it in the hottest part of the kitchen I could find, thinking that the artificial heat would induce the feathers to grow again. I had been advised to catch each bird and draw the stubs of the quill feathers, but I did not think it advisable to do this, as the shock might prove very injurious to these nervous birds who almost seem afraid of their own shadow. I was told that these birds when caught in Africa are fed solely on rice, so failing to get a supply of paddy rice (that is rice in the husk) I gave them ordinary table rice which they seemed very fond of. After a week or so of this treatment I was pleased to see the bottom of the cage plentifully strewn with shed stubs and feathers, and to see evidences of new ones growing in their place. The weather now began to turn warmer, enabling me to place the cage out of doors for a few hours every day, and this began to make a wonderful difference in their appearance. I found they very much disliked the direct rays of the sun, invaiiably sitting under the end of the cage which I kept covered with rhubarb leaves. I was now able to leave them out for a longer period every day, only taking them indoors for the night, and I added canary seed to their supply of rice. Millet I never tried them with. The result of this treatment was that, with one exception, they could all fly, and one fine day I turned them out into a large well- planted aviary, and it was a pleasure to see how they enjoyed themselves. For the first few weeks the foliage seemed to be getting thinner, and the suspicion in my mind soon became a certainty that the Lovebirds were doing their level best to wreck the aviary and were showing a love of pruning only to be equalled by a professional gardener. I11 about a week they nearly stripped a large apple tree of its leaves and shoots. Their mode of procedure was as follows : — Starting at the bottom of a twig they would steadily crawl up it nipping off the leaves one by one until they reached the top, when they would fly down and begin again. 352 On the Breeding of the Red-faced Lovebird. I sooii tired of seeing this performance repeated, and decided to decoy them into a smaller aviary abutting on the larger one. I was very sorry indeed to have to do this, but the circumstances compelled me. The Lovebirds were well able to take care of themselves and would let nothing interfere with them, indeed they seemed to be universally respected by all the birds in the aviary. It was an easy matter to capture them by placing the seed in the small aviary, and watching my opportunity, I soon had them shut off. They lived very happily in the aviary, for some months, but finding they were rather too crowded I reduced my stock to two pairs by parting with several, chiefly to members of the Society. Just before my departure to Scotland I noticed signs of breeding and this interesting event unfor¬ tunately took place in my absence. They nested in a small box with half a cocoanut husk cemented inside, but any exact details I cannot give. On my return I found two fine young ones, which had been reared, dead on the floor of the aviary. I do not know whether to attribute their deaths to the mice which infest the place or to the excessive heat at the time. The young birds were very fat and appeared to me to be somewhat larger than the old birds. I have every reason to be satisfied with my experience with these birds, con¬ clusively proving that they are not the dull, stupid, delicate birds they are popularly supposed to be. I only lost one adult bird, which mysteriously disappeared one day without leaving a feather behind, perhaps I have the mice to thank for this also. Should anyone wish to keep a hardy, interesting little bird I would say get a pair of Red-faced Lovebirds and you will not be disappointed. [Mr. Porter’s experience is extremely interesting, for the Red-faced Lovebird is generally regarded by aviculturists as one of the most difficult birds to acclimatise, though when once acclimatised it is acknowledged to be hardy. It is much to be regretted that the young were not reared ; but the fact of young having been produced at all is a matter to be proud of. — Ed.] On Nesting of the Y ellow-rumped Parrakeet . 353 NESTING OF THE YELLOW-RUMPED PARRAKEET. Platycercus flaveolus. By Wm. R. Fasey, F.Z.S. My pair of Yellow-rumps have at last succeeded in rearing one young one, which is now capable of looking after itself ; two left the nest, but from some unaccountable reason one died soon after. I believe Yellow-rumps to be rare, and the one at the Zoo is the only one I know of besides my pair. I obtained mine in 1901, and in 1903 they first nested, and hatched two young ones which died in about two weeks ; probably through neglect on the part of the old birds. I think the fact of their being so wild had something to do with it. Even now they are as wild as any bird I have. Four eggs were laid early in June; young were hatched, as near as I can tell, in twenty days, and left the nest (half a cocoanut husk cemented in a square box) when about a mouth old. The young ones are marked exactly like the old ones, but the colours are much less brilliant ; the black spots 011 the yellow ground of the old ones are only just disceruable on the young, and instead of the bright yellow ground colour a greenish hue exists. I11 other respects I am unable to see any difference. The old birds are like Pennants in build, manner and marking, and excepting for the difference in the ground colour the two species seem to be identical. The plate in Parrakeets is an excellent one, and exactly corresponds to my old pair. If any of our members care to see the young one, or other birds of mine, I shall be delighted to show them. TARPACOTI DOVES BREEDING IN CAPTIVITY. The Talpacoti Doves ( Chamoepelia talpacoti ) I have had in my ■collection of doves since August 13th, 1903. They have reared three broods in my aviary ; the two first pairs I sold, and cannot recall the date of these two broods; probably I was away at the time. The eggs of the third brood were laid on July 6th and 7th, 1904, and were hatched out on the 22nd. 354 Prof. W. E. D. Scott, The nest was built inside the house, quite near the roof, amid some old pine branches which I had nailed up for that purpose. It was composed solely of hay; and was so small that it appeared hardly capable of holding the two eggs. When the bird was sitting on its nest it had the appearance of a man with a hat too small for his head. At the time of writing they have nested again and both eggs have hatched out. The birds are of a brown vinous red, paler on the breast, greyish blue on the forehead, and have an edging of black with blue black blotches on the wings; the female is paler and browner in colour, and the young resemble her. C. CaSTIvR-SIvOANE. AN ACCOUNT OF SOME EXPERIMENTS IN REAR¬ ING WILD FINCHES BY FOSTER-PARENT BIRDS. By Prof. W. E. D. Scott. \_Reprinted from Science, N.S., Vol. XIX., No. 483, Paoes 551-4, April 1, 1904, by the ki?id permission of the Atithorf During the spring of 1901, having some twenty pairs of Canary birds mated, I attempted to induce them, in two cases, to incubate the eggs and rear the young of wild Fringilline birds. These experiments led me to continue similar efforts during each succeeding spring, and I propose to summarize the results of what occurred in this way, in 1901, 1902 and 1903. In May, 1901, I secured a set of Song Sparrow’s eggs (. Aj elospiza cinerea melodia). There were four eggs in the nest and incubation had just started. I brought the eggs, together with the nest to my laboratory, and took away from a ver)’’ tame hen Canary bird four eggs which were in her nest, substituting the Song Sparrow’s eggs. I watched the hen Canary for a short time to assure myself that my actions had not prejudiced the end I had in view, and was presently delighted to see her return to the nest and settle herself to brood the eggs as if they were her own. In due time, after about eight days, all of the eggs were hatched, and four lusty young Song Sparrows became the foster- children of the Canary. This bird was an especially good parent, as I had proved by her rearing with success three broods of Canary birds during the preceding season of 1900, the whole on Rearing Wild Finches by Foster-parent Birds. 355 of the young aggregating thirteen birds, all of which reached maturity, and were strong vigorous examples of their kind. This hen Canary seemed as solicitous for the young Song Spar¬ rows as she had been for the young of her own kind, and so far as I could see she did everything in her power for her foster- children. In spite of all her efforts, when the Song Sparrows attained an age of about six days, and were just beginning to show feathers, one by one they weakened and died, though both the parent Canaries, cock and hen, fed and brooded them constantly. Later in the same season I secured a clutch of four Field Sparrow’s eggs ( Spizella pusilla ), and' gave them to another equally good pair of parent Canaries. The results were almost identical with the case cited above ; the eggs were all hatched, the young seemed strong and vigorous, the foster-parents appeared to do everything conducive to their development, but all of the young died during the first week after they were hatched from the egg. This concluded my efforts in this direction for the spring of 1901. In the month of May, 1902, I was able to carry on a much more elaborate series of experiments, which I will now summarize. Some of these, in the light of my former ex¬ perience, I conducted under slightly varying conditions, which I thought might yield more definite results. On May nth, 1902, I found in a field on the ground a nest of Field Sparrows, the female sitting on four eggs, and there were, at the same time, two larger eggs in the nest, which I took to be those of the Cowbird (. Molothrns ater). The nest and eggs I brought to the house, keeping them warm, and placed the four Field Sparrow’s eggs under a hen Canary which was sitting, and the two Cowbird’s eggs I gave to another Canary. Both females covered the new eggs which had been inti'oduced into their nest, and brooded them within a moment after I had left them. The four Field Sparrow’s eggs, placed under the first Canary, began to hatch on the morning of May 22nd. I had left one Canary bird’s egg in the nest, and this also was hatched early the next day. Another of the Field Sparrow’s eggs hatched late on May 22nd, and in the morning of May 23rd there were in the nest one Canary and three Field Sparrows, and one unhatched egg of a Field 356 Prof. W. E. D. Scott, Sparrow. On May 24th I discovered the three Field Sparrows dead in the nest, but the young Canary bird was flourishing, and in course of time grew up to maturity under its parents’ care. To return to the Cowbird’s eggs in the same clutch ; both of these eggs were hatched on the morning of the twenty-second, and, also, two Canary bird’s eggs which I had left with them, so that there were two Cowbirds and two young Canary birds in the nest. Throughout the day and on the day succeeding one the parent birds paid close attention to the brood, and the young birds, I could see, were strong and hearty, as all four of them raised their heads to be fed, and seemed to be treated precisely alike by the parent Canaries. The same conditions prevailed on May 24th. On the morning of May 25th the birds were doing well and had grown rapidly. On the afternoon of May 25th one of the Cowbirds died, though the other was still strong, and with the two young Canary birds was constantly fed by the parents. On May 25th the second Cowbird died, and I introduced two young Chipping Sparrows, apparently of about the same age as the two young Canaries, to take the place of the two Cowbirds. I saw the old Canary bird at once feed the two Sparrows as she did her own birds, and during the day a young man, whom I had posted to watch the proceedings, reported that they were constantly fed. On May 27th the two young Sparrows were strong and healthy, as well as the young Canaries. The same conditions prevailed on the twenty-eighth, and on the twenty-ninth of the month. On May 30th one of the Sparrows died and was removed. The other appeared strong and healthy, and so far fledged that its species could be discriminated. The old birds fed the remaining young one throughout the day as well as the young Canaries. On May 31st the young Sparrow and the Canaries were vigorous and flourishing. This condition of affairs was maintained until June 2nd. On June 2nd I found the single Sparrow so far grown as to be able to leave the nest, though the two Canaries were not so far advanced. At eleven o’clock the young Sparrow left the nest and hopped about the floor of the cage ; after an hour I put him back in the nest, where he remained till the next morning. On June 3rd the Chipping Sparrow again left the nest, and I did not return him on Rearing Wild Finches by Foster-parent Birds . 357 to the structure until late in the day. On the fourth, the two young Canaries and the Chipping Sparrow all left the nest, though the Canaries resorted to it from time to time. All the birds grew and flourished, but on the ninth of June the Chipping Sparrow died. The two Canary birds, however, throve and ultimately reached maturity. During the latter part of his life, the Sparrow was going about the bottom of the cage and hopping on the perches, attended to carefully by the parent birds. He, however, did not seem especially strong in his legs, and for a short period, four or five hours before his death, he was not only unable to grasp the perches, but could not run about the bottom of the cage as he had done earlier. I concluded that several factors may have militated against the rearing of this bird b)^ Canaries : (1) His development seemed more rapid than that of the young Canaries, and he was more restless and anxious to leave the nest than were the domesticated birds. (2) I think that the artificial lining of the Canary’s nest was of such a nature as not to permit the proper development of the leg muscles and feet during the time he was in the nest. (3) The length of the tarsus in the Sparrow, being twice as great as that of the Canary birds, seems an important element to take into account, as this part of the leg was so long that it seemed to be not only in his way, but was constantly trodden on and sat upon by his two associates. It must be remembered that this bird left the nest voluntarily on the date first mentioned, and though restored several times, very soon left it again. He appeared to be very uncomfortable in the nest, and this discomfort was largely due to the length of his legs. At the time of his death the bird was about two-thirds grown, and almost fully feathered in the first plumage of the Chipping Sparrow ( Spizella socialis ) ; though he could hop about the floor of the cage, and for a time was able even to balance himself on the perches, his legs, on the whole, seemed weak, and I attribute the cause of this misdevelopment of the muscles and tendons of the feet and legs to the kind of nest lining used by the Canaries. I may say here that this con¬ sisted of deer-hair with an admixture of cow-hair, the whole being a felted mass, and not presenting the grasping surface afforded by the fabric and lining of the Chipping Sparrow’s nest, as found out of doors. 358 Prof. W. E. D. Scott, My experiments in the season of 1902 included, besides the above, an additional brood of Song Sparrows, which con¬ tained four Song Sparrow’s and one Cowbird’s egg. All of these hatched and lived for periods varying from four to seven days, none of the birds leaving the nest; I also experimented with a clutch of five fresh eggs of the Yellow -winged Sparrow ( Ammodramus savannarum passerinus ), which I divided between two different parent Canaries, leaving two Canary’s eggs with three Yellow-winged Sparrow’s eggs, and in the other case two Yellow- winged Sparrow’s eggs with three Canary bird’s eggs. Both clutches were hatched, there being five young birds in each nest. The Canary birds in both cases were reared and reached maturity, but the young Yellow-winged Sparrows which were also hatched died at ages varying from four to seven days. I also attempted during this season to raise young Bobolinks under Canaries {Dolichonyx oryzivorus) ; to this end on May 28th, having found a nest of five eggs, I introduced two of them to a large breed of English Canary, leaving two of her own eggs in the nest ; the other three Bobolink’s eggs I placed under another Canary of a similar kind, leaving two Canary eggs in addition. This Canary threw out her own eggs, but retained the Bobolink’s eggs, and incubated them till they were hatched, which was on June 8th. The three young Bobolinks lived for three days, when one of them died ; the remaining ones died on the fifth day. The other Bobolink’s eggs, under the English Canary, were also hatched on the eighth, but both died on the tenth of the month ; the young Canary birds hatched at the same time were reared to maturity, when I no longer followed their history. In the spring of 1903 I tried several similar experiments, sometimes putting but one egg of a wild bird with a clutch of Canary’s eggs, and never giving one Canary an entire comple¬ ment of wild bird’s eggs. In all cases the eggs were hatched and in no case did the foster-young attain an age of more than a week, though it is to be remembered that in every case young Canaries in the same brood with the foster-birds flourished and reached maturity. During the season of 1903 I took two young Song Sparrows, just beginning to show the feathers, and put on Rearing Wild Finches by Foster-parent Birds. 359 them with two Canaries about the same size, though more fully feathered. These birds were readily adopted by the parent Canaries, but one of them died after three days ; the other was reared, reached maturity, was weaned by the old birds, being treated precisely as were their own young, and is still alive at this writing. This series of experiments I have reported as a suggestion for further work of a similar kind. I had hoped that hatching the eggs of wild birds under Canaries would enable me to observe the development of the foster-young to an advanced age. It seemed to me that there would be no possibility of their song being other than such as could be attributed either to inheritance or to intimate association with a new kind of singing bird. In all this I have, of course, met with disappointment ; the only young bird being reared to maturity, from the many I have tried, was a Song Sparrow, almost fledged before introduced to his foster-parents. It has occurred to me that perhaps the kind of food, partially digested by the parent Canary birds, and then regurgitated and fed to their young, would have militated against the growth and development of another kind of bird. How¬ ever, in the case of three Cowbird’s eggs upon which I have experimented, all of which were hatched, this should not have prejudiced their growth, when we consider the variety of foster- parents that are induced to hatch and rear the eggs and j^ouug of the Cowbird. To briefly summarize the work I have described in some detail, forty-one different eggs of wild birds, representing six species, and three young birds already hatched, form the aggregate of individuals dealt with. All of the forty-one eggs were fertile, and were hatched by the foster-parents. This is suggestive in regard to the propagating powers of wild birds, and though not conclusive, indicates a much higher percentage of fertility in the eggs laid by them than obtains in song birds when caged, or semi-domesticated. None of the young which were hatched from these eggs reached a greater age than seven days, which would seem to indicate that the food supplied by the foster-parents, which was the same on which they raised their own offspring, was of a kind so different from that used by wild Mrs. Johnstone, 360 birds in rearing their young, that it proved inadequate. I also believe that the nest lining was of a character so unlike that of the nests natural to the foster-chicks, that it prejudiced their development and growth. In the light of the knowledge I have gained I shall endeavour, in the coming breeding season, to conduct further experiments of a similar character, and hope for better results. It seems worthy of note that I have been able to rear not only all the kinds of birds mentioned by hand, but in addition some twenty other species of song birds. These birds have been taken from their parents’ care at ages varying from three to six or seven days, and over ninety per cent, have been successfully reared, being fed by hand. Such birds in most cases have not only reached maturity, but many of them have lived from three to seven years. Department of Ornithology, Princeton University. ON THE HEALTH OF SMALL FINCHES. By Mrs. Johnstone. I suppose nearly every Member of the Avicultural Society commenced with the A. B. C. of Aviculture, viz. Budgerigars, Canaries or the more commonly imported finches — and it is as well it is so for the sake of experience! No one can teach us, and we learn some lessons, at any rate, when keeping these pretty, but fortunately inexpensive, birds. But as time goes on and we are ?iot content with the A. B. C., we want to try our hands on more interesting and consequently more delicate birds. Perhaps as a bird keeper of some years experience, a few words on the health of the more delicate finches may be acceptable. At the present time I have some twenty-five Parrot Finches, nearly all aviary bred ; three Gouldians, the remains of a flock; some Rufous -tails and a number of Diamond Sparrows, all flying in a small outdoor aviary. In the Summer, all goes well ; they have never suffered 361 oil the Health of Small F.hiches. from egg binding, and disease for six months in the year is practically unknown, but in the six gloomy winter months, when the aviary is heated with hot pipes and ventilation a difficult matter, it was a different tale. The winter before last I lost numbers of little birds, so constant were the deaths that I feared I had bird fever amongst my flock. Nearly all my Gouldians died and one or two Parrot Finches, and none looked well. It was their first Winter in their present aviary and I had perhaps forty small finches in an aviary 14ft. by 12ft. and 12ft. high. But it puzzled me why they should die in the winter and not in the summer. Their aviary never went below 450, and was kept at an even temperature, the water was tepid, and no green food given, unless sound and dry, and yet they died. The causes of death were principally enteritis, or liver and bowel complaints, or pneumonia, and these diseases never occurred in the summer. I suppose how far blood poisoning is the primary cause of these diseases is somewhat doubtful, but pneumonia amongst human beings is constantly caused by blood poisoning. A heated aviary in the winter rarely gets thoroughly aired, all the birds are confined in a narrow space, and the poison from the excreta must accumulate in the form of bad gas. Who does not know the rather stuffy smell of a heated aviary the first thing. in the morning before it has been aired. I doubt if human beings would be well under such circumstances, and surely the delicate tiny finches accustomed to pure air, must be affected. To open a window all night would be to court disaster, as a finch would be sure to choose a draughty spot and die of inflammation of the lungs next day. It is also certain that when birds can winter out of doors they have much better health than those in heated aviaries. I had always heard that to keep eucalyptus trees, growing in a room, was a remedy against influenza, in any case a powerful and natural disinfectant, as the living tree consumes the bad gas, and keeps the air pure and healthy. I therefore, last 362 Mr. D. Seth-Smith, •winter, placed four eucalyptus trees in my aviary — one with the Black-capped Lories, which they promptly devoured — oue with the Starlings, they ate a large number of leaves, it did not appear to cause them any inconvenience, although as a rule they will not eat green of any kind. The little Finches did not eat the leaves, but there is no doubt the air of the aviary was purer and fresher in the mornings. I lost nothing like the number of birds last winter, and they appeared so much livelier and less heavy than previously. They had two trees in their aviary, the Eucalyphis globulus , the most common tree of this variety in Australia. The great enemies of the eucalyptus are the mice. It appears to be as popular with them as the Starlings or Lories, and I think the oldest tree procurable would be the least extravagant, as they cannot bite through the old bark. The top of the pot must be wired and also underneath to prevent the mice burrowing in, and if this can be managed the tree, well watered, will thrive and do well in the aviary, as it is a fairly hardy variety, but will not stand severe frosts. I cannot help thinking if this tree was kept in every aviary the birds’ health would greatly benefit, and there would be a smaller casualty list at the end of our Magazine. BIRDS OF PARADISE IN ENGLAND. Mrs. Johnstone has had the good fortune to obtain some very rare birds, amongst which are two King Birds of Paradise {Cicinpurus regius), two Lesser Birds of Paradise ( Paradisea minor), and one splendid Great Bird of Paradise ( P . apoda ). All are said to he in very good condition. FURTHER NOTES ON THE TATAUPA TINAMOU. The story of my trio of these interesting birds would hardly be complete were I to omit any record of their doings since my observations were published in the August number of this journal. I had at that time four young birds reared ; now I have ten practically reared, and four more newly hatched — fourteen young birds altogether, which speaks well for the 363 on the Tataupa Tinamou. prolificacy of the species, and the ready way in which it breeds in captivity. The following notes will, I think, prove more conclusively than ever that this species is polyandrous. When I wrote my former notes there was one bird reared and a second brood of three, about a fortnight old, all of which have now grown into fine birds. By July 21st another clutch of six eggs had been laid, and the original male, which we will call No. 1, commenced to sit. I was away from home at the time, but sent word that the female should be driven into another aviary in which were the four immature birds, and the new imported male, which I have already mentioned as having arrived on the 6th of June. This was done on July 28th. This male, which we will call No. 2, was, and still is, an extremely shy bird, and it would not have been at all surprising had he shown no inclination to breed before next spring or summer. However, they appear to have paired at once, for on my return home on August 4th there was a nest with one egg in it, hidden behind some rough logs. Four more were laid on alternate days, and, on August 10th, the male (No. 2 ) com¬ menced to sit, and although such a shy bird, he sat extremely well. When this bird came its bill was a lead-colour, either showing that it was not in breeding condition, or that it was an immature bird, but it soon turned red. The same day as No 2 commenced to sit. No. 1 brought off a fine brood of six, every egg proving fertile. September 1st. Male No. 2 hatched four out of the five eggs, the fifth being addled. As I write the brood of six, hatched by male No. 1, are grand young birds, and have now become very tame, running towards me when I enter the aviary, and almost taking tit-bits from my hands, although for the first week or two the young are extremely shy/* D. Seth-Smith. * The old female has gone back to her original mate (No. i) and has laid still another clutch of 6 eggs upon which the male has commenced to sit. (Sept, nth.) 364 A Station for the. Study of Bird Life. A STATION FOR THE STUDY OF BIRD LIFE. Articles of Incorporation have just been drawn looking to the establishment on a permanent foundation of the “ Worthing¬ ton Society for the Investigation of Bird Life.” The founder, Mr. Charles C. Worthington, will erect and endow, on his estate at Shawnee, Monroe County, Pennsylvania, the necessary buildings and equipment. The Worthington Society will have for its purpose the consideration of bird life as it is found in nature, and will also have many birds under confinement for study and experiment. The following is a summary of the chief topics that will present an immediate field for experimentation, which it is proposed by the liberality of the foundation to make continuous and exhaustive in the hope of reaching conclusive results. I. The study and consideration of a bird as an individual. It is believed that by means of observation carried through the entire life of the individual, with a daily record brief or elaborate as exigencies may require, much will be learned regarding matters that are now obscure. Facts, such as growth, habits, health, temper, etc., will be daily reported. II. The study of the occurrence, extent, nature and cause of variations in different representatives of the same species. III. Changes in color and appearance correlating with age, sex and season. IV. Changes in colour and appearance due to light, heat, presence or absence of moisture, and to food. How rapid a change of appearance can be effected by a new environment or a new set of conditions ? V. Heredity. What general characteristics are transmitted ? Are acquired characteristics transmitted ? The consid¬ eration of atavism, prepotency and telegony. VI. Experiments in breeding. Hybridity and the fertility of hybrids. The possibility of establishing a new physio¬ logical species. 356 Bird Notes from the Zoological Gardens. VII. Experiments in change of color due to moult. VIII. Adaptability. The plasticity of animals. How great a factor is this in domesticating new kinds of animals ? IX. The leisure of animals. How is this acquired ? Being acquired, how is this employed ? X. Instinct, habit, and the development of intelligence. XI. The possibility of breeding insectivorous and other beneficial kinds of birds to re-stock a given region or to increase native birds, as has been done in the case of fish, by the United States Fish Commission. A temporary laboratory and aviary is being equipped, and preliminary work will begin with the instalment of a large number of native and foreign birds early in September. Mr. Worthington has procured the services of Mr. William E. D. Scott, Curator of the Department of Ornithology at Princeton Uni¬ versity, as Director of the proposed work. Mr. Bruce Horsfall has been engaged as chief assistant and artist. The corps of assistants and workers will be increased as the plans of the Worthington Society develop. BIRD NOTES FROM THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. Additions during the month of August 1904 : Aug. 1. 5 Common Mynahs Acridotheres tristis. ,, 1. 2 Crested Pigeons, Ocyphaps lophotes. „ 1. 1 Tigrine Turtle Dove, Turtur tigrinus. „ 2. 4 Jackdaws, Corvus monedula (vars). ,, 2. 1 Grey Parrot, Psittacus eriihacus. „ 3. 1 Blue-fronted Amazon, Chrysotis (estiva, ,, 3. 1 Tawny Owl, Syrnium aluco. ,, 3. 1 Greater Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Cacatua galerita Great Britain. W. Africa. S. America. (India). (Australia). Australia. (India). Europe. 3. 2 Pale-headed Parrakeets, Platycercus pallidiceps 5. 2 Yellow-bellied Liothrix, Liothrix luleus. 6. 3 Tickell’s Ouzels, Merula tickelli. 12. 1 Hutchins’ Goose, Bernicla hutchinsi. 13. 3 Sonnerat’s Jungle Fowl, Gallus sonneraii. 15. 2 Ravens, Corvus corax. Arctic America. S. India. (British Isles). China. (India). 366 The Society's Medal. Aug. 16. 22. 22. „ 22. ,, 22. .. 23- » 25. 25. >. 27. 2 Hoopoes, Upupa epops. . . Europe. 1 Greater Sulplmr-crested Cockatoo, Cacatua galerita. Australia. 2 Sparrowliawks, Accipiter nisus. .. British Isles. 2 Long-eared Owls, Asio otus. . . Europe. 1 Small Hill Myuah, Gracula religiosa. . . S. India, x Rook (Albino), Corvus frugilegus. . . British Isles. X Pin-tailed Whydah-bird, Vidua principalis. .. Africa. 26 Hybrid Pheasants, between Phasianus mongolicus s and Phasianus colchicus ? . 7 Rufous Tinamous, Rhynchotus rufescens. .. Brazil. A female of the Christmas Island form of the Greenwing Dove ( Chalcophaps natalis ) has paired with a male of the common Indian form (C. indica ) and a fine young bird has been reared in the new Pheasantry. Another interesting youngster has been hatched by the pair of Wharton’s Fruit Pigeons ( Carpophaga whartoni ) in the Western Aviary. It is curious that both these species from this remote little island should be breeding at the Gardens. D. S.-S. THE SOCIETY’S MEDAL. Accounts are now published of the breeding in captivity of the species mentioned below. It is believed that these are the first cases in the United Kingdom, and it is proposed to award a medal in each case. Any member or reader knowing of a previous instance is requested to communicate at once with the Hon. Business Secretary. To Dr. Albert GiiNTHER, F.R.S., for breeding the Red-backed Shrike (Lanins collurio). To Mr. Wii.exam Fasey, for breeding the Yellow-rumped Parrakeet (Platycercus flaveolus ). To Mr. C. CastXvE-Seoane for breeding the Talpacoti Dove (Chamcspelia talpacoti). Medals have been awarded to Mr. D. Seth-Smith for breeding the Scaly Dove ( Scardafella squamosa ) and the Tataupa Tinamou ( Cry p turns tataupa). Correspondence, Notes, etc. 367 Special Notice : Members are reminded that a new volume commences with the November issue, and, in accordance with the Rules, the Magazine cannot be sent to members until they have paid their subscriptions. Members are therefore asked to kindly forward their subscriptions to the Hon. Business Secretary at their earliest convenience. CORRESPONDENCE, NOTES, ETC. THE MANAGEMENT OF THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY. Sir, — The new rules of the Society carry one step farther the move¬ ment which was commenced with the previous revision of the rules, and which appears to have for its object the removal of the affairs of the Society from the control of the general body of the members and the placing of them in the hands of a few. Believing, as we do, that the original democratic constitution of the Society tended in a much greater degree than the present oligarchic one to the well-being of the Society and the promotion of the science of avicul¬ ture, we have decided, if we obtain the necessary number of proposers, to stand for election to the Council in opposition to the official candidates, in order to give the members an opportunity of expressing their approval or disapproval of the new rules. We shall stand simply in support of the principal of popular control, and we now announce our intention, before the names of the official candidates are known to us, in order that we may not be suspected of any personal opposition to them. Horatio R. Fit.lmer, 25 th August, 1904. L. W. Horton, August 26 th, 1904. [The new rule relating to the election of the Council was very care¬ fully considered at the recent Annual Meeting of the Council, and it was passed in the belief that it would be to the interest of the Society and of aviculture. It was thought that a change of blood in the Council each year was necessary. Some of its members had served for many years, and by compelling two members to resign each year, commencing with those who have served the longest without a break, a change is assured. It is absolutely essential that members who serve on the Council shall be friendly toward the Society and have its welfare at heart ; and it stands to 368 Correspondence, Notes , etc. reason that the existing Council, who naturally know more of the inner workings of the Society than the other members, are best suited to recommend the two members who are to take the place of those retiring. This is a plan that is adopted by the Zoological and most other societies with perfect success. It is obvious that a society like ours must be more or less governed by a few. It could not be worked successfully otherwise. We are perfectly certain that any member who takes a keen interest in the Society and the Magazine, and who has their best interest at heart , will have no difficulty whatever in being nominated to serve on the Council. We entirely fail to see that the Society is any more oligarchic now than in the days when Mr. Fillmer practically ran it himself! Every member has a right to use the Magazine, so long as he writes upon suitable subjects; in fact it is difficult to persuade enough members to write — they will leave the writing to a few. But it is not the fault of the few if their names appear often. With the coloured plates again, a notice has been inserted requesting members to suggest subjects ; whereas formerly the matter was almost entirely left to the Executive Committee. The chief question to consider is whether the Society and Magazine are a success under the present regime ; and we venture to think that all but a few malcontents are satisfied with it. We ask our members to decide for themselves as to whether the Magazine and the Society are any worse off now, ■when it is said to be in the hands of a clique, than it was in the days of its “original democratic constitution.” What has happened since those days ? In 1899 the April and May issues consisted of twelve pages only, “ less than ever before since the first year of the Society,” as Mr. Fillmer remarked (Vol. V. p. 140). In the volume for 1900 he evidently believed that the days of the Societjr were numbered if the Magazine were to continue in its present course, for he strongly advocated the inclusion in its scope of Mammals, Reptiles, Fishes, and Canaries. Needless to say the majority of the members strongly objected to such a change, for they believed that there were still many aviculturists, who had never heard of the Society, who would readily join when the Magazine became better known, and that it would some day become an important Society with a Magazine that the members might well be proud of. That they were justified in this belief is proved by the fact that when Mr. Fillmer left the Society there were only 254 members, whereas there are now over 400. I11 Volume VII. Mr. Fillmer's name does not appear at all in the list of contributors, although it had been conspicuous in all former volumes. The Report of the Council, published at the end of that volume, announced that Mr. Fillmer had entirely severed his connection with the Society. This was at a time when the Society and its Magazine were at a low ebb, Correspondence, Notes, etc. 369 and it was necessary that a strong effort should be made if it were not to go to the wall entirely. The Council with one accord put its shoulder to the wheel. Many ■changes were made ; Annual Council Meetings were held ; the rules, which were by no means efficient, were revised, and, we hope at least that, the result is a stronger Society and a Magazine of an altogether higher standard. And this in spite of the fact that in October 1901 Mr. Fillmer started a new magazine and a new society, known respectively as “ Foreign Bird Notes,” and “The Foreign Bird Club,” presumably as rivals to the “Avicultural Magazine ” and Society. Four months later the F. B. C. joined hands with the “National British Bird and Mule Clnb,” and the Magazine changed its name to that of “Bird Notes,” under which title it still exists with Mr. Fillmer at its head ; but the British Bird and Mule Club has now broken off its connection with it. Bvery effort was made to persuade our members to join the F. B. C. ; printed circulars, and, in some cases, specimen copies ■of * Bird Notes,’ were sent to them, and, as a special inducement, members of the Avicultural Society were allowed to join without paying an entrance fee. The natural result of this was that a number of our members deserted us to join the Foreign Bird Club, the annual subscription to which, at that time, was less than that of the Avicultural Society. In December last, when our Society had reached, by careful manage¬ ment and much hard work at the hands of its officers, an important position, Mr. Fillmer rejoined, and the above communication is his first contribution to our New Series. — Ed.] THE GREAT-BILLED PARRAKEET. Sir, — The other day, on my way to the Natural History Museum I looked into a bird shop (Musgrave’s) just opposite Harrod’s Stores. There I saw what, for a moment I mistook for an Alexandrine Parrakeet, but I soon saw that it wasn’t, though the general shape of the bird is like that species, with a large head and very large red' beak, and a short, though somewhat pointed tail. The colour is bright bluish green above, and yellowish green underneath. O11 the wings are some black feathers edged with yellow, like a red Rosella’s back. O11 a top shelf at the Museum I saw a stuffed specimen of this bird, but, though I climbed on a chair I could not see its name, as the label was turned blank side outwards, like the price tickets of all the most fascinating things in the shop windows. Yesterday I hunted all over the Zoo. for a parrot like him, but failed to find one. So to-day I went into the shop and asked. The man there told me it is a “ Hornbill Parrot from India ; the only one in England ; has been in his possession eight months ; price 13 guineas.” He told me he could not find out its scientific name. The beak is very large, but not a bit like a HornbiU’s, more like a large red radish, or a small Dutch cheese. Is 37° Correspondence , Notes, etc. it really an uncommon bird ? and if so ought not some of the rich, or reckless members of the Society to buy it and tell us all about it. D. Hamilton. [The Great-billed Parrakeet ( Tanygnathusinegalorhynchus ) of Western New Guinea and the Moluccas. It is decidedly rare in the European bird- market. (See Parrakeets page 91). — Ed.] THE DIAMOND DOVE. Sir, — Seeing that you have been successful in rearing Diamond Doves, I should like to ask you if you will tell me what is the best food to give the young ones ; and how long do the old birds sit ? I have a pair in my outdoor aviary, and they have just carried a few heather branches into a small travelling box, and I should think they have been sitting about a week now. I have not seen any eggs, because so soon as one bird conies out of the box the other goes in, and I am afraid of disturbing them. At present I just feed them on white millet seed. Frank Bathe. The following reply has been sent to Mr. Frank Bathe: Diamond Doves sit about 14 days. I supply no special food for the young ones. The old birds have canary and millet seed, and rear their young quite successfully on this. So long as your pair are undisturbed iu any way they will most probably hatch and rear their brood. D. Seth-Smith. NOTES ON SOME BIRDS OF THE WHITE NILE. Sir, — The Waders which I mentioned in my article, and which Mr. Meade-Waldo has marked as Open-billed Storks, were more like Purple Coots, only chocolate and brown — not the shape of Storks. The Meyer’s Parrots are doing well out of doors, and have got much brighter in colour. T shall be very, glad to answer any questions I can about the birds or country. The whole trip is a most interesting and enjoyable one — and one which I strongly recommend to anyone who is keen about birds — of course we saw it rather to an advantage, as so few steamers had been up the Nile to disturb the birds (ours was the second to do the trip this year). We also saw a herd of twenty-seven Giraffe, countless Hippopotomi, and about six kinds of Antelopes — all from the steamer — while at Kanissa we saw the tracks of a large herd of Elephants. There were of course countless birds which I did not know, and so did not mention in my article. A. C. Charrington. Correspondence , Notes, etc. 371 “ RAVENS BREEDING IN CAPTIVITY.”— A CORRECTION. Sir, — May I correct an obvious misprint in an article of mine in the August number of the Magazine ? O11 page 292, lines 17 and 18, I intended to have said: “ . and supplied freely birch and other branches, wool and moss (the latter never used).” W. H. ST. Quintin. [Mr. St. Quintin, being abroad, was unable to correct the proofs, and the Editor much regrets that so foolish an error was allowed to pass unnoticed]. POST MORTEM EXAMINATIONS. RULES. Each bird must be forwarded, as soon after death as possible, carefully packed and postage paid, direct to Mr. Arthur Gill, M.R.C.V.S., Veterinary Establishment, Bexley Heath, Kent, and must be accompanied by a letter containing the fullest particulars of the case. Domestic poultry, pigeons, and Canaries cannot be dealt with. If a reply by post is required a fee of 2/6 must be enclosed. Bengalee. (Miss Brampton). (Acute inflammation of the bowels caused death]. REd-Eaced Lovebird. (Miss Walfe). Fed on white millet. [Your bird was much emaciated, and I certainly think white millet alone is not sufficiently nourishing. Give the large maize boiled fresh daily, canary and millet seed, and good sound white oats]. Green AvadavaT. (Mr. Tomes). [Fractured skull was cause of death]. Red-headed Gouedian. (Hon. Mrs. Hodgson). [Your bird died of inflammation of the cloaca through the retention of a fully formed egg, which was broken], Virginian Nightingale. (Lady Harriet Warde). I11 my possession 18 months. Up to day before death this bird was singing splendidly. I think he was beginning to moult. He was fed on canary, rape, millet, with occasional hemp seed. Bread crumbs, egg at times, currants, Hawkins’ soft bill food, and a good deal of fruit, and meal¬ worms three times a week. [Your bird died of apoplexy. These birds are very subject to fits which are, I think, usually due to over¬ feeding. They are very hardy, being able to bear our severest winters out of doors with impunity. I have had many and never lost one, and my treatment was as follows. Kept out of doors all weathers. During the summer and warm months of spring and autumn fed on canary, millet, oats, with plenty of fruit, and occasionally some boiled maize, of which they were very fond. During the colder months I gave, in addition to the above, occasionally sunflower seed, and regularly a little hemp and Century food. Thanks for P.O. 2/6]. 37 2 Post Mortem Examinations. Bicheno Finch. (Mrs. A. K. Connell). [Pneumonia was the cause of death], Eceectus Parrot. (Mrs. A. K. Connell). Has been ailing with a bad throat for a long time. [The bird died of suffocation caused by a growth at the back of pharynx which had completely grown over the top or opening of the larynx. It is a wonder that the bird has been able to swallow its food for a long while]. Hen Shamah. (Miss Alderson). [The bird had a fractured skull, caused by direct violence. It is quite possible the Quails are the culprits]. Gouedian Finch. (Mrs. Howard Williams). The bird died of apoplexy. There being a large clot of extravasted blood all over the left side of brain]. Bueefinch and Gouedian Finch. (Mr. Teschemaker). [Bullfinch was a hen and died of enteritis. Gouldiau died of fatty degeneration of liver. No particulars of feeding, etc., so cannot say if there is any fault in this respect.] CockaTiee. (Mrs. C. H. Williams). [Death was due to internal haemor¬ rhage from a ruptured abdominal blood vessel]. Cordon BeEU. (Mrs. Barber). Has been in outdoor aviary from May to end of August. [Your bird had a fit caused by pressure on the brain. There was an extensive blood clot at the lower part of right side of brain]. Yeeeow Budgerigar. (Mrs. Noble). [Concussion of the brain caused death. Budgerigars frequently stampede at night. If one commences they nearly all join in. Whether caused by fright I cannot say, but I have repeatedly heard mine do this]. White Java Sparrow. (Miss E. Bamford). [Your bird died of con¬ cussion of the brain caused by direct injury to the skull], Orange-feanked Parrakket. (Mr. N. O’Reilly). [Your bird died of liver disease of long standing, this organ being nearly twice its normal size. Thanks for P.O. 2/6]. Eight WaxbieeS. (Lad}'' Carnegie). Arrived from London in apparently perfect health. They were all found dead next morning. They ate ravenously all the day. [All died of infectious (or septic) enteritis. Thoroughly disinfect cage (or if not a valuable one destroy it) before putting any other birds into it]. Arthur Giee. 373 INDEX TO SUBJECTS. A. Accidents, A Chapter of, 347 Acridotheres ginginianits, 43 ,, melanosternns , 128 Administration of Medicine to Birds, The, 78, 144 African Drongo, 98 „ Firefiuclies breeding in outdoor aviary, 118 „ Quail, 54 Agaporms pullaria , 330 Albinism, 242 Alcedo ispida , 125 Alexandra Parrakeet, 251, 256, 304 Algeria, A Naturalist’s Ramble in, 72 Amaditia erythrocephala , 164 Amazon Parrot, Bahama, 239 ,, ,, Guilding’s, 121 ,, „ Treatment of Le Vaillants, 206 ,, ,, with tumour, 253 Amblyrhampkus holosericeus, 70 American Golden Plover, 71 Ammodramus savannarum passerinus, 358 Ampeliceps corona-tus, 276 Ampeiis garnet us, 22 Amsterdam, Lesser Bird of Paradise at, 27 Amydrus inorio, 98 Anas boscas, 33 Andaman Banded Crakes, 277 „ Starling, 70 Annual Meeting of the Council, 306 Anser cinereus , 35 Anthropoides virgo, 58 Appreciation of kindness by Robins, 283 Aquila chrysaetus, 36 Aracari, 70 Arachnechthra minima, 126 Ardea manillensis, 125 Ardctta cinnamomea, 125 ,, sinensis, 125 Art ami es fit sens, 127 Aspect for an outdoor Aviary, 203 ,, of the Southport Corporation Aviary, 231 Aurora Finches nesting, 56 Australian Brush Turkey, 160 ,, Crested Doves, 54 Aviary, Aspect for an outdoor, 203 ,, My, 165 Aviaries belonging to Lady Dunleath, 113 „ The worries of, 52 Avicultural Society, Rules of the, 15, 306 Azara on the Tataupa, 285 Aztec Conures, Cage Bred, 51 B. Babbling Thusli, Pied, 97 Backbackiri, 98 Bahama Amazon Parrot, 239 Balceniceps rex, 138, 315 Balance Sheet for year ending 31st Oct., 1903, 146 Bank Mynah, 43 Banksian Cockatoo, 69, 102, 135, 164 Barbet, Blue-cheeked, 43, 104 Bare-throated Francolin, Gray’s, 325 Barnard’s Parrakeet, 67, 199 Bathilda ruficauda, 37, 70 Bee-eater, 128 ,, Natal Swallow-tailed, 119 ,, Nile „ ,, 118, 119 ,, Senegal ,, ,, 119 Bengalese as cage birds, 134 Bicheno’s Finch, Black-rumped, 70 ,, ,, Hybrid, 164 „ ,, On the difficulty of sexiug, 219 Bird Life, A station for the study of, 364 ,, Notes from the Zoological Gardens, 71, 106, 132, 143, 170, 201, 223, 250, 275. 3°L 327. 3&5 Birds by an Irish Stream in Winter, 220 ,, of Cuba and Jamaica, 254 ,, „ Paradise in England, 362 ,, for Park Aviary, 305 Bitterns, Chestnut, 123 „ Yellow, 125 Black-backed Gull, Greater, 32, 34 ,, -capped Bulbul, 128 ,, Cockatoos, Sir C. Lawes-Wittewronge’s, 135 ,, and white Long-tailed Shrike, 98 ,, game and Grouse Hybrids, 300 ,, -headed Gull, 71 „ -rumped Finches, 103 ,, Swans, 71 ,, ,, young hatched in Zoo, 106 ,, -tailed Parrakeet, 66, 102 ,, -throated Diver, 31 Blue and black Tauager, 103 „ -banded Parrakeets, 304 „ -bearded Jays, 103 ,, Bonnets, 200 ,, -bonnet Parrakeets, 232 „ -capped Tanager, 277 ,, -cheeked Barbet, 43, 104 ,, Kingfisher, 123 ,, Mountain Lories, 200 ,, Sugar-bird, 70, 103 ,, -winged Chloropsis, 70 ,, ,, Pitta, Lesser, 71 Boat-billed Night Heron, 231 Bobolink, 103, 358 Bourke’s Parrakeets, 256, 304 Bower Birds, 144 ,, ,, Preference to particular colours, 235 Brahminy Kites, 128 Brambling, 319 Breeding Budgerigars, 280 ,, Cherry Finches, 234 „ in captivity of the Tataupa Tinamou, 285 ,, of the Rock Pebbler Parrakeet, 66 „ Ravens, 292 ,, Red-faced Lovebirds, 350 „ results, 82 374 Index to Subjects. Breeding St, Helena Seedeaters, 305 ,, Virginian Cardinals, 53 ,, with Mules, 282 ,. Zebra- Finches, 233 Brotogerys tui, 70, 102 Brush Bronzewing Pigeons, 211, 263 ,, Turkey, 71 ,, Turkeys, 163 ,, „ * Hatching and Rearing at the Zoo, 294 „ ,, Nesting habits of the, 217 » ,, Young, 277, 295 Budgerigars, 54 ,, Breeding, 280 ,, Yellow, 82 Bulbul, Black-capped, 126 ,, Green, 126 ,, Red-vented, 125 Bullfinch, Desert Trumpeter, 70, 103, 164 ,, Grey -breasted, 71 Bunting, Crested Himalayan, 70 ,, Reed, 35 Burrowing Owl, 39 Bustard, The Great, 188 Button Quail, The kittle, 208 Buzzards, Jackal, 302 c. Cafifre-fink, 97 „ ,, red, 96 Cage-bred Aztec Cotiures, 51 Calcutta Zoo, 116 Californian Quails, 54 Calliste fastuosa, 70 „ f estiva, 116 ,, flaya, 70, 103, 163 ,, tricolor , 70, 103, 165 Calodromus elegans, 104 Calopezus elegans, 104 Calyptorhynchus banksi, 69 Canchroma cochlearia, 250 Cape Dove, 99 „ Glossy Starling, 98 ,, koug-claw, 99 ,, Robin, 98 ,, Turtle-Dove, 99 Cardinal, Brown-throated, 57, 63, 69 „ Pope, 64 ,, Red-headed, or Dominican. 267 ,, Yellow-billed, 63 Cardinals, Breeding Virginian, 53 „ The Smaller Red-headed, 63 Carolina Conures, 168 „ Duck, 89 ,, ,, Further Notes on the, 139 Carpophaga -whartoni , 71, 366 Caiheturus lathami, 160 Cayman Island Parrots, 277 Cedar Bird, 208 Ceylon, A Ramble in, 124 ,, Grackle, 128 ,, Munia, 127 ,, White-e3’e, 127 Ceylonese koriquet, 127 C halcophaps indica, 333 „ natalis, 71, 366 Chamcepelia talpacoti, 353 Chapter of Accidents, A, 347 Characters in Birds’ wings, 319 Chauna cristata, 277 C haradrius dominicus, 71 ,, pluvialis, 34 Chen rossz, 71 Chera prngue, 97 Cherry-Finches breeding, 234 Chestnut Bitterns, 125 Chipping Sparrow, 356 Chlorophonia callophiys, 277 Chloropsis, Blue-winged, 70 „ Hardwick’s, 104 Chloropsis hardwickii, 70, 163 ,, jerdoni, 126 Christmas Island Dove, 71, 366 Chrysotis agihs, 240 ,, auRusta, 240 ,, bahamensis, 239 ,, bouquet i, 240 ,, caymanensis, 276, 281 ,, collaria, 240 ,, guildingi, 121, 240 ,, sallcei, 240 , , versicolor, 240 „ vittata, 240 Cicinpurus regius, 362 Cinclosoma ajax, 160 ,, caslanouofum, 160 ,, castaiiothorax, 160 ,, ciunamomeum, 160 ,, marginatum, 160 ,, punctatum, 149 Cirl Bunting’s song, 208 Cissa, Hunting, 103 Cissopis leveriana, 70, 103 Cockatoo, Banksian, 69, 102, 135, 164 Cockatoos, Black, 135 ,, keadbeater, 67 Coliopasser viaciurus, 70 Colymbus arcticus, 31 Columba phceonota, 99 Common Mynah, 128 ,, Spreo, 98 Committee, The Executive, 57 Conure, Red-bellied, 164 Conures, Carolina, 168 ,, White-eared, 175 Conuropsis carolinensis, 168 Conurus aztec, 51 Copsychus saularis, 128 Cormorant, 33 Cordon Bleus, 205 Corvus cornix, 35 Coturnix coromandelica, 55, 58 Council, Annual Meeting of the, 306 ,, Election of the, 58 ,, of the Society, 119 Cossypha ca-ffra, 98 Covering Singing Birds, 116 Cowbird, 355 Crakes, Andaman Banded, 277 Crane, Demoiselle, 38 Crateropus bicolor, 97 Crested Doves, Australian, 54 ,, Himalayan Bunting, 70 ,, Screamers, 277, 301 ,, ,, Young of, 301 Crimson Finch, 103, 164 ,, -wings, 199 Croc opus chlorogaster, 126 Crossbills, 176 Crow, Hooded, 35 Crowned Pigeon, Sclater’s, 71 Crypturus tataupa, 105, 285, 362 Crystal Palace, Foreign Birds at the, 69, 102, 164 Cuba and Jamaica, Birds of, 254 Curassou, Globose, 301 Cyanops asiatica, 43 Cygnus atratus, 71 „ ferns, 333 D. Dacnis cayana, 70, 103, 165 Demoiselle Crane, 58 Desert Trumpeter Bullfinch, 70, 103 Diamond Dove, 332, 370 „ Finches, 171 Index to Subjects. 375 Dicrocerus chrysolatmus, 119 „ furcaius, 119 ,, hirundineus, J19 Dicrurus a ter , 126 ,, leucopygialis , 128 Diet, The Influence of, on the Avian Death-rate, 49, 79, 119 Dilophus carunculatus, 98 Dippers, rearing’, 282 Dissemurus paradiseus, 84 Diver, Black-Throated, .41, 32, 33 Doltchonyx oryztvorus, 338 Dominican Cardinal, 267 Dove, Cape, 99 ,, Diamond, 332, 370 ,, Indian Green-winged, 333 ,, Plumed Ground, 230 ,, Kufous, 270 ,, Tambourine, 100 ,, Violet, 28 ,, White-fronted, 28 Doves, Australian Crested, 54 ,, eating worms, &c., 83 ,, Spotted, 127 ,, Talpacoti, 353 Dron go, 126 ,, African, 126 „ The Great Racket-Tailed, 84 Duck, Carolina, 89 ,, Mandarin, 89, 174 „ Wild, 35 Dunlin, 34 Dyal Bird, 128, 232 E. Eagle, Golden, 36 Eaglet, Snake, 128 Earl’s Weka Rail, 277 Egrets, White, 124 Plgyptian Quails, 53 Election of Council, 1903, 58 Elegants, 200 Emberiza schoeniclus, 35 Ernblema picta, 169 Eudocimus albus, 71 Erythrospiza githciginea, 70, 103, 164 Erythiura prasina , 70 ,, psittacea, 70, 103 Estrilda angolensis, 96 Eudromia elegans, 104 Eulabes ptilogenys, 128 Everett’s Thick-billed Parrot, 203, 246 Excalfactoria , 31 x „ adansoni, 312 ,, ckinensis, 31 1 ,, lepida, 313 ,, lineata, 311 Executive Committee, The, 57 Experiments in rearing Wild. Finches by Eoster-pareut Birds, 354 F. Feather-plucking, 140 Festive Tanager, 116 Field Notes in South Africa, 94 „ Sparrows, 355 Finch -Dark, A, 304 ,, -Larks, 99 Firefiuch, Masked, 103 „ Spotted, 103 ,, Vinaceous, 103 Firefiuches, 69 ,, African, breeding in outdoor aviary, 118 Flycatcher, Paradise, 43 Rufous-bellied Niltava, 21, 70 Food for Jay, 144 ,, Nestlings, 173 ,, Parrots, 206 Foreign Birds at the Crystal Palace, 69 ,, ,, ,, December Bird Show, 102 „ ,, “Great National ” Show, 102 ,, ,, Rare, 57 Franeolin, Gray’s Bare-throated, 325 P'rancolins, Jackson’s, 223 ,, Schuett’s, 223 Fruit Pigeon, Green, 126 ,, Wharton’s, 71, 366 Furnarius rufus , 57 G. Gallinago coelestis, 35 Garrulax leucolophus, 297 Geese, Grey Lag, 35 ,, Boss’s Snow, 71 Geocichla cyanonotus , 179 „ macrorhyncka, 180 Geopelia cuneata , 332 Giza Zoological Gardens, 138 Glaucidium period uni, 98, 99 Globose Curassou, 301 Glossopsittacus pusillus, 142 Glossy Ibis, 71 ,, Starling, Cape, 98 ,, „ Green, 103 „ ,, Purple-headed, 103 Gold-crested Mynah, 277 ,, -fronted Finch, 57, 71 Golden-bellied Grosbeak, 203 „ Eagle, 36 ,, Plover, 34 ,, ,, American, 71 Gouldiau Finches, 53, 174 ,, ,, Melanism in, 331 Goura sclateri, 71 Grassfinch, Rufous-tailed, 70 Gray’s Bare-throated Franeolin, 325 Great-billed Parrakeet, 369 ,, Bustard, 188 ,, Indian Weaver, 57, 69 ,, Racket-tailed Drongo, 84 Greater Black-backed Gull, 32, 34 Grebes, 31 Green-billed Toucan, 104 ,, Bulbul, 126 „ Fruit Pigeon, 126 ,, Glossy Starling, 103 ,, -winged Dove, Indian, 333 Greenshank, 34 Grey-breasted Bullfinches, 71 ,, Java Sparrow, 56 „ Lag-Geese, 35 „ Singing-finch, Nesting of the, 303 ,, Solitaire, 277 ,, -winged Ouzel, 57, 116 Grosbeak, Golden-bellied, 203 Ground Bird, The Spotted, 149 ,, Dove, Plumed, 230 ,, Thrush, Large-billed, 180 ,, ,, Tasmanian, 180 ,, ,, White-throated, 179 Grouse, 34 Guianas, A Naturalist in the, 224 Guide to the Zoo, 228 Guilding’s Amazon Parrot, 121 Gull, Black-headed, 71 „ Common, 33 ,, Greater Black-backed, 32 Gulls, Jameson’s, 71 ,, Scoresby’s, 71 376 Index to Subjects. H. Halcyon smyrnettsis, 125 H alia star Indus, 128 Hang-nest, Red-headed, 70 Hardwickit chloropsts, 70 Hardwick’s Chloropsis, 104 Hatching and rearing of Brush Turkeys, 294 Health of Small Finches. 360 Heating Apparatus for Bird-rooms, 143 Hemipodes, 99, 209 Herodias alba, 124 Heron, Boat-billed Night, 251 . ,, Purple, 125 Highland Lochs, On, 30 Himalayan Whistling-Thrush, 71 Homing instinct in Pennant’s Parrakeet, 81 Hooded Crow, 35 „ Crows, Rearing, 282 ,, Siskin Mules, 282 Hornbill, Philippine, 170 Hunting Cissa, 103 Hybrid, Bicheno-Zebra, 164 ,, Blackgame and Grouse, 300 „ Munias, 140, 176 ,, Nutmeg-finch and Silver-bill, 115 ,, Redrnmp and Rosella, 103 ,, Rheas, 301 Hybrids, On Some Turtle-Dove, and their fertility, 191 I. Ibis, Glossy, 71 „ White, 71 Identification of Lorikeet, 205 Illustration Fund, 256, 280, 309, 334 Indian Crested Bunting, 103 ,1 Green-winged Dove, 333 ,, Oriole, Treatment of, 54 Influence of Diet on the Avian death-rate, 49,. 79, 1 19 Insectivorous birds, Sponge-cake for, 114 J. Jackal Buzzards, 302 Jackson’s Francolins, 223 Jameson’s Gulls, 71 Jay, Food for, 144 Jay-Tlirush, White-crested, 297 Jays, Blue-bearded, 103 Java Sparrows, 56 K. Kestrel, Large African, 71 Kestrels, South African, 71 Kingfisher, Blue, 125 Kingfishers, Laughing, 277 ,, White-breasted, 125 King Parrakeet, 198 Kites, Brahminey, 128 L. Lag-geese, Grey, 35 Lagonosticta larvata, 103 ,, nivciguttata, 69, 164 ,, rufopicta, 69, 103, 164 ,, vinacea, 103, 164 Lagopus scolicus, 34 Lauiarius gutturalis, 98 ,, quadricolor, 98 Lapwing, 35 Large African Kestrel, 71 ,, -billed Ground-Thrush, 180 Lams canus, 33, 34 ,, fuscus, 34 „ martinis, 33 ,, novoe-hollaudte, 71 ,, ridibundus, 71 Lathamus discolor, 168 Laughing Kingfishers, 277 ,, Owl of New Zealand, 331 Leadbeater’s Cockatoo, 67 Leptoptila jantaicensis, 28 ,, leichenbachi, 270 Lesser Bird of Paradise, 26 ,, Blue-winged Pitta, 7 1 Le Vaillaut’s Amazon Parrot, 206 Levaillant’s Parrot, 328 Leucophceus scoresbii, 71 Litmra Jinschi, 173 Liothiix lutea, 299 List of Members, 1 Little Button Quail, 208 „ Lorikeet, 142 Live Birds in 1856, Prices obtained for, 142 Lochs, On Highland, 30 Long-claw, Cape, 99 „ -tailed Rose-Finch, 71 ,, ,, Whydah, 97 Lnphophaps plumifei a, 230 Loriculus tndicus, 127 Lories, Blue Mountain, 200 Lorikeet, Identification of, ,, Little, 142 ,, Perfect, 246 ,, Red-collared, 57, 69, 102 „ Swainson’s, 168 ,, Swift, 168 ,, Varied, 69, 102, 164, 169 ,, Weber’s, 246 Loriquet, Ceylonese, 127 Lovebirds, Red-faced, 253, 282, 350 M. Macronvx capensis, 99 Magazine, The Society’s, 177 Magpie 'l'anager, 70, 103 Malabar Parrakeet, 102 ,, Thrush, 129 Management of the Avicultural Society, The, 367 Mandarin Duck, 89, 174 Many-coloured Parrakeet, 304 Mareca penelope, 34 Marking rings for Parrakeets, 83 Martineta Tinamou breeding in Captivity, 104 Masked Fire-Finch, 103 Mealy Rosellas, 199 Medal, The Society’s, 18, 58, 280, 308. 366 Medicine to birds, The administration of, 78, 144 Melanism, 242 ,, in Gouldian Finches, 331 Melophus melanicierus, 70, 103 Melospiza cinerea melodia, 334 Members, List of, 1 Merganser, Red-breasted, 33 Mergus serrator, 35 HI crops vividis, 128 Memla, 71 Merula boulboul, 37 ,, unicolor, 329 Mesia argentauris, 36 377 Index to Subjects. Mesia, The Silver-eared, 36 ,, „ Young of, 40, 42 Metoponia pusilla, 37, 71 Meyer’s Parrot, 94, 318, 370 Molothrus liter , 355 Molpastes hcemorrhous , 125 Morepork, 332 Mules, Breeding with, 282 ,, Hooded Siskin, 282 Mania feruginosa, 140 „ kelaarti, 127 ,, pectoralis, 130 ,, punctularia , 127 Munias, Hybrid, 140, 176 Myiadectes unicolor, 277 Myiophoneus horsfieldi, 129 ,, temmincki, 71 Mynah, Bank, 43 „ Common, 128 „ Gold-crested, 277 N. Natal Bush Shrike, 98 “ Naturalist in the Guianas,” 224 Naturalist’s Ramble in Algeria, 72 Neochmia phaeton, 163, 164 Neophema bourkei, 256 Nesting boxes for Wild Birds, 259 ,, habits of the Brush Turkey, 217 ,, Notes on the African Silver-bill, 133 ,, of the Grey Singing-finch, 303 ,, ,, Rufous Dove, 270 „ ,, Scaly Dove, 278 ,, „ Waxwing in Confinement, 22 ,, ,, White-fronted, or Violet Dove, 28 ,, „ Yellow-rumped Parrakeet, Nestlings, Food for, 173 Nicobar Pigeons, 113 Night-heron, Boat-billed, 231 Nile Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, 118 Niltava, Rufous-bellied, 214 70 Niltava sundara, 21 Nonpareil Buntings, 53 Nonpareil, Pintail, 70 Notes on Melanism and Albinism in Birds, 242 „ ,, Parrakeets, 143, 198 ,, „ the Habits in Captivity of the Brush Bronzewing Pigeon, 211, 263 ,, „ the nesting of the Red-headed or Dominican Cardinal, 267 „ „ the Painted Quails, 311 ,, ,, some Birds of the White Nile, 3i3. 370 Numenius arquata, 34 Nutmeg Bird, 127 „ -finch and Silverbill Hybrid^ 115 O. Ocydromus australis, 277, 329 ,, earli, 277 CEna capensis , 99 Officers for the year 1904-3, 333 Olive Finches, 164 Orange-billed Tanager, 37, 335 Oriole, Treatment of Indian, 34 Ornamental Waterfowl, 233 Ouzel, Grey-winged, 57, 116 ,, Tickell’s, 329 Oven Bird, 57 Owlets, Pearl-spotted, 99 Owl, Burrowing, 39 ,, Pearl-spotted, 98 ,, Winking, 71 P. Pachycephala, 229 ,, gntturalis, 61 ,, rufiventris, 62 Painted Finch, 169 „ Quails, Some Notes on the, 311 Palceornis peristerodes, 102 „ torquata, 107 ,, ty fieri, 132 Paradisea apoiia, 26, 362 ,, minor, 26, 362 Paradise Flycatcher, 43 „ Great Bird of, 26, 362 „ King Bird of, 362 ,, Lesser Bird of, 26, 362 ,, Twelve-wired Bird of, 26 Park Aviary, Birds for, 305 Paroaria capitata, 63 ,, cervicalis, 37, 63, 70 ,, gularis, 65 ,, larvata, 64, 267 Parrakeet Alexandra, 231, 256, 304 ,, Black-tailed, 66, 102 ,, Bourke’s, 236, 304 ,, Breeding of the Rock Pebbler, 66 „ Brown’s, 57, 70 ,, Kverett’s, 246 ,, Great-billed, 369 ,, Malabar, 102 ,, Many-coloured, 304 ,, Notes, 304 ,, Passerine, 205 „ Pennants, 66, 67 ,, Princess of Wales’, 251, 256 „ Ring-necked, 107 ,, Tui, 70, 102 ,, Turquoisine, 200, 304 ,, Tytler’s, 132 ,, Yellow-rumped, nesting, 353 Parrakeets, Alexandra, 304 ,, Blue-handed, 304 ,, Marking rings for, 83 „ Notes on, 143, 198 „ Yellow-rumped, 304, 353 ,, Yellow-vented, 252 Parrot Finch, 70, 103 Parrot, Amazon with tumour, 253 „ Bahama Amazon, 239 ,, Cayman Island, 277, 281 „ Kverett’s Thick-billed, 203, 246 ,, Guilding’s Amazon, 121 ,, Levaillant’s, 328 ,, Meyer’s 94, 370 ,, Philippine Racket-tailed, 203, 246 ,, “Violet-backed,” 69 Parrots, Food for, 206 „ West Indian, 281 “ Passera solitaria,” 215 Passer luteus, 70 Passerine Parrakeets, 205 Pavoncella pugnax, 58 Peanuts for Doves, 29 Pearl-spotted Owlets, 98, 99 Pectoral Finches, 130, 174 ,, Rails, 56 Pekin Nightingale, 299 Penelopides affinis, 170 Pennant’s Parrakeet, 66 ,, ,, Homing instinct in, 81 Perfect Lorikeet, 246 Phalacrocorax carbo, 35 Phaps elegans, 211, 263 „ chalcoptera, 21 1 378 Index to Subjects. “ Pheasants,” 227 P ktloeterus soci/fs, 97 Philippine, Hornbilt, 170 ,, Racket-Tailed Parrot, 203 Phonipara olivacea, 164 Phylloscopus trochilus, 35 Pied Babbling Thrush, 97 Pigeon, Brush Bronzewing, 211, 263 „ Green Fruit, 126 „ Speckled, 99 ,, Sclater’s Crowned, 71 ,, Wharton’s Fruit, 71, 366 Pintail Nonpareil, 70 Pitta cyanoptera , 71 Pitta, Lesser Blue-winged, 71 Platycercus browni, 70 ,, flaveolus, 353 Plegadis falcinellus, 71 Ploceus megarhynch us, 57, 69, 103, 165 Plover, American Golden, 71 „ Golden, 34 Ploceipasser mahali, 96 Plumed Ground Dove, 230 Pceocephalus meyeri , 94 ,, robustus, 328 Poliopsar andatnanensis, 70 Polyandry in Birds, 104, 291, 363 Polytelis alexandree, 250 ,, melanura, 66, 102 Pompeoptera triton, 125 Pope Cardinal, 64 Popes, 267 Post mortem Examinations, 59, 87, 120, 148, _ 178, 210, 237, 257, 284, 309, 334, 371 Princess of Wales’ Parrakeet, 251, 256 Prioniiurus discurus, 202, 246 Psephotus hcematogaster, 252 ,, hcematorrhous, 252 ,, multicolor, 304 ,, xanthorrhous, 252 Psitleuteles euteles, 246 ,, zueberi, 246 Pternistes infuscatus, 325 ,, leucosepus, 325 Pteroglossus torguntus, 70 Ptilosclera, 69 ,, versicolor, 164 Purple-headed Glossy Starling, 103 Purple Heron, 125 Pycnonotus melanicterus, 126 Pyromelana oiyx, 96 Pyrrhula griseiventris, 71 Pyrrhulauda verticalis, 304 Pvrrhzira vittata, 164 Pytelia afra, 70 Rare Foreign Birds, 57 ,, ,, ,, at the Crystal Palace, 69 ,, Waterfowl breeding in Captivity, 137 Ravens breeding in Captivity, 292 Rearing Dippers and Hooded Crows, 282 „ Sandpipers, 321 Red-backed Shrike breeding in captivity, 339 „ -bellied Conures, 164 ,, -breasted Merganser, 35 ,, -collared Lorikeet, 57, 69, 102 ,, -faced Finch, 70 ,, ,, Lovebirds, 253, 2S2, 350 ,, „ ,, breeding- in Captivity, 330 Red-headed Cardinal^, 267 ,, Cardinal's, The smaller, 63 ,, Finch, 95, 164 ,, Hangnest, 70 Red Rosellas, 199 Red-rump and Kosella Hybrid, 103 Redrumps, 54 Redshank, 34, 35 Red -vented Blue" Bonnet, 252 ,, Bulbul, 125 Reed Bunting, 35 Reeve, Ruff and, 58 Reviews, &c. (see pp. 46, 48, 76, 136, 224) Rhynchotus rufescens, 285 Rheas, Hybrid, 301 Ribbon-Finches, Rearing young, 116 Ring-necked Parrakeets at large in Hampshire, 107 Robins, Appreciation of kindness by, 283 Rock Pebbler Parrakeet, Breeding the, 66 „ Pepler, 102 ,, -Thrushes at Riva, 214 Roller, South African, 98 Rose-finch, Long tailed, 71 Rosella and Redrump hybrid, 103 Rosellas, 67, 199 Ross’s Snow Geese, 71 Ruff and Reeve, 58 Rufous-bellied Niltava, 21, 70 ,, -breasted Thickhead, 62 ,, Dove, Nesting of the, 270 ,, -tailed Grassfinch, 70 ,, Tinamou, 285 Rules of the Avicultural Society, 15 „ „ ,, Amendments, 306 S. Q. Quail, The Rain, 55, 58 ,, Winter Quarters of the Common, 231 Quails, African, 54 ,, Californian, 54 „ Egyptian, 53 „ Painted, 311 Queen Parrakeet, 198 R. Racket-tailed Drongo, The Great, 84 ,, „ Parrot, Pliillippine, 203, 246 Rails, Pectoral, 56 Rain Quail, 55, 58 Rallina canningi, 275 Ramble in Cevlon, 124 Rambles among the Wild Birds (No. III.) 30 Saffron and Ribbon Finches rearing young, 116 Saltator aurantiirostris, 57, 70, 335 Sandpiper, 34 ,, The rearing of the, 321 Scaly Dove, Nesting of the, 278 Scardafella sqtiamosa, 278 Sceloglaux albifacies, 331 Schuett’s Francolins, 223 Sclater’s Crowned Pigeon, 71 Scoresby’s Gulls, 71 Screamers, Crested, 277, 301 Seed-eater, St. Helena, 305 Seleucides nigricans, 26 Septicaemia, 49 “ Seven Sisters,” 97 Sliama and Dyal-bird, 232 ,, Hen, 84 Shoebill Stork, 138 Shrike, Long-tailed, 98 ,, Red-backed, 339 Silkworms, 208 Silver-bill, African, 133 „ and Nutmeg-finch Hybrid, 115 379 Index to Subjects. Silver-eared Mesia, 36 „ „ „ Young of, 40, 42 Singing-Finch, Green, 332 „ „ Prey, 3<%, 332 „ ,, breeding, 332 Sitagra capensis, 96 Siva, The Stripe-throated, 233 Siva strigula, 233 Smaller Ked-lieaded Cardinals, The, 63 Snake Eaglet, 128 Snipe, 35 (?) Snow Geese, Ross’s, 71 Sociable Weaver Bird, 97 Society’s Magazine, The, 177 „ Medal, 18, 58, 280, 308, 366 ,, Rules, 15, 306 Solitaire, Grey, 277 Song Sparrows, 354 South African, Field Notes in, 94 ,, ,, Kestrels, 71 ,, ,, Roller, 98 Southport Corporation Aviary; Aspect of the, 231 Sparrow, Yellow, 70, 171 Sparrows Nesting in Nile Ferry-boats, 231 Spathopterus, 251 Speckled Pigeons, 99 Spilornis melanotis, 128 Spizella pusilla, 355 Spizella socialis, 357 Sponge-cake for Insectivorous birds, 114 Spotted Doves, 127 ,, Fire-finch, 103 ,, Ground Bird, 149 Spreo, Common, 98 Starling, Andaman, 70, 103 ,, Cape Glossy, 98 ,, Green Glossy, 103 „ Purple-headed Glossy, 103 ,, Wattled, 98 St. Helena Seed-eaters, 305 ,, Waxbills, 56 Station for the study of Bird Fife, A, 364 Stictoptera aunulosa, 70, 103 ,, bichenovii ', 219 Stork, The Shoe-bill, 138 Stray Notes, 168. 299 Stripe-throated Siva, 233 Sugar-birds, Blue, 70, 103 Summer or Carolina Duck, 89 Sun Birds, 126 Superb Tanager, 70 Swainson’s lorikeet, 168 Swans, Black, 71 ,, Whistling, 71 „ Whoopei, 333 Swift Lorikeet, 168 T. 7 alegalla lathami, 7 r, 217, 294 Talpacoti Doves breeding in Captivity, 353 Tambourine Dove, More attempts to breed the, 100 Tanager, Blue and Black, 103 „ Blue-capped, 277 ,, Festive, 116 „ Magpie, 70, 103 „ Orange-billed, 57, 335 „ Superb, 70 „ Tricolor, 70, 103, 165 „ White-capped, 103, 165 ,, Yellow, 70, 165 ,, Yellow-billed, 70 Tanagers, 70 7'aiiagra palmar tun, 70 Tanygnathus everetti, 69 ,, megalorhynchus, 370 Tasmanian Ground-Thrush, j8o Tataupa Tinamou, 105, 285, 362 Telegallus fuscirostris, 163 (?) Thickhead, Rufous-breasted, 62, 229 ,, White-throated, 61, 229 Thrush, 71 ,, Himalayan Whistling, 71 ,, Large -billed Ground-, 180 ,, Tasmanian Ground-, 180 ,, White-Throated Ground-, 179 Thrushes, White-crested, 297 Tickell’s Ouzels nesting, 329 Tinamou, Martineta, breeding in Captivity, 104 ,, Rufous, 285 ,, Tataupa, 105, 285 „ „ breeding in Captivity, „ „ Further Notes on the, .362 7 'inminculus rupicoloides, 71 ,, mpicolus, 71 Totauus calidris , 34 ,, cauescens, 34 ,, hypoleucus, 34 Toucan, Green-billed, 104 Touraco, 104, 165 Treatment of Indian Oriole, 54 7'richcglossus novce-hollandiue , 168 „ rubrilorques, 57, 69, 102 Tricolor Tanager, 70, 103, 165 Triuga alpina, 34 Trumpeter Bullfinches, 70, 103, 164 Tui Parrakeet, 70, 102 7 urdus fumigatus, 104 Turkey, Brush, 71, 160, 217, 294 7'urnix dussutnieri , 208 ,, kotientoiia , 99 Turquoisines, 200, 304 Turtle Dove, Cape, 99 „ ,, Hybrids, and their fertilitv, igi 1 ut tur, captcola, 99 ,, suratensis, 127 Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise, 26 7 ympanistria, 100 Tytler’s Parrakeet, 132 U. Uragus lepidus, 71 Urolestes melanoleucus, 98 V. Vanellits vulgaris, 35 Varied Lorikeet, 69, 102, 164, 169 Vidua finschi, 173 Viuaceous Fire-Finch, 103 Violet Dove, Nesting of the, 28 Violet-eared Waxbills, 96, 174 Virginian Cardinals, Breeding, 53 w. Warbler, Willow, 35 Waterfowl breeding in captivity, 137 ,, Ornamental, 233 Wattled Starling, 98 Waxbill, St. Helena, 56 „ Violet-eared, 96, 174 ,, Wiener’s, 70 Waxwing, 104 ,, Nesting in confinement, 22 Waxwings, The Southern Migration of, 117 3So Index to Subjects. Weaver, Great Indian, 57, 69 ,, Sociable, 97 ,, White-browed, 96 „ Yellow shouldered, 96 Weber’s Lorikeet, 246 Weka Kail, 277 ,, ,, breeding in captivity, 329 „ ,, young, 277, 300 ,, Karl’s, 277 Wekas breeding in captivity, 300 West Indian Parrots, 281 Wharton’s Fruit Pigeon, 71, 366 Whistling Swans, 71 ,, Thrush, Himalayan, 71 White Bellies, 56 White-breasted Finch, 130 ,, ,, Kingfishers, 125 ,, -browed Weaver, 96 ,, -crested Jay Thrush, 297 ,, ,, Thrushes, 297 ,, -eared Cou tires nesting, 175 ,, Kgrets, 124 ,, eye, Ceylon, 127 ,, -fronted or Violet Dove, 28 ,, Ibises, 71 ,, -tailed Whydah, 172 ,, -throated Ground Thrush, 179 ,, „ Thickhead, 61, 229 ,, Nile, Notes on some Birds of the, 3i5> 370 Whooper Swans nesting in captivity, 333 Whydah, A White-tailed, 172 ,, Long-tailed, 97 ,, Yellow-backed, 70 Wiener’s Waxbill, 70 Wigeon, 34 Wild Birds, Nesting boxes for, 259 „ Duck, 35 Willow Warbler, 35 Winking Owl, 71 Winter quarters of Common Quail, 231 Wintering Foreign birds out-of-doors, 234 Wonga VVonga Pigeons, 102 Wood Duck, 91 ,, Swallows, 127 Worries of Aviaries, The, 52 Y. Yellow-backed Whydah, 70 „ -billed Cardinal, 63 ,, „ Tanager, 70 ,, Bitterns, 125 ,, Budgerigars, 82 ,, -rumps, 304 ,, -rumped'parrakeets nesting, 353 ,, -shouldered Weaver, 96 ,, Sparrow, 70, 171 „ Tanager, 70, 103 „ -vented Parrakeets, 252 ,, -winged Sparrow, 358 Yew-trees and Birds, 281 Z. Zebra-finches, 53, 54, 235 Zonogastris melba, 70 Zoo, Guide to the (noticed), 228 ,, The Calcutta, 116 Zoological Gardens, Bird Notes from the, 71, 106, 132, 145, 170, 201, 223, 250, 275, 3or. 327, 365 Zoological Gardens, The, 86 ,, „ The Giza, 138 Zosierops ceylonensis , 127 F. C. THORPE, Importer of all Varieties of Foreign Birds and (Qaterfouil. ANIMALS IMPORTED TO ORDER. All Birds kept in Aviaries not Cages, and sent on approval. NOTE THE ADDRESS— 75, SOUTH PARADE, HULL. Stock in hand September 22, 1904. Madagascar Lovebirds 4/6, Nanday Parrakeets 15/- each, 1 Leadbeater’s Cockatoo £2, 1 Blue-crowned Comire xo /-, 2 Yellow Budgerigars 20/- pair, 2 acclimatised Rose Cockatoos 10/- each, Plumliead Parrakeets 15/- pair, Also finest lot of Doves in England — 4 pairs Red Mountain Doves £3, 1 pair Brazilian Doves (name not known) £2 pair, 8 pairs Talpacoti Doves 10/6 pair, 4 pairs Steel-barred Doves 15/- pair, 5 pairs Zebras 3/6 pair, 7 Singing- finclies 4/6 pair, Senegal Finches 2/- to 5/- pair, aviarv-bred Cut-throats 4/- pair, 24 Blue-fronted Amazons 16/- to 30/- each, talking Amazons £2 each, 1 Long-tailed Glossy Starling 35/-, 4 Rosy Pastors fine 7/6 each, 1 pair Blue-clieeked Jays ^3, pair Scarlet Tanagers 30/- true pair, 2 Lavender Tanagers 12/6 each, 2 rare Brown Starlings 6/6 each, rare Yellow-bellied Grosbeak 30/-, 4 adult Demoiselle Cranes (pinioned) £5 10/- pair, 4 pairs Araucanian .Scaly - necked Pigeons from Chili £3 pair very rare, 6 pairs Cambayan Doves beauties 10/6 pair, White Javas 10/- pair, Australian Crested Doves 20/-. Shamas, Pittas. 4 pairs Pileated Parrakeets ( Pionop - sittacus pileatus) £6 10/- pair, 1 hen Green Cardinal 12/6, 1 pair Red-lieaded Hangnests _£3, 4 rare Blue-winged Pigmy Amazons, rarest birds in England, £3 10/- each. 4 pairs Ruddy Shelldrakes £3 pair, 3 pairs Spotted-billed Ducks, x Comb Duck, 2 Pittas, 2 White-winged Black Robins, 1 pair Green-billed Toucans, 2 pairs Banded Aracari Toucans, 5 pairs Solway Sliellducks 12/6 pair, 2 pairs Sams Cranes ^30 pair, 10 pairs Pintail Nonpareils 16/- pair, 2 pairs Barred Tinamous £2 10/- pair, 1 acclimatised Barnard’s (Bulla Bulla) Parra- keet £1 5/-, I Raven 25/- perfect, 2 pairs Many-coloured Tanagers £2 5/- pair, 4 cock Violet ditto 7/6 each, 2 monster Lemon-crested Cockatoos (one a talker believed a pair) £2 pair, 1 Talking Grey (been under wrong treat¬ ment but nearly right again 4 years) £2, 2 pairs Leopards’ cubs ^30 pair. (Small Yellow-shouldered Starlings 20/- each (fine) size of Bullfinch). 3 pairs Carolina Ducks 5o/-pair, 2 pairs Widgeons 12/- pair, 4 pairs Teal xo/6 pair, 2 pairs Garganey 12/6 pair, Muscovies good breeders 15/- pair, 1 Gander and 2 Chinese Geese ditto ditto 40/- the trio, East Indian Ducks 15/- pair, Beau Geese 25/- pair, Blue-winged Teal £\ pair, Albino Wild Ducks £1 pair, imported Mallards 10/6 pair, Canadian Geese £1 10/- pair. 3 rare Green Bulbuls 45/- each, 1 pair extremely rare .Shelldrakes ^10. Etc., etc. Stock Always Changing. IV. Notices to Members — Continued. Pairs : Golden Sparrows, Scaly and Geoffroy’s Doves, Reeve’s Pheasants (adult). 5 young Peacli-faced Lovebirds; hen Green-winged Dove; 8 young Golden Pheasants (1904). All in garden aviaries. G. E. Bouskiee, Stockport; Talking Rose Cockatoo 12/6; perfect pair Diamond Sparrows 25/-; White Javas, 10/6 pair; Diamond Doves, nesting, 12/6. Frank Bathe, Montgomery Road, Sheffield. Aviary -bred Rain Quails T5/- each ; four Weavers, good and indifferent, 20/- the four. PhieEIPPS, 26, Cromwell Grove, London, W. Indian Millet Seed for small birds; also cock Crimson-crowned Weaver cock Orange Bishop, pair Cordon Bleus, pair Orange-cheeks, pair Red-faced Lovebirds. All in outdoor aviary. B. Mason, North Parade, Lincoln. Aviarj’-bred Indian Greenwing Doves, Brush Bronzewing Pigeons, Chinese Painted Quails, Diamond Doves, hen Many-coloured Parrakeet ; also Masked Grassfinclies. D. Seth-Smith, 14, Canning Road, Croydon. Captain Tweedie, ordered abroad, has some birds from his garden aviary for disposal. List on application. No dealers. 11, Clarendon Place, Stirling. WANTS. (These are charged for at the same rate as Birds for Sale). Wanted for Public aviary, the following birds. Cocks: Virginian Nigliin- gale, Cordon Bleu, Nonpareil, and Bullfinch; hen Californian Quail. Must be from outdoor aviary. Frank Harris, Supt. Vernon Park, Stockport. III. Notices to Members — (Continued from page ii. of cover). NEW MEMBERS. Miss Ellen Crowfoot ; Blyburgate House, Beccles. Mrs. W. Seth-SmiTh : Alleyne, Caterham Valley, Surrey. Mrs. Ceias. Stirling ; 32, Snowdon Place, Stirling, N. B. CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION. Sir Alexander Baird, Bart. ; Urie, Stonehaven, Kincardine, N.B. Proposed by Mr. Meade-Waldo. Mrs. W. F. Thomas ; Bisliopshalt, Hillingdon, Uxbridge. Proposed bv Major PROCTOR. Mr. W. JarreTT Lewis ; Corsthorphine, Ryde, I. ofW. Proposed by Miss R. AldERSON. MEMBERS’ SALE AND EXCHANGE COLUMN. The charge for private advertisements is one penny for every four words. Names and addresses of advertisers must be paid for. Each statement of price, such as 3/6, is counted as one word. Every advert isemetit must be prepaid, and MUST reach the EDITOR not later than the 19 th of each month. The Council reserve the right of refusing any advertisement they may consider undesirable. Eight aviarv-bred Rosellas, 12/6 each; pair Barnards, 45/-; hen Yellow- naped, 40/-; hybrid Yellow - naped and Barnard, 25/-; pair Lady Amherst Pheasants, 50/- ; pair Golden Pheasants, 35/-. All are in the finest possible condition. FaSEY, “ The Oaks,” Snaresbrook. Californian Quails 12/- a pair, single birds 7/6 each. Mrs. A. K. Connell, The Orchard, Brockenhurst. Cock White-throated Finch. 6/- ; young Crested Canaries 8/- pair, cocks 6/-. All in perfect health, from outdoor aviary; approval. Miss Lyon, Harewood, Horsham. Pair of White-throated Finches, 15/-; one Striated Finch, believe a cock 4/-. Nicholas S. O’Reilly, 9, Royal Crescent, Ramsgate. Hen Ruficauda, healthy, acclimatised, 7/6; exchange hen Masked Finch. Mrs. Barber, Wickford. (• Continued on opposite page). JOHN D. HAMLYN, NATURALIST, 221, St. George’s Street East, London. THE ACTUAL IMPORTER OF RARE FOREIGN BIRDS & ANIMALS DIRECT FROM OUR Indian, Australian, and African Empires. Absolutely THE ONLY DEALER who attends Shipping at London, Southampton, Plymouth, Antwerp, Bordeaux, Havre, and Marseilles. REFERENCES TO EVERY AMATEUR OF NOTE. LIST ON APPLICATION. CUCCESS IN BIRD KEEPING & BREEDING V CAN ONLY BE SECURED BY USING -5* ABRAHAMS’ WORLD- FA ME I) Specialities in BIRD FOOD. LARGE STOCK OF RARE FOREIGN BIRDS. HARTZ MOUNTAIN ROLLERS, Norwich, Yorkshire and Lizard Canaries. Cock Birds in full Song now in Stock ABRAHAMS’ TONIC for Diarrhoea and Strengthening Birds. EVERY DESCRIPTION OF Cage and Aviary Appliance, Seed, etc., in stock. For complete Price List apply to — J. ABRAHAMS, 191 & 192, ST. GEORGE STREET EAST, LONDON, E. ABRAHAMS’ is the oldest and most reliable Establishment in England. ! nannitil »P • a a.A^ &-*«* Aa-AH*'* rV'*» 'HP ** -njk &JP r. 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