.^ FOR THE PEOPLE FOR EDVCATION FOR SCIENCE LIBRARY OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Bound aV IA.M1N.M, t917 BIRD-nOTES. tup: .journal of THK FOREKiN BIUP CLUB, FOR THE STUDT OF ALL SPECIE8 OF HIR1>S IS FREEDOM AND CAPTIVITY :: :: :: VOLUME VII— NEW SERIE8. " B// iiiiitunl coiijidence laying .. ... ... 280 Criuison-riiiged Whydah displaying ... ... ... 281 ■ui List of Illustrations in Text. Illustrations in Text. Page Nest and Youug of Diamond Doves ... ... ... 18 Alexandrine Pairakeet ... ... ... ... 26 Brush Bronze-wing Dove on Nest ... ... 27 Gralahs' Nesting Sites (»rtr«mZ) .. ... ... 44 Trapper, Net and Tame Decoy Galah ... ... ... 46 Albino Galah ... ... ••• ... ... 48 Where Galahs Nest ... ... ... ... ... 51 Zebra Finches and Nests ... ... — ... 54 Black Seed-Finch entering Nest ... ... ... ... 55 Barred Gnll — Summer Plumage .. .« .- 64 Barred Gull— Winter Plumage ... ... ... ... 65 Rufous-backed Mannikin .. ... ... .- 76 Himalayan Whistling Thrush ... ... ... .». 78 Herring Gull— "Ari" ... ... ... 92.94.96 Amazon Rail ... •• ... ••• ...110,111.112,113 Diagram of Nets .- ... ... ... 169 Nest of Pekin Robin .. ... .. ... 176 Nest and Eggs of Pekin Robin ... ... ... 177 Jackson's Whydah Dancing - ... ... 213 Veteran Cockatoo— " Cocky Bennet" ... ... 224 Fieldfare (J) ... - ••• ••• 230 Fieldfare (?) prepared to attack ... ... ... 231 Bearded Tits in Nest ... ... — ... 232 Nuthatch walking Head-downwards ... .- ... 233 Crimson-crowned Weaver ... ... ... ... 239 Red-collared Whydah— 12 months old ... ... .. 239 Ground Plan. Major Perreau's Bakloh Aviaries ... ... 243 Interior View— Mr. Grossmith's Aviaries ... ... 248 Ground Plan^Mr. Grossmith's Aviaries ... ... ... 249 Exterior Views— Mr. Grossmith's Aviaries ... ... 250,251 Red-shouldered Whydah ._ .. ... — 26<7 Ground Plan— Mr. C F, Crow's Aviaries ... ... 271 Alphabetical List of Contributors. vii Index to Contributors. * Denotes Correspondence. § Denotes Cuttings. Arnold R. Pin-tailed Parrot-Finches, 103. Baii^y. W. Shore Nesting of Half-masked, Golden, and Spot-winged Weavers, 1. Breeding Season, 1915, in Boj-ers House Aviaries, 25, 53. The Amazon Rail, 109. My Ijaughing Thrushes, 137. Grebes, leS. *Successful Nesting of Jackson's Whydah. 207. The Breeding of Jackson's Whydah, 211. Some British Birds In My Aviaries, 229. The Breeding of a Hybrid Crimson-crowned Weaver x Red- collared Whydah, 237. Nesting of Black-tailed Hawfinch and Red-shouldered Whvdah, 259. The Crimson-ringed Whydah, 279. Barrett, Chas. Bird Trappers of the Riverina, 43. Bati Y, Lt. W. R. *List of Birds seen in Flanders. 161. BouRKE, Hex. Mrs. G. My Sunbirds, 73. l' Bright, H. E. Early Notes of the Season, 182. 'Nesting Notes of the Season, 207 ,,/t/ Alphabetical List of Contributors. Brook, E, J., F.Z.S., *A Substitute for Fruit, 162. *Aesting of Red-collared Lorikeets, B.H. Conures, and Yellow Grosbeaks, 207. Breeding Red-naped Lorikeets, 214. Chaavneh, Miss E. F. *Nesting of Yellow-winged Sugar Birds, etc., 186. COLTOX, R. §Field Notes, New South Wales, 71. §A Colony of Birds, 107, § Death of a Veteran Cockatoo, 224. Crow, C. F. My Aviary and liJirds, 270. Dawsox, Rev. C. R., M.A. (Oxon). Some Colony Birds, «1, 1P»0, 151, 178, 208 224. DAWsox-SMrni. F. The Story of My Black-headed Gull, 61. All -\bout "Ari."— A Herring Gull. 01. Bird Life On Achill Island, 114. 142. Dewar, D., LC.S., F.Z.S. Bird Catching In India. 120. 139, 168. DrxLEATH, The Lady *Xesting of Jays, etc., 135. Editorial Sexing Occipital Blue-Pio.s. 20. Lavender Finch. 20. The Prospect, 21 Jardine's Pigmy Owls, 72 Alphabetical List of Contributors. ix Nesting Notes. 72, 134, 158, 205. Errata, 72, 102, 185, 277. 293. Nesting and Rearing of Cacatua galeritu, 102 Long-lived Finches, 133 An Aged Shamah. 134 Black and Yellow Hawfincli, 134. Mr. Bright's Aviaries. 158. Young White-eyes, 150. Mr. G. E. Haggie's Results, 159. Yellow-wing Sugarbirds, 185. Red-Vjeaked Weavers, 185. Redstart, 185. Ruficaiida Finche.s, 185. ^\r. Pullar's Results, 205 Mr. C. F. Crow's Successes, 200 St. Helena Seedeater x Canary Hybrids, 20G Park Lodge Recent Happenings, 206 Obituary 210 The History of the Budgerigar. 210 Red-throated Pipit in Devon, 278 A Success and a Disaster 292, Breeding Brainble Finches. 293 A Retrospect, 294 Fasfy, W. R. *nhie Budgerigars, 235 Fd.^rF.H. Theo. *Occurrcnce of the Red-throated Pipit in Devon. 278. Fkkvii.i.k, Mi.ssM. N. dk The Talebearers, 22. X Alphabetical List of Contributors. GoRiuxGE, Rev. R. E. P., British Bird Calendtir, 188. Gray, H., M.R.C.V.S., Post ]\[ortem Reports, 24, 107, 13G, 23G, 294. Harper, E. W.. F.Z.S., M.B.O.U., § Wholesale Flycatching, 187. HoPKiN,soN, E., D.S.O , M.B., M.A., etc., The History of the Budgerigar, 67, 124, 148. 200. *rhe History of the Badgerigir— Corrigenda, 277. Lovei.l-Keays, Dr.. L,, A Roadside Tragedy, 160. Low, G. E., *Dai]delion Leaves for Softbills, 258. Mar.sdex, J. W., *Breeding Blue Budgerigars. 215. Pr()ducing a Blue Budgerigar, 186. M.D.. U.S.A. The Delicate Life-thread of the Young Grey Parrot, 197. M.P. ^ O Dawn Among the Birds of an Egyptian Garden, 199. Page, Wesley, T.. F.Z.S. My jMalabar Mynahs, 3. The Endurance of Birds, 16, 31, 97, 216, 290. Foreign and British Birds at the Holborn Town Hall, 74. *Nesiing Note 135 British Bird Calendar, 136. Visits to Members' Aviaries, 173, 195, 248. Patekson, Rev. J. M., *Trying for Blue Budgerigars, 234. Alphabetical List of Contributors. xi Pkrreau, Major G. A.. F,Z,S, Birds in and about the Station (^iakloh), 13. Bakloh Aviary Notes. 241. 265, 280. Perreau, Mrs. 6. A., Nesting of Red-billed Babblers and Tailor Birds. 265. Breeding of Pied Bush-Chats and Tailor Birds, 280. PuLLAR, Laurence, E., Breeding Results in My Aviaries, 247. PULSFORD, A., *TrjMng for Blue Budgerigars, 234. QuiNCEV, Fe -Lt. R. S. ok Q., An Unique Hybrid, 264. Rattigan, G E., Nesting and Rearing of Landrails in Captivity, 28, 58. Field and Avicultural Notes, 163. Pheasant Rearing under Broodies, 190, 218. Raynor, Rev. G. H. M A., British Bird Calendar, 136 Rekve, Capt. J. S., F.Z.S., British Bird Calendar, 188. Re\ lEWER, The '• A Veteran Naturalist," Tegetmeier, 72. " A Bird Calendar for Northern India," Dewar, 105. Samteeson, Lady E.. ♦Breeding of Blue-breasted Waxbills, etc., 257. •Nesting Notes. 1916, 258. Scott. Mrs. J. E., ♦The Season 1916. 277. Scott. Lt. B. H., R.F.A., 'Birds in the Firing Line. 69 Stray Notes 262. -l^ fij Alphabetical List' of Contributors. Sll-VKR, A., *The Hen of the Black-tailed Hawfiiu-li. -i.".. Smith, J.. * Breeding Many-colour and Stanley Pai-rakeets. 2:*/). Stewart, B. Tiieo.. The Bare-eyed Thrush, 80. Story, Mrs. Alice, The Amethyst-rumped Sunbird, 103. Tavistock, The Marquis oe Psephotus Parrakeets at Liberty, 7, 36. The Endurance of Birds, 146. Thomasset, Bernard C, My Aviary and Gouldian Finches, 41, 55. Indigo X Nonpareil Bunting Hybrid. 5*2 Thomcson, C. W., Beautiful Bird.s, 21)4. TOMUNSON, M. R., ♦Rearing of a Hybrid Rosefinch x Greeiiliiich. 206. *A Reputed Hybrid Roselinch x Greentiiich, 256. Waddell, Miss E. G. Peddie, *Early Nesting of Red-collared Lorikeets, 6'J. *Rearing of Red collared Lorikeets, 186. Breeding of Red-collared Lorii^eets, IHl* Whistler, H., LP., An Indian Nest of the Norfolk Plover or Stone-Curlew, 118 Bird Note^. I'liutc III \\ . Shore Baity, Half-masked Weaver Cock displaying. All rights reserved. January, 1916, BIRD NOTES: THE JOURNAL OF THE FOREIGN BIRD CLUB The Nesting of Half- Masked Golden and Spot- Winged Weavers. — Three Failures. I5y \V. Shore Daily. I have written ''B.X." so many times this season about the happenings in my a\iaries, that it is with some diffi- dence that I venture to seiid this record of three failures to raise youtig amongst my collection of Weavers. The first failure might, with a little more luck, have ended in success. This was witli my pair of Half-masked Weavers {Hyphaii- lorui:, vitclliinis). The male of this \ariety is one of the most pleasingly coloured of the Hyphantliorniiic group. The general body colour of the male is greenish-yellow, a narrow band on forehead, and the throat black, crown of head rich chestnut, also a considerabk^ patch of the same colour borders the black patch on throat. The hen is greenish-yellow, and is hard to distinguish from some of the other females of this group. On the I oth of April, I turned this pair of birds, into a roomy out-door aviary with a pair of Golden Weavers iSiiogra galbuln), a pair of Red-collared Whydahs, some cock Crimson-Crowned Weavers, and a few other birds. The cock was in full breeding plumage at the time, which the other males were not, and he easily dominated them for the first month or so, but had to take a back seat later, when the larger birds came into colour. The first week in June, I noticed the hen insjiccting one of the nests, of which, by this time he had woven several. Her choice was a particularly well woven one and suspended from the branch of a spruce-tree. She made no attempt at lining it, and on June loth, her first egg was laid, fol- 2 Half-Masked, Cwldcu, ani Sp-t-Wincred Weavers. lowed the next day by a second. The egps were white, heavily marked with larg-e crimson spots. The hen sat steadily while the. cock ke])t !j,uard. On examining the nest on the 23rd of the month. I found that the eg\2;s were still unhatched, and on removing them to see if they were feriile, 1 managed to break one which contained a live young one, apparently just ready to emerge from the shell. The other e^'g was replaced find was hatched out the next day, after an incubation period of thirteen days. For the first week the hen alone fed it, mealworms being her favourite food. Afterwards the cock took a most active part in the feeding operations and would take in mealworms as fast as I cared to give them to him. With both parents feeding it, the youngster grew apace, al- though, of course, th's could only be told by ("ee'i-ig i' through the small opening in the nest. On July 9th I saw the male bird feeding it on the ground, it evidently had left the nest early that morning. The next day the old birds failed to greet me on my morning visit, and I at once knew that something must be wrong. A diligent search by my man and self, failed to find any trace of the birdling and it is a mys- tery to me to this day, as to what could have happened to it. It was rather unfortunate as I am now unable to. de- scribe its nestling plumage. Failure No. 2 : All this time the cock Golden Weaver nad been unmercifully bullied by the Ila'f-masked, .'dthough he wars considerably the larger bird. He now, howe\er, began to assert himself in his own corner of the aviary, and by the first week of July, had suspended a series of nests from the wire roof. The hen lined one of these with a little wool and a few feathers, and deposited therein three eggs, which were olive green, heavily covered with small red spots and splashes. When she had been incubating a couple of weeks. [ examined the eggs and found all to be infertile. She nested again in August, and Septem.ber, three eggs being laid on each occasion, all of which were clear. The Golden Weaver is a handsome yellow bird having a little black on forehead and a black throat, the crown of the head is a bright yellow. The hen is also brighter in colour than any of the other Weavers 1 have seen. Bird Notes, Spot-wiuged Weaver at iiebt. Phvto by w. s/iore Bailj/. Bird Notes. Photo hy \V. Shore Ba'ihj. Nest and eggs of Spot-winged Weaver. Half-Masked, Golden, and Spot-Winged Weavers. 3 My third failure occurred late in September, when insect life was getting scarce and the nights were cold. This was with an unknown Weaver hen, that I have called the Spot-winged Weaver (Perhaps our Editor can give us its true name). This bird very closely resembles a Napoleon or Taha hen, but is about twice the size. It is, however, rather warmer in colour on the back than are P. afra and P . taha, and it has two distinct lines of white spots across the wing coverts. These are plainly shown in the photo. I got this bird some time ago from Air. Ycalland, as a cock, and he informed mc that several had sceJi it but ha'd been unable to name it. Possibly all mistook the bird for a male out of colour. In the middle of September I saw one of my cock Tahas paying the bird a good deal of attention, and from this I imagined that my ideas as to sex must be wrong. Sure enough by the 1 7th of the month she, had constructed a dome-shaped nest in some wild convolvulus, and had laid two eggs therein, which were white, lightly marked with faint red spots, large editions in fact of the Napoleon Weavers. She sat very steadily, the cock taking no notice of her what- ever. On the 1st October a young one was hatched, I had removed one of the eggs for iny collection. The hen fed steadily for five or six days, like all the other Weavers prin- cipally upon mealworms, which unfortunately, at this time, were hard to get. Whether I was too meagre with the supply, or whether my photographic efforts were too much for her I can't say, but on October 7th, I found the nest empty and my hopes of breeding an interesting hybrid dashed to the ti;round. My Malabar Mynahs. Bv Weslkv T. Page, F.Z.S., Etc. Before I sp<'ak of \w\ present pair 1 had better de- scribe their plumage, and give a few notes of them in their native haunts. Ailtili MtiL- : Above ;i^h\ ->;icy, sulTiist-il with losy-Iiiown li grey; nights blaik, (•dgccl witli :i purplish 4 My Mr/ lobar Mynafis. shren ; tail ftMtluTs hlnckisli-grcy, with ashy marj^ins, and rlie-,tiuit tips ; feather, ut lu'ail and iiecl< rufons-l)r(iuii. with asii\-ij;iey 'Ciitres : tore- head, l(iie-cri)wn, cheeks, chin, anil u])|)i-r throat hoary-wliite, lititred \\\\\\ :'sh\ : h_)rcs and sich- ol face rufous-brown ; car-co\-erts asiiy ; front of neck ruddy-brouii with ashy-streaks : rt'niainder of under parts hrij^hl inna- mon. bill Idue at base, then j,M-ei-nish and ycdlow at tip: leg.-, olive; iri.S' of eye t,'ri-yi>h white. Adult I'diKilc ■ Similar in p,ittern to the ni.ile. witli the various rolour areas ol a i)aler hue, le,s hoary-white about the head and ^'reyer ; leu's dusky-yellow ; iris white. )■('////,!.■. In nestling- plumage llie\- are mo4l> ,giey, wi'li ,i v,)sy lingc, liglitei on the lorehcad. c heeks, i liin, throat, and undeipart.-. : the abdomen very slightly tinged with rufous (the rufou. tinge is very .slight], flights and taii feathers bhickish : Ijill pale greyish-yellow : legs greyish-brown ; -mailer tlian their parents, 'both as to length and bulk. Habits aiicl Raiio;^: It ranees o\er India, Burma, and ("ochiii Cl-iina. From Hume, ( )atcs. and Jerdon, we ti^athor that it ap]>ears to prefer partly cl?a-ed country and an eleva- tion ol froir 2,500 to 4,000 feet. It faxour.s lo;'alitic.s \vh?re the trees .stand a])art from each other. Its cliaracteristics appear to be very Starlini^-likc- as would be expected. It feeds 01^ fruit, berries and inse t^. It nests in lioles in trees (tlead or li\'ini.;), and if not satished with the entrance to the c;i\il\ it has chosen enlarges it to its liking. The faxourSte site ic one difficult of ac^ccss and usually 20ft to 50ft. abo\-e the ground. The bottom f)f the cavity is lined with tine twigs. ])ark, grass stems, roots, and leaves, the cup-like de- pression in which the eggs are deposited being very shallow, often not more than ;^,in. deep. The clutch varies from three to four, and the colour of the eggs is very pale l^hie <>r green. The breeding season is May and June, It gathers in flocks of from 40 to 50 individuals and seeks its food about e(|ually in trees and on the ground. As will be seen from the following notes, its dcmeanoui in continemenl is very similar to that of its native wilds. /// Coiifiin'iiwnt : My pair, together with tuo young" in adult plumage, came into in\- i)ossession by our member Miss Baker asking me to give them a home, when bereave- ment compelled the dismantling of her a\iary for a time. Th(^y have now have been in my possession about four years; and during this period have nested twice successfully, viz.: A'ly Malabar Mynahs. 5 in 1913. one vouiil;' bird was fully reartxl, and again this season two young have been suecessfully reared. I have found rliem rather apt to desert tlieir young when all but read}' to lea\-e the iicst. The Malabar Mynah is a delightf\d bird in a roomy a\-iaiy, and a deeided ornament thereto. Their |)luniage is suflieienth (ontrasty lo make- them striking objects, and they have suffieient vix'acily to keep them nearly al\\a>s in tlu' pit tur( . In fact, they arc incessantly on the move, yet ail the period they ha\'e been witli me, they have never bullied anything, not even a Waxbill. True, like all .Starlings they caimot be said to poss:'ss a song, but tJiey have voices! And well one knows it during any short period of excitement; 1 ran heai' them as i write this, but distance softens, the sound. Their demeanour I need not undulv eidarge upon, as it is typically that of a Starling, but while without any par- lieularly showy characteristics they are withal birds of interest and character. As regards nesting, they inxariably chose a small barrel, with a siuall hole, and as high up as they could get, merely gathering together therein a c-ollection of grass, bents and featlu-rs, the de})ression in the middle being little deeper than the- thickness ot the eggs. I always wondered how the eggs yield an\' result, lor when one entered the axiary one always seemed to see the two j)irds together, yet invariably, what- ever happened the eggs always did hatch oat -all this made it impossible to tell when iiK ubation he^^an or ended, and often th;' first imimation one got of se.i- ou> nesting was the hissing call of their i allow voung for food ; later this " hissing call " developed into a petulant noisy ( ry ot a ( hallering chara( ler. The eggs are almost I ledge-Sparrow -blue, but of a |)aler hue. a slight greenish ting'c. S(jme might call them sea-green. >\idi very few niaikings at the thic k end ; some eg,L;s have no markings .It all. and in none ot the eggs I have- ex.imined have tin. markings been either numerous or pronouiK ed . Willi these general notes of their nesting clenieanour 1 will [jass on to the actual success brought off during the season 191 5. Ir. the early spring pairing look place, and practically (j My Ala In bar Myiiahs. every unoccupied barrel or log in ihc a\iary, not less than lol't. high was entered and examined, and all their energy seemed to be so spent. in no rase did they look upon a barrel liaving a perch fixed at the entrance hole, bui 1 saw thern carry nesting material into each barrel, which Siarlin.g- intelligence declared to be suitable for a domicile. What feverish, excitement tlie birds displayed while this was going on! What an amount of noisy for and against! What an amount of loud, clamouring scolding went on iii the course of the day! It was when the latter ceased that 1 always suspected serious business had been begun. It was in early June that I received the first palpable evidence that sd'ious eflort had been made, which consisted of picking up three callow-young, several days old, under the bushes (neither voidings from the nest nor dead nestlings are simply dropped out, they are always carried some distance from ihe nest receptacle and only dropped when the foliage obscures them from view). They had been fed— not a very encouraging be- gjnnmg I At the end of July this oxjierienc^ was 'epeated, save that the young birds were over a week old and beginning to feather, yet in neither case was I actually aware whiclr barrel was Starling Castle, At the beginning of August I noticed that the cock bird was always perched like a sentry on a barrel, i ift. up, hang- ing against one of the aviary internal standards, and a little later I saw him taking food into it, evidently feeding his partner on the nest. But still 1 often went into the aviary and saw both of them fooling about, and did not expect any . result, therefore it was with great surprise that a little later I heard the "hissing-call" of callow-young. Gradu- ally the hissing ceased and gave place to a louil querulous chattering call, and 1 knew all was going well. Thus three weeks riin their course and then came a week of compara- tive silence, a silence which always precedes failure or final success. In this case the '" Fates " were favourable and exactly twenty-four --lays after I first heard the "hissing call ' two fine young birds left the nest, and are only just (September i6th) independent. My Malabar Mynahs. 7 As regards food, the adults (the young also now) take milksop freely, also inscctile mixture (containing a good dash ■of grocer's currants), ripe fruit, and live insects. The young were fed on live-food entirely for the tirst week, and, as meal- worms were not pljntiful, they had to do with wasps' grubs and gentles. It was amusmg to watch them, when the li\e- food wai; thrown down; in a Hash the Malabars were on the spot, and one of them never left it till the wants of their progeny were supplied; they made alternate journeys to the nest wiih food, thus alternately feeding their precious babies and standing guard over the live-food till they had satisfied their own and fannly's rcqunenients; and all and sundry were welcome to the leavmgs ! Durmg the second and third weeks of their progeny's existence, ripe fruit, and milk sop was taken to them in gradually increasing quantity, and once the young had left the nest, the parent birds were willing to feed on whatever food was available, but 1 always decrease live- food gradually. I have found this species quite hardy — the present is not my first experience with them, and 1 have always found them unafiected by the worst \agaries our winter infiicts upon them. I have written at greater length thaq 1 intended, but ha\e striven to avoid mere "packing," and trust I ha\e suc- ceeded, foi space in " Bird Notes/' is loo precious for such indulgence. I may add (December 27th), that both young are still living and have successfully moulted, but both are much darker than their parents, and have as yet only indications of the hoary grey of the fully adult bird. Psephotus Parrakeets at Liberty. iiv Till-: .M.\RgLi.s of TAVisroc k. Two obstacles ha\e alua>s interferetl with the success of my experiments with Pscpliotiis Parrakeets, septic fever and Uwls. The first of these migiit be overcome, or rather averted by rigorous measures of quarantine, but the second would be likely to trouble aimosl anyone who cared to risk 8 Pscpliotiis Parrakccts at Libert v. his Ijirds by following- in my footsteps. 'I'his is unfortunate for if you except Blue-bonnets which have practically none of the manners of tyi)ical Pseplioti (nor indeed any manners at all to boast of), there are no other Australian Par- rakccts so attractive, so iiarmliess, or so easy to start, and what is far more important, to keep, as the beautiful swift-flying members of this section of the Platyccrciuae . First get your birds into show-condition and properly paired up — not a diffi- cult matter with ordinary care and attention — then release the cock on a fine still day and lie sure that his mate remains in full view, in a place where he will not be afraid to \isit her. Finally, a few days later let the hen gO; cjuietly out to join him. After that, provided you allow them a constant supply of seed, the pair will give no further trouble as long- as they arc both alive, and whether they are feeding on the lawn, or sunning themselves in a tree-top, or darting through the air with musical whistles, they will be a constant source of beauty and interest, strangely in harmony with their alien surroundings. In giving an account of my experiences with Pseplwtus Parrakeets, I will begin with Red-rumps, as they are the the best known and the easiest to obtain. Red-rumped Parrakeet: {P. hacinatouotus): Beiifg at that time quite inexperienced in the ways of Parrots, 1 treated the first four Red-rumps 1 e\ er got for turning out exactly as I should have treated so many Finches, viz.; kept them in an aviary with a dummy trap-tray for a few days and then released the lot full-winged. Three departed at once and were seen no more. The fourth, a cock, was less ven- turesome than his companions, and stayed, and in due course I procured him a mate. The pair lived happily in the garden for several months and in April nested in a small knot hole in the trunk of an oak tree — small, but alas ! not too small to allow a squirrel to enter and slay the hen and her newly- hatched young. For a few days the disconsolate widower riew about calling: then he \anished, ne\er to return. That is always the way with Red-rumps. Like other true Pseplioti they are the best of stayers as long as they are in pairs, but once the cock has lost his mate you nmst ei'tlicr provide Psephoius Parrakeets at Liberty. 9 him with a substitute or hv prepared to lo3e him within a few days. The substitute, it must be i:onfesscd, is llyini; aL;ain^l a window, and her mate, an exceptionally lin.' Ijird. went away before we were able to catch him up or pro\ ide him with another wife. "A few days before his departure I witnessed a rather amusing little scene at one of the fcediiig-trays. All three Rcd-rumns were sitting in a tree together and. after a time the hen ilew down to iK-gin her meal, leaving her husband ask'cp abo\e her. A moment afterwards she was joined by the odd co.k, who was just beginning to think of making himself agrecab'e when Xo. i woke up, realised the situation, and hastily evic- ted his rival. Having driven him well away, he returned to to his wife, displayed to and then fed her; the amusing par- was that he had been too lazy to bestow either of these little attentions upon her, since the early days of their courtship some months before ; neither did he repeat them till some months la.er when she was about to nest. It was clear that he was only urged to these demonstrations of regard by the sudden fear that if he did not make himself extra nice to her, the lady's ati'ec- tions might be bestowed elsewhere! How faithfully the follies and weaknesses of mankind are son:etimes reproduced in the bird creation ! In April the hen Red-rump established herself in a small hole in the branch of one of a clump of lime trees, which stood by themselves on the top of a hill. I expected the usual fiasco, but this time my fears were not realised, for although a Little Owl constanth- visited the clump, be kindly refrained from repeating the crimes of his brethren. At first the cock Red-rump came to feed alone, but after five weeks his mate began to accompany hmi more and more and more frequently as the family had less need of brooding. Then came a time (I suppose the young had just left the nest) when the old birds behaved in rather a curious way, coming and going independently of each other, but remaining on the best of terms on the few occasions when they liap- pcned to meet. After about ten days of this, two fine young- sters were seen following their parents. Very soon afterwards the hen went to nest a second time in the suane hole and Pseplwtiis Parrakects at Liberty. 11 eventually reared a brood of four. The young Red-rumj)s were a pair and usually, though not always, to be seen to- gether. The cock quickly tired of feeding them and drove them oft" if they got in his way, for Red-runips. like Roscllas, do no! believe in coddling their children. Barnard, Mealy Rosella and Adelaide fathers, on the other hand, are very meek and long-suftering, feeding their young long afier the latter are well • able to fend for thcmschcs and submitting to a lot of worry from them while engaged in the care of a second brood. Many-coloured Parrakeet {P. multicolor) . 1 have have never been lucky with this species. When a numlK-r of these birds were imported a few years ago I turned four pairs with cut wings into a grass quadrangle in the centre of the hou.se. This plan answers well enough with Blue-bonnets, but it is not to be recommended with the other Psephoti, and is far better to keep the birds until they are in thoroughly good trim and then release them in pairs, full-winged. Some of the Many-colours died of chills, others missed their males and wandered when they were beginning to fly. and one hen died of cerebral hemorrhage after she had been at liberty several weeks. A pair, however, stayed well for a time, and even attempted to nest, but an Owl killed the female, and her mate strayed away in search of her. In the end I was left witli a (Solitary cock, who paired with a Red-rump, as I have already related. He was a pretty liitle fellow and more than a match for any Parrakeet of his size in battle. 1 kept hun nearly a year and grew very fond of him as he was quite tame, and was often to be seen ruimmg about the lawn in front of the stables, feeding on daisy and plantain leaves. The true Psephoti spend a lot of time on the ground when at liberty in this country, much preferring short turf to long seeding grass, a preference which is shared by Australian Finches, when kept under similar conditions. The large Broadtails, however, comparatively seldom leave the trees, unless perhaps during the breeding season, when the cocks liave to eat a lot of greenstuff to supply their growing fami- lies. One day in late June when the vve;ither was bright and warm, and the sweetest and juiciest of natural food everywhere in abundance, the Many-colour was picked up paralyzed in 12 Psc pilot us Parrakects. at Liberty. l)i)tli li.Li^ and (.lit'd a short tiiiic lalc-r. He piovctl to be •iUtTcriiiL; from ccrchal lu-nioi rliaL;c. < )](1 writers tell us that P. multicolor is so suhj^'ct lo this disease that ii is almost useles; to attL'iiip; to keep it. 1 <;'nainly uouitl not endorse this statement, as I lia\c liad (|iiite a h)t of .Many-colours at ditferent times, and ha\ f only lost two fro.n the aiiinciit in (|Uestion. Still, it is ratlier strange that both of th.'se should ha\" sueeumbed when (IxinL; at complete liberty \ 'I'here is another disease to which .Man\-colotir> are dist;<.'^sin_:;"ly l.able, \dz. : septic fc\'€r ; they sometimes contract it in the most unexpected fashion. After my failure witli biids at liberty I put a pair of Many-colours into a h\'^. c lean, new aviary, of wliich they were the first and only occuixints. They did well f(tr some weeks; then the cock died suddenly of septic fever — no other birds were lost at the time. I got another cock and tried the pair in a small indoor a\"iary kepi: scruj)ulously clean; again septic fever carried off the male bird, but the lien strangely enough sur\ived. IIooDKD l-'.ARK.^KKKr.^ {P. IcucullaiusJ (llss'/nTs. I ha\e had for .several years. They are a little delicate on first arri\al and in-ed to be kept warm, and free from draughts and sudd/n changes of temjierature. Among a lot of nevvly-inti)orted young birds there arc generally a certain proportion tuiable to ily well: these it is almost useless to buy, e\en though they are plum|) and lively. 'I'he long journe) and the hardships they ha\ e undergone seem to lunc fatally injured their \itality, and, though they may li\e for a year or moje, they will never i)ei ome good birds, and will probably end by becoming deplorable objects, with scarcely a feather on them -not because they pluck their plumage, but because iht y ha\ e not strength to renew it during the process of tliC' moult. IJoodetl Parrakeets seldom suffer from disease, bill tlu- hens are e.xceedingly liable to become egg-bound, the danger being increased by the persistency with which they cling to the Australian breeding season — October. Not one hen Hooded in ten can successfully lay her full clutch at a tcjnperalure below 60 degrees — anyhow in captivity — and the dangei of egg-binding is not,, in my experience, materially Psrphotus Parrnkccfs at Liberty. 13 dccrenscd 1iy allowiii.^ a l^ird full lib;Tty. In spite (jf the uncomprnmisinj^'^ beha\ioiir oF 1'. dhsunl's {ciicall'itiis) . I do not think it is at all fair xu say that Au^trali.m !)irds. gene-rally, arc troublcsmiu- about breeding at the wrong time of year. As a rule thc-y arc extraordinarily ready to adapt themselve? to our seasons, and the Emu is the only (Jther inveterate offender 1 have met with in '.he matter of winter nesting. 'I'hc majority of our first ronsignmeni of Hooileds were, I regret to say, lost owing to our ignorance of th:.' pro])er treatment of newly imijorled Parrakeeis, and out of the original seven only two rorlcs survived the first three months. These, however, did well, and agreed perfectly together even when in breeding condition, thus shr)wing that co(-k Pseph'Jt'y like the cock Platyccrci, can remain on good terms so long as thcr.^ is nc hei^ with them. In October I exchanged one of th<;- male birds for a female. She nested very soon afte/ she came, and. as I omit:ed to heat the aviary sufficiently, died eg.L'-bound after la\ ing three eggs. A year later I kept another pair of Hoodeds in an out- door aviary, which was \ery sheltered, but dark and sunless. .Again tlu hen nested in the autumn and she died in laymg her sixth and last egg. The cock passed tire winter wi:houi artificial heat in the company of another hen wliicii I tlid not alhnv to breed during the cold weather. .She laid five eggs late in the follo\sing summer, but failed to hatch them. 7'o he <-i)nUse. ,, nSwaiiison's. ,, *Tree. ,, *\\'hiie Ja\a . ,, Yellow-throated. Starling, European. (; lossy. Sugarbird. fBlue. fPurpie. ■j" Yellow-winged. Sunbird. ;};.\methy-.t-rumped . + Pur|)lc. Tanagcr. Archbishop. ♦Black. +Black-cheeked. Blue. Crimson-crowned. Magpie. Palm. ,, Scarlet. 20 The Endurance o/ Birds. Tana^^'LT, aSuperb. ,, Dl'ricolour. Tluusli. *Euiopean. ,, Migratory. Rock. ,, Spectacled. ,, Streaked Laughing. ,, Variegated Laughing. Tit.. Blue. ,, Cole. ,, Great. ,, nOrcen-backed. Marsh. Toucan. jGreen-billed. ,, J-Sulphur-breasted. ToucanetteJ. Troupial. D Flame-shouldered. ,, nMilitary. Tit Blue. Twite. Tyrant. jSulphury. Wagtail. Pied. Wa.Kbill. n Blue-breasted. ,, *Gold-breasted. ,, Grey. ,, *Orange-cheeked. ,, *St. Helena. ,, nSydney. Waxwing. Weaver. Abyssinian. ,, Baya. Weaver, Black-faced. i ,, ,, -fronted. ,, ,; -headed. ,, Comoro. ,, Crimson-crowned. ■ ,, Golden. ,, Grenadier. ,, Half-masked. ,, Madagascar. ,, Masked. ,, *Napoleon. ,, Orange. *Red-billed. ,, , ; -headed. ,, Rufous-necked. ,, Russ' ,, Short-winged. ,, Speke's. , , Taha . ,, Yellow. ,, Yellowish. White-eye. ^African. n*Indian. Whydah. D Crimson-ringed. nGiant. ,, nJackson's. ,, D Paradise. ,, DPin-tailed. ,, nRed-collared. ., nVel low-backed. ,, n White-winged. I have made no attempt to give a complete list of species which I have kept, as some were kept under conditions which preclude them from a place in this list. {To be continued). Editorial. Sexing (Occipital Blue-Pies : Mr. B. T. Stewart in- forms us that the difference in the sexes does not consist in the orange sliadc of the female's beal-:. This distinction only holds good in the breeding season, at all other periods her beak is blood-red — most intense in hue. Her beak is dififerent in shape from that of the male, broader at the base and more pointed at tip. Lavender Finch {Lagonosticta caerulcsceiis). This ■species is not remarkable for long life in confinement, but this is not always the case, neither does it always prove so fragile as it is often with good cause reputed to be. We saw in a well sheltered, but unlieated Surrey aviary m 1914, Editorial. 21 two pairs which had been out of doors all the year round for three years and they were in exhibition condition, when we saw them one Eastertide. Our member, Mr. (i. E. H aggie (Oxford) writes (Dec. 31st) that he has just lost his last Lavender Finch which had been with him just seven years ; it haa lived out of doors all the year round for the whole period. Mr. Haggle's a\iary is only of medium size, un- heated but warm and well sheltered (described and illu-.- traded in Vols. II. N.S., pp. 248-9,, and V., pp. 360-4): This particular bird had mated with an Orange-cheeked Wax- bill, and several times young have been hatched out, which unfortunately have only lived a few days. The Prospect: Considering "the times," this is excel- lent, for we have new adherents monthly, and these additions have been sufficient, so far, to make good the losses of those who remain dormant for the duration of the war, and also for those who have fallen; it is only needful for us to catch the spirit of those in the firing line who still remain in active membership and desire that as far as possible " Bird Notes " should be fully maintained as heretofore, and to help the funds as well as keeping our collections, probably smal- ler than in pre-war days, going, for all our hopes and aspira- tions to be realised. Even in these war times we ask all to send a little help to the deficit fund, as what economies we may be able to effect will, very probably be swallowed up by the extra cost of production. We can, however, only keep up the interest and quality of "B.N." by ALL those who remain at home helping the Editor by writing articles and sending photos of things avicultural. We feel assured all will help to their utmost in this respect; it is surely a happy augury that we coinmencc the year by adding, to our mem- bership, and we hope each month there will be several new members elected. It is not necessary to lengthen out these remarks, space is too precious. The future is in our hands, it will be wliat we make it : failure, if everything is left to the officials of the club; certain success, if each member real- ises his or her part and responsibility in the cluIVs progress and welfare, and all do their best to fulfil ii. 22 The Talel?scarvrs. The Talebearers. When I \v;i'- Vduiig the wduIiI-Ijc wit. Would quote the story of 'I'cll Talc Tit. And as I get older, " where'er I loaiii, " 'I'lie birds stdl tell me stories ot home. 'I'iiis Swallow ill Egypt (I li ivi- no proof. P.ul 1 think lie has built in the ea\-es ot our roof;. When I meet liim from J^lngland winging his way, " J hi- Summer is over," I hear him say, " The Virginia erceper is turning red, Th(^ roses are done in your own rose bed." \\ hen you get to the East and leave >ojr iioat, A thought ot home brings a lumj) to your throat; A little cock Sparrow so cheeky and brown. So like \\\i cousins in London Town, Who. takes your thoughts on Fancy's wing.-s Straight home to English birds and things. Returning in Springtime chill and cold, W'e are followed by messengers small and bold. They pay no passage and give no tips As they journey a day or two on our ships. And no one would ask them for anything But the cheering message they bring of Spring. They rest on our boat with no thought of fear. And the message they bring is " Summer is near." " Cheer up, you passengers chilly and sad, The English summer will make you glad. So swiftly now on our way we wing Back to England, to greet the Spring." And we, too, must often move and go. From East to W'est, we are to and fro ; Our wandering spirit has made our fate ; We too, like the birtls, must cift migr.ite. Tilt Indian birds come down to ("eylon And bring us word the cold weather has gone. Saying : " Your damper heat is better to bear Than the blazing, stifling heat up there." And when to India back they go. They've got another tile you know. It's not the place to build your nests, With mildew and damj) and other pests ; And India in dry and warm springiimc Is really a nesting place divine." Correspondence. 23 In KiikI.-uicI I laugh at the little farce As I bow wlun ill-oin' ncd Maj^pic's piss; S > I hi>\\ .• g lii; u' r'l a sm Iv aid a sigh \v. India to the brown 'i'rec-pie, Ftarinft >il lurk ni ly str ke lo-day l,n\'^d oni's in Mnyl ind t ir away. And >nii i:i^, ih it Iidiit ki-cp.- nic tru • To wh i! i 1 I'lil \ \i 1 1 I us'd to do, 'Ih r ''^ a lifL- i u ilni t!ia; i. hardly fear, lor \\\ \ n-^^i;;' i. " I'loibl- i. al,v;iy, n?ar." liui ill ■ R il i 1 i 1 Au-unri wh i s a ; , t > ni.', Or the \\h;l.-.y.' ii the M m;^' i ire, The mes ,.igc tlu-y brint;; li i < a in'gl ty pover, Wv >;l.id Ike us ia th- Sunny hour ; In the Iripj);. I ojfs be };-at f 1 an 1 gild. And th • sa 1 linur^ wi'l n ver see n sj bad." They are e\('rywhere wi;h lis, that m:-)Senger band, \\i:i: a tale ju^t f.ir th:j,e who mleritini. ictobcr. 1915 -M X. de FRIVILI.E Correspondence. IHl- IIKX (II- III]-; .lAl'AXKsK 1 1 A WIT \< 1 1 f.ophona p.r.onala . -Sir, 111 n)\ .irt;(!e on ihs sp^cie.j, v.hca appeared in " Mi d Nole^," J.inuary Hj 1 5 . p ig^' 14 . ' stated " tha hsn of the Japin.'ie spicci. I understand hi- ni b ;i k 0:1 ill- hi'id, in w'li h it a.grees wit 1 its relative. " Tills miereiii (• 1 drew lioni Hartlett and Ciould in their boiki in which cerlain as.atic b!r,U weie describe I. Km ling l.iti-r th il lie se ;ed skins in the .Museum were nun h ,i!ike, and leirning also thai birds had attempted 1(1 nest, I .1 .( .-r.ain.'d l!i' .1 ip in ■ .:• 11 inie and wro'.e to the Tok>0 Museum, and the ('ur.iUir knl'y ml irni -(I ni ■ lli.il b:itli mile and female have llii; loji ol t'le lie.-id, (':r !• roml ey.'>. an I ioic-lhro.it blai k ; so ilin! ,ip- p.ireiill). e\i rpt for the tut lli.it the wing pattern is li.iidl\- so distinct in the lien and ae o.-dm;; In .Mis. .\ . li. .Snntli the bill of the hen re- mains di.cohiured fnot clear y.-'low tnisi of the year, they .ire much alke in general ai)pear.ince. The bird in i s n.itive country is called ik.irii or ikaiauga. AI.LI.N .SlI Vi:K. Forest Hill. .S.K.. Oce. 6, 1915. 24 Post Mortem Reports. Post-Mortem Reports. C"k()\vm I) Tanagik (C). (Lndy Katlil-cii I'ikiiKion, Wakefield). I'hc cause ol death \va; acute fatty degeneration of tlie liver. Di,\MOM> Dovi. (Qj. (Miss Katherine V^'ehb. Cambridge). The cause of d"ath wa^ acut" congestion of the oviduct. When the e birds arc ill. keep them in a h'gh temperature of 80 degrees or ixiore and give ilieni A pill of calomel, .', grain, .ind gre\- powder i gr.iin morning and evening. RiDivciD Lovi B Ri) (Q)- (Mrs. E. G. Davies, Warrington. Cau^c ol death was enteritis. These birds require to be kept in an equable tem- [leraturc during the chilly months of the year. They are very delicate. PiiEAiH) Finch ((^f). (Mrs. Hugc-s, B i>tol). Tl-.e c.iuse of death was anaemia, resul iag from a diffic It mou't or rather the condi;i..yn giving rise to a difficulty in moulting. Fit^ or convulsitms frequently end the life of birds. Iron wine {viniini fcvri) on spongecake is the best tonic in this complaint. Warmth of a hgh degree acts ve.y benefi( i;il'y . Forcing medicaments down the throat of small birds does more harm than good. MousrACHi: Pakrakiet. (Miss E. M. Baker, Swin'on, YorksV The cause ot deatli was pneumonia, which often arises during a journey. Avada\at (cf). (G. E. Haggie). The cause of death was pneu- monia which is the bane of bird-keeping. Goui.DiAN Finch CJ). (Mrs. A. Sorey, Cheshire). Thi cau.e of death was pneumonia. The condition of the beak was due to the mang;-mite of birds, the Sarcoptes minor, which is not rare in highly coloured plumage birds, especially the Gouldian Finch. In poultry and game-birds, this paia i e cau es "scaly-leg," which \i one of the Sarcoptic manges of birds. Painting on the part, b y means of a fine camel-hair pencil, paraffin every third day would cause the disease to disappear. Hanging Parrakhet {q^). ("B. T. Stewart, Radl t:. The cau.e of death was enlargement of the liver. India Mvnah (cf)- (E. R. Phillips, Dublin). The cause of death was chronic enteritis, no doubt due to the chilly dampness. Answcrtd by poit ■.—Lsidy Yule; Mrs. Burgees. H. GRAY, M..R.C.V.S. cr. m o >-. o P3 =q to ci o All rights reserved. February, 1916. BIRD NOTES: THE JOURNAL OF THE FOREIGN BIRD CLUB The Breeding Season 1915, in Boyers House Aviaries. By W. Shorf, Baily. In. spite of the fart that owing to the war I was unable to give niy birds as much attention as usual, the breeding- season with me was by no means a bad one. The most noticeable events have already been recorded in " Bird Notes," bu;t a f'ew ,not.es With regard to the others may be of interest. The following young birds left the nest : II Rosella Parr.ikects (Pltityccrriix iwi/niiis). 2 Rosella Parrakeet Hybrids. 2 Alexandrine Parrakcets (Piiliwornis iicpcilcwiis']. 1 Black-checked Lovebird (Af^aiiori.is iiif^iicol/is). 5 Madagascar Lovebirds (A. curia). 3 Brown-eared Conurcs {Coniinis ocularis). 2 Napoleon Weavers {Pyronielaiia ajra). 4 Taha Weavers {P. taha). I Half-masked Weaver {H\ph(iiiloinis vllcllinus). 4 Spice Finch X Bengalese Hybrids. 4 Saffron Finches {Syculis jlavcola). 8 Bronze-wing Doves {Phaps clialcoptera). 1 Brush Bronze-wing Dove {P. eleu^ana). 8 Necklace Doves {Tiirliir ti^rinus). 4 Necklace X Senegal Dove Hybrids. 3 Diamond Doves {Geopelia ciineata). 2 Red-rollared Whydahs {Penthctria ardcns). 2 .Sulphury Secdeaters {Scrinus sulphiiratus). 5 Black Seed-Finches {Mclopyrrha nifrra). 4 Vellow Sparrows {Passer In tens). 2 Chinese Greenfinches (Chloris sinica). 14 Zebra Finches (J acniopygia casianotis). ijomc few of these fell \ iciinis to the pugnacity of other inmates of tlieir aviaries, while others fell victims to that still 26 Season 1915 /// Boycrs House Aviaries. Slill a large proportion arc more insiduous foe pneumonia. still living and doing well. Parrots: Of these, the Ro.s(>Ila Parrakeets, were the niost successful, fully rearing two broods of six and five respectively. A ( 10 s-mated pair of Red and Mealy Rosellas also reared a fine pair of young ones, which were much larger than pure bred birds at the same age. In colour they were much paler than young Rosellas j unfortunately I lost them both from pneu- monia. The Alexandrines —our illustration figures Phni.^hii W.Shurr Hnihi. ^'"^ of them at the mouth Alexandrine ranakeet. of their " Banjo-nest box" — although they nested twice, only reared two young ones, but these were very fine specimens. In December the hen again went to nest, and at time of penning" these notes is incubating a clutch of eggs. The story of the nesting of the Brown- cared Conures has already been told in " B.N." I sold them all to a well known dealer about the middle of September, to find, after the birds were gone, that the hen had commenced laying again, so I lost a chance here of a second brood. The Black-cheeked Lovebirds were a failure; only one young bird left the nest, and this was killed by a Quaker Parrakcet, who also accounted for the adult hen. My Madagascar Lovebirds nested four times, five young ones being fully reared. I was disappointed in my Speckled Conures (C. eiiops) ; tliey took possession of a nest box, but although I saw them pair on more than one occasion, no eggs were laid. Petz's Conures, Canary^wing, and Tui Parrakeets made Season, 1 9 1 5 in Boyers House Aviaries. 27 no attempt whatever at nesting. The Tuis however, roosted every night in a log. The Red-faced Lovebirds {A pullaria) occupied a nest- ing box early, in December, and at the time of writing are incubating a clutch of eggs. A Madagascar Lovebird (9) mated with a cock Red- face, and they nested twice, but the eggs on both occasions were infertile. Doves ; These have been very irregular in their breed- ing operations, some doing well, others very badly. The Bronze-wings were among the most successful, as they fully reared eight, really strong, youngsters. The Brush Bronze- wings, on the 'Other hand were almost a failure, as, though they Pliulo II'. Shore Bail;/. Brush Hroiize-wing Dove. iH-sted quite as frequently a.s P/taps c/mlcopiera they only rcnrcd one young one, and this has since died. I think, however, that their failure was partly due to the interference of other birds. The Conures were especially mischievous in this way. (To he coticluded). 28 Nfsfino; aiifl Rcariiifr of laudraih in Captivity. Some Observations on the Nesting and Rearing of Landrails in Captivity. By Gerald E. Rattigan. Though this species has been apparently sucressfully reared before, in a caije, I belie\-e, no details conc'crning the episode appear to have been recorded, and in any event would hardly be of the same interest under such conditions as a rec- ord of their breeding under the semi-natural conditions of a fair-sized and naturally planted aviary. I think, therefore. <^he toUowmp' record mav be of some interest. I obtained my pair of Landrails from Ireland about the end of IMay, 191 4. The birds reached me in excellent condition and seem- ingly none the worse for their long journey. They were pleasingly tame and in a very short time became even more so the cock^ which was always tlie tamest of the two, soon learning to take tit-bits out of my fingers without the least concern. In short, they soon obtained and kept the position of first favourities in my aviary. In that year (191 4) the first signs of nesting were noted on July 2nd, when I observed the cock carrying bits of dry grass, etc., to the hen, as a gentle hint, I presume, that the time had arrived to take up the responsibilities of married life and commence providing for the future generation, The hen, however, seenied to consider that there was no need for haste and taking his offerings from him, proceeded to contemptuously throw them away. For a f'ew days previous to this incident, the rock had been making day and night, especially night, hideous with his raucous irasping call " or song "? whi(-h lias been compared to the noise made by a scythe on a whetstone^ not untruly, save that it is a bit of a libel on the latter. I readily admit that about this time serious thoughts of murder and .^udden death entered my (head. A Landrail in " ftdl song " ihroughoui the entice hot and breathless night of a hot and breezeless July, is a trial, Nesting and Rearing of Landrails in Captivity. 29 before; which. Job himself might have been reasonably ex- pected to quail. In the stillness of such a night, I do not believe, that there is anything on earth that can equal the nerve racking inonolony of this awful " creek craik " " creek- craik " repeated ad infinitum without pause or break or the remotest variation, except in the volume and direction of the sound, which advances and recedes, in fact appears to come from all points of the compass. These ventriloquia! powers, which appear to be especially pronounced at night, are apt to cause one, as they often did me at tirst, to imagine that the bird has in some way or other managed to escape or that a wild bird is around answering the cries of the one in ihe av'.ary. . (Jflen whilst standing at my bedroom window in the evening, I .would have cheerfully laid any odds that the bird was on the lawn within, at the most, ten or fifteen yards of tho windou'^ whereas, in reality, the aviary from which it was serenading all and sundry, was situated from eighty to one- hundred yards away at the end of a paddock. From my further experiences of these birds this summer (191 5.).. how- ever, 1 rather fancy the cock 1 possessed before must have been a sort of combined Caruso and Arthur Prince amongst his fellows, and by no means a normal performer. To resume the chronicle of nesting results last (1914) season, it was not until August 6th that I discovered th/c nest containing two eggs, most cunningly concealed under a tuft of grass. The nest itself is a very prhnitive atiair juot a few bits of dried grass roughly lining a natural hollow .-n the ground. I felt sure they had a nest somewhere and was en- gaged in searching for it, but had almost given up the search when in lifting up an o\'erhanging tussock of grass, I almost |jut my hand on the hen, which was sitting like a stone. On \isiting the nest again on the 1 2ih I found it deserted and one egg had been dexoured, save for a bit of the shell, by held mice, by which creatures I was much pest- ered that year. 1 caught the culprit a few days later in an ordinary wooden mouse trap, which I set for him on the site of liio depreciations, lie proved to be a monstrous mouse, liardly to be wondered at considermg the sumptuous manner 30 Nesting kind Rcariiii^ of Landrails in Captivity. in which he and his mates ]iacl been faring- at my expense, and could hardly squeeze his body into the trap. I placed the remaining- egg under a Silkie Bantam, but it disappeared during- the nigdit a few days later, prob- ably annexed by a rat. Thus ended ;in failure my first attempt to "breed these birds, for thougli I lam pretty sure they nested again after this, no eggs were discovered and no young hatched so fai' as I know. This season (191 5), which brought liappier results, commenced disastrously, for on March 8th. soon after arriving at my new house in Gloucestershire, a stray dog broke into the aviary during the niglit and murdered my cock Landrail. I was in despair for there seemed but little likelihood of my being able to replace him at an^y rate that season. Fo'" onc< ina way, however, fortune smiled upon ine. Anian wrote me from Scotland on May i 5th that some boys had captured a Landrail which they had heard calling in a field, and would I like it? A wire dispatched instanter answered in the affirmative. On arrival the bird proved to be a very fine young cock, wonderfully tame, considering that it had only been captured two or three days previously. It fed at first solely on earth-worms, and such other " small game " las I could procure it^ but in a few days, inspired no doubt by the example of the hen, it began to sample the " soft-food " and seed, and from then on never looked back. It was ter- ribly thin on arrival, but a fortnight later, when I turned it out into my aviary (till then I, had ikept it in a; large conservatory adjoining the house), it was as fat as ihe pro- verbial lark.. I heard the cock " craiking " for the first time on May 24th. This bird, as I have already mentioned, behaved with the most praiseworthy restraint in the display of its vocal powers, and seldom, it ever, indulged in more than five " craiks " at a time, invariably rendered as follows: four " craiks," a pause, thien a final one; this would usually con- tinuie for five or ten minutes, after which I found by experience that 1 could safely count upon twenty-four hours peace, Nesting and Rearing of Land rails in Captivity. 31 Moreover, he ne\er, so far as I know, broke out dur- ing the nif^ht, or very early morning : his performances al- ways taking place either about mid-day or during the after- noon. Altogether he ])ro\ed to be in every respect a thor- oughly well behaved and model bird, forming a most pleasing contrast to his predecessor. I found the nest, which was quite as cunningly concealed, and rather better constucted than the former one, c^uite a neat cup in fact, formed of pampas grass, though unlined as before, on June i6th. It contained seven eggs, the colour and markings of which^ I take it are too well known to need any description here, and the hen sat very close as before. 1 at once covered the wire netting above the nest wiili sheets of tarred felting to protect it in some measure from possible thunderstorms, a practice I invariably pursue with all nests I find out in the open flights. Incubation must have already commenced, for the eggs all hatched out on June 23th, that is, save one which proved infertile. The very same evening^ about 6 o'clock, a tremendously \io!ent thunderstorm broke, accompanied by a torrential downpour of rain, and my hopes were at zero ; the next morning, how- ever, proved line anJ ^varm, and on visiting the aviary my gloomy forebodings were dispelled, as much to my relief 1 caught a glimpse of, at any rate, three li\ely little black specks ; little larger they seemed than bumble bees. Later on I discovered four, but as I ne\er saw more than this num- ber at a time, 1 concluded that two must have succumbed during the storm, and it was not until September, when 1 caught up all the Kails in order to ring and sex them that I found, much to my surprise^ that six young Rails were alive and well. {To be eoncludcd) . The Endurance of Birds. Bv \\KSLi.\ 1 . J'Aci,. F.Z.S., Etc. {Continual I rum page 20). The list given in the hrst instalment will bear careful consideration from the blandpoini of the various signs placed 32 The Eiiduiaiuc of Birds. aj^ainst respective species. I am i)erfectly aware that on this topic there is by no means a unanimity of experience among avicuhurists, for some of w hicJi local conditions and situation may be a sufficient explanation, but there is much that is still an apparent nivstery. I sincerely hope that these notes (experiences) will be folliQwdd. by others from the pens of a wide circle of avicul- turists, also, that the subject will not Ije approached by any attempt to prove any particular theory or particular school of thoug'ht, but that simple, honest experience will be gi\en — from such many valuable and instructive deductions should be possible. ' ' Before altenipting U) 'gi\e any list of longe\ity among the birds already listed, 1 will hrst endeavour to justify ivvo of the signs used in the said list, viz. : DAre best kept in an aviary which pcrniii.s uf ihciii being driven in ai night and during periods of inclement weather. fAre best taken indoors for the winter months. 1 will preface my remarks by staling that wherever the facts refer only to one pair of birds, such will be stated — ill the main these notes cover many pairs of each species referred to, and,, of course, niiiny seasons. Now to return' to the sign n. It will be noted under this I have included all the Whydahs, yet I am perfectly aware that many keep these outside all the year round and succeed; yet 1 also know that many get most annoying losses during the winter and early spring. My position is this, that on the whole they are a robust group, and quite able to bear out-door treatment in winter, but that there is one quali- fying factor, viz.: they go out of colour during our winter, and it is during or immediately after this winter-moult that the losses occur; further, in a dry winter my losses have been practically nil, but during a wet winter season scarcely a AVhydah survived the early spring months. Of course, those aviaries with roomy, well-lighted shelters fare the best, and in my own aviary and those of others which have come within the range of my observation, whether the season were wet or dry, when the birds were driven in at night, and only let out during the) day at the discretion of their owners, the per- The Endurance of Birds. 33 centage of loss was very low indeed. This group of birds flourishes at our London Zoo under the " shut in at night " rkjimc While I so write of the Whydahs, it will be noted that not a single one of the twenty-three species of Weavers I have listed bears this sign, although very many of them go out of colour (moult) in mid-winter. I am not fully prepared with a reason for this; it may be possible that the long tail plumes entail a greater strain upon the bird's system than is the case with the Weavers, yet I cannot accept this as a reason, though at one time my collection, a fairly large one, consisted en- tirely of Weavers, Whydah-s, and the Weaving Finches gener- ally {Ploceidae) ; nevertheless I am face to face with the fact that while, the Weavers pass the winter without any ap- parent difficulty, the' losses among the Whydahs are fairly numerous, especially during wet winters. Thus, whenever possible, my Whydahs come indoors for the winter, as my general aviary is not constructed on the '" night-drive " prin- ciple. Then certain of: the Finches and Buntings bear this sign, too. Here I think there \vill be greater unanimity of experience, as in our Journal there ha\e been manv articles which seem to imply this; true, nearly every species so marked has successfully wintered outside, but the evidence of a single locahty, single season, or a single aviary, without details, cannot be accepted as proving the case even for the Southern counties of Great Britain. 1 have kept many ol these out of doors all the year round, ^.g. my lovely little Lavender-backed Finch {Spt'rnwpL-Ui castaneivcntris) passed through its first winter in my out-door aviary perfectly well (this winter had been dry but very severe, with long con- tinued frosts); and was in spotless condition all the following spring and summer. The succeeding autumn, winter, and early spring, may be fairly described as mild, muggy, wet, and my little Lavender-backed Finch succumbed. Even in excep- tional liard dry winters, 1 have found that it is not during severe frosts ot even diree and four weeks duration that birds need their owner's care, ,or the period when losses distress him. it is at the tliaw tliat the critical period arrives. 34 The Euditrancc of Birds. lixcn at the risk of being considered prosy I must name n few conditions under which assembling over the wheat of a host of beatitiful bird;. As they wheeled and dived, the sunlight, feeble as yet, shone softly on gre> and rose- tinged ijlujnage. Once or twice, some magical tuiK h ol the bun transfonned a bird into a living form of sdvcr, 4S The Bird-Trappers of the Rivcrina. which seemed lo float in the blue. But tlic iiarsli cries oft the Cockatoos put al' oik ^- dreams to flight. Foi- awhih' none of the Galahs came near a net. Then till- ( all-birds became vocal, and the trappers crouched lower, intent, keen-eyed, and ready to act. From the shelter I An Alijino Galah. These freaks of Nature are worth from .C5 apiece upwards. watched a flock alter its line of light, and steer for the net, attracted by the notes of the call-birds. The wild, free, Galahs answered their captive fellows, hesitated for a few minutes, then dropped down on to the unseen net. In- stantly the rope controlling the release was pulled by a trapper, and a babel of bird-voices arose. Ten out of about thirty Galahs were caught. ) One by one the new captives were taken from the net and placed in a box behind the shelter. Great care was The Bird-Trappers of the River'ina. 49 used in securing the birds, liecause a snap from the beak of an angry Cockatoo is apt to cause a sev^ere wound. I did not v^enture to help the trappers, but was glad to sec that they handled the Galahs as gently as possible. Four times in the course of an hour the nets were sprung. with varying results. Over eighty birds altogether were captured; hundreds escaped the nets. When the early sun- shine hours have passed, the galahs lea\e the feeding grounds. Daylong the trappers enjoy leisure; their work is at night and dawn. 1 ' Returning to the waggon, the men transferred their captives from boxes to the big cages, where food and water awaited them. Some of the birds, naturally, were sulky for a time, but they soon became reconciled to the new conditions. While the transfer was in progress, one young bird managed to win freedom. "Good luck to you, old chap!" said the trapper, as the bird flew, screeching, over the tree-tops. " You deserve to go." The trappers may r(>main on the plains for two or three weeks, moving from one place to another. The birds soon become wary, and it is of little use to attempt trapping at one spot on two successive mornings. W'hen a sufficient number of birds to form a " consignment '" has been captured, a member of the party takes them to the town, his comrades staying in camp. Every care is used; the C^ialahs are well treated, and I was told itiat it was rare for any to die while in the trapper's charge, or during the journey to Sydney. On the voyage overseas, however, deaths probably occur. Large numbers of Finches and other small lairds that are exported from Australia, perish miserably ai sea. Cockatoos, however, are more easily fed than the "' small fowles/' and are hardy withal I wonder whether the German frau, who teaches her [)el cocky to say, ■" (iretchen," ever feels curious as to its I)lac(.' of nativity? Does she know that it was born in a dark hot hollow in the trunk or limb of a gum-tree, growing on the bank of the Riverina stream? I'erhajjs not. But if only 50 The Bird -Trappers^ of the Rlvcrlua. the bird could t(-ll its story, instoad of merely repeating words of which it does not know the meaning! It it harder for an Australian Coikatoo to utter (lerman words than to say. Scratch poor cocky," or " Give cocky a nut "? Some of the men who traffic in Galahs and Parrots are fearless climbers. Collecting fledglings is another phase of the business, more arduous than trapping. All the nesting trees are known, and when the time is ripe, each is visited. Some of the hollows are low down, and the young birds can in such cases be obtained without any difficulty. But when the nest-hole is in a lofty branch, or high up in the trunk of a dead tree, the climber's skill is displayed. During my Riverina trip I saw a young man conquer several giant gums that few would care to tackle. He used a bit of stout rope, flung round the trunk of the tree, and the ends held in either hand. Barefooted, he worked his way up- ward so quickly that I was not ready with the camera when he had reached the top boughs. Expert climbers prefer dead to living' trees . because the boughs of the latter are more likely to break. Sapless limbs are tough. Still, the men do nor shirk dangerous trees if there is anything to be gained by climbing them. The life of a bird-trapper is not hard but h^? has to take some risks, and that of falling from a tree, through a bough breaking, is one of them. One morning Jack came back to camp, after the usual dawn- work, with the news that there was a white Galah among a flock that he had been observing. He vowed that he would capture the albino before leaving the locality, but failed to do so. He may, of course, have succeeded on a second expedi- tion. I.alct ir the day I saw the albino in company with about 300 normal birds. It was conspicuous, the white wings flashing bravely wherever it went. White Galahs are rare, and J- 3 would not be regarded as an exorbitant price for a perfeci specimen. I have seen only two of these albinos in captivity — both taken as fledglings from the nest — and they excited admiration. But I would not say that their beauty is greater than that of the ordinary galah. We are apt to be deceived by the rarity of an object. Even a plainsman, who ■4a c^ The Bird-Trappers of the River in a. 51 cares nothing for the common form, would probably be eager to possess an albino bird. Strangely enough, at several of the farmhouses where I receivec'. hospitality, and at a boundary-rider's hut here and there Galahs were kept as pets. In some instances, the birds \\ hfrc the Parrots Nest. Author at the ncsi of a Galah ; a second nest-holc is seen higher up the trunk and there is a third near tlu- t(i[). were caged; but one lady at least showed me a number of t,-ime wild-birds. Several of these arc (jalahs, which are at lib- erty to come and go at will. They are away with the flocks dxiring the greater part of the day. and return to the home- 52 Correspondence . stead towards dusk. 'J'hcy have favourite perrhing-jjlaces close to the house. On e.xcellent terms with the lady who won them with kindness, the birds will have nothing to do with strangers. They were suspicious of tKp camera, and nearly an hour was occuDied in obtainin.L; a iihotograph, which includes only two birds. At this pleasant homestead 1 would gladly have Img- ered but plans had to be carried out, and we were on the track before noon of the second day. Tliiit is one of the penalties; of making even little journeys. One meets friendly folk for a day or two then it is good-bye. Welcome and farewell. It is the same with places. A spot where one has rested or seen some rare bird, flower, or e.xquisite group of trees, becomes fixed in memory; it may never be visited again. This is rather a qua-nt ending to an article on Galah. trapping; but then, you know, I am a chronicler of impres- sions Correspondence. ^ INDIGO X i\0.\PARL:IL bunting tiVHRlDS. Sir, -It may ba of interest to state that I caged one of these hybrids, It is a dock, a charming, tame little bird. Already he shows much blue in his plumage, chiefly on the head, throat, and back. The belly is clear yellow, and the breast yellow flecked with blue. I think that long before three years he will be in adult plumage He sings very .sweetly, and his song is ntuch more sustained than that of his Indigt' father. The latter's song always reminds m<; of that of our Chaffinch. The other hvbrid is outside with a hen Ni>n]iartil, wiili i\hich I hope he may pair. I fear they will be agressivc birds in a mixed aviary my caged bird, which is often let out in the room, persecutes ;i Roller Canary, when they are loose together. Ashmansworth, 3i/'i/'i6. BERNARD C. THOMASSET. 1 The Indigo is evidently dominant in these hybrids ; but as many Nonpareils which- have been imported into this country in nesting plumage, do not come into full colour (adult plumage) till the second or third nimilt fol- lowing their importation, it is just possible that more of the Nonpareil may be indicated in their plumage after later moults — we hope Mr. Thomasset may lie abU: to kee[) them long enough to show whether such is the case or not. — El).] Bird Notks. Pln,l,^ \V. S/nnr liaih,. Necklace Dove brooding Younu. All rights reserved. March, 1916. BIRD NOTES: THE JOURNAL OF THE FOREIGN BIRD CLUB. The Breeding Season 1915, in Boyers House Aviaries. ''y W. Shore Baily. {Concluded from page 27). My Diamond Doves, too, were a failure, a most un- usual experience witli nve. but 1 think that a change of blood was wanted here, as this species so seldom fails— it is one of the most chaiTning of the Dove-tribe. Neither Bleeding- Heart nor Cape (Masked) Doves attempted to nest. Necklace Doves were quite a success, eight really strong young ones being reared, I'our hybrids were also success- fully reared from a male Necklace mated with a Seneg"al Tuitle Dove. The hybrids are very pretty birds, favouring the Senegal in size and colour, but having a spotted collar like the Necklace; the spots, however, are black and bronze in- stead of black and white as with the latter bird. I exhibited one of them at the recent Holborn Show. I'INCHKS: .Among these the Zebra I'inches were the most prolilic, one pair rearing fourteen young (jnes, and strange to say all the nests were open cup-shaped ones {vide plate), being constructed either ui boxes or shrubs; thus niiit(C-riiilly differing from the domed nests constructed in Dr. Lovell-Keays' aviaries (The domied nest is typical of the species -Ed.]. Late in October at least four pairs of these young l>ird^■ were incubating at the same time, and all in open cup- shaped nests. Chi( ks were hat( hed, but the bad weather in November killed them alll. The story of my success with Black Seed-fniches has .54 Season 1915 /// Bayers House Aviaries. Zebra Fincli Incubatin;: ■ „,„ „ , ..., . ,ij^,} Zebra Finch at Xesl Pliotos 11'. Shore Baily, Season 1 9 1 5 //; Bayers House Aviaries. 55 already been told: in all they nested three times. On the last occasion the nest was constructed in an old wooden travelling cage. Three young birds left the nest, but only one was fully reared. I have noticed with insect-eating birds that the first to leave the nest is the strongest, and usually gets nearly all the food, the others dying from neglect. Sulphury Seed-eaters nested twice, fully rearing one young one on each occasion. M P^^^ip^BQ 1 ^^^^^^1 ^^ p^ - * . '.^Jf^-.'-'j^ . 1 1 n^^^^l fli 1 . ." j^-~j ' IrH j^Bj J^H^Hfl'J mfiB 'K'^H^^H Impost frnj^H -'^'J^^^l ^^^^^I^^Ei^B Phot.i W. Shore Baily, Black Seedfincli Entering Nest. Saffron Finches and Yellow Sparrows also had two nests each, fully rearing three young birds at their last at- tinij^'ls, which took p1;i(e in October. Full details of tlie rearing of the other small birds have already a])pearcd in our Journal. My Aviary and Gouldian Finches. Hv Bkrnard Thomassett. A liitlc later I got a be;iutiful Red-hcad-cd cock, which did well from llu- lirst. .\'o signs of nesting were noted but, 50 ^y Aviary ntid Gouldiau Finches. when clearint^' out iifst boxes in the autumn, several f\!4t;s were found. I The pair of birds remained in the out-door aviary until the middle of January, roostini4- i'l the shelter which is un- heated. Finally, after a night when we registered i 8 degrees of frost, I caught and caged them, thoug^h I cannot say that they seemed to suffer from the cold. I do not possess a bird-room, and those birds which cannot stay out have to live in my smoke-room. It is a cheerful room with windows facing S.E., and S.W., and is the only moderately warm room in a very cold house. Here the Gouldians occupy an all- wire cage jOin.. x i 5in. x 2 Sin high. It is furnished near the top with a small twiggy branch at one end and a thickish perch at the other. Between these the birds have space to fly, A pot containing white millet and Canary seed, and an earthenware saucer of water are on the floor of the cage, and a spray of millet is hung from the top. By-the-bye, they are most pleasant birds in a a room, very lively and cheerful, the cocks constantly singing their ridicu- lous little song and they never scatter their seed. Long- tailed Grassfinches I find unpleasant as cage birds. In a room they are dirty and untidy and they never get tame like Gouldian Finches. While in the cage the Gouldians moulted and when turned out in May, 1914. they were in perfect plum- age and condition. They soon uent to nest in a small box hung on a roof beam in the shelter, and the first brood of five flew in July. After the young birds left the nest the cock took entire charge of them. The hen soon began to lay again and in late August a second brood of six left the nest to be followed, quite late in October, by the last batch, this time of two birds. As the weather was wet and cold and as I had found that, on leaving the nest, the young ones lived entirely in the open flight, I thought it best to bring parents and young indoors. The hen bird was soon caught, but the cock was so swift on the wing that it was some time before I secured him. Catching birds with a net always seems to me a brutal busi- My Aviary aijd Gould ian Finches. 57 ness; in this case it proved to be a fatal one. Next morning the bird was jdead from what proved to be haemorrhage of the brain. The 'good little hen sticcessfully reared the two young ones in the cage, bringing her score for the year up to thirteen. ' ! ' About equal numbers of the young proved to be red- and black-headed birds. During the winter I was able to buy a Black-heade'd cock from one of our members. Last spring the birds were put out on the '5th May. They must have gone to nest at once, as on the 14th I found four eggs in the old nest-box. The first brood flew on June 24th (six of them), fol- lowed by five imore on August i 5th, and another six flew on ^)clober 14th. I caught and caged all the family as soon as the chicks began to leave the nest. This time without murdering the father. The parents commenced to feed the young ones a few minutes after they were in the cage and all were reared. I fancy that the reason why my Ciouldians have nested in spring, and not waited until late summer or autumn, is that the change of temperature and surroundings from an out-door aviary to a- sitting-room, throws them into moult. They complete their moult during the winter and by May they are in breeding condition. I believe that hard water causes the death of many of thcst' i)irds. Here our only water supply is 'rai'n water. Where clean rain water cannot l)c obtained it would be adxisablo to boil llie drinking water. When feeding young, Gouldian Finches consume large (|uantiti('s of seeding grass, and, I find that perennial rye grass is tlieir favourite kind, next to that they like couch grass, Canary seed, white millet and spray millet should always be supplied with cuttle bone and crushed C'^\^ shells. OcS - NrsfiriiT and Rcar'mrr of I.aiutraih in Captivitv. Some Observations on the Nesting of Landrails in Captivity. By Gerald E. Rattigan. {Continued from paifc 28). Two of ithese young birds were always tamer and more confiding than the others, which soon learned to take special tit-bits from my hngers without any hesitation. The others would only appear on my concealing myself, when they would very cautiously creep out of the surrotmding grass only to disappear instantly on my slightest movement, but as I have already observed I never saw more than four at a time and only rarely more than three. For the first three days the chicks used to take their food from the bill of their mother, but soon learned to forage for themselves, and it was amazing to sve them tackle a worm as big in length or even longer than thcmsehcs without any difficulty. After feeding the two bolder chicks, which always followed her to the feeding dishes, she always used to fill her beak v^ith as much provender as she could carry and take it ofi" to the rest of her brood, who were lying hid, and ex- pectantly waiting in the long grass somewhere near l)y. In this way she would make many and rep::^atcd journeys until their wants had been satisfied, when she would finally partake of a hearty meal on her own account. The hen at this time displayed the most lively concern on my entering the aviary, running at 'me in a curious crouching attitude with her beak wide open, and making the while a peculiar hissing noise. The hen also utters; a quamt sorf of sound when calling her brood, a kind of subdued " Hu, Hu. Hu," which, though delivered in a very low tone, yet carries a sur])rising distance. The cock ceased " craiking " as soon as the young were hatched, and from this time until the young were full grown, he led a most harassed and miserable existence. He took no part in the duties of incubation, nor was he permitted to take any part in the subsequent rearing of his family, 1 say ' not permitted " advisedl)-, for I firmly believe that had he been granted the opportunity he would have taken the greatest Nesting and Rearing of Landrails in Captivity. 50 interest and prido in his offspring. The poor fellow used to sneak up occasionally, and watch his family, with a truly benevolent and paternal expression, from a safe coign of vantage, but woe betide him if discovered, his spouse would dash at him like a veritable \irago and rain a shower, of blows upon his devoted head, untd lie reached the kindly shelter of a clump of pampas grass to which he always made heltei -skelter. His sole contribution tf) the raising of the family ap- pears to be his heroic, though entirely misplaced, vocal effort, which only continues while the hen is actually incubating, for the moment the chicks are hatched, it ceases. To this unfor- tunate belief of his possibilities as a songster may, perhaps, be traced the irritability of his spouse, who at all other times and seasons, be it said, is a most placid and good tempered creature. The poor( fellow, there is no doubt, thinks quite honestly thai his nightmare of a serenade will cheer her up. He reasons it out, 1 take it, something like this: "She must (eel very bored and dull sitting there all day long on those wretched eggs, and is probably both stiff and cramped to boot, sc> 1 will jusl tvy and cheer her up with a bit of a song." I don't mean to say that all cock birds think like this, for I am sure they don't: my last cock didn't, for instance, he was a real brute and took a perfectly fiendish delight in his diabolical noise, I'm sure; but the bird 1 have now is a young one. i)robably in his fTrst nesting season, and had all the loving ardour of the newly wed. That he " sang " out of the be>t of motives, is_, 1 submit, clearly proved by his manner of singing. He starts gaily —lighthearledly enough, but after (hree " ( raiks "' i)auses, e\idently hoi;ilied at the re-^ult n( hi-) efforts, then comes one more dispairing effort (it ma\- ha\ e been my imagination, of course, but it always seemed to me that the linal " < raik ' ended in a note ll.al was almost a wail of despair). After Avhich, now evidently thoroughly shocked and frightened at the horrible result of his efforts, he prob- ably coiK luded that he must have caugdit a bad thill or some- thing, hastily dec ides to give his voice a rest and relapses, until the following day, into a gloomy silence, when the same jnanauvres aie gone through ome more. It \\a^ ipute pathetic 60 Nesdng and Rearing of Landrails in Captivity. and I felt really sorry for the poor fellow, he seemed to feel his failure as a vocalist so keenly, and yet always started off so hopefully and cheerfully at his next attempt, showing what a persevering and sanguine disposition he possessed, ^.s soon, however, as the chicks hatched out and the hen was free to do so, she quickly put an end to it all and must, I fear, have told him, with ])lain and brutal bluntness that his voice was no gooa and never would be any good for anything except for frying onions, for from that day his efforts ceased entirely, and never again did he indulge in a solitary '" craik " even when courting her again, as he did later on in the season (pairing obslerved to take place on July i8th). His spirit was thoroughly broken. On several occasions I endca\'oured to obtain some snap-shots of the family party, but although opporlua'.t.es for a good picture were not wanting, all my attempts, I am sorry to say, ended in failure, probably because the camera. a vest-pocket Kodak, with which I was operating, waj hardlv suitable for the purpose. Some of the chicks were always noticeably dari^er tlian the others and all grew very rapidly. On examining the chicks on Julv 7th, the plumage was as follows : Black lines extend- ing from each side of the neck down the flanks, flights, and a streak over the eye brown (blackish stripe or Imc below down centre of breast), remainder of plumage smoi-cy ]:)lack, presenting rather a, patchy appearance. On July I 3th they w ere almost as large as their parents, and brown distinctly predominated in their plumage, though the black lines (down flanks and centre of breast still remained. On September 5th, I caught up all the 'rails for, the purpose of ringing and sexing them and the young were at this time practically indistinguishable from the old hen. The sexes, even at this age, appear easy to separate, hens having much more snaky looking heads and riner beaks; the beaks of the cocks appearing much more wedge shaped. The young chicks were fed as under: — Spratts' chicken meal or alternately " Banto." " Life " food: 100 earthworms in the morning, and an- Sle sting and Rearing of Landrails in Captivity. 61 other I oo about 4 p.m. Live ants" eggs and Q^g (hard boiled) and breadcrumbs. The diet for the lirst tliree days, however, appeared to consist entirely of earthworms, and I believe these to !je an absolutely necessary item of the diet, for the first few weeks at all c\ents. Curioush- enough the sexes were equally divided amongst the young, three cocks and three hens. All of them were disposed of. mostly to our members, in whose aviaries. 1 tru.-^i \hv\ will suc( (' ~>tulh' rcai' young this coming -^casun. i wili end uitli the further pious hope that they (the menlber^ in question I will be a^ lucky as I was this year in llieir cock b'.rd.! The Story of my Black-headed Gull. 1)V Fraxk Dawson-Smitii. Soir.e \ear. age I recei\ed from a friend in Lauta.-^hire a large lra\eliiiig lianqx'r conlaiuing various sea and Thore birtis. Among them were three (lulls. Two of these were Kill. wake-, and the ihirti was supposed to be a iUat k-headed (.u!l ill winler plumage. It is the story of the lasl-nanifd that I will now relate. I must preface my remarks by sa>iiig that lie was duiib(jd " Blai k-headed OuU" for want (^1 a truer dclinilion : but he was not pur ct simple of that breed. ()ne aviculluribt who saw him ga\ c his opinion that he. was a " Peach dull." Xob¥ Bunting, Tree Sparrow, House Sparrow. Great Tit, Blue Tit, Tree Creeper, Green Woodpecker, Greater-spotted Wood-pecker, Swallow. House Martin, Sand Martin, Turtle Dove, Wood Pigeon, Kestrel, Hen Harrier, Little Owl, .Xi^htjai, English Correspondence. 71 Partridge, I'rcnch I'.ii iridgo, I'hi-asaiit, Watcrlieii, Green Plover. I ani (oming home on leav^e in a few day-v and am looking forward to seeing some of my old favourites again, and also dipping into the last six numbers of " H.N." B. H.XMn.TON SCOT'l a.icul . I< .1- A.l Somewhere in I-'l.indcrs, February, 1916. FIELD NOJES, NEW SOUTH WALES. Sir, The following notes will probably interest many readers. " Last Sunday while on the mountams, I got up at dtytight " (4 a.m.;, and vveni for a I'amble down one of the deep .gullies to " sec what kind of birds were there, but nothing extra choice did I ■" -see. Kot anything in. the I'arrot line. A couple of flocks of about " IOC each tc,, " 1 came upon three yt>ung Flame-breasted Robins, which had left the " nest a day or so previously and were all three sitting on a low bush " and it was indeed a- pretty sight to see the parent birds feeding them. " The old cock Robin with his extremely bright vermilion breast, jet -' black and white body marking, looked some class. Have you over "" hf-ard of any coming your way? " After leaving the Robins I came across a pair of Coach Whips " (sometimes called fantails), They are a little on the large side, and "" they make a noise like a coachman cracking his whip, hence the ' name. 1 also flushed a few Pigeons, but the undergrowth was so ■"thick I could not see to distinguish the variety. On my way back "' to the house, which, by the way, was a devil of a climb. I came upon " .1 fairly Large brown snake about six feet long. I endeavoured to " kill it, but the scrub was so thick I could not get a hit at him ; I "" was wishing I had brought my gun , if I had I guess I would have " settled him . also a Wallaby, two of which I saw bounding up the " side of the 'mountain. .-\t f)nc time i|uite a lot of Lyre birds, fre- ■ quented this gully, but of late years ' Mr. P'ox ' has either killed or " hunted them further back into the Mountains. I can't make out why " they introduced the Fox into Australia ; they said it was to kill rabbits, "and a lot of other things as well. When they can't get rabbits, or " want a change of diet, they try lamb's or sheep's tongues. They " never bother to kill a sheep and have a feed, but just catch 'em by the " throat, and chew in until they get the root of the tongue, then out " conies the tongue, root and all ; then the sheep is left to go and die. 7 -J Editorial. "will' starvation or blood poison, caused tliroiigii flics," I liavo copied the above jusi as written, from a letter dated Jinuary 2=;th last, received from my friend in New South Wales, Sheffield, i/3'i9ir-. R. COLTON. Erratum. Page 34, line 17. "aviaries, soiiu' of the Suj^ar and Sunbirds <<)uld undoubtedly," should read: aviaries arc built on irravrl. or cr ravel and chalk, are in an. Editorial We much regret that the ])resent issue is such a light one, but with our change of ;iddress it has not been possible to accomplish more, but a more bulky issue will appear in April. W'c should also be glad to know whether members desire some notes on the recent Holborn Show, even though it is now almost ancient history; but members must express their views at once for them to be of any use. J.ARDINF.'S PiOiMY OwLS: iMiss Y. . F. Cliawner, in ack- nowledging the medal for breeding this species, states: "'The "little Owls are doing well; the adult pair are preparing to " go to nest again. The young ones and their colouring is " petrel-red on back, with cream-coloured streaks on the "breast." Miss Chawncr sends a photo of one of them, but the contrast is not sufficiently strong for reproduction. Nesting Notes: Aliss Chawner informs me that the Eagle Owls are already incubating a i hitch of eggs; and her Waxwings arc giving every indication of going to nest. ♦- Reviews and Notices of New Books. "A \'i:ti.ra.\ Na ( oralis r."- -.Vatiiralists the world over will be glad to learn that a life of the " Grand Old .Man " of the Bird World (the late W. B. Tegeimeicr'i is about to be published by Messrs. Witherby and Co., 326, High Holborn, London^ W.C. It is written by his jon-in-law ; Mr. E ^\". Ricliardson, who was long associated with him in his literary and social life. The " Life ' of the man who coll;il)orated with Darwin; discovered the cylindrical origin of the bee's cell ; inaugurated the first Pigeo 1 Fligh': in England; witnessed operations before chloroform was known ; helped to found the .Sava.ge Club, and who lived throu.gh five reigns, can scarce fai' to be of absorbing interest. Bird Notes. I'loiii life. SUNBIRDS. Purple, McilacJiitc and Black -breasted. All rights reserved. APRIL, 1916- BIRD NOTES: THE JOURNAL OF THE FOREIGN BIRD CLUB. My Sunbirds. By the Hon. Mrs. G. Bourke, Of the three species drawn by Mr. Goodchild. at the Holborn Hall Show on February 2nd and 3rd, only two belong to mc. \dz.: the Southern Malachite, and the Black- breasted, but as I have kept tlie jnirple I am. by request, briefly noting that also. PURpr.E SuNBiRD {Aracfuicchtlira asiatica). A native of India and one of the best songsters of the Nectariniidae. The one portrayed on the plate took second prize for Miss Clare, and it was in splendid condition, and singing at intervals on both days. Southern Mal.xchite Sunbird {Nedarinia fainosa). The bird depicted is one I brought from the Cape two years ago. I had a pair but the hen fell a victim to the extreme hea*^ before I left South Africa. The cock bird has never caused one a moment's anxiety since he got over the long sea journey. Summer and winter he sings a cheery wheeze, and is an interesting and vivacious bird. His beauty cannot be fully depicted either by brush or pen ; n( iiher can it be seen to full advantage in a cage, be ne<-ds ilic play of light on his metallic green plumage to bring ou' his full beauty. In his summer quarters, a garden aviary ; it is a grand sight to see him chasing gnats and other minute wmged insects, the ever changing hues of his glistening garment, as he wheels and twists about the aviary in pursuit of his prey is a sight long to be remembered. In the winter he occupies a large cage (3ft. long), 74 AJv Sun birds. and comes out each morning far a fly round the room and enjoys a bath before returning of .his own accord, to the cage , Black-breasted Sunbird {Aethopy^a saturnta). This bird IS rather a recent acquisition; he is a young bird and I have not yet seen the full beauty of his plumage; at the Show also he was not seen to advantage as he was not quite through the moult. Like the preceding species he is not seen to advantage in a cage. It needs the setting of a garden aviary to bring out his full beauty. A glance at the plate, will indicate this, but with a coloured plate descriptions of the plumage are not necessary. Sunbirds make charming pets, they are vivacious, in- teresting and exhibit a fearless confidence in those who attend to their wants. All three species are treated alike : They get syrup — Nestle's milk, lioney, and Mellin's food mixed to the required consistency with boiling water, grapes and a few insects. Foreign and British Birds at the Holborn Town Hall. By Wesley T. Page, F.Z.S., Etc. This Show was promoted by the L.P.O.S., N.B.B. & IVl.C., and F.B.E.L., and was confined to members of these societies. As a rule F.B.C. only concerns itself with open shows, but as nearly all the exhibitors in the Foreign Section were also members of the F.B.C, and in response to several requests, an exception is made to the extent of some comment of the birds staged. The hall was quite inadequate for the number of birds staged, preventing proper grouping of classes, or the placing of birds in viewable positions, rendering a proper comparison of individual merits almost impossible. Thirty classes were allocated to the Foreign Section, attracting some 194 entries. Parrot-tribe : These were divided into nine classes Foreign and British Birds at HoWorn. 75 with a total entry of 60. Among" them there was really nothing calling for special comment, all the species being well known to my readers. With somje of the placings the writer did not agree, the Rev. G. H. Raynor's team meeting with rather hard luck; and it will suffice if the winners are named with their exhibits; in the sequence of the respective classes First : J. Ftostick—Dou'hlc— fronted Amazon ; Eclectiis 9 > King Pariakeet— , A, Silver— Peach-faced Lovebirds, Malaccan Long-tailed Par- takeet— ; Miss A. B. Smyth Whitc-wingrd Parrakeets— ; A. J. Ship- ton; Green Budgciigars— ; C. T. Maxwell— Red-fronted Lories, Hooded Pairakeets. Second— A. Silver— Salvia's Amazon, Cockateels ; C. T. Maxwell — Black-cheeked Lovebirds, Ornate Lorikeet; Miss A. B. Smyth— Meyer's Par- rots; A. J. Shipton— Green Budgerigars; W. Shore Bailey— Blossom-headed Parrakeets . L. M. Wade Crimson-wing Panakeets ; J. Frostick— Red-rump Pariakeets. 1 hird L. M. Wade— Cuban Parrot ; L. W. Hawkins— Red-fared Love- birds ; J. Frostick- Cockateels, Green Budgerigars, Crimson Lory ; A. Sil- ver—Mueller's Parrot (C), Blue-bonnet Parrakeet. Some good and attractive specimens of Senegal Par- rots, Ceram Lory, Swainson's Lorikeets; Mealy Rosellas, Pennant's, Adelaide, and Red Rosella Parrakeets were also staged. Colour Varietifs: Only Yellow Budgerigars, White Java Sparrows, and Bengalcse were exhibited. I A J. Shipton— Yellow Budgerigar ; 2 J. Goodall— White Javas ; 3 A. Silver— Bengalese. Common Mannikins: All well known species, but in marvellous form, I and 2 A. Silver— Magpie Mannikins, and Grey Java Sparrows; 3 W. Bi:( Uir.gh.im ^\■llitc-hoaded Mannikins. Weavers and WhvdatiS: Only four entries, one missed the gorgeous colouration usually associated with this class. I and 3 .\. Silvcr-lJItraniarinc Combasou, and Yellowish Weaver; 2 C. T. 'M.iw.cil Jackson's Whydah, might have been first. Certain Common Species: An attractive lot, all in wonderful trim. ! I and' 3 A. Silvci Combasou, and Saffron Finches; 2 W. Uucking* hani— Indian Silverbills. Zebra ;ind Ribbon Finches .md African Silverbills aUo staged. CoiLDlAN Finches: These bcnutiful f.uourites of for- 76 ForciQ-u and British Birds at Holborn. eign bird-keepers were a very brilliant lot. A really .'?ood Red-head, belongiiiL; to the Rew d. II. Raynor. unfortunately escaped from its cage and was not recaptured till judging wa.s over, otherwise it would undoubtedly have been among the placed birds. I C, Row — ]iair K.H., hen^ very fine; 2 Mrn. Montague ScoM-li.M., 3 A. Sihei-K.H. Parrot Finches, Etc. : All four exhibits were of exceptional merit, but all are well known. I C Row- Fire-tailed P'inches ; 2 Hon. Mrs, McLaren Morrison — Riinbow Bunting 3 A Silver — Ruficauda Finch. Grassi'INCHES, Etc. : A really exquisite group, a- mong which the writer was pleased to see once more the pret- ty Rufous-backed Mannikin, but evidently new arrivals. I and 2 .\. Siivcr—Chestnut-hrcasted and Yellow-nimped F'nche^ ; 3 C '1. Maxwell -I- .1 . Gras>hnchcs. tiome excuisiic Diamond Finches als(j staged. Rufoiis-hacked Mannikin. Pirefinches AND CERTAIN WaxbillS: All free- ly imported speqies, but they were a sight to feast one's eyes upon — their chaste beauty commanding attention. I and 3 Hon Mrs. McLaren Morrison Hold-breasted Waxbills. and Lavender Finches; 2 A. Silver— Coin. Firefinches. Common Avadavats and Waxbills : Another array of exquisite beauty, all perfect, yet the winning pair of St. Helena's well ahead. Foreign and British Birds at Holborn. 77 f and 2 F. Howe- St. Helena Waxbills ; t, A. Silver— O.C. Waxbills. Ail Other Waxbills: Tlicsc rarer species called for close examination, the running being \ery keen — all well known . 1 C. T. AL'iXwelL- Violet-ear ; 2 P. Arnott -Blaek-taced ; 3 Mrs. iM. ScoU — Violet-ear.s. A igood pair of Blue-breasts also shown. Cardinals : Too well known for comment, save to remark that all were apparently colour-fed. I, 2, and 3 A. Silver— Virginian, Green, antl Retl-crested. All Other Seed-eaters : I E. Hathaway- Sepoy Finch; 2 jnd 3 L. M. Wade— Mexican Rose- finch and St Helena Seedeater. Dqves, Quails, Etc. : Only Doves were entered as under : I A. Silver— Emerald ; 2 and v.h.c. R. Mannermg— Diamond, and Masked; 3 J. Frostick — Peaceful. SUNBIRDS, Etc. ; Only Sunbirds staged, the rarest being the Black-breasted, but its moult was not yet complete —see coloured plate. I and 3 Hon. Mrs. G. J^ourkc— Malachite and Black-breasted Sun- birds ; 2 Miss L. Clare — Purple Sunbird. Sugarbirds, Etc. : Beautiful but well known. I and 2 A. Silver — Yellow-winged Su^arbii-ds, and Indian Zosterops ; 3 anc\ v.h.c. P. Arnott— Y.W. Sugarbird and African Zosterops : All Species Tanagers : Only a shadow of what the Tanager class was in pre-war times, but all four entrants were in good form. I, 2, and 3, Hon. Mrs. McLaren Morrison -Black, Blue .iiul .Scarlet. Good^ but patriarchid Archbishop w;is also staged. Crows, Troupials, Etc.: Certainly one of the most interesting" classes of the section. It was a mere matter of rarity between die prize-winners, all of whom have been seen on the bench previously, and all were exquisites of their kind. I J. Frostick— Yucatan J;iy ; 2 A. Silver- p;iir Purple-hc;ided Glossy Starlings ; j B. T. Stewait — Wandering Tree-Pie. < )ther species staged were : Pileatcd Jay, Mandarin and Malaliar Alynahs, Vellow-brcasted Troupial, and Wagler's Hangnest. Small Insectivorous Species: this class was can- celled. All Other Species: Only three entries, and all in- 78 Foreign and Bntis/i\ Birds at Holborn. teresling birds, but. the first prize winner was in its wrong class, making very hard liines indeed for Mr. Stewart's rare Bare- eyed Thrush, wihich was in perfect feather and condition. For this contretemps the writer understands that neither the owner nor the judge was responsible. I Miss F. Baiiovv-Massicks— Trinidad Thrush (in its wronp class) ; 3 B. T. Stewart— Bare-eyed Thrush, should have been first, 3 Miss and was bought " on. sight." Though purchased at a stiff figure I have never regretted it, for the bird is abso- lutely unique. All who have been privileged to, see him, have noted with admiration the bold confidant air of the Bare-eye, for in disposition he is quite fearless and will boldly attack friend and foe alike. As a .songster he has his merits, though his call note is somewhat peculiar; not unlike the ba'a of a sheep. Many of his notes are low and gurgling. Unfortunately he is rarely heard to advantage, as the loud, splendid voice of his immcdi- The Bare-eyed Thrush. 81 ate neighbour, a JMocking-Bird, drowns all his efforts; and the Bare-eye will only sing in competition, never solus. In regard to^ his show career I will only here remark that if 'the suggestion once made by a famous aviculturist, that birid rarities should be labelled as such at Shows as a guide for the judge, could be carried out it would be better both for owner and bird I And that reminds me — one day a visitor broke through our) lines and insisted on seeing the birds. He passed all in silence until he came to the subject of these notes; then his face lit up — " Ahl" said he " I don't know much about birds but I do know what this is — iVs a Cuckoo "I I shook hands with him for 1 recognised a judge in embryo. The Bare-eye is not difficult to cater for in the way of diet. A rich insectile mixture, plenty of grapes and a few mealworms daily, wliilo a piece of sesame cake, of which all my Softbills are very fond, delights the very cockles of his heart. He is always in perfect show-form. Has a cold tub daily, and is as happy and free from care as only a bird can be. Of all my Thrushes, gorgeous and rare as some of them are, 1 give preference to the Bare-eye as the gem of the collection, may he continue to adorn it, until that dreadful day when he leaves the world behind. 4 Some Colony Birds. Reprinted from "'IIMLHRl " (The Journal of the Royal .Agricultural and Commercial Society of iiiiii^h Guianaj, May, 1915; with com- pliments and tlianks to the Author and Editors.— Ed. "B.N." Part ll. [We published a conipilniion from Part I. in Bird Note'i for 1912 uhicb somewlial sulYered from abridgement, consequently we arc reprinting Part 11. /// extt'iiso. includ- ing at the end of e-ich instalment the popular names by which the birds are known in England, We feel assured that the article will be of general interest many of the birds dealt 82 Some Colony Bints. with arc, or have been, kepi in l'2nglisli aviaries. — Ed. B.N.] As I concluded my first urtich- (Dec 1912) by a descrijition of the Twa-twa, I may vvell take up the thread agaiJi by giving some account of its near relative the Tua-tua. The Tua-tua (pronounced tower-tower) {Oryzoborus torrij das), vulgarly called the bastard twa-twa, or the Twa-twa's slave, proclaims at 'Once its near kinship to the Twa-twa. It is, however, neither so large nor so elegant in form; and moreover, from the lower part of the breast to the tail, it is dark red. From this feature it evidently derives its specific of torridus, toasted or scorched. I suppose it derives its vulgar name of bastard twa-twa from the mistaken notion, that it is a cros's between that bird and some other inferior type. In nature, however, hybrids never occur. I suppose again that it is called Twa-twa's slave on account of its compara- tive inferiority. It has a large beak, though not so relatively large as the Twa-twa's, and being black instead of slaty white is not so conspicuous. There is a white stripe on the primary fea- thers, but it is almost covered by the wing coverts. The wings underneath arc white also. It has the same habit of whisking his tail from side (to side and of spreading it out; and the tail is full and broad: I had almost said bushy. As in the case of the Twa-twa, the hen and the young birds are a warm brown, darker on the wings and tail; it is thus almost indistinguisliable from several other brown hen Finches; but the beak which has a ridge or keel where it joins the s'kull above, is unmistakable. The single note of the Tua-tua is exactly that of the Twa-twa, and its song, though not so loud^ is perhaps more musical. But is is not such a persistent singer. It is an amiable aviary bird and the one in my posses- sion returned to the cage when I chanced to let it escape. The Fire-finch. One of i^he most beautiful of our L'inches has the awkward namie of " Scarlet-crested Finch " {Coryphospingus cristaius). I prefer to call it the Fire-jincli and it justifies this title,, being very much the colour of a Some Colony Birds. 83 slumbering ember. In size it is not so large as our Sparrow; but it is much more graceful in form, hence its generic name, coryphospingiis, Greek, " the small slender bird." The body of 'the bird, except the back is a dull crim- son-lake merging into pink at the throat; the back, wings and tail, are dark wann brown. Around the eye, in lieu of eye- lashe:^ are tiny pinkish, almost white feathers which give the bird the air of wearing spectacles. The crest, which, however, he seldom erects, is in the shape of a half-closed fan, with the broad side in front; it is bright, silken, scarlet, with the outer edges almost black. Its nole is a long, indrawn, almost hiss-like, monotone: ts — 5. Its song, though it rarely sings in a cage is a see-saw on two notes and can hardly be called beautiful. But its colour and lively disposition make it a des- irable cage-bird. It is never seen in, a cage, however, for the people of the colony think a bird " no good unless it can sing, sir." ll has a pleasing habit of springing up perpendicularly and dropping down lagain like a bouncing ball; or of throw- ing itself upwards towards the bars of the cage, clinging fur a moment and then flinging itself back again. A pair I had would 'sil for a long while by the side of a small mirror, and seemed very annoyed when a pair of small Doves took up that position; they would go up to them and try to hustle them our of the coveted spot. Coryphospin^us is not easily tamed though when once kept in a 'cage will generally return when set at liberty." It is charming when caught in the hand, erecting its flaming crest and uttering cries of protestation. The crest when at rest is simply a streak of bright crimson. The hen is a iiiodilied replica of the cock and has no crest. The Fire-flnch is not uncommon in town, but being very shy is not often observed. The Creole Canary. The Creole Canary, or Canary Grass-bird {Sycalis arveiiis) is very like that variety of the domestic Canary which in England wc call the "' Lizard," though much suuller; and 1 vcutuic the opinion that it is, 84 Some Colony Birds. indeed, the ancestor of the now world-wide favourite cage- bird. Above, its feathers are olive-brown, edged with lighter colour and not unlike those of the English Sparrow; its throat, breast, and vent are a sli^ghtly-greenish yellow, as also above and below the eye, merging into a greener tint on the cheeks. The hen is the same but not so bright. It readily becomes tarn,© in a cagic (which is another argument in favour of the above theory) and breeds freely. A cock bird 1 have in my aviary made love to a hien Tua-tua, and I have no doubt they would have gone to nest had 1 put ihem in a cage by themselves. But I dislike hybrids of every kind. Its wooing" was delightful. It would fly from side to side of the aviary and remain before its beloved object on suspended wing like a heavy humming" bird, and all this time would utter loud notes of self-admiration as if to say, " Look at titis, look at tkis\ See what I can do\'' Then it would alight and pour forth its song. The song, though lively enough, is stereotyped. It might easily be reproduced in a mechanical toy. It is wanting in variety and its gamut is short. Begin- ning with a few staccato no/tes it gradually increases the pace, rising by semitones ; then it trills, still increasing the pace ; then ends abruptly as if out of breath. But it begins again immediately for it is an incessant singer when it once takes up its song. In a cfage with other birds it is interfering and inclinec to be masterful. It should therefore be kept alone. The White-Throated Finch or Ring-Neck. The White-throated Finch or Grass-bird {Spermop/dla I'uieata), commonly called the Ring-Neck, is the largest of three Black-and-White Finches, often mistaken for one an- other. Rightly are these small Finches called Grass-birds {S pernio p kit a, seed-lover j for they feed exclusively on the seed of the larger kinds of grasses, plucking the seed as it grows on the stem and often performing many amusing acro- batic antics in the process. Unlike most other Finches they even feed their young on the same diet, having however, partly digested it in their own crop. Most other Finches, as well known, feed their nestlings on insects, and thus our common I louse- Sparrow got itself transported to happier climes by tliose who iiad that amount of nature knowledge which proved a dangerous things, in the hope tliat it would clear the land Some Colony Birds. 85 of insect pests. Alas, in those happier climes, it devours more grain in harvest time than is compensated for by its insect destroying propensity in the nesting season : and it increases apace. '. The White-Throat or Ring-Nerk is a stumpy bird with a large head; it is like a cock Sparrow in form though gener- ally smaller. The head, back, wings, and tail, are dull black; the throat, v/hite ; the breast, vent, and rump, light grey. There is a ring of white running from the ends of the throat feathers around thn neck and broadening on the shoul- ders, but not meeting at the back. It is almost as if he had a AvTiite beard the ends of which were blown over the shoulders. The white feathers of the throat do not quite merge into the grey of the breast, there being ridges of black feathers from the shoulders and almost meeting as they taper to a point in front. There are also two stripes of white across the upper part of the wings: the first, along the upper wing coverts ; and the second across the lower wing coverts and extending along the bases of the primaries as far as the second feather. The hen is a uniform olive-brown, darker on the wings and tail. There is a light brown bar on the wings, corresponding to the upper white stripe of her mate. It is distinguished from all other brown hen Finches by the shape and colour of the beak, which is bkuk, blunt, and rounded, like a typical Jewish nose. The song of the White-throat is a bubbling cascade of music, sweet and melodious. This fully compensates for it? inelegance of form; and he is a continual singer. It is extremely fond of a bath, and, I may say, of cage life, for it will return again and again if set at liberty. He is ami- ably disposed toward other birds; but, of course, does not sing so persistently as when kept alone. Many song birds in an aviary will not sing at all. The Moustache Finche.s. There are two species of these birds^ so-called from the more or less moustache-shaped lines of white running from the corners of the mouth. They remmd mc rather of mutton-chop whiskers. In length tlicy are a little less than the White-Throat, but they are beauti- SQ Some Colony Birds. fill in shape, bein.c^ slonder and having a longer and more shapely tail; the head nlso is small and neat. The commoner species is th(> Spcrniophila lincola. In this, the head, wings, throat, and tail are velvet black; the breast, greyish white, fading into white on the vent. Besides the so-called jnoustache, there is a white bar running along the crown of the head from the beak^ and a small white patch on the wings, that is, on the upper part of the primaries. The under-wings are white, a nd the secondaries are partly white though the colour does not appear externally; the rump is grey. The hen is a light Olive-brown, lighter still below; the beak, horn colour and not bhT^k, The single note of the bird is loud and like the chirp of a Sparrow; but it has a pretty song of about fifteen notes; no't, however, so varied as that of the White-throat. It is a charming cage-bird, easily tamed and amiable in disposition The other Moustache Finch {Sprrmophila ocellafa) is much rarer and is not distinguished by the unitiatcd from' the foregoing. However;, it is mot so slim; there is no line of white over the head; and along the sides are round spots upon a ground of black fading into grey. From this latter feature it derives it specitic name of ocellata, that is, " ey6d " or marked with eye-like spots. The Black-throated Sacki. There are several species iof Tanagers rightly named eiiphonia, " sweet-voiced," The smallest {Eiiphonia miiiuta) is a tiiuy 'bird hardly three inches in length, from tip to tip of beak and tail. The tail of all these birds is short, (extending very little beyond the under- tail coverts, and their general contour is Swallow-iikc, being round and full. The head, back, wings, and tail of the minula are deep blue, with a green sheen on the primaries; the throat is deepei blue rather than black. The breast is a rich yellow, the under-tail coverts white, as are also the under-wings. The forehead is yellow and gives tho bird the air of wearing a jockey cap( with a square peak turned back. The bill, more like a Swallow's than a Finch's, is slaty blue. The sexes are alike, or nearly so. The bird soon becomes accustomed to a cage, for, in spile of its small size, it is very intelligent and Some Colony Birds. 87 fully alive to the fitness of thin,^s. Held gently by the feet and stroked on the bark, it may be trained to pour forth its musical song: cliic-chic-chpek-clicek. It has a loud note for for so simall a bird. Its ordinary song sounds something like this: '' thef-fhet-thit, tliit. thct, wee, wee, chic-chic-ehic, are you going away? don'i go away, don'f go aivayl" and all the while it flips its wings and turns from side to side. It is, of course, a fruit-eating bird, and thrives on yellow plantain. I should prefer to call it the Jockey-sacki. The Buck-canary. Eiip/ionia violaceo, or the Buck- canary, as it is vulgarly called, br in more polite society the Louis d'or, is much larger than the Black-throat, being fully four inches, bill and tail included. Like miniita it is blue above and yellow below, but the yellow extends from tail to beak, and the yellow of the forehead is rounded above. The hen is a dull green, lighter below. Though it is called violacca there is no violet about either sex. Like its smaller cousin, it is a charming bird and readily takes to cage life. A pair I once had actually fed two callow Cashew-Sackis which I put into' their cage, having no other at hand at the moment. They did it in a business-like way, eructating the food frcVm their little throats. Unfortunately they took toll in the shape of feathers. I was surprised to sec the young birds becoming bare on neck and ba( k, and more surprised to see their foster-parents by turns deliberately and calmly pluck out the feathers and after turning them about in their beaks for a while swallow them I Closely allied is the Euphonia cayana, or Yellow-sided Sacki; being of the same size and form, but in colour a uni- form dark, stet-ly blue, with a yellow patch of feathers on each side of the breast, partly covered by the shoulder of the wings. It fis (much rarer, and is seldom obtainable. I have only seen one specimen in a 'cage. I am told tliai its habits are e.xactly similar. The Yellow-Ventku Sai ki. .Allied to the charming Euphonia is a group rightly called Calliste, that is, most beauti- ful. I described one of them in my former article, the CaUiste cayano, or Black-faced Tanager. Among these, the CalUstC flaviventris, or Uold-tinch, as it is erroneously called, ranks 88 Some Colony Birds. high in point of beauty. I doubt whc^thcr it ever ventures into Ceorgetown, being shy and retiring in its habits. I first saw it in the garden of the rest house at Pirkersgill in the Pom- eroon River, and obtained a specimen that was caught at Malgretout. It lived contentedly for several months in a cage and might still have been alive but for the carelessness of a servant. The bird is smaller than the Blue Sacki. being onlv four-and-a-half inches in length. The head, throat, and rump are purple; the back, wings and tail, velvet black; the black of the back extends in a pealv to the top of the head with pleas- ing effect. The breast and belly are bath-brick yellow and there are t^vo irregular chains of spots or rosettes along the sides but almost co^'ered by the wings. The shoulders of the wings are half-moons of bright turquoise blue, changing into emerald green in certain lights, and along the lower border is a scalloped edging of purple, the centre of each scallop being jet black. The general appearance when it flutters about the cage is so butterfly-like that I venture to call it Butterfly-wing in preference to the Yellow-vented Sacki I The only note I ha\e heard it utter is a pretty link- link like the jingle of a silver chain. Flavivcntris is as amiable as it is beautiful. When 1 introduced a I-alm Sacki into its cage as companion, my b'Jtierfly-wing evinced the greatest signs of pleasure, flitting about, uttering its pretty note, and caressing the stranger with its bill. It was a case of Beauty and the Beast, for the sacki was one of the dirty-greenish-brown variety. Mocking- Birds or Haing-Nests. The Mocking-birds aie, like the Tanagers, allied to the Finches; unlike them however, they have aflinity with the Starlings and the Mynahs of India; and this latter afifinity is more apparent. The way in which they stalk about and pry into other people's aff'airs, betrays at once their Starling character. Let me say at once that though these birds well deserve their name, they have no affinity with the Mocking-bird of North Some Colony Birds. 89 America.* I have been fortunate enuugh to rear several yellow- t)ack Mocking-Birds. from the nest. It is difTficuk to do so. All kinds of food mus/t be ofifered and much patience and skill is required in administering it; for they have a wonderful way of ejecting what they; have received, as well as of rudely declining the choicest viands. Sometimes I have had to do what the Government at home has been so much blam.ed for doing; in regard to the obstinate hunger-strike suffragette. I have had to forcibly feed them. It is some time before they become accustomed to eat what one can supply them in place •of the seeds and insects of their native habitat. The Yellow-Back, The Yellow-back Mocking-Bird {Cassicus persicus) is a splendid fellow. Fully nine inches in length, he is glossy black, with the exception of the rump, vent, and under-tail coverts, which are golden yellow; there is also a longitudinal bar of yellow on the wings. The feathers are trim, sleek and hard. The slightly curved bill, an inch-and-a-half in length, is also yellow and the upper beak or maxilla is joined tO; the forehead by a rounded projection after the naanner of the beak of a mediteval helmet ; hence its nam^e Cassicus from Latin cassis, a helmet. A striking feature is the eye, the iris of which is bright blue. His gait is stately and altogether he ha,'S a military bearing. The hen is like her lord but much smaller. Yellow-backs live in colonies and at nesting time much noise and racket goes on. The nests are wonderful structures of dried palm-fibre woven with great skill, and hung from the ends of the branches of a tree, in size and shape like Indian clubs. The eggs, two in number, are dull white with a few small dots or lines of purple-red. They are comparatively small, being only the size of Starlings.' The name of "hang- nests " given these birds is by no means discriminative, for many birds in the colony build nests after this fashion. The ordinary cry, of the bird' begins wnth a sound like the creak- ing of a bough in the wind, and changes into the hollow sound of a Swiss cow-bell. *Note. — The real Mocking-Bird is the Mfmus polyglotlus, a grey bird the size, of a large Thrush, with affinities both to Thrushes and Wrens. 90 Some Colony Birds. A high riiorny tree is generally chosen for their colony; but not always so. At the Catholic Mission ground at Morawhanna is a larg'e colony on a small mango tree. Do these birds realize that the land all about is marshy and that, in consequence, the tree is almost unapproachable? It would seem so. By an infallible instinct these birds always choose a tree on which marabuntas or fierce ants, or both, have already established themselves. The marabuntas nests often hang among those of the birds ; but there seems a perfect truce between them. The male bird at home cuts a ridiculous figure. Standing in a prominent place, he lowers his head and tail, and ruffles u p the yellow feathers of his back and all the while he cries in hollow tones: ''Just look at me\ Just look at me\ DonH you admire'^. Am I not fineH'' He waits a little while for admiration, and then begins again. He well deserves the name of Mocking-Bird, for there is no bird in the forest he will not imitate, and thus often deceives the sportsman and specimen collector. Some time ago in the North West District, I had occa- sion during a missionary journey to spend a night at the Rest- house at the mouth of the Baramani River. I had no sooner showed myself at the window that I was subjected to a noisy badinage from, as I supposed, a number of birds on a tree close by. " /Y/, /;/! ah\ ah\ ya-ah\ What are you doing therel" The voices seemed to say, "/ don^t like the look of you at all\ Go away I We don't want you— aha^yah — yahl"^ I looked in amazement. There was only one Yellow-Back, perhaps some old bachelor, but he was skipping from branch, to branch and pouring out his full vocabulary from different coigns of vantage. The Yellow-Back makes an attempt at a song; but it is more interesting than musical. There are mutterings and splutterings, whisperings and gurglings, and occasionally a full round note; but the whole is not inspiring. It is like a clown trying to be sentimental. But he is worth domesticat- ing on account of his beauty and knowing ways. One I have now will do what in gymnastic language I must call the An Ahoiit " Arr^—A Herrinf; GiiU. 91 hand-grind — a bird's feet are partly hands — he will swing round his perch, holding on by the feet, in the vain endeavour to catch his tail! His feet are large and powerful. I am told he can be taught to speak. INIine will sometimes bark like* a dog on the approach of a stranger. The Red-Back. The Red-Back Mocking-Bird {Cas- sicus a/finis) is closely related in form and habits to the yel- low-back. It is, however, entirely black with the exception of the rump which is rich, bright, crimson ; the colour of red port wine seen against the light. The black feathers have also a blue sheen. It is rarer and shier than the Yellow-back and is not so intelligent. I have never seen it in a cage. A couple I tried to rcnr 'lid not thrive; but the conditions were difficult. It has a long, swift flight, and then the crimson of its back gleams out. It maj sometimes be found sharing the Colony of the Yellow-backs; but the two never inter-breed. Nature abhors miixed marriages of all kinds. [Below \vc give English ec|uivalcnts for names used in this .irticle. — Ed "B.N."]. Twa-'l"\v,i=Tliick- billed Seed-Finch. 'I ua-'I u.T.=Torrid Seed-Finch. Fire-Finch^=Kecl-crested Finch. Cieole Canary=Yellowish Finch. White-throated Finch or Rinjc-neck^^Lineatcd Finch, .Moustache Finches-— Lined Finch and Black-lieaded Lined Finds respectively. Black-throated Sacki=Dwarf Euphonia. Euck-Canary=Violet Euphonia. V<'ilov-sided Sacki=Black-faced Euphonia. ^'(•l low-vented Sacki=r:Ycllow-hellicd Tanager. Velio w-Back=Yellovv-rumped Hangncst. Red- Bark =^Red-rumped Hangnesr. (To be confiniird). All about *'Ari"— A Herring Gull. Bv Fr.ank D.wv.son-Smith. Before ioining the army I paid a farewell visit to the North Western Highlands of Scotland, and found a temporary 92 All About " Ari ''-A Hcrr'inp; Gull. abode in a small village faring one of those f^lorious soa lorhs, for whirh this jinrt is justly renowned. On most of the days, during my stay, I sailed out to the numcroi'.s islets and rocks, seal shooting, duck shooting, or perchance viewing the charm- ing scenery and the rainbow-hued sunsets. Some days I devoted to walking and exploring the mountainous country inland, and it was on one of these days that we — " Ari*" and I — met. This memorable meeting took place in the middle of the village road, without formal introduction. His loud and persistent " call " attracted my attention to a young "ARI." I'liiitd by /■ . nawsoii-Smlth. herring gull, which was evidently hungry and demanding food I stooped down, and held out jny hand, and to my great suirprise, he ran to me, and placed his l)eak in my out- stretched palm, without the slightest hesitation, looking witli inquiring eyes into mine. He declined to lea\e me, and from that moment we became sworn pals. Naturally I bad to make some inquiries before con- fiscating my find." 1 learned that "Ari" belonged to a ♦Pronounced " Ah-ice." All About " Ari "—A Hcrrintr Gull. 93 little boy in the village, whose father had brought the bird from Luinga Mhor, a small rocky isle two miles off the coast. ''' Ari " was quite a baby when captured, and only a few weeks old when we so unceremoniously introduced our- selves. The little boy was very fond of his pet. and if "Ari" wandered on the road, and into consequent danger of being run over by a passing vehicle, the little chap would toddle out, pick " Ari " up in his small chubby arms, and laboriously carry him to safety. The gull was quite contented to be nursed like a kitten. He could, had he wished, have wan- dered away for ever, as the Loch was quite near. He often swam in its waters, but always returned after a bath and a splash. After a time his fate hung in the balance. His frqucnt " call " began to annoy the boy's father and the man tried to drive the bird away. This proved futile, as " Ari " always came back. Thereupon, having become a nuisance in the eyes of the "powers that be," he was no longer wel- come, and sentence of death was the verdict he received. My timely intervention thus solved the difificulty, and saved poor '■ Ari's" little life. The little boy was comforted by tiic knowledge that his pet was not to be killed, but was going to a beautiful new home far away. That and a gift for his money bo\- completed the transaction and " Ari " thcreui)on passed into my possession, greatly to our mutual satisfaction. Our further acquaintance had to be postponed, as I had arranged to join my regiment at once, therefone I gavd careful instructions as to "Ari's" transit to fresh ([uartcrs. He was placed in a large, roomy tea-chest, with a thick b^-d of dry seaweed and a plentiful supply of fish, and dispatched on his travels on his long journey down from Scotland to Buckinghamshire. He duly arrived safe and sound and none the worse for his adventures. He was re- moved frt)ni his prison, and placed on the lawn, and soon gave audilile appreciation of his new experiences. He also gave urmislakable proof that he was hungry and a consider- able qL:antity of fish chopped line, disappeared before he ceased gobbling, 'ihcn he ran to the Waders' pool beside the lawn and enjoyed a thoroughly welcome bath and splash after which he looked round as much as to say. " \'ery good. 94 All About " Ari "— yl Hcrrina; Gull. Thnt'-s .ill rii^lit. What next?" Now. "Ari' is possessed of a large biuiipof iii(|uisitivcncss and likes to know "Who's who?" iand " Wlrai's what?" So lie started off on a voyaj^e of discovery. First he explored the house, upstairs and down, followed by a laughins^ and admiring crowd of sjiectators. En route he encountered the cat and dog and promptly intro- duced himself to their notice by pulling their respective tails. Both animals 'protested against the indignity to whirli they had to. submit, but " Ari " laughed and ran on as if it were a matter of no concern. I)f)ulnless he advised them to "keep " .XRI. Photo by /-'. Dairso/i-Sniil/i. their wool on," but hei didn't care. However, they became firm friends the same day, and it is an interesting sight to a casual observer to see the dog, cat and Cull, sitting close together in happy companionship. One of " Ari's" wings is clipped as a precaution against flight and consequent loss. He would not wilfully go, but his inordinate curiosity compels him to explore far and near, and he might easily fall a victim All About " Ari "~A Herring Gull. 95 to a predatory fox if allowed to pursue his investigations too far afield. Duty compelled m\- absence for many months, and it was therefore a considerable time before 1 saw " Ari " again. Then I was granted " leave of absence " and went liome. A good deal of "my " leave was taken up in writing " out a few articles, which, if our good Editor deems worthy, may find insertion in " Bird Notes " during the coming months. Of course all my feathered friends had to be inter- viewed ,and petted first, antl 1 at once renewed my acquaint- ance with " Ari." lie came running to me of his own accord, his voice, persistent and not to be denied, demanding food, 1 ga\e' him several choice tit-bits before his tones became " Smaller by degrees and beautifully less." He proved as tame as ever when 1 pic ked him up, and scratched his head, and stroked his plumage. His favourite point of \antage is a green seat on the lawn. He perches on the top bar, and keeps a watchful and lively eye on his surroundings. He is as good as a watch-dog m this respect. Nothing escapes his notice, and nobody can g'O' upi the drive, or cross the lawn without being spotted by " Ari," and he. lets all whom it may concern, know of the advent of friend or strangers, with his usual loud and pene- trating " call." The photographs depict " Ari " in several [josiiions. In one he may be seen calling his loudest for food. In an- other he appears somewhat bellicose, while in a third he is shown wiih outstretched wings flapping away an an e.vtendcd ami. "^Vri's" manners sometimes lea\e a good deal to be desired. For instance the morning after my arrival he appeared at the open window of the breakfast room, and demanded our ijnmediate attention. I turned round and said sternly, " Vou scampi lie off. .\l the word— dye hear?" "Ha, ha!" laugiied " .\ri, as he sprang on to my knee, " (Jobble, gobble," iand, with a cjuick jerk of iiis bill he snatched u piece of ham from' my [)laie and swallowetl it. Absolutely unafraid and cheeky I Any kind of food is wcl- ton:'e; fat jiieut, lean meat, lisli, t!v:c., while lie simply adores % An About " Ari '*—A Herritw Gull. cheese above everything. A very favourite game of his, is for somebody to place a piece of cheese between their lips, and pretend to be totally unaware of the proximity of Herring' Gulls 'or any other feathered thieves. " Ari " watches ^HB^ '-if. " 1 1 1 i 'ti^^^^l ■1 " ARI. Photo by F. Dawson-Smith. with bright, eager eyes, and quietly stretches out his neck, towards the coveted morsel, then, with lightning rapidity, there follows a " snap," and his lordship has collared and bottled the tit-bit. This will give some idea of his extreme tameness. Indeed, it would be quite impossible for any bird to be tamer than he, and when, in the course of time he assumes his full adult plumage of pearly grey and white, he will be a beautiful bird. All Gulls keep themselves spotlessly clean in captivity, by constant bathing and preening their feathers. I have kept a good many Herring Gulls in the past, but none ever became really ta;me, and, jjersonally, 1 don't care for a timid or wild bird in captivity. Possibly those I had may have been too old when caught. " Ari " is quite different and ridiculously The Endurance of Birds. 97 tame, and always up to sjoniething fresh and amusing with his inquiring mind. May he spend many years at Nash and live to a ripe old age ! As a species the Herring Gull is abundant all round the coast of Great Britain. It is a bird of large size, measur- ing about 24 inches in length, and is extremely handsome when it assumes its adult plumag*-. which may be described as follows; Head and neck white; bill yellow with orange spot on lower mandible; back and part of wings, light grey; quills blackish tipped with white; breast and belly pure white. Legs and feet flesh colour. The immature Herring Ciull has the imottled plumage comjnon to all young Gulls. The nest is to be found on cliffs, and on low^ rocky islands, such as the Fames, off the coast of Northumberland. The eggs 2 — 3 in number, vary a good deal in colour from olive green to brown, splotched and marked with dark brown and grey. May and June are the months when incubation commences, and during tlicse months and July, a visit to any place where they breed numerously is a deafening experience owing to their shrill screams and noisy cries. Ihe herring gull cannot be regarded with affection by other birds, as it is an invet- erate egg stealer, and takes any and every opportunity to obtain its ill-gotten meal. In captivity it is quite easy to cater for. It will feed on any kind of scraps from the table, but the favourite and fnost suitable diet is undoubtedly hsh. It is, especially when in full adult plumage, a fine and striking bird on a lawn, but according to my experience, seldom becoming really tame. "Ari" is an exception which proves the rule. I never met another of his species to be compared with him, and don't suppose 1 ever shall. " Here's to you, ' Ari,' dear ! " The Endurance of Birds. Bv \\ i.M.LV 1. I'.\c;i., 1- .Z.b, Etc. {Continued Irani page 2,1). A ralhei unfortunate printer s error occurred in last instalment— line 17 of page 33 reading: "aviaries, some of 98 TJie Endurance of Birds. the Sugar and Sunbirds could undoubtedly," whereas it should read, aviaries are built on gravel, or gravel ami chalky are in an. It is not by any means easy to assi^^n the causes of the various disasters and losses which assail an aviary, or rather its occupants, in the course of a given year or even years; andi it is too often equally difficult to provide a remedy for such; the remedies, though effective up to a given point, often iprove contributory to other disasters in their turn, e.g., keeping birds sheltered during the winter months, too often ren- ders them very susceptible to sudden changes, especially the too often bitterly cold nights of early spring; when many hens are lost from " egg-binding " arising from chills — one point stands out quit^ clear, viz.: thci harder we can keep our birds the better for them, and the percentage of loss from climatic conditions will be reduced to a minimum. But keeping them "hard " does not necessarily imply exposing them to all and every change the English climate inflicts upon them, neither does the line of safety imply a heated shelter and oonhnement therein ^during every inclement spell; by so doing we only increase their susceptibility to every chilly blast that blows, whenever they venture^ as they often will, into the open. Wherein, then, lies the happy medium? I hope to be able to indicate in the course of this in- stalment, what tmy experience leads me to consider this course to be ; , but, we must recognise that though we may reduce the danger from clmratic conditions, below that of birds at liberty upon their native heath, yet the danger from abnormal unseasonable weather cannot be entirely eliminated, neither can any deduction which I may draw be considered final, for real aviculturists, as well as those which follow us, will be scholars to the end of the chapter, and unless wc arc mere bol- sterers up of theories, the experiences of the next few yars may (I don't say will) cause us to entirely revise present day mediods. For the present it will not be well for us to advance beyond experience — the course of safety should be along the paths it (experience) indicates. Take the cliarming (despised by some, because it is the Endurance^ of birds. 99 cheap and common), hardy little Zebra Finch. Hardy, he certainly is, yet there is no species we keep that has a heav- ier percentage ot non-understandable losses. The mystery or difficulty is only intensified by the fact that one year the bulk of the losses will be confined to hens, but in others it will be exactly vice versa I As regards this species general evi- dence seems to indicate that it is not a long-lived species though there are cases of decided longevity ; also that the hens are very liable to so-called egg-binding, especially in bad seasons — so much so, that if an aviarist started with two or three pairs, and did not add thereto, in spite of their prolific- ncss in the course oF a few year^ his stock would be noil est It is well to face our difficulties, as not only is the case of one species closely analogous to others, of course, to a greater or lesser degree, but facing a difficulty mostly means finding the way out. I will now tabulate most of the points I liave made so far, then, I thinkj I shall ha\e sujjplicd the why and wherefore of the answor I shall atte.mjjt to give to the query that has presented itself. 1 . There are a few aviculturists, whose aviaries are erected upon ground having a sub-soil of gravel, or gravel and chalk, who are almost immune from the dangers that follow in the train of damp, wet periods, and, in consequence they may subject their birds to almost any extent of exposure with impunity, owing to the advantage arising from well drained ground. 2. That lengthy periods of severe frost, with or without snow, are nut the limes of fear, the critical period arises at the thaw. 3. Some species should be shut in during wintry nights; others to be taken indoors eiuirely during the winter months; while others may be left to take their own course. The difficulty is, that these varying conditions do not occur along well defined lines, hut may all be found amonfr the species of one genus. 4. That a lieatcd shelter, and confining the buds iherclu during winter's nights and abnormal periods, or wholly 100 the Endurance of Birds. confining them to the sheker for the winter, is only a partial success. It docs check losses during the winter, but in the spring, especially if it be a chilly one, when the birds are given unrestricted liberty and nesting begins, losses among hens are both maddening and distressing, and pneumonia and other ills arc rife among both sexes. 5. It is recognised that some species must ha\e a certain degree of heat, i.e., not subjected to a lower tempera- aturc than 50-60 degrees Far., all the year round. Such species can only be subjected to out-door treatment during the settled summer months, and that^ only after being carefully " hardened-off,'' much as the gardener hardens-off his half- hardy plants. 6. That birds must be kept as hard as possible, but that we are not justified in taking reckless risks, nor in making reckless experiments. Pioneers may have had to do so, but it is little short of wicked for those who follow to do so ; as there is ample room for reasonable and profitable experimentation without re-treading well-worn paths. I had better state here to prevent being misunderstood that " well- worn paths " has no conuL'ction with breeding again and again species that have been bred before, for much is to be gleaned therefrom; but I mean to imply that it is vain to attempt experiments, of which there exists ample evidence that such are futile. 7. If there is to be progress in aviculture we must not be slaves of the text-book; at the same time we must acquaint ourselves with what has been done, so that we may make an intelligent start, and not in ignorance inilict needless sufi'ering upon the birds we seek to keep. Having done this we must think, observe, and plan for ourselves. Also, we must be seekers after truth, for to be mere bolsterers up of any given theory or theories is an efiective check to all progress, for then we are only too apt to observe in a given direction. Now, I think, to pursue the matter further would be to needlessly and unproritably weary my readers, and I had better, after thus declaring myself, answer as best 1 can the query— The Endurance of Birds. lOl Wherein lies the happy medimn ?. I think I can best do this by a number of short jerky sentences. By keeping the birds hard. By an entirely unhealed flight and shelter, yet con- constructed on the night-drive principle. If the sub-soil is clay or the soil otherwise very re- tentive (soggy), by securing the best drainage possible — often raising the ground level of the inside of the aviary; six to twelve inches above that of the ground outside, best secures this — best of all, both drain v/ell and also raise the ground level of the aviary. By providing plenty of cover, natural in the flight, branches and furze in the shelter — by cover in the shelter. I mean not merely branches for perching accommodation, but a thick hvdge of twiggy branches and furze, not only for perching but f(jr cover (retreats) also; but liiilc driving in at night, will then be needed. By personal supervision, not leaving everything to the discretion of the aviary-attendant, but by seeing that what is required is done one's self. Leaving the birds as much free- will as possible, but forcing them to the shelter whenever weather conditions demand it — one is only qualirted to do this by a personal study of the birds, and nothing can compensate for the lack of it. To sum up, my present ideal is an unheated aviary, constructed on the "night-drive" principle; the birds, during the winter months to be driven in to the shelter, and conflncd therein whenever their owner considers desirable — the number of species which require more protection than that of four walls is not great. Personal supervision. And, as a last word, the shelter to be adequate must be as well lighted, well ventilated and as free from damp and draught as a living room. Again, 1 will say I hope I have not been prosy, I have sought to make myself as clear and helpful as I know how. At the same time I liave not sought to exhaust the subject, lor I earnestly desire others lo lullow nie, 1 am 10)2 BditprUii. not writing as Editor, but as an ordinary member. In the next instalment 1 ^j^ropose to consider longevity air.ong the various groups. {To be continued). # Editorial. Nesting and Rearing of Young Cacatua galer- ITA : This interesting event has occurred in the grounds of Mr. H. Whitley, in South Devon. A pair of Sulpuhr-crested Cockatoos were flying at liberty, but under complete control; however we had better quote extracts from a most interesting letter: " 'When 'breeding the Sulphur-crests are continually on their stands " where the> arc fed, they merely nested in the tree. The young Cockatoo " when fairly well feathered I look from the nest and placed in a box "suspended on une of the old bird's stands It was thus fed and rearedi " until it could ' do ' for itself, and was not allowed its liberty for many " months, not until 1 thought it had Ijecomc sufficiently tame and tracl- " able . . . they arc under complete control, as they can be caught " when required on their standi, as easily as homing pigeons. At pres- " ent I have the cock bird at liberty, the hen chained on her stand, and " they arc getting more amorous every day." Thus tersely is told a most interesting episode, which we hope our new member will describe fully in an article for a near issue of "B.N." We consider we ought to award a special medal in such a case, though this occurrence could not be strictly accounted as " breeding; in captivity," and anyone so succeeding (in captivity) would be entitled to a medal. Nevertheless we consider that, not only should a -medal be a- warded for this instance, but that the scope of the medal rules should be so extended as to include any similar instance of success in the future. Errata : i Page 72 line 21, "petrel-red" should read kestrel-red. 58 line 2 for "which" read and. 67 line 17 delete "," after account. ,, 67 line 20 delete "," after Germany. „ 68 line 16 for " Batchcherrygah " read Betchcherrygah „ Cy line 14 for " Nanodeg " read! Nanodes. Correspondence. ~ 103 Correspondence. THE AMETHVST-RrMPED SUNBIRD. Sir, — I am sending you a Sunbird's nest^ which I have received from my sister (Mrs. Dickinson), who lives in the South of Ceylon, about fifteen mile; from the coast. -She sends me the following notes concerning it : " We have one of the bigger Sunbirds nesting by a garden bench "just on one side of the window. It is hung on a twig not ij feet " above the ground, with a brick receiver for the water-pipe just i^elow, " where the cats come to sun themselves. It nearly touches the cosy " thair I sit out in every day. As 1 write the hen is sitting and I could " nearly touch her with my pen. The nest is in the angle of the wall. ■■ The cock chose the site and was days over it, but he only knows how " to tic hairs, the hen did all the rost and completed it in five days. Ihe " <-(irk was in attendance, watching nnd singing, while she built. " For some reason the cats do not eat her, 1 think they must " jump down twenty times a day and she flies off, but they never try ;o " touch her. One night she flew into the lamp but the Podian (native " page boy) replaced her on the nest. " I do hope she hatches' out her three or four eggs. The nesi " face^ the wall and pipe. I will send it when it's all finished with. " I'hc hen's head and neck are always outside the nest as she patiently " incubates the eggs." " The male is metallic purple-brown, with brilliant purple crown ■ an i throat ; pale cinnry-yellow chest and breast, and thin arched beak. '' The female is dull grey-brown above and greyish-white below. '■ f)ne young bird was reared in this ne^t in December." .M\ sister sent me the nest by ne.vi mall, s.) I | r.'sume the young must have been hatched when she was writing. I thought the abo\e miglit interest readers of " Bird Notes." •larporley, C:hcshirc, 2/3/'i6. iMrs.) ALICE SIOREY. [The nest is most interesting ; it is composed of fine and coarse bents, liclicn, plant down, and paper shavings (very little of the litter >, well cemented together with cobwebs and is attached (suspended i to a slender twig. The nest i^ very nearly a true oval, four inches long by two inches tliick (outside measurements). The:*' is a circular entrance hole, at the side about one/ inch in diameter, partially obscured by a slightly overhanging porch. The walls ot the nest are well cemented together, and only in the upper part c.m a littli' light be seen through them. The' riest pocket is one and three-eighths of an inch deep and snugly lined witli feathers. At the moment I have no\ a camera handy, but lor a later issue I wil! photograph and reproduce it. -En]. I'l.N'TAILED rARROT-FI.VCHK.S (.Nonpareils). Sir,- The following note i^'Fenasserim^ Jan, i'>, 1916), will prob- 104 Correspondence. ahly interest many B.N. readers : " I am glad to tell you I have at last succeeded in finding " for you the "N.-P. " Pin-tailed finches ; quite by chance I was visiting* " a distant Siame»;e village to find a man to whom to give a contract " a distant Siamese village to find a couple of these birds recently caught " being played with by the native children there. It was quite a bit of " luck, because, according to the natives, these birds are migratory, and " they say they have not seen them in these parts for the past many years, " ani>e\ cement place made for it in the aviary. The ' top of t he aviary i^ covered with cc)roa-nut palms, and some inside ' too, for roostjng—they like plenty of shafle. I have got some travel- ' ling cages ready made, and I have mad* arrangements for the Chi.T ■' Choo (Trade Manager) of the Chinese steamer to look after the bird^ "as far as Penang, the present difficulty is to get hold of a suitable " person in Penang to take care of them, and make arrangements for " shipping home. I have been in correspondence with two, one after the " f)ther, an a next '■ t(i the ])arra(|uet, the bird most commonly caged in Indi.i. This " little exquisite is considerably smaller than a sparrow. Its \n\\ is '■ brigh' irinisoii, and there i-. some re 1 nr crimson in the nlumage - " more in the cock than in the hen, and mo,t in both sexes at the " breeding season. The remainder of the jdum.ige i.i brown, but is ■'e\crywhcrc heavily spotted with white. In a state of nature; these " art'eci long gia^s. for they fee 1 largely, if not entirely, on grass " seed. The rock has a sweet voice, which al hough feeble^ is sufficiently " lou(! to bi' heard al some distanearance. In it are laid two or three eggs of s.ilmon hue, with' " reddish-brown and juirple-grey b'otches." These extracts must suffice, I iiave not chosen them as being the best in the liook^ but as being of sjiecial interest in members of F.B.C on- Thc writer found the ])ook fascinating from cover to cover, c taining much that is realiy as informative to the aviculturist as to the ornilhologist, and. we cordially commend it to our readers as a valuable addition to their library. Post Mortem Reports. 107 Post Mortem Reports. {Vide rules page Hi. of Cover.) Toucan. (C. F. Leach, Leatherhead). The cause of death was acute pneumonia. No details were sent. GouLDi.\iN Finch (cT)- (J- Smith, Kendal). Cause of death, hae- morrhage into liver. Cordon Bleu. (Miss K. Webb, Cambridge.). Cause of death pneumonia. GouLDiAN Finch (cT)- (H. J. Turner, Newton Abbot). Cause of death, pneumonia. This disease is usually fatal in birds and in spite- of the treatment carried out death mostly ends the scene. Great heat, citrate of soda or aceto-salicylic acid in the water or food may give bene- fit in the less acute cases. Canary — Goldfinch Hvbrid and Roller Canarv. (Mrs. Burgess, Bristol). Cause of death, pneumonia. Diamond Dove. (B. C. Thomasset, Ashmans worth). The lungs- were congested ; no doubt caused by a lowered temperature. Answered by Post :— James Yealland ; the Hon. Mrs. Bourke, H. Earle ; Col. Routh. H. GRAY, M.R.C.V.S. A Colony of Birds. NEW ZEALAND DISCOVERY. Wellington, Saturday. — Mr. R. E. Clouston, a mining engineer, recently made a remarkable discovery of bird life near Rockville, in tlie Nelson district, while exploring the ranges. Mr. Clouston discovered an entire colony of birds of rare species, including thousands of kiwis and kakapos. The latter bird is so rare that recently an advertisement was pub- lished which offered £80 for one of its kind." " Mr. Clouston declares that he had not seen anything like the collection before. He secured a number of kiwis, which he placed on the Little Barrier. ' Not only are there kiwis and kakapos,' he says, ' but dozens of mountain duck, saddle backs (worth £10 each), New Zealand robins, wrens, owls, cools, petrels (rain birds), keas, kakas, tui, makomakos. 108 A Colony, of Birds. warblers, riflemen, creepers (rare), maori hens, fantails, tomtits, and pigeons. It was a harvest of rarities. Kiwis are there because the feed is good. We found great worms over 4ft. in length; the longest one I measured was 4ft. loin." [The above interesting cutting — from a Sydney paper for January, 191 6 — by Mr. R. Colton, having received it from a friend in N.S. Wales.— Ed. "B.N."] All rights reserved. Mat, 1916. BIRD NOTES: THE JOURNAL OF THE FOREIGN BIRD CLUB. The Amazon Rail. By W, Shore Baily. I'm calling my bird the Amazon Rail. I have no wish for it to be thought that it is the one and only rail to be found on that noble river, tO; which this name would apply. There are probably tnany other species to be met with along its course of 3,500 miles, with perhap^g a greater right to the title. Still, this is the way it was described to me by Mr. Cross, of Liverpool. I know it by no other name, so the Amazon Rail it will have to be, and I must leave it to the scientists to put a Latin name to it, should they so desire. I gather from Mr. Cross that two of them came over, one of which escaped. This was a misfortune a^s I should have liked to try and breed them. It is an extremely attractive bird, both in appearance and demeanour. It is about the size of our Moorhen but has longer legs. The crown of the head and back are golden brown, neck and throat, bluish grey; breast bright chestnut; abdomen and tail black ; wings reddish brown ; legs carmine ; bill yellow. A very effective colour arrangement indeed. It is absolutely tame, likes being petted, and will stand to be stroked just like a cat or dog. It eats anything. I had some difficulty in photographing it, as it would insist on trying to' eat the camera lens. When I enter the aviary the first thing" in the morning, it greets me with loud clucks, not unlike those of a broody hen; at other times it points its beak at the ground and pretends not to see me, and on being approached puts its head between its legs, and walks slowly off in a curious and stilted manner. It has norve of the stalk- no The Amazon Rail. ing habits of the American Clapper Rail {R. obsoletus) or of our owjii Corn-crake and Water Rail, but this may be due to its extreme tameness. In this it resembles its little North American cousin P. jamaiciensis, one of the least shy of all the water birds. I have several times had these run over my leu's when reclining in a boat, The Amazon Kail. [Photo hv W. S/ton lii/i/v). My Rail spends a good deal of its time in the trees and bushes, and always chooses one of the highest to roost in at night. In this respect its habits are more like those of of the Wood Ibises than of the true Rails. I have occasion- ally seen our English Rail well up in the top of a high bush near the water, but I rather fancy that they must have been The Amazons Rail. Ill frightened there. Of course our Moorhen frequently builds in similar spots. Like R. aquaticus it is a good swimmer, but does not*. I jthink, do so, from choice. As to its disposition with other birds, I have my doubts whether it would be safe to trust it with small birds. The Amazon Rail. {Photo by W. Short* Baily). Its prominent ruby eye makes it .look as if it ^night be danger- ous. So far there is in the aviary only a pair of St. Thomas Conurcs. One day when I was trying to get a photo to illustrate these notes, the hen Conure, which is also finger tame Hew down' to see what I Avas doing. In an instant the Rail was at Jicr, but before I could intervene the little Parrot had gone for it literally tooth and nail, and screaming hor- ribly. I never saw, a more astonished Rail. When she had 112 The Amazon Rail. done with him, she climbed on; to my shoulder, and shouted (she speaks rather nicely) "Come on," "come on," "come on," but needless to say the Rail was not inclined to respond; he seemed to think that the far end of his pond was quite the best place, while little demons of Parrots were The Aniiizon Rai {Photo by W. Shore- Bai/y). about. Had it been a Finch or similar bird, I have no doubt but that the Rail would have killed it. I once kept the so-called Grey-headed and Blue Rails (P. pniioccphaliis and P. porphyria) and found them particularly murderous with small birds. They would take their unfortunate v^ictims in their claws and literally tear them limb from limb. They were perfect Huns, in fact. Still they are very handsome birds and I have often wondered why no attempts have been made The Amazon Rail. 113 to acclimatize them. If they were turned out on a sufficiently large; piece of water, where there were enough Waterfowl to keep a space unfrozen in hard weather, they ought to do very well, and a flock of 40 or 50 would look very handsome. The Tlie Amazon Kail. J'ltutu by \V. Sliorv Baily). Amazon Rail would look equally attractive as a denizen of our ponds and lakes. It is just possible that I may be able to obtain a male for my bird later on, and if so, every chance shall be given them to reproduce their kind; and an account shall be sent to "B.N." if they are successful. . , li4 Bird. Life and Sport on Ac hi II Island. Bird Life and Sport Oii Achill Island. By Frank Dawson-Smith. I \vill begin with a tlritc remark. Life is lil with a small space between each just large enough for a (Juail to pass thrcnigh. At (■a( h of these gapi a horse-hair noose is attached to the frame so that any Quail attempting to get through a gap is caught. MisM Cockburn states that a method of securing the parent birds in cases where the young liave been caught is to place these last in a hole about a foot deep. The old birds hnding that tlie young ones cannot come up to them drop into the hole, and when there they rind themselves in ilie same difficulty as the young birds and are promptly captured. In default of lall-birds Quail are sometimes attracted to the net by the sound made by draggiinj tlie ringer nail over a 124 S/raT Life and Sport on Achill Island. ' tightly stretched string. This sound is apparently mistaken by the Quail for the call of one of their species. Those curious little birds, which are half Partridge and half Quail, called Bush-quails are caught as follows : A captive bird is taken into the jungle in the evening in a cage 'covered with fine hair nooses. When a locality contain- ing Bush-quail is reached the cage with the call bird in it is set down, an'd the bird catcher blows on the bird inside the cage. All birds dislike wind and Bush-quails and Grey Partridges become furious when blown upon and set up angry cries of defiance. These soon attract the wild birds, which, like the proverbial Irishman, are" always ready for a fight. They get caught in the nooses. It is said that it would be possible to catch every Bush-quail in a jungle by this device I 'i'here are many different ways of snaring Partridges. One is the method just described. {To be continued). The History of the Budgerigar By E. Hopkixsox, D.S.O., M.A., Etc. {Continued from page 69). From this time onwards the Budgerigar takes a prominent place in books pn cage-birds. The article in Cassell's Canaries andi Cage-birds by August Wiener, the author of the Foreign Bird section of this work, is so full of facts bearing on our subject, that 1 quote in extenso the more historical portion (P- 433)- " Between 1840 arid 1850 a pair of these little birds were worth "£20 or £25. About the years 1850 to 1855, a pair would cost about £5. "Between 1855 and 1858 larger numbers of Undulated Parrakeets reached ■■ Europe, and their price sank to a couple of sovejeigns. Within the "last five years (this was written in 1879.— E.H.) the importation of " thio one species of Parrakeet has increased enormously. About three " years ago they could be had in London for about seven shillings per "pair, but drought in Australia, and a dearth of canary-seed combined " stopped the supplies for a season, and their price rose again to twenty- " or even thirty-five shillings per pair. Previous importations, however, Tke History of the Budgerigar. 125 ■ had stocked so many aviaries, and the prices then obtainable w.ne •such an incentive to cage-breeding, that Dr. Russ estimates from • 10,000 to 25,000 Undulated Grass Parrakeets to be now bred annu.l.y ' in Europe. 'A few years ago I have myself seen an aviary in Belgium • where from 500 to 800 Budgerigars had been bred every year in one ' enclosure. " The largest importation of Undulated Parrakeets which ever ■took place was that from January to July, 1879- One ship, the Hesperui^ ' brought as many as 4,000 pairs, say 8,000 Undulated Parrakeets, safely 'alive to London, and one London dealet sold in four months 14,800 'pairs of these birds. The total importation of Budgerigars in Londoa " was, in the first six months of 1879. over 50,000 pairs ; and they all "found buyers. Prices certainly declined until a dozen birds could be " bought retail for a guinea, and captains of Australian ships sold whole- " sale at a shilling, or even less, per pair. " In the year 1862 the first specimen of this Parrakeet was de- " posited ill the Zoological Gardens, and in 1879 this bird is nearly as *' tonimun a cage-bird as the Canary Surely no other cage-bird is " equally frugal as the Budgerigar. A little canary-seed is all he te- " quires, and even the accidental absence of water will not inconvenience *' him in the least. The organism of these birds is adapted to live in •■ the oftentimes waterless plains of Australia. Thousands are " brought to Kurope annually without rei,ei\itig .1 drop of water during " the three or foui iiKinths' voyage (i.e. fOFty yearS agO. E.H.) :ind strange " to say, fewer birds die on the voyage when kept without y\'ater, than *■ of those which are supplied with water. After arrival the case may " be different ; and I more than suspect that of those birds which have ' made the voyage from Australia to England without tasting water, '"a good many die after arrival. It cannot be natural that a bird should " live very long on hard, dry seed without any moisture whatever " Sometimes a shipment arrives with a loss of only two to five '■per ceni.. and in aiiotlier season tlie mortality during the voyage may ' be fifty jier cent and even more. There have been seasons when dis- " ease became epidemic, and nearly ail Undulated Grass Parrakeets died " during the voyage or soon after ; and a quite unusual mortality was " then observed among Budgerigars of former seasons, and beyond 'lie " rcacli of direct infection. This, as well as the fluctuating import ac- " counts for the rapid fluctuations in the price of this favourite bird " durin}.', one se.isun. In the early jiart of 1879, Budgerigars could be " bought retail at three shillings per pair, but sold readily a little later for ten shillings. One would have thought that dealers would hasten to buy every shipment offered at the low prices for the Undulated Parra- '■ keets only arrive between January and July— and would have kept them " until their price rose again. But the experience of former years had " taught dealers that it is far better to sell rapidly at a small profit in '" pieferencc to risking an epidemic and consequent total loss of the capi- " tal invested. The birds imported in 1879 proved unusually healthy and " anyone huying them might have re-sold them within three months at 12 b The History of the Budircri^ar. " treble the amount paid for them. NoiwithstandiiiK the immense importa- " tion, few imported Budgerigars can be bought in the Autumn, and " thf market is tlien supplied with young cagc-brcd birds."* For a good many years the supply was kept up by the large consignments of Australian birds, which Wiener describes, home-breeding playing a comparatively small part and not producing nearly such fine specimens as those direct from their native land. Many of my readers will no doubt remem- ber the wording of the advertisements of about that time, " Real Australian Blue-legged birds, not common Continental cage- bred stuff." At firstj.too, the birds seem to have been anything but free breeders, chiefly it seems because, accustomed as they were to the cycle of the Antipodean seasons, they usually commenced to incubate in our winter, with frequent egg-bind- and other ills, as well as weakling young, as the consequence. Now all this is reversed. The supply is almost entirely Icept up by home-bred birds, of which thousands must be reared in England alone every year, the import trade having gradually [diminished, until nowadays a consignment of Budgeri- gars from Australia is distinctly a rare occurrence. When one remembers that the number bred on the continent vastly ex- * For some years during the nineties I Jkept a record of the prices at which various foreign birds were advertised, and these may be of in- terest in connection with those of 15 to 20 years earlier which Wiener gives Between 1894 and 1896 I find I have 6s. 6d. a pair as the lowest, and 1 6s. the highest price for real imported birds, with 8s. as the average. After 1896 1 'have no entries of imported birds, all the prices I have noted re- feiring to aviary-bred stock. At this time two classes of this were appar- ently recognized among dealers, (1) the best, commonly advertised as "Ant- werp birds," or "Antwerp-bred," the prices of which varied during the per- iod from 1894 to 1898, from los. to 6s. a pair, and (2), what were usually advertised as "French," which always meant measly, badly feathered young- sters, if not actually birds in the last stages of " French moult." Their prices, varied from about six to three shillings a pair, and were certainly dear even at the last. I see that in this list I have yellows quoted at 40s. and 50s. during 1895, and 1897, at 30s. in 1898, at 30s., 25s., and 18s. 6d. in 1S99 at 20S. 6d. in 1900, when my record ceases. (Note the odd sixpences; they fix the advertiser pretty well). The present day price for good aviary-bred specimens may be considered to vary from los. to 6s. a pair, that is for buyers ; for sellers a shilling to •eiguieenpencc a head, dealers allowing themselves ample margin. The History of the Budgerigar. 127 ceeds that which our own islands provide, one wonders where they all go to, but the demand seems a constant one. Nowa- days, too, the birds have become quite accustomed to our seasons and go to nest at the proper season, although, if allowed, will breed nearly the whole year round, and as re- gards stamina and beauty most home-bred birds, unless reared under giossly improper conditions, are every bdt as good as, if not better than, their ship-borne brothers. One feature only seems not to persist in aviary-bred birds, and this is the blue legs, at least I never seem to see the really deep blue colour cither in my own or other present day birds which was so characteristic of imported, as opposed to home-bred birds of early days. This loss of colour, however, in the epidermal structures is common to nearly all ' cage-moulted ' birds, British T)r Foreign. '' French moult/' a result of inbreeding combined with insanitary or unsuitable environment, which at one time was such a scourge, seems now to be a much rarer disease, no doubt because most Budgerigars are bred in aviaries and not in hutches or cages, as was often the case at first. The case of my own birds may be taken as a faii average of results usually obtained, while the next quotation will touch on Budgerigars breeding in excelsis. Starting with one pair in 1894, they have been breeding continuously ever since in a small garden aviary which they share with nmnbers of other small birds, British and foreign. They must be a good deal in-bred, as only seven new birds have been introduced, five between 1896 and 1901, three in 1908, but none since. The first season there was no sign of " French moult," but afterwards we began to get one or two badly feathered young. In 1906. I bought two cocks for three shillings each, the last '■ real Australians," by the way, I bought or remember to liave seen, though they no doubt can;ic in later and still do so, though at rarer intervals. The first year after they were introduced we had quite a lot of the horrid little wing- and tail-less results of this disease, the new ar- rivals presumably not having settled down sufiicicntly to take up their job. Next year, however, all was well again and we 128 The History of the Rud^engrar . ' had no more bad youngsters till about 1908 when an odd one or two were hatched out and soon done away with. By this time, however, the jii^eneral standard of the young had markedly decreased, bui the introduction of a real i^ood \)?^\x of Yellows, which started breeding at once, soon produced sufficient pro- geny to provide plenty of healthy stock, which have been mating ever since with the Greens as well as among their own colour, so that now our birds are a Green- Yellow cross, but each individual shows his proper colour, not a mixture of the two, though Yellow and Green young are sometinies found in one nest, the owners of which may be green or yellow, or one of each. The general result has been that we have had no " French moult " for years, and have a quite good-looking stock, though perhaps this year a slight deterioration is be- coming noticeable again among the Greens. One would have almost have expected that such prolific and hardy birds would have by now become acclimatised with us and be living wild in Europe, though, whether such an addition to our avifauna would have been for the general good is distinctly doubtful, judging by what has happened with other wild birds and animals which have been successfully acclimatised elsewhere. Gould considered that our climate and the food avail- able was the chief factor against this, but the real hindrance is probably not so much the climate, etc., as the man with a gun, and the bird-catchers, professional and amateur. Plenty of instances of escaped Budgerigars living wild for long periods are on record; Dr. Greene, for instance, mentions a pair which brought up a brood of five young in a London Square, which when fully fledged were often seen with their parents dis- puting with the Sparrows for oats at a neighbouring cab- stand, but whose ultimate fate was unknown. A larger and intentional experiment in this direction is ciescribed by Mr. C. P. Arthur, the noted English breeder of these birds in the Feathered World of January 2, 1903, in a letter in reply to an enquiry as to the number of young and whether seven was a record hatcla. The whole communication, giving, as' it does, the first-hand experience of an authority, is also so informative on other features of Budgerigar breeding, that I quote the The History of the Budgerigar . 129 whole, for it well deserves exliumation from the buried and aJmost forgotten hies of past "fancy" journalism, for the beneht of present readers and for the general difusion of knowledge. After informing the enquirer that a nest of seven is not so rare as he thniks, Mr. Arthur continues: 1. liave had several nests of seven this year. Three years ago I l\ad a nest ot nine, and in the year 1887 (the same year I bred the noted albino Budgerigarsj I had a lien lay ten eggs, hatch, and rear them all ; but four out of the ten left the nest with no long tail or flight feathers. I know they belonged to one hen only, as there were only six pairs in the aviary, and there were five other nests of young. Has Mr. Twittey (the Original enquirer.— E,H,) noticed that Budgerigars feed their young at night? In passing my aviaries about two hours after dark, one can hear the smallest being fed, and and as time goes on, the older ones are fed, which is about four hours after dark. " One can very well tell when there are young Budgerigars in the nests if one walks quietly by the aviaries at night. Do Mr. Twittey's, or anyone else's Budgerigars make a noise at night during November and December? I do not know if it has anything to do with their migratory instinct, as most birds call to each other while migrating at night, but my birds make more noise at night than in the day time. I have at present 536 Budgerigars, and about 500 of these are out of doors; 342 are in one aviary 30ft. by 6ft. and 7ft. high. It has a peculiar sound, 500 of these birds all warbling out-dot)rs in pilcli darkness ; but what seems strange is that, if I or any of my family pass the aviaries at night, the birds take no notice, but a strange foot- step causes instant silence. This seems to prove that birds, as well as animals, get to know a person's footsteps. " If not trespassing too much on your space, I will give the result of Capiam Spicer's experiment with Budgerigars in a wild state. As 1 reported in the Feathered World " I supplied the Captain with sixty pairs, which he kept in an open wire aviary for a fortnight, and then let them fly out at will. Previous to that a large number of husk nests were hung about round the house, as well as in the aviary. Many bred in the husks, but many took possession of the old decayed trees; in the park, and nested in their natural way. Hundreds of young were reared and on the wing that summer, but when the autumn came, although they were fed, they all left except about twelve pairs, which came to feed through the wmier. These must have gone to nest early in the year, as I had a young' Budgerigar brought mc to be stutTed the first week in March, that was shot in a garden six miles away from the park, and this bird could not have left the nest more than a week, as the blood was in the quills of the tail-leathers. Well, the second 130 Some Colony Birds. " summer produced a lot more young ones, as they were continually seen " flying about with the parent birds, as well as coming to feed with " them, but when the autumn came tlpcy all seem to have left as not "as not a bird has been seen since. One would certainly think that those " that stayed the first winter would have remained. Budgerigars sometimes " live to a good old age, as I have just proved. Some' of your readers " will remember the great importation of Budgerigars in the early part " of 1S79. About 50,000 pairs were imported and sold in that year. " Cross, of Liverpool, and other large dealers, sold them at a guinea " a dozen, all cocks,* at least two dozen I bought were. Well, I sold " two of these identical Isircls to a man working on Captain .Spicers " estate, and when I delivered the si.\ty pairs this man called my attention " to the fact, and said the birds were then alive and well, and in bcauti- " ful feathers, so they must then have been at least twenty years njd ; liut " I hear they have been tlead now about two years." (To be continued). . ♦_ Some Colony Birds. By Rev. Chas. R. Dawson, S.J. M.A. (Oxon) : Reprinted from " TIMEHRI " (The Journal of the Royal Agricultural and Commercial Society ot British Guianaj, May, 1915; with com- pliments and thanks to the Aulliur and Editors.— Ed. " B.N." {Continued from page 91). The Black Mocking-Bird. I found in the North West District a bird I h,ave uot yet been able to scientitically identity, but which' is known locally, as the Black Mocking- bird. It is smaller than the foregoing and is entirely black. It congregates in great flocks by, the waterside, making a great chattering; but, builds its nest alone. I have found a great number of these nests up the creek at Morawhanna. They are woven of black roots or hbres and adorned ivith lichens and mosses; in shape they resemble a basket, ind the handle is simply slung over a branch. The eggs, four in nvunber, arc white, covered with red spots. I secured a nest of young ones, and succeeded m rearing them. They were amusing creatures, shaking themselves prodigiously, when be- ing fed and uttering surprisingly low-toned cries : cries that seemed to come from their boots, so to speak. The note of the old bird is loud, piercing' and bell-like and when once heard in the creek is not easily forgotten. Unfortunately I had to leave the district before these young ones were fully Some Colony Birds. 131 developed and was unable to carry them away with me. There arc no specimens or skins oi this bird in the Museum. The Great Rice-Bird. Allied to the Mocking-birds, but more closely so the Lazy-bird, described in my last article, is the Great Rice-Bird (Cassidix oryzivora), that is " the great cassique rice-devourer." This bird is as large as an English crow and as black; but it is more graceful in form with its slim' body and dainty head. The beak is black, trim, and conical; thq ma.xilla is rounded where it joins the skull, but not so prominently so as in the yellow-backs, etc. The eye is red. The sexeiJ are more or less alike. The male is glossy purple-black; but lias not the satiny sheen of its dim- inutive relative, the Lazy-bird, or, as it is knr)wn in scientific circles, the Common Rice-Bird. The hen has the same cuckoo habit of placing' lier eggs in the nest of another bird. The egg is like that of our Lnglish Thrush, but twice the size. A beautiful cock bird I had, was taken, by mistake, from the nest of a Yellow-back and reared by hand. When it could fend for itself, it m^ade its home among the domestic fowls. It fed with them, fought with them, and after flying about all day, would roost with them at night. It would cluck like a hen and crow- like a cock^ and was so taken up with its novel companions that it jnever more showed any affection for the hand that had fed it in, callow youth. 1 kept it in a large cage, but it never grew tame. , When, however, a fowl ap- proached it would show an affectionate concern, clucking and spreading out its feathers. As its specific name implies, it feeds exclusively on grain, showing a preference for paddy which it husks liko a finch I Mine had the ingenuity to open the lid of its seed-box and thus save itself a good deal of trouble. The Guiana Black-Bird. The Ciuian.i, or Demcrara Black-bird ( Quiscalus lugul?n's) is the size of the bird so named in England, and is as black, but otherwise has nothing in common. It lias, in fact, all the liabits of a Starling. It is glossy, dead-black, the only relieving colour being that (jf the eye which is almost wliito and gives the bird a ghostly look. As there are in the colony, at least ten other birds eniiroly black, it is singularly misnamed. I piupuac to call 132 Some Colony Birds. it the Rudder-tail from a curious feature of that appendage, which I will describe. The tail, which is fairly long, opens out like a fan, and when it files, the middle feathers drop a little and in consequence the tail seems to have assumed a pcir- pcndicular position like the rudder of a boat or the caudal hn of a fish, in point of fact, it becomes V-shaped. This feature marks it out at once from all the other birds of the colony and indeed from all other birds 1 know. The Rudder-tail (as I proceed to call it) is very com- mon along the Corentyne Coast and. may be seen in pairs. A great number have established themselves about the grounds of the Berbice Asylum where they stalk about with all the self- assurance of legal proprietors. There they build their nests (huge affairs of sticks and straw) in orange trees, and low- bushes well within the reach of most persons. I'he eggs, four in number, are whitish, with purple patches, streaks and blotches. When I essayed to take a nest of youngsters, the whole tribe assembled and by loud cries and gestures showed the strongest disapproval of the procedure. The boldest of them flapped their, wings almost in my face. 1 succeeded in rearing one of the young ones but it did not come up to my expectations in point of intelligeiice. Before it was fully mature it contrived to slip throug\li the door of the cage, and, contrary to its Starling nature, never returned. The Quiscalus lugubris derives its names from its voice; the former from' a fancied resemblance of its note to that of a Quail {quisqmla., a (.Huiil, Lat.), and lugubris, mourn- ful. Its note, however, is not more mournful than many other birds of its class. It has, a way, something like the Yellow- backs, of lowering its head, dropping its wings and tail, and fluttering its feathers when U wishes to be admired, uttering at the same time several bell-like notes: tc-wit. te-wit. te-w'it, yessir, yessir, what, sir?" A few years ago quite a number inhabited the trees along the Vlissengen Road; but since the construction of the new Race Course only a few remain. Some Colony Birds. 133 The Reed Bird. Of much the same size and build as the Rudder-tail is the Reed-bird' or Vellow-hoad, as it is popularly called; but its habits are more retiring-. Pie is clothed in a suit of velvet black with the exception of the head and neck which are yellow. lie holds himself erect and has the appearance of a dandy in evenino^ dress with a yellow face and wig instead of a wliite shirt-front. I am always expecting to see him drop a monocle and carefully adjust it again. There are black feathers around the eye and on the lore, which, together' with tlvc shape of the head and sharp beak, give him a foxy look. The scientific name, Age- laeus icterocephaliis, " the gregarious icterus-head," suits him very well. The Icterus, after which the whole order of Mock- ing-birds is named { Ictsridae) was a mythical yellow bird among the Gieeks and Romans, the sig'ht of which would cure a person ol' yeflow-fever. The Yellow-heads may sometimes be seen in large flocks among the rank reeds and rushes that grow along the rivers and in the marshy places. Hence its name. It feeds on seed? and at times does damage to the rice crops; but like most birds, it well repays the toll it takes by its usefulness in other respects. In a cage the bird wears the air of a dignitied protest and the only note it utters is dip-dip-dip. I have never had an opportunit)- of rearing it from the nest and so I cannot say whether its demeanour would alter under these circumstances. .Many birds can only be domesticated in this way. The sexes are alike except that the hen is smaller. ( To l)c continued) . Editorial. Long-lived FiNXl-rKS: .Mrs. Tinniswood Miller reports tliiit this season she has lost her two veterans, viz.: Lavender- backed Finch {Spermophila easfaneiuentris). and Sydney Wax- bill '{Aeginiha temporalis). I am i;ot sure of dates, but the first named came into her pf)s.'sfssi()n iii i 007, and is, I pre- sume, the last of this species imported by our member Mr, IC, W. llarj)er, in that year. TJie .Sydney W'axbill was a veteran 134 EdiioriaL in 1907 and has been blind for several years, but quite able to find its food and water. W'c will supply dates in a later issue. Nestino No IKS: From notes gleaned durin^^ a recent visit to Dr. Lovcll-Kcays and from his letters, he has every jironiise of a successful season. Me still has (juite a nice and numerous collection of birds, after s<'lling such a large series at the end of last year. The following may be briefly noted as promising successful results : Young Malabar Parrakeet in barrel doing well. Zosterops (Z. vircns) due to hatch. Chaffinch {F . corlchs), sitting on four eggs, nest fairly typical and built in a Retinospora bush — we have a photo and hope to reproduce it m a near issue. Rosella Parrakcets are busy with a brood. Dr. Lovell- Kcay.s has great hopes his Purple Sugarbirds may do the right thing this season, they certainly look in "tip-top" breed- ing form. We also noticed pairs of Nuthatches, Creepers Long-tail and Blue Tits all put up for breeding. May the best of luck attend them. Messrs. Bright, Haggle, and others also report pro- mising prospects, many species prospecting, building, incubat- ing, etc., such as : Peach-faced Lovebirds, various Grass- finches, Indian Greenfinch, etc. An Aged Sh.4^e\h: Our member, the Hon. Mary C. Hawke informs us that her Shamah, over 14 years old, is in grand form, and singing as lustily as a young bird. Bl.\ck anr Yellow ILwvilnlh {Myccrobas mclanox- anthiis) : In sending us the body of one of these, the same member comments on only having now one left out of the hve sent her over privately in 191 3. "Mischances have accounted for most of them ; there was only one true pair among them, and from, these in 191 4 she, by using Hedge Sparrows as foster parents, and considerable liand feeding, managed to fully rear one young bird (I'/c^^ " B.N." Aug. i 9 i 4, page 275). They are grand birds, of typical hawfinch-form, with a beautiful gar- Co rresponden ce . \ 35 mcnt of velvet-black and rich yellow. The sole surviving specimen has been out of doors all the winter, in a 4ft. square cage, which has a glass front, but no heat — so he must be quite a robust bird to thrive under such tratment in Yorkshire. -♦- Correspondence. NESILNG OF JAYS, ETC. Sir," Last year my Peruvian Jay (o") mated with my beautiful green and blue Mexican Jay. They built a nest, laid two eggs, from which they hatched out one chick ; all went well for about ten days, when unfoitunately they ate it. They have" a large aviary to themselves and built in a bush high up. This year I have taken away their old nest and put in a box, shaped like( a dog-kennel. I am hoping the hen may find this sufficient protection against the inroads of the male, as I am sure he was the culprit last year, he is very like a Magpie and fond of micd and small birds and the young one in the open nest proved too great i( temptation for him to resist. The hen has already been in the box several times and both are carrying* pieces of stick about. I thoughli of removing him when the hen was partly through incubation, but some- what hesitate as the two are so devoted to each other. I give t hem- plenty of cockroaches, of which they are very fond, and mice ; also monkey- nuts I have a lovely pair of Bearded Tits, they were out in the aviary all las', summer and in perfect plumage. I have kept them caged all the winter, hanging their cage outside on suitable days. 1 am now going to let them out into the aviary and hope they may nest this season. A pair of Yellow Budgerigars in the cottage portion of the aviary (in a large cage) successfully reared five young ones in January, and they now have their husk again full of young ones. (Lady; N. L. F. UUNLEATH. Bally water Park, 16/4/'! 6 NESTING NOTE. Owing to my change of residence I am without aviaries at present, and my friend Dr. Lovell-Keays has kindly lent me one of his aviariesj while mine are rebuilding, also is most kindly looking after the birds* for me. 1 have seen them twice since they have been there and well indeed they look under his fostering care. My last visit was on Easter Monday, when t he Pekin Robins were feeding young, the Black Tanagcrs prospecting, and the Grey-winged Ouzels incubating. A letter dated .May 3rd reports that the young Pekins arc feathering fast and will be '■ branchers •■ in a day or two if all goes well; one young Grey-winged Ouzel is doing well, and the Black Tanagcrs are incubating a clutch of egg,, A fairly promising beginning WESLEY T. PAGE. 18(i Post Mortem Reports. Post Mortem Reports. Rainbow Bunting (cT). i^G. £. Haggle, Oxford). Tlie cause of death of this beautiful bird was pneumonia. I am very sorry for your loss. In future try Vichy water in lieu of ordinary plain water as drinking water Starling (O). (B. T. Stewart, Radlett). The cause of death was pneumonia. Magpie Mannikin. (T. T. Barnard, Bedford). The cause of death wa^ pneumonia, which is very prevalent during inclement weather and almost always fatal in birds. Greater Spotted Woodpecker {^)- (The Hon. Mrs. Bourke, Tap- low). This bird was affected with haemorrhagic enteritis, which is interest- ing' btcausc it was encountered in, a bird at liberty. I did not find the presence of coccidia, which are a fruitful source of such a condition. Probably the disease was of an infcctiou.s origin. Perhaps the Missel- Thrush which you found in the same condition so far as symptoms were concerned was due to the samci cause. .-Xvian plague, coccidiosis and other infectious and protozoal diseases attack birds in nature. H. GRAY, M.R.C.V.S. British Bird Calendar. Arrival of migrants in S. E. Essex in Spring, 1916. April 2ist.— Chiff-Chaff, Hazeleigh, 6-15 a.m. Wind W. ,, 2lst. — Gold-Crest, Hazeleigh, 9-45 a.m. Wind W. ,, 2lst. — Cuckoo, Hazeleigh, 1-30 p. m Wind S. ,, 24th. — Swallow, Hazeleigh, 6 p.m. Wind S.W. ,, 2Sth. — Nightingale, Hazeleigh, 11-50 p.m. Wind S. ,, 26th. — Martin, Danbury. ,, 26th. — Blackcap. ,, 30th. — Tree- l^ipit, Hazeleigh, 10-30 a.m. W^ind S.E. There is nothing remarkable about these dates, which are, however, by no means early. It may, however, be interesting to mention that the Nightingale was singing unconcernedly whilst a Zeppelin raid was taking place in the neighbourhood ! G.H.R,, Hazeleigh, 30-4-'i6 April 20th. — Cuckoo, Lingfield, Surrey, 6 a.m., heard continuously since, but mos vociferous in early morning and late evening, also calls stronger about mid- day than at intermediate periods. W.T.P., Lingfield, l-5-'l6. Bird Notes. •^ f '. 1 K 'Wi n 1 pa 1 '^tSp' "*" k'A i _.> ^' * ii ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^F* if ■; - ■ -.«! ^Hp^^^Zfl^^^^^^^^H .'f-v-.- ..-**!€■ . '' 3.-..A- ». '■T'n^ff^ '^^m All rights reserved. June, 1916. BIRD NOTES: THE JOURNAL OF THE FOREIGN BIRD CLUB. My Laufihing Thrushes. By W. Shope Bailv. Not many a\-irulturists seem to have kept these in- teresting- Thrushes, or if tlrey have, they have published very little about them, either in the " Avicultural Magazine" or in "Bird Notes." I, myself ha\'c only had experience of the one species, viz.: the Eastern \'aricgatcd {T roc halo pie rum varie- galum). These, to mo, are the most charming of all the dif- ferent species, and I ha\c kept Blue Rock {Monticoln cyatms)^ Red-legged Cuban {Al . rubriques) Blue Cuban {M. coeru- lescens), as well as our English Blackbird, Ring Ousel, and Fieldfare. Unlike the Rock Thrushes they are not in the least shy, and are always (Jii \icw and generally in very active movement, too. Xeitht^r are tliey ciuarrelsome with each other, or with othei birds, a^ are both the Cuban, and .all the English thrushes. In appearance they are striking looking birds, about equal in size to the Fieldfare. Their general coloui is grey, in two or three shades, a patch around the eye and the throat black, a three cornered patch on oach side of face dingy white; wings blue with a patch of black on th(- shoulders, and a black bar across primaries; base of tail feathers black, < cntre blue and tip white; under side of tail iind lower breast rufous. They are indeed well named "Variegated." The general eflect of the colouring is pleas- ing, I obtained these birds from Major Perreau in May, 1913. lie brought over several other species at the same time, including T. nlgrhncntuni, T. llneatum, Dryonastes rufl- collis, and /). cacrulatus, etc. These, I believe found their way, into \'arious amateur aviaries, but I have not heard that any of them have been successful in rearing young in this country. .Mv bird?, ha\ e been in out-door a\iaries e\ er since I have 138 My I-aii victims are feeding. Tlic next step i-> for him to crouch behind the pony and c|ui<'lly push tlu- pegs into the ground, so that, when the operation is finished, he has set up a line of upright nooses projecting from the ground. lie then moves on and makes a < ircuit so as to put the quarry between himsell and tho linj. of nooses. The final step is to drive the victims to th;' nooses— a feat not difficult to accomplish. .Another method of securing Partridges is similar to that used ior (.)uail, namely by setting up a net at the end of a field, attracting the victims to the field by means of call birds and then driving them into the net. Major (iotlwin Austen gi\e^ the following account of 140 Bird Cafrhinfr In India. the way in wliifli r.-irtridgcs and Pheasants arc caught in the Daphhi Tlills." /\s it is the habit of these birds to get (h)\vn low at ni.glit into th' warmer ravines, and feei upwards along the crests of the spurs, the bird-catcher stops the progress of the co\ey by a zig-za,L; barrier from two to three feet high, made up of (wigs and short pieces of bamboo stuck into the ground, which is rapidly formed and extended a short distance down the hill on either side. Narrow openings are lef: here and there, generally at the angles, and in each of thcs" a noose is set just above two cross sticks and m the same plane, at the height of the bird's breast. The noose string is made oif a thin strip peeled otif the outside of a bam- boo." He remarks that in a few hours hundreds of these barriers and nooses can be set. In the issue of the Indian Field, dated October 28th, 1909, a writer describes a method adopted by Kaltnlis for catching Chakor. The shikari envelopes himself in a l)iiriia - the garment worn by parda nasli'n women when they go out walking. The burka in question is a yellou' one heavily spotted with black. On nearing his quarry the disguised Kabali goes along on all fours. The Chakor mistakes him for a leopard, and as they hate that quadruped, the first bird to see him raises a great uproar. This attracts many of its neighbours. These hop and danc- about, screaming at the " leopard " which moves towa"ds the i)Iacc where numbers of nooses have been set. Dr. Henderson states that the natives of Varkand cap- ture Chakor in a very sporting manner. 'J'hey disdain snares and cages. Parties of them ga out armed with whips and mounted on ponies, Having sighted a co\ey of Chakor they at once give chase and, as these birds never rise more than twice, they can be overtaken and knocked over with whips. Those acquainted wiih the country will appreciate the sport- ing nature of this mode of capturing the birds. But most methods of Indian sli'lairis are anything but sporting! In Madras I once came upon a horse-hair noose set beside the nest of a Grey Partridge. The nest contained eggs, and the object of the noose was to snare the mother bird Bird Catching In India. 141 when going- to or coming from the nest. Many are the devices employed to capture Ducks and other water-fowl. A time-honoured method is for a man to put on his h -ad a p;rirrri (earthenware pot), having made holes in its side to look through. He then goes into the water and stoops so that his body is completely submerged, and rhe garru, which rests on his shoulders looks as though it were floating on the surface of the water. In this manner he very slowly approaches the Duck that are feeding or sleeping on tho water. 'I'hese either do not notice the approach of the gatra or regard it as being borne along by the stream. Having got near enough to a l^uck, the man with the pot on his head seizes it by its feet, pulls it under water and then secures it without a quack and almost without a splash! In the time of the Emperor Akbar, histead of the earthen pot, the skin of some water-fowl was used to hide the head of the bird- catcher. ■' Raoul " in Small Game Shooting iir Bengal men- tions two otlior methods of catching Duck which I have not witnessed and so cannot vouch for their acci^racy. According to hmi, in Kashmir a Falcon is trained to seize Duck and to bring them to the hunter, or hold them down on the water till the shikari comes up. This last method, if it be prac- tised, can apply only to the non-diving Ducks. The other method of approaching Duck noted by " Kaoul " is " \o let water-butitalo go into the water, between which the hunter conceals himself and thus catches the Ducks." A method of snaring Ducks connnonly employed in the United Provinces is to place two bamboos over a spot where the Geese fiy low when approaching their feeding ground. -Vnother method of securing Geese is to drive a number of small pegs into the ground where Geese are known to feed: to eacli ol these pegs is fastened a noose of twisted hcnse-hair. rhe legs of the feeding birds become entangled ui the nooses. ♦- 142 Bird Life and Sport on Achill Island. Bird Life and Sport on Achill Island. By Frank Dawson-Smith. Birds did not prcnidc the only si)ort and means of fur- nishing our lai'der, as we bagged a couple of hares, too. \\'e relied on our guns for replenishing the larder, you see. We gathered the day's spoil together and commenced to wend (jur way homeward. In climbmg over the mountain ridge which separated us from Dugort, we disturbed a few grouse, but these were, of course, permitted to depart unharmed, as their particular season was over. Their curious cry " Go back, go back " reached us as they disappeared in the failing light. Another game bird that inhabits Achill is the Woodcock. This handsome bird is usually found on the mountain sides, and generally in a tuft of heather, sheltered from the wind. On being* disturbed it darts out and away like an arrow. We found a good number of 'coc'k on the steep sides of Slieve- more and they proved easier targets than the snipe. While I, am talking of Slievemore I may add that if one wishes to experience the full force of a storm let him climb to the top of this mountain on a rougdi day as I did. Michael and I were here through the height of a ,stOirm and I am not likely to forget it in a hurry. The raging wind came sweeping across the Atlantic, and the blinding stinging sleet came with such resistless violence, that it was impossible to stand against it. We crouched behind a friendly ledge of rock and clung like limpets until the fury of the hurricane had passed. A storm on this ooasit is a magnificent spectacle. fhere comes to one the mad exhilaration of encountering a mighty power titanic and inconquerable. But it was an exhausting experi- ence I ' Then we spent a day at Inishbiggle Island which is separated from Achill by a channel about sixty yards wide. Here we were joined by Michael one fine morning. This end of Achill is called Bull's Mouth, and close at hand is a small rush-grown pool, which is invariably full of snipe. If you, toss a stone in it is no exaggeration to say that a flock of Snipe will rise. We secured several of these birds, but we had a surprise here, too. Disturbed by the reports of our Bird Life and Sport on Achill Island. ]43 gun a Mallard rose, and I brought it down with one shot. Returning to the Bull's Mouth we noled that it was a habita- tion beloved b\- the sea-birds. fiundreds of (kills -Herring, Black-backed, Common, Black-headed, and Kittiwakes, could be seen as they floated and wheeled in the air. I could hear the deep notes o.f a Heron in the distance, while a number of Oyster-catchers could be seen, their plumage and \'ermilion legs making them very conspicuous. After crossing to Inishbiggle in a boat we walked to the far end of that island where we found another channel separating us from a third island. This was our final destina- tion. W'c piled up some loose stones to act as a shelter, sat down behind it, and waited for the birds to pass up and down the chaimel as was their wont, from one feeding ground to another, as the places were uncovered by the tide. The first visitors were little Dunlins, which came by with great speed. Then the larger and slower flying of Bar-tailed God- wits followed. Odd Oyster Catchers continually flew up and down, squeaking noisily, evidently indignant at our intrusion. Close to us were two Turnstones, very prettily marked, busily engaged in a Imnt for food. They ran here and there on their little short legs, dashing on to the spot momentarily left bare b\- a receding wave, made a quick jab into the sand with their bills and scurried back in retreat before thc> water flowed in again. Jn the Channel itself was a large bird of sombre hue. There was no difficulty in recognizing this as a Cormorant. i'hese birds swim very low in the water, and appear to keep only their heads and necks unsubmerged. Many of these Cormorants passed us during the morning, and so did that other splendid diver, — the Red-throated Diver. The Cormorants usually floated down treating us with perfect unconcern, but the Divers were shyer, and dived before they got level with us, not re-appearing until they were some way down the Channel. It is marvellous what long distances these birds can travel under water. It is small wonder that they are able to catch a great number of lisl;. A beautiful bird is the Coldcn Tio\er. We were fortunate enough to see a small flock of ilieni during the luurning. After passuig us the\ scaled tor a short linic on 144 f^if(i i-'fc f'l^l Sport oil Achill Island. a patch of sand about a hundred yards away, and we were able to watch them before they clianj^ed their quarters. The next arrivals were two Ducks, who Hew rapidly down towards us with necks outstretched. Here was a chance we had been waiting for, and ihc two succeeding reports were answered by a couple of splashes as the Ducks fell into the Channel. With the aid of a handy boat we quickly i)icked up the birds, and found they were Red-breasted Mergansers useless for eating, owing to their fishy flavour, but handsome birds. Mergansers are rather shy birds and make oti' at the first appearance of danger, cither by diving, at which they are very expert, or else by winging their ihght to safer pastures. We stayed at our stone shelter until the afternoon and then clambered back to the other side of Inishbiggle, crossed the Channel at Bull's Mouth, and took up fresh positions on the shore. Our object was to shoot some of the destructive Cormorants that were accustomed to pass clown this Channel in the late afternoon. We found they M-ere already j)assing in ones, twos, and threes, with an average of half a minute between each party. Mixed A^-ith them were a 'u umber of Red-throated Divers, but it wa.s the Connorani that we wanted to shoot, and they cer- tainly kept us busy. We werq kept firing continually for nearly an hour, and brought down a large number of Cor- morants, The winter's day "was drawing to a close and it behoved us t^r> make a start from Bull's Mouth, although we still had ideas of further .'^nort on our minds. On the way back to Dugort was a small lake close to the sea. In the evening, just as dusk descended, geese ficw to this spot from the sea, and we agreed we might conclude our day's adven- tures with a bit of "flighting." \\c had not long to wait before a number of geese whirled o\er our heads. They caught us napping, and not a shot was flred. W^e braced ourselves in the e>!:pectation of a similar \'isit, and within five minutes a second flight passed overhead, and a successful shot from my gun brought down a Brindlc Goose. Aftej- that we had to get back home, but well content with the day's experiences, Bird Life and Sport on Achill Island . 14.5 Every day of my slay brought equally interesting adventures, and the variety of birds was bewildering. Snipe, Woodrock, Plover, Pigeons. Geese, Ducks, Swans, and Hares gave us all the sport we required, and filled our larder daily. Addvd to this was the \ar;ety of species to be studied from an avicullurist's point of \iew, and the scenery to gloat over and admir:'. We clijnbcd the mountains, roamed the moors, and bogtrottcd " from morn till dewy e\e," in all weathers, always accompanied by the invaluable Michael. In addition to his varied abilities, in other respects he kept us interested with stories of the picturesque Achill natives and their mani- fold superstitions, l^hese people live in single-storied thatched cottages, and usually cultivate a amalJ patch of land, and keep a fevv' fowls, ducks, and geese. And this reminds me of one of AlichaelV: yarns: A farmer visitor to the Island made a bet that he would shoot a goose during his stay. But the final day of this visit arrived without his desire being fulfillc;d. It looked as if he had lost his bet. "Was he downhearted? No-o-ol" He vowed he would shoot his goose that day, and he kept his word. Raising his gun he shot a tame one, paid the damage^ and won his bet. A Naturalist can find sufficient material to occupy his time all the year round on Achill,, which is a paradise ifor a great number of birds of varied species. The fisherman, too, can secure many a fine trout, while the artist, photo- ^grapher, pedestrian, and climber are all generously catered for by Dame Nature, in this wild and beautiful spot. There is but one class of visitor for whom no welcome (exists — the rent collector I If he is a wise man he will give Achill a wide bertli. II a member of that ilk thinks ,of starting business on the Island, let him take my tip. and make his will first I At length the end of my stay tame, all too soon, and we drove away to Achill Sound, on our return journey to England, 1, for my own part, filled with regret for the de- lights, the beauty, and interest I was leavijig bchiiid me, and registering a vow that I would some day re\isit tJic 146 /?/>r/ Life and Sport on Achill Island . island that bore tlu' splciulicl hall-mark of Nature, untouched and unspoiled. That evening found us in Ihiblin, strolling down Sack- \-illc Street -a city teeming with human life and sounds, a startling change from our bcLoved island, -AchiJl Island was also filled with life and sound, but it was bird life and bird sound, in ever-changing beauty and melody, rugged and harsli occasionally— sweet and melodious too, and making one harmonious whole. And so, farewell to Achill Island and the Emerald Islel "It's a long, long way." In. these strenuous days those peaceful weeks seem very far away. We are told that nothing will ever be the same again after the devastating war, but — well, I hope I may go back some day to Achill, and find the face of Nature unchanged when next I \i5it dear Dugort and the Irish mountains. The Endurance of Birds. By the Marquis of Tavistock. A number of articles have appeared recently dealing with the endurance of birds in captivity. The following, which are my own experiences with certain psittaci may be of some interest to those who keep them. 1. Complete Liberty. Losses /ro/Ji straying, accident, and birds of prey— heavy (Ir.sses from straying can, however, be much reduced by patience and careful management). Losses from infectious disease— -m.odcrci.iQ. Losses from cold and chillssma.ll. Losses from egg-binding— eq\iSL\ to what are incurred with cap- tive birds Breeding results— good. Fertiity of eggs— very good. 2. Liberty with a Cut Wlvg ix a Large (un- covered) Grass Enclosure. Losses from accldenl— small if care be taken to prevent birds fighting and falling from a height on to the hard ground, or against hard obstacles The Endurance of Birds. 147 Losses from //i/cc//oiis (li-scasc- small. if new arrivals arc .are- fully quarantined and the ground is periodically disinfected uiih salt dressings. hi ceding results not properly ascertained, hut some indication that they might be good. 3. Unheated Outdoor A\'Iarv, fairly sh'.'ltered from wind, but damp and sunlcs.s' in winter. Sliclt.'r-'^hed (used by the birds for roosting), one half of the front boardcfl up from the top to bottom, Losses from accidriit very small. Losses from infectious disease -very small. Losses from cold and chill in winter so hea\'y tliat the birds were removed. 4. Small, Unheated, Covered Aviary; glass roof, rather draughty and with great fluctuations of temperature. /iisses from cliitl extremely heavy, aviary useless for ordinary birds 5. Small Unheated Outdoor Aviary. Entirely covered in and draught-proof; rather sunless. Losses from accident — nil Losses from infectious disease— nil. Losses from cold and c/iill—nW. Nesting results— iAir. Hatching results very poor. 6. Small Unheated Outdoor Aviary. Shclter- shrd (used by birds for roosting) one half of the front boarded up from top to bottom. Sunny situation. Losses from accident -very small. Losses from infectious disease —nil. Losses from chill- smaW. Breeding results—not yet ascertained. 7. Large Covered Aviary. .Moderately heated in winter, temperature varying to some extent witii out-door weather. Losses from accident- tnodemte. Losses from infectious disease— modcra\e. Losses from chill very high. hreeding results- goi>d ; eggs fertile. 8. Moderately Heated Indoor Shei.Ti r, uuh out-door llighl. liirds roost indoors. Lossci fiuni acculiiit sniall. 148 The Endurance of Birds. Losses from infrct/oiis disease -smaU. Losses iiom chill very heavy. Breeclim^ results —good. 9. Birds Kept in Outdoor Aviaries in Summer, IN Winter caught up and kept in roomy cages in a hot room (temperature 70 cleg, to 7 5 deg.). Tcnipcraturc low- ered before birds are turned out in April. Losses from accident small. Losses from iiijeclioiis d. sense small. Losses from chill small, .•ind nil among the Mrds newly turnei out in spring, even when the weather turned cold and unfavourable. Nesting resiilts^iew . Hatching; results — very poor, although the cock birds appeared in vigorous breeding condition. To sum up; ,my experience with Parrots is this. The moderalely heated aviary, and the heated shelter with out--door flight are alike most dangerous, and productive of enteritis and pneumonia ad. lib. No heat and no draughts give good results, with acclimatized birds, but a really open aviary must be sunny in winter. If you must have heat have a lot of it and keep the temperature e\cn if you can. Exercise is most important if you want to secure fertile eggs,, and no amount of good care and good feeding will make up tor the want of it with many species. Mr. Page hopes to resume his notes on this topice in next issue. -Ed.] The History of the Budgerigar By E. Hopkixsox, D.s.O., M.A., Etc. '{Continued from page 130). So much then for the Budgerigar as Xatu/e made him. Let us now see what our authorities have to say with regard to the co'our varieties, of one of \\hi( h, the Yellow, examples have been caught wild in their native land. Dr. Russ in his " Speaking Parrots " (I quote from an English translation published in the eighties), says : " Just as tli£ Canary needed a comparatively long space of time " for its complete naturalisation among us ; and again, as we are not TliRn Notes. Photo. W . Shore fiailv- Ilvhrid S(|u;uii;ita -. Californian (Juail An .Kciuml ul the surccssful rearing; of this li.iiulsdnic hybrid in 1912 will l>c Inuiiil HI " I5ird N(it(;s " for that year. I'll s.' hybriils proved fertile, for 111 1913 a full biood of their progeny were reared, hut unfor- tunately just as they wore in full pluniaj^'e, tiiey all died from some infectious, malady. For his su( ( e .s 111 rearin;; this hybrid, .\Ir. i^aily received the bron/e iiied il ol the .So letL d' .\ccLmatat,on de I'.iris, .ilso the Club medal. The History of the Budgerigar. 149 " really able to determine with exactness when the change from the " greenish-grey plumage of the vviLl bird to the light yellow of the culti- " vated bird took place, or whether, indeed, several centuries were re- " quired to bring it about — in the same way the Grass Parrakeet shows " itselt to be peculiarly subject to the influences of development in breed- ■■ ing. Less than fifty years have sufficed for it to appear before us. " not only in varieties of colouring, but as a speaker. From the original " variety we bred a yellowish-green, next a pure yellow was produced " and afterwards a white variety— the last two had red eyes. Eventually " a blue specimen was generated." In his larger work this author gives 1872 as the date ol the first appearance of the yellow form, and describes several varieties of this colour, one of which was a pure yellow with red eyes, an albino, or rather as such are called now, a lutino. Whether the white Budgerigars mentioned above were really white or identical with these lutinos, 1 cannot quite make out owing to my little acquaintance with (German. Dr. Russ' style, too, is most difficult to follow and his exact meaning often obscure, but I gather he had heard of real albinos as well as the red-eyed Yellows. What became of them? The Blue variety is also dealt with but without n.uch real detail. Wiener, who no doubt was well acquainted with his fellow-countryman's works, writes on the varieties as fo lows : (Cassell, p. 435). " Of late years varieties of the Undulated Parrakeets h.ive l)fen ""bred with increasing frequency. More or less pure yellow birds have " been bred, mostly in Belgium. Since the first edition I have seen " for the first time pure yellow Undulated Parrakeets bred by Mr. .Foscph " Abrahams from yellow parent birds obtained, I believe from Belgium. " Although these yellow l)ird-. were amongst dozens of green Budgerigars, " and nothing prevented their cross-breeding, they seemed to have bred " only among iliemselves. Even a blue variety has occurred, and at " least one breeder has, through careful selection of stock, produced " a breed of unusual size. Without doubt another ten ur twenty years " will witness as great results of intelligent breeding of varieties of the " Budgerigar as has been witnessed in the case of the Canary." Dr. W. T. (ireene, in his "Amateur's aviary." says that it is stated that a blue variety has been produced more than once, and of the yellow form writes as follows (p. 33). " Of late years, a breed of Yellow Budgerigars has been pro- " duced , a pair of this colour, in which the characteristic undulation* 150 The History of the Budgerigar. were very faint, were exliibitcd soinn years apo (I.e. In relation tO "1883, the date of the publication of his book E H). at the Alexandra '■ Palace Show, and were sold for £6 los." The only fact or date in connertion with these colour Mirieties which stands out prominently is that Yellow Budger- igars appeared in or about 1872, and that they were pro- duced gradually from the original greens. The rest is all very indefinite; the albinos apparently were chance-got freaks, which did not perpetuate their kind, while of the blue all that one can learn is that they were known before 1880. To put it crudely — someone had bred some somewhere at some time. At the present day we have the yellow race firmly es- tablished as healthy freely breeding birds, having rapidly passed through the stage of delicacy, which was common both to them in their earlier stages and to their green relations when first known. Now in most fiocks there is a good deal of Yellow blood, without, however, affecting the distinctness of the two colours in the individual. Dr. Butler in "Foreign Birds for Cage and Aviary," written 1909 or 1 9 1 o, mentions the greater delicacy of the Yellows, so that this change for the better in their constitutions is one of quite recent develop- ment. The Blue form, he tells us, he has never yet seqn, though it was well known to Mr. Abrahams, who considered it, like the yellow, the result of in-breeding. Dr. Butler be- lieves it was more probably the result of just the opposite treatment, and that it should be extremely vigorous. This belief has, I am afraid, not been borne out by the experience of the owners of the present race of these birds. Another of the anticipations of the writers I have quoted regarding the possibilities of the Budgerigar emulating the Canary as regards multiplicity of varieties, has al.^o hither- to not been fulfilled, in spite of the numbers bred. I expect the truth is that what occurs with my own birds, also occurs with other people's. When the time for disposal 6f the sur- plus comes, one cannot think of selection for the room is wanted much more than the birds, with the result that all the easily recognisable young ones and all the adults which are not obviously nesting are caught and disposed of. Improve- ment in breedin ^^ is not likely to occur where these methods prevail. Some Colony Birds. 151 We now come to what M-e may rail the Blue Budgeri- gar period, which has received full attention in recent volumes of Bird Notes, on which I propose to freely draw. At the L.C.B.A. Sliow in November, loio Monsieur Pauvvels exhibited a perfect pa'r, the first appearance on the English Show bench. They were the admired of every eye, and as was only their due, took premi?r honours. In Bird Notes of January. 191 i, Mr. O. Millsum, who was then in charge of M. Pauvvels' wonderful aviaries, gave a full and most inti-rcsting paper (illustrated by ;i perfect plate) on this variety, which is so full of information and in- terest, that I quote it almost /// toto. After mentioning that that he had known of the existence of Blue Budgerigars* with- out ever expecting to sec them in the llesh, he continues : "An article from the Standard of March 21. 19:4. is reprinted in fiirJ Notes, 1914. p. 139, in which the existence of Blue Hiids^erigars nearly a generation ago was referred to, the writer believing that they appeared nearly as early as the Yellow v.uiety. He continues : " Possibly, ITowever, this variation has also appeared more than " once, and in any case the fact remains that, in spite of the high pries " obtainable for Blue Budgerigars, the breed of this colour has not been " multiplied greatly, and the specimens that turn up are generally very " weakly-looking. This is curious as they sesm nearer the ty;,'ijal bird " than the yellow breed, having the same black pencilling ; but one diffi- " culty in breeding them appears to be that females " among blues are " produced much more freely than males, so that it is difficult to get the " latter mates of their own colour, and much in-breeding has probably " been practised, " a proceeding particularly injurious to these liitle Parra- ■■ keets, hardy as their constitution is." ( To be contituicd) . ♦ Some Colony Birds By Rev. Chas. K. D.wv.sox, S.J. M.A. (Oxon): Kepiintecl from "IIMEHRI" ( 1 he .Journal of the Koyal Agricultural and C.'omnieicial Society of British Cuian i ), May, 1915; with com- pliments and thanks to the .Author and lOlitors. Kn. "B.N." {Continued from page 133). Doves. ihere are twelve or more species of Doves indigenous to the colony. I may say in passijig that ;he lerms Dove and Pigeon are interchangeable. As a general rule the lo2 Some Colony Birds. smaller and gentler species are called Doves, the larger and bolder, Pigeons. The word Pigeon is derived from the French (O. F. i'ijon) and means (Lat., pipio) a young piping bird. The word Dove is from the old English dujan, to dive : a word which may have reference to its undulating tiight, for needless to say, neither Pigeons nor Doves dive into water. All observers of Nature must have seen a flock of Pigeons, disturbed from their feeding ground, rise in a body and diving, as it were, into the bush, disappear. Doves and Pigeons are to be found all o\cr the world. They /are homogeneous in form and feature and their habits are much the same. There are in all five hundred species. Savannah Ground Dove. Of the Ground Doves {Peristcridae) seen in Georg-etown, the Sa\'annah Ground- I^'ove iL the largest as it is the commonest. Its scientific nam? from the Greek, Chamaepelia talpacoti. means " the ground bird that scares the mole!" It is from six to seven inches in leng:h, the bill being half an inch and the tail an inch and a half beyond the wings. The bird is a uniform pinkish red, fading into pink on the throat and cheeks; the crown of the head is cloud-grey. There are downward lines of black or blue-black upon the wings like the jottings of a pen; the under-wing coverts are black as also the under- featherh of the tail; the primaries are blackish-brown. The eye is red and the feet, of course, pink. The Indians call it w'ihi which means " shaven " and in truth the head has that appearance, being small, smooth, and light in colour. The hen is brown with corresponding markings. The Dove is gentle and timid, li\ing amicably with smaller birds, though it defends itself with its wings should they shew themselves aggressive. Little finches if placed in the same cage will take advantage of its gentle disposition, and sidling up, will pluck a small feather and then, inirabilc dicta, swallow it I The Speckled Dove. The speckled Ground-Dove {Cliamacpclia passerina) is smaller, being barely six inches in length. It is brown-pink, fading into pink on breast, throat, and head; and into white on the vent. The feathers of the Som^ Colony Birds. 15H breast, head, and neck are centred with dull black giving the bird a speckled or scaly appearance. Thff and rescued the mortal remains which were just enough to identify the bird. Now there is no shadow of doubt that some predatory bird actually attacked and devoured a young Thrush within fifty feet of an inhabited house, and that^ although driven off at once returned to the feast. I have three witnesses of that and also the skin of the bird. The only question is whejher the marauder was really a cuckoo or possibly a sparrow- hawk. In any case the bird showed great fearlessness, and unless the sparrowhawk was a tame one would hardly be likely to tolerate such nearness to human beings. More- over, sparrowhawks are very uncommon about here. If a cuckoo, and personally I have very little doubt that it was, as country people are fairly accurate about such Natural Correspondence. 161 History as they do know, it shows Avhat a bloodthirsty bold ruffian the cuckoo is and whv he is "mobbed" wherever he goes. Talking about cuckoos reminds me that near a certain lane I often go down 1 see a cuckoo or pair of cuckoos year after yeai huntin,^■ a certain range of hedgerows. At no other part CKf my district do" I have the same experience. My theory is thai it is either the same pair of cuckoos or their progeny that return to the same locality year after year. To add to my point I may say that I habitually go into at least a dozen different parishes and yet at no other place can I be sure of seeing frequcntl}'* a pair of cuckoos hunting a given set of hedgerows. I always .see them and on returning home, remark to my wife " I have seen my cuckoos again this year at Ripe " (the nam-;* of the village). There is, I think, not the smallest doubt that birds of other species or their progeny do return to t he same nesting place year after year, and such birds as swallows will endeavour to gain admission into an out-house, the door ol'' which is constantly kept shut after having nested there the previous year, hut make no attempt to enter another out-house in the same row. This year I intend to make a pigeon hole over the door and next year keep the door absolutely locked from April ist. to .A.pril 2isl. If they find their way through that pigeon hole I shall consider that very strong evidence that the birds have been there before. All of which is a dreadful digression and shows what evil consequences may arise through writing about a " Roadside Tragedy." Correspondence. LI.ST OF HIKD.S SEE.\ IN FLANDERS. Sir,— We are up in the trenches again and the sunsliine is remark- able We arc getting known as lucky Chcshircs in the Division, as we always seem to get good weather when our turn comes. It is really hot to-day. 162 Correspondence. It struck mc tliat porliipis a Is* nf birdf 1 Ktvo noticed since landing: Rook. Hooded Ceow. Jay M;;gpie, Starling. Blackbird. Song Thrush. Robin. Hedge Sparrow Wren. Skylark. Pied Wagtail. Grey A\'agtail. Great Tit. Blue Tit. House Spairow. Tree Sparrow. Greenfinch. Chaffinch. Yellow-hammer. Swallow. Tawny Owl. Barn Owl. Little Owl. Kestrel Sparrow-hawk. Pheasant. Common Partridge Red-legged Partridge. Snipe. Wood Pigeon. Stock Duve. Lapwing. Heron. BU-ck-headed Gull. The noteworthy features of the above list are: firstly, the Hooded Crows and Magpies which, 1 think. I told you before are very plentiful out here; secondly, the Little Owl, of which 1 have seen several, one mobbed b\- several Sparrows: thirdly the B.il. Gull, which was remarkable so far from the coast as we were, and lastly, the date of the first Swallow, which was April iSth. More than half these birds I have seen right up to the trenches, within one hundred yards of the firing line. At one village we were billeted in I saw several fine specimens uf ornamental Pheasants. On enqufry I found that a wealthy neighbour had experimented with Gold, Silver, and Amherst Pheasants, and liberated them in the surrounding woods. He cleared off at the outbreak of war and the villagers had captured many of these birds. One fine cock I saw w,0s a hybrid Golden )< Amherst. f Lieut.) W. R. BATTY. Somewhere in I-landers, April 26th, '16 [The above reached us per C.S.M., R. Suggitt.— Ed.] A SUBSTITUTE FOR FRUIT. Sir, -The price and difficulty of procuring fruit has been exercising my mind recently, and how to secure a substitute was a puzzle. 1 n ow tinil that practically all my birds, seed eaters and fruit eaters alike, are fond of boiled greens made crumbly l)y the addition of biscuit meal. Correspondence, 163 Birds that looked discontented if they did not get their usual allow- •ance of fruit are quite happy with this cabbage preparation. Hoddam Castle, lojifib. E. J. BROOK. FIELD AND AVICULTURAL NOTES. Sir,- The following rough notes may prove of interest- they refer to birds within a fifty yards radius of the house. R( Jatarts. A pair have built in a nest-box fixed to a tree on the front lawn, about fifteen yards from the front door. I looked at the nest or May 2rst, and found it contained seven eggs, five of which hatched out on the 26th. I took the two remaining eggs for my collection, which I hav-; started since arrival here. Pied Flycatchers. -Ontt pair have built in a box I put up in an apple tree in the orchard, about twenty yards from the back of the house. Six eggs have been deposited therein— incubation commenced with the laying of the sixth egg on May 27th. Another pair have built in a hole in the wall behind some ptgsties, fifteen feet from the ground. This nest also contained six eggs, which were quite fresh so I should think incubation must have only just com- menced when I saw the nest on May 28th. y /Vs.— Several pairs of Great, and Blue Tits are nesting, mostly in nest boxes, which have been put up for their convenience. In the hedge of one of my meadows a pair of Long-tailed Tits have nested and hatched out safely a few days ago. I found two more Long-tails' nests in a wood behind the house, both built in bramble bushes One contained eggs, the other almost fledged young. On7s.— Pairs of Brown and Barn Owls, and Kestrels are nesting in the same wood. Lo/nmori i/Tf/V.^.— Greenfinches, Chaffinches, Thrushes, Blackbirds, and many other of the commoner birds' nests are very numerous about the g.iiden Woodpeckers : The Green Woodpeckers are very common and are often t(j be seen around the house, though I have not vet sucireilcd \t\ finding any of their nests. The Greater Spotted Woodpecker I have only seen on two occa- sions so far ; one some months ago, and a pair last Monday in the wood 164 Correspondence. \ behind the house; 1 fancy, therefore, they are rather scarce in these parts. Magpies and Crotrs. — A pair of Magpies built in a fir tree near the pigsties and laid eight eggs, but the nest has since been raided by a pair of Carrion Crows, which after battles lasting over three days finally succeeded in driving off the pies and plundering the nest. I shall have to " strafe " these black Huns before long as they are always up ta similar mischief, and have recently carried off three young Golden Pheasants.. The /1i'/a/-j'.— Nothing much doing yet, the difficulty being to mate up odd birds. However, Black Tanagers : have young nicely feather- ing. Calijorniaii Quail have laid seventeen eggs, but are not yet sitting. Virginian Cardinals (old pair, have had the hen since 1908 and when I bought her she appeared by no means in the first blush of youth) havef nested twice, both times the hen laid two eggs, but on both occasions^ somehow or other they got thrown out of the nest, probably through the interference of one of the numerous old birds in the aviary ; she has now, I believe, gone to nest again. " Some " bird, I think I Caersws, Montgomeryshire, i/6/'i6. GERALD E. RATTIGAN, =q CO All rights reserved. July, 1916- BIRD NOTES: THE JOURNAL OF THE FOREIGN BIRD CLUB Grebes. By Wm. Shore Baily. One of the commonest and most interesting of our water-birds is the Little Grebe {Podicipes fliiviafilis), or Dab- chick as it is more often called. Very few ponds of any size are without one or more pairs of these little birds, although it is quite possible for the unobservant to pass along the banks daily without being aware of their presence; the teatering cry of the birds conveying no hint to their untrained ears. Early in April they build up a little floating raft of a nest, attached to some growing waterweed, or overhanging bramble. In this the hen deposits four or five white eggs, which, as incubation proceeds, gradually turn to a dirty coffee colour. On anyone approaching the nest, she carefully covers the eggs with loose waterweeds, and silently disappears beneath the water. Even a trained observer might now pass the nose without noticing it. The hen sits for about three weeks, being fed on the nest by the male bird. The young leave the nest as soon as hatched, but return to it when tired, and also to sleep at night, Both parents now have a busy time, with four or five chicks to feed. For the first week or two aquatic insects are principally used, but as the little ones grow, young sticklebacks and other fry are given. With one nest of five young I kept under observation, I saw both parents feed each young one every minute, that is tc say five visits to the nest by each bird, and this was kept up until the young ones were satisfied and went to sleep. It meant pretty rapid fishing. When the young are about a month or six weeks old, the hen leaves them in their father's cftre and promptly goes to nest again, generally succeeding ICC) Grebes. in fully rearing a second brood. The chief enemies the little ones have to fear are the btg" fish. Many disappear down the liungry maws of the common pike, which is found in most of our larger ponds or streams, and on my own pond the big trout have proved to be equally fond of a mouthful of dabchick. In the autumn the young migrate, but whether they leave this country for Southern Europe, or simply con- gregate on our larger sheets of water, I am unable to say. Personally I have never seen more than seven or eight to- gether. Before leaving they have to be taught to fly, and great teatering and splashing takes place whilst this is going on. It is some time before they are able to lift themselves quite clear of the water, but one morning early in October one finds that they have all cleared off except "the old birds. These birds do a good deal of damage on salmon and trout streams in the spawning season, probably more than the gorgeous Kingfisher, or even the lovely Heron. I remem- ber seeing a little flock of seven, probably a family party, feeding ion salmon spawning beds on the Itchen. Five of the birds were continually under the water, and this one party alone must have accounted for thousands of ova. In hard frost they are driven off the ponds to the more rapidly running rivers, or even to the coast. I have occasionallv seen one fishing in the shallow waters in one of the more sheltered bays in the Isle of Man. Of the other English Grebes that nest with us. the Great Crested Grebe {Podicipes cristatus) has not come under my notice, the inland waters in the west of England, not being of sufficient extent to provide it with a permanent home. I 'think: 'that it is quite likely that the Bristol Water Co.'s fine reservoir at Blagdon, as soon as the reedbeds around the banks are thoroughly established, will prove to be an- other of its* breeding haunts. One other British Grebe I have met with, and that is the Slavonian Grebe {P. aiirl- tus), a really pretty bird with its bright chestnut ear-patches, but this was in a remote district of California, a matter of 6,000 miles from this country. It was, I think, quite as Q Co to W Bird N c 'j l'hi,h, l,!l W Shun' /tail;/. Grebe Skiiiiiiiiii' in IIH)."). P)Ueii;i Yii^ta l.iike. — S. C;ilife!'iiia Grebes. 167 unconmion there as it is here. I only saw the one specimen during a sojourn of fiviei years. It is, I understand, quite common in the colder states in the north and east, as well as in Canada. The bird that takes the place of our Dabchick in North America is P. podiceps, commonly called the Hell Diver I Why, I don't quite know. One has always been led to believe that Hell was the one place in which water was at a premium, and where swimming and diving couldn't be in- dulged in. As divers, they easily take first place. They are the only birds that I have seen that can dive tail first. If suddenly surprised from' the front, they just throw a back somersault and disappear. They can also sink at will and it isi very amusing to watch them gradually submerging them- selves when any object they may be inspecting seems to ihem as if it might be dangerous. I have often had one examine me from' a distance of a few feet, for' a minute or more at a time, its head and neck only being above the water, the length of the neck visible, varying as the bird's contidence in my harmlessness increased or declined. Their nest is a floating mass of weeds, similar to that of our Dabchick, and several nests are found together. The grebe, with which I can fairly claim to have the closest acquaintance, is the largest of its kind, the grebe of commerce {Aechmophonis occid entails). This bird, when fashion demands, is slaughtered in .housands. just as are the seal and other fur-bearing animals. Truly our lady friends have much to answer for. Luckily, from the birds' point of view, theJ demand for grebe-fur is a very intermittent one, and for long periods there is no sale for it in any of the markets, consequently, the birds are then abso- lutely unmolested, and their numbers soon again become normal. My acquaintance with this bird was made on Lake Buena Vista, Southern California. Early in the spring very many of these birds visited the Lake, but whether to breed or simply as a resting, place on their way to more northern latitudes, I am unable to say. I am inclined to think the latter, as, although 1 spent^ the season there well into May, I never came across one of their nests. They are rather timid birds, but like the Pronghorn Antelope, curiosity is an obses- sion with them, and when their skins are in demand this leads 168 Grebes. to their undoing. The hunter has simply to conceal himself andi his boat in a clump of tules, throw out a wooden decoy duck and grebe after grebe will come up to inspect it. They are shot through the head, death of course being instantaneous, and the skin undamaged. In preparing the pelts for market the' Vings and legs are chopped off, an incision is made in the back from the head to the tail, when the skin is easily removed. This is then tacked on boards, sprinkled with a little plaster of Paris, to absorb the grease and allowed to dry. They fetch from 2s. to 3s. each on the San I'^rancisco market, iand at the beginning of the season while the birds are numerous, one man will kill and cure about eighty skins a day netting from G8 to £10 a day. I estimate that in three weeks from 12,000 to 14,000 birds were killed on this lake alone. I remember securing one specimen that was covered entirely with thick down, having, as far as I can reccllect, no feathers on any part of its body. It made a lovely pelt. Another that I killed had the fangs of a large rattlesnake embedded an the fat beneath its skin. This was in 1906. Of late yeans I hav<5 not noticed any grebe in the furriers' shops so that I ^hope the birds have now had a long rest. Bird Catching in India. By Douglas Dewar, F.Z.S., I.C.S. {Continued from page 141). We have already noticed one m.tiiod of securing Peafowl. Another is by means of tish-hooks baited with friiit and attached to a long string. Numbers of these baited hooks are thrown about where Peafowl come to feed. The fruit is eagerly gobbled up, atid the hook sticks in the gizzard of the peafowl, land then to secure the luckless bird is easy work. In the United Provinces large (numbers of cattle egrets are caught shortly before the breeding season and denuded of their nuptial plumes which constitute the "buff ospreys " of commerce. Notwithstanding the Government of India notification Bird Catching in India. 169 prohibiting the export of plumage a large traffic goes on in egrets' plumes, which are smuggled out of the country. Every yeai early in May parties of Muhammadans go round the United Provinces foi; the purpose of securing these plumes. Each party is composed of from seven to eleven men with three nets to seven men, four to nine men, or five to eleven men. Their otperations last till the setting in of the monsoon, that is toi say, for about four weeks. The apparatus they use consists of two. nets made of fine string. These nets are; about twenty-five feet long and nine wide, but they taper ofif tOt a point at each end. The nets are laid flat on the jground in shallow water, side by side with a space of about 2 feet between, except at the ends where the nets meet.. A rope runs along the outer edge of each net, ending in a loop at each end of the net. The loops are put round pegs driven firmly into the ground. The inner side of each net is pegged to the ground. Across each net, at the places where it begins to narrow, are fastenc'd sticks (a b and c d). Each stick is attached at one end (a) (c) to a peg, so that when it is lifted up this end acts like a hinge. Round the far end of each stick (b) (d) the nope threaded through the outer edge of the net is wound. To the end (d) of each of the sticks (c D) a rope about 8 feet long is fastened. To the mid- dle (of this a longer rope is joined, to the far end of this a long piece of cane is attached. When the nets are set, a sharp pull at the cane causes the free tends (c d) of the four sticks 170 Bird Catching in India. (aB' cd) to) be jerked upwards, so that they meet in the/ air, carrying with them the nets ; these then stand up as a closed cage, looking like a tent. The [above description is, I fear, not very lucid. A roug"h idea ofj how the apparatus works can be obtained by taking a couple of playing, cards and placing them side by side fiat on the table, about an inch apart, and raising each cArd !by the edge away from the other card, until the. two edges meet in the air and thus form the first stage in the making oif, a card house. The cards when placed flat on the table resemble roughly the net when set, and when leaning against lone another give the position of the net after the cane has been pulled. The egret catchers repair to a, village in the trees of which cattle egrets roost and rest in the middle of the day. Such, trees are always near a jhil or tank. In the shallowest part of this one or more sets of nets are set, and at, the place where the wild birds must alight, in order to be caught, two or, taore; decoy egrets are tethered to pegs placed tinder water. These have their eyes sewn up to pre- vent them from struggling. In order to give an additional touclij bf colour these bird-catchers often have with them a Black-leggedl Stork, which they allow to wander about the tank after having blind-folded it. Having set the nets and placed the lure birds in position, the bird-catchers hide near by, lOne of them holding the end of the cane ready to tug at it as soon as a wild egret walks into the trap. The egrets in! the tree seeing some of their own kind standing placidly in the water and the stork wandering about think that the men who have been working on the }hil have gone away. Sooner or later one of the wild egrets alights near the decoy birds; the cane is at once jerked and, before the wild egret realises what has happened, it finds itself caught within the net. One of the bird-catchers at once runs up, secures the captive egret, opens out its wings, holds the bird's left wing between the big toe and the second toe of his right foot and the right wing in his left foot and pulls out the dorsal plumes if these are well-developed. Having performed this opera- tion, which takes only a few seconds, he releases the deplumed Bird Catching in India. 171 egret, which rejoins its fellows in tTie tree, far more astonished than hurt. The net is again set. I,n this way a pair of men can catch from 20 to 40 egrets in a day. Ducks and other waterfowl are often captured by this device. Rosy Starlings are also caught in this way. .In their case the nets are set under a mulberry tree, in a place that has been slightly hollowed out. The nets and poles are hidden by loose earth over which is scattered fruit which attracts the Rosy' Starlings. When a goodly number of these are collected, the nets are closed on the unsuspecting starlmgs. The usual method of catching small birds is by means of a thin bird-limed cane, which the bird-catcher can lengthen by adding pieces to the stick in the same way as the pieces of a fishing rod are joined together. Having limed well the end of the stick, which is very slender, the bird-catcher seeks outi the particular kind of bird he wishes to procure, and pushes up his s'tick gently until he succeeds in touching his victin> with it. So sticky is the 'lime that the bird adheres to; the stick and despite frantic struggles and loud cries is drawn down and secured by the bird-catcher. In order to attract small birds the bird-catcher stands under a leafy tree and makes a curious noise, something like the sound made by Indians to quiet a restive horse. The small birds in the vicinity, fired by curiosity, come to see wliat the noise is about and are promptly limed and piit into tlio bird-catcher's loin-cloth, where they remain till he gets home and cages them. In 'the case of some small birds— White-eyes, for ex- ample, it is only necessary for the bird-catcher to flourish his stick on which one bird has been caught to attract its fellows. These flutter round the victim, making a great uproar, and the bird-catcher waves his stick among them, ana tnus secures several more of them. Only small birds can be easily caught by means of the limed stick. The larger birds arc often able to shake themselves free. For insectivor- ous birds an apparatus known as a Karnani is largely used. This consists of two or three thin twigs bent to semi-circles and joined together at the middle. When this apparatus stands up it has sonicw'hati the appearance of crossed croquet 172 Bird Catching in India. hoops. This is thoroughly limed, all over, and under it is tethered the insect known as the mole-cricket. The latter is speedily seen by some insect-eating bird, such as a roller, which, when it flies to it has its wings caught in the lime on the Kainani. Mr. H. S. Raines, states that in the Sunderbunds young Paroquets are caught by placing limed bamboos a- mong the reeds along the water's edge on which these birds roost. According to this observer the patches of jungle where young Parroquets are in the habit of spending the night in large flocks are leased for Rs. 20 or more for the season 1 The more usual ^method of securing Parrots for the market is to take the young birds out of the nests just before they are ready to fly. Several devices exist for catching Amadavats, which are the birds most commonly caged in India. In all of them advantage is taken of the fact that Amadavats are gregarious birds and are attracted by the call of their fellows. In the Punjab the amada vat-catcher supplies himself with one of the ordinary pyramidal wicker cages to the base of) one side of which is attached by a hinge a flap, which is of the same shape and size as the side of the cage. The flap consists of a fine net stretched over a wicker frame. To the apex of the flap is fasten'ed a long string, which passes through a loop at the top of the cage. When the cage is iplaced on the ground with the string loose, the flap lies flat on the ground. A smart pull at the string jerks the flap close up againsit the side of the cage. Having put two or three amadavats in the cage the bird-catcher sallies forth into the grass land frequented by amadavats and, having set down the cage and sprinkled some seed on the flap, squats behind a bush, holding the end of the string in his hand. Sooner or later an amadavat, attracted by the calls of the captive birds, comes to the spot and alights on the flap to obtain the seed. The string is pulled, and the' amadavat is caught between the wall of the cage arid the flap. It is then taken out of this and put into the cage along, with the other captive birds. The trap is then set again. Visits to Members^ Aviaries. 173 In conclusion, I may mention that in some parts of the Punjab the common babblers or seven sisters are con- sidered to be table delicacies by the natives. The following device is used to catch these noisy birds : A dome-shaped structure, about the size of an open imibrella, made of twigs is placed on the ground and a num- ber of horse-hair nooses attached to. it. Into this a sparrow is put. His cries of distress usually attract a butcher-bird, which gets caught in one of the nooses. Then he and the sparrow are tied together under the basket, to the great disgust of both, which causes them to make a great uproar. The noise never fails to attract any company of seven sisters that happen to be in the neighbourhood, for they are most inquisitive creatures. They hop on to the basket, chattering loudly and become entangled in the nooses. « Visits to Members' Aviaries. By Wesley T. Page, F.Z.S., Etc. Mr. Fisher's Aviaries and Birds: In the first week of April I once more had the privilege of a talk with this member and seeing his collection. The aviaries have been several times referred to in, our pages, so that concerning them I need only remark that certain renovations and improve- ments have been carried out, which enhance the comfort of their occupants. These, perhaps, were not quite so numer- pus as usual, but all were looking very fit and some bent on nesting operations. I cioted among others the following : Pheasants.— Goldtn, Silver, Swinhoe's, Ring-necked, White, and Lady Amherst's, also handsome crosses between the Golden and Lady, Amherst's. I'arrakects.—T^ws enclosure was gi\cn up to Budgerigars, which were breeding freely, Madagascar Lovebirds, Cockateels, Moustache, and Ring-necks. Finches.— In this aviary were certain Waxbills and Weavers, British Finches, Buntings, Foreign Finches, and Cardinals. Tho aviaries were ^cleanly and well kept, and with their occupants made quite a pleasing and interesting display. Mr. C. E. Croker's Aviaries; From the preceding 174 Visits to Members^ Aviaries. aviaries I went on to Mr. Croker's and spent a pleasant day and night' with him and his feathered and furry friends. Mr, Croker's aviaries, too, have been described more than once ; the main improvement, which has been carried out since my hist visit, has been the additioii of a domed roof to the flight of the Finch Aviary, adding materially to the space for exercise. Here, too, though there were a goodly number of birds, losses have not been replaced. The birds have gone through the winter well and more than one brood of Cut- throats and Zebra Finches have left the nest and been suc- cessfully reared during its course. In, the various aviaries I noted the following species (no,t; a full list) : British Species.— Gold,- Chaff-, Green-, Bramble-, and Bullfinches ; Corn, Reed, and Cirl Buntings; Hedge Accentors; Blue and Cole Tits; Linnets; Redpolls; Jays; Magpies; Raven; Yellow Wagtail. Foreign Finches and Weavers, etc.,— Rihhon, Zebra, and Saffron Finches ; Paradise and Pintail Whydahs ; Russ', Red-billed Madagascar, and Orange Weavers ; Gold-breasted, and Grey Wagtails ; Cordon Bleus ; Black-headed Mannikins ; Combasous ; Pekin Robins; Pope Cardinals, etc. Pheasants. — These comprised Golden, Lady Amherst's, and hybrids between these two species, also Silvers. Doves.— These consisted of quite a flock of Barbary and Turtle Doves, and a number of fertile hybrids between the two species ; many of these hybrids being very handsome. Parrakeets -.—i^inmerous Budgerigars, and Madagascar Lovebi.d;. ; Quaker, Rosella, Moustache and Ring-neck Parrakeets. The Quaker Parra- keets, whose nest we figured in last Vol. of " Bird Notes," successfully rear several young birds annually. In cages I jioticed a fine and talented Roseate Cocka- too, and a beautiful ancf rare Horsefield's Whistling Thrush (probably the only one in England at the present time). In the Finch aviary were quite a number of Crest and Crest-bred Canaries, which stay out of doors all the year round, all but fully fledged young were in the nest at the time of my visit. Mr. C. F. Le.'\ch's Aviaries: My visit was but a short one, a walk round without a note book, so I must jot down a few descriptive notes from memory. The aviaries are 'picturesquely placed in the midst of a beautiful and spaci- Visits to Members^ Aviaries. 175 ous garden, ot which they form an attractive feature. The aviaries are roomy and with one or two exceptions are not of the garden or natural type. With the exception of the latter they are mostly given! up to Cranes, Pheasants, and British birds. The aviaries have concrete floors, and mostly con- sist iof three compartments — shelter, covered flight and open flight' — in the shelters and covered flights heat (hot-water) to almost any! extent is at command and these compartments can be shut oft from the open 'flight at will, so that there is ainple protection and accommodation for almost any tropical feathered denizen 'that may be accjuired. The aviaries are constructed of wood and glass on a brick base, and the flights oi half-inch mesh netting stretched on iron framing; and their design plain and handsome. I cannot attempt any description of the birds I saw, as I was engaged in talk with their owner while walking round, but among others, I remember seeing, perfect speci- mens of : Toucans (several species), Macaws, Diademed and several other species of Jays, White-winged Starlings, Red-crested and Pope Cardinals, a flock of various Ploceidae, White-throated Jay-Thrush, White-crested' Jay-Thrush, etc., etc. Passing on we came to the wildernessitype of aviaries, one or tvvo of which contained spacious shallow ponds, con- structed of cement; these formed a very pic'juresque feature of the garden. In two of them stalked the stately Stanley, and Crowned Cranes; in others were several species of Pheasants, including a pair of rare Crossoptilons, I think the Manchurian. I may pause here to mention that the day before my visit six young Crossoptilons had been hatched out, and at time ot writing (June 29) are doing well, with every prospect of being fully reared; if this, to be desired, result is achieved, I believe I am correct in stating that they will be the first of their kind to be reared in captivity. In another roomy aviary were a flock of Fancy Ducks. In. another aviary were gathered together a Hock of British Finches and Buntings, and very happy and contented 176 Vlsiis to Members' Aviaries. they looked in the midst of plenty, shelter, safety, and natural quarters. Another picturesquely constructed aviary was given up to a flock of Budgerigars. My memory fails to recall all that interested me so in- tensely, and I sincerely hope Mr. Leach will have photos taken and accompany them with a descriptive article from his own pen. Dr. Lovell-Keays' Aviaries : These, too, have been described and figured in "B.N." more than once, and I will only add that on the occasion of my last visit (June 25th) I thought that my friend had made a mistake in not using the pruning knife more freely m the early spring — so dense has Photo by Dr. fiovell Keays. Nest of Pekin Robin. External view. the growth become in several of the aviaries, that they are like small woods; splendid cover for the birds, but too thick for much observation of the doings of the occupants. With such aviaries it is no cause for surprise that almost everything has attempted to reproduce its kind; yet even, these, almost ideal, conditions have not been sufficient to triumph over the adverse weather conditions of May and June; the result being, as in hiany other aviaries, that much Visits to Members^ Aviaries. Ill labour and careful thought, have resulted in little more than all-but-successes. True there were a number of young of many species again "being fed in the nest, as well as clutches of eggs in the process of incubation, and the writer hopes that with riinlfi. by Dr. L'H-ell Keays. Nest of Tekin Rohin and llggs. better weather conditions better luck may attend the latter portion of the season. I glimpsed young of Zebra Finches, Rosrlla, Parrakeets, Ring-necked Parrakeets (still in nest barrel), Pekin Robins, ftnd Grey-winged Ouzels. 178 Visits to Members^ Aviaries. To give a list of Dr. Lov^ell-Keays' birds would be merely to repeat previous pages. They were a/l in perfect condition, as slcel: and fit as birds could wish to be. I will mention a few pii passant which particularly interested me, as follows : Rufous-belHed Niltava (q" only). Purple Sugarbirds, Malabar Parra- kcets, Euops' Conure, Lavender Finches, and many other Ploccidar. I was particularly interested in the many British species he has gathered together for this season, viz.: Blue Tits (feeding young), Chaffinches (with young\ Yellow Bunt- ings (incubating), Bramblefinches, Nuthatches, Tree Creepers, Garden Warblers, Blackcaps, Nightingales. I think there were others, but here again I took no notes, merely wandered round discoursing aviculture >and enjoy- ing a look at my own birds again, as well as* the still larger collection belonging to my host and colleague. Other visits must be left to other issues, . as I have already occupied too much space in this issue. Some Colony Birds. By Rev. Chas. R. Da\vson, S.J. M.A. (Oxon) : {Cont'niied from page 157). Reprinted from " TIMEHRI " (The Journal of the Royal Agricultural and Commercial Society of British Guiana), May, 1915; with com- pliments and thanks to the Author and Editors. — Ed. " B.N." The Rustic Tyrant-Bird. Another bird that is no tyrant, though it bears the name is Eleinea pagana, vulgarly called the Mufif Bird, which in Creole language means "a bird with a crest." How the word 'muff in this colony has come to mean a cresc passes myr comprehension. Thei name Eleinea, that is (Greek) "[belonging to the olive tree," is givetn to the bird, I suppose, on account of its sober colour of drab. If by some magic art an olive-tree could be changed intoj a bird, this might well be that denoue- ment. Its tail would represent the trunk of that tree; the olive-grey feathers, the leaves ; the yellow markings, the young shoots, and so on. But I must describe the bird itself. Some Colony Birds. 179 Six inches in extreme length, of which the tail is nearly two, the bird is a dull, homely, olive-grey above and light olive, fading into yellowish grey, below. There are two bars of yellow-olive upon the wings, the two lines of upper wing coverts being tipped with this colour; the outer edges of the primaries are also of the same colour; the vent feathers are yellowish-green; the under-wing coverts are also light yellow. The bird has a conical crest which is generally kept erect. Its note is like a low-toned policeman's whistle, whre ah. The mated plairs have a habit, comimon to kiskadees and some other tyrant birds, of taking a sTiort flight together and then alighting, of saluting each other with shaking wings; and whereas the kiskadee utters his own name several times, little pagana seems to say, " Wre — wre—wre, look at me, look at m£ !" Its name pagana must refer to its rustic appearance for the bird is common in towns, and in Georgetown its little pea-whistle, as T may call it, is heard at intervals througliout the day. True to its name, however, it remains unsophisticated. It has the habits of a fly-catcher, though one I once possessed subsisted on a diet of bread and milk, fruit, etc. But this was due I think to the excessive friendliness of a black-faced tanager which, as soon as I ^ut the stranger into the; cage, flew to it and showed it signs of undisguised aft"ec- tion, caressing it and twittering to it. And thus it seemed to speak: "Friend, take it not toa much to heart that you are captive. Captivity is not so base a thing as it may seem. Here we have wholesome food in plenty, with neither hawks, nor cats, nor boys with stones our souls to vex. How nice it turns about I And in this mirror's smooth and glassy surface we see reflected our most noble selves " And so the rustic tyrant-bird took heart of grace and lived contented. Parrots. But I must no longer delay writing about parrots, the most intelligent and, in inany respects, the most interesting of all the feathered tribes. Of the five hundred species of this great family found in tropical countries throughout the world twenty-five or more belong to this 180 Some Colony Birds. colony and include macaws, parrots (so-called), paroquets and love-birds. I may say in passing that it is a fault of our language that we have to call, not only parrots, parrots; but the whole tribe of Psitiacidae : macaws, cockatoos, lories, paroquets, love-birds and the reft. The same defect is found in other departments of Zoology; thus we call apes, baboons, gibbons, and the rest, monkeys, as well as monkeys proper. The word " parrot " is derived from the French " pier- rot " : the French call the bird "Little Peter," just as we call it "Pretty Poll." Parrots have more brain, proportion- ately, than any other bird, their upper beak or maxilla, unlike that of any other bird except the flamingo, is movable and not anchylosed to the skull. The tongue is thick and generally black, the eye intelligent and the pupil often highly dilatable. The feet, in common with cuckoos, toucans, wood- peckers, and a few others, are zygodactyl (Greek " yoked fingers ") having two claws before and twoi behind; the outer claw i s forced back into what is evidently a primarily unnatural position. I might remark that the word zygodactyl would be more applicable to thid chameleon, the claws of which are not only disposed in this way, but those before and those behind are actually joined together. We have here an evident sign of evolution; it was necessary for climbing biids \o Jiase as firm a grip behind as before and so nature accommodated itself to their need. Evolution as an active force in organic beings is too evident to every student of nature to be gainsaid; but that it has effected all that Darwinians would have us believe, is precisely what thinking men are beginning more and more strongly to deny. Many facts that seem at the outset to lead to evolution are like blind alleys; they go a certain way in the right direction and then suddenly terminate in a blank wall. Ruskin, approaching the subject in. a rhetorical rather than a scientific mood, writes: "Had Darwinism been true, we should have split our heads in two with foolish thinking, or thrust out from above our covetous hearts a hundred de- sirous arms and clutching hands and changed ourselves into Briarean cephalopods. . . ." He is in a more scientific temper when, writing of the supposed evolution of the pea- Some Colony Birds. 181 cock's tail, he says, " I went to it myself, hoping to learn some of the existing laws of life which regulate the local dis- position of colour. But none of these appear to be known; and I am informed only that peacocks have grown out of brown pheasants because the young feminine brown pheasants like fine feathers. Whereupon I say to myself "then either there was a distinct species of brown pheasants originally born wi<^h a taste for fire feathers; and therefore with remark- able eyes in their heads, — which would be a much more wonderful distinction of species than being born with remark- able eyes in their tails, — or else all pheasants would have been peacocks by this time!" Much as scientists condemn the a priori reasoning of scholasti: theologians, they instinctively fall into it themselves. For example, they would say that the parrot has obtained its movable inaxilla by the continuous use of it as a climbing instrument, because, a priori this would be in accordance v/ith their theory of evolution. But it is equally reasonal)le to argue, on the contrary, that the parrot having been endowed by nature with this most useful adjunct to its claws, immedi- ately proceeded to give it its appropriate employment. Parrots are the only birds that have conceived the bright idea of using their foot as a hand. Hawks, indeed, hold their victims with their feet while they tear them to pieces; yellow backs and birds of that class will hold a morsel of food beneath a foot that they may eat piecemeal; and even grass birds will so hold an ear of grass while they peck out the seeds; but only parrots use a foot to convey food to the mouth. Wlien I was in India I had a paroquet that, plant- ing iisell firmly on its left foot, would, after the manner of an East Indian, gesticulate with its right, while it poured forth a torrent of imaginary eloquence I But to return to our immediate subject. As I am foil-owing no definitely scientific order in these papers, I may begin with the Love-bird. Thf Love Bird. Only one species of this charming family is to be found in the Colony; but it is common in gertain localities and has been seen about Georgetown. This, 18? Some Colony Birds. Psittaciila guianens's. is of a uniform pea-green colour, lighter below. It is hardly five inches in length, the tail extending but liillc beyond the wings. The under-wing coVerts of the male are of a beautiful ultramarine blue; the basta/d wing, light blue. The ends of 'the 'primaries are brown and the tail feathers are pointed like the blade of a spear. The hen is 'paler, and yellow on the forehead. It well earns its name for it is disconsolate when alone, and, when paired, neither seems content except when " sitting* adjacent." And they are forever billing, warbling, and feeding each other. Like all true lovers they have their quarrels and reconcilia- tions, and it is interesting to Watch them. Now, the little lord will bury his beak in the feathers of the neck of his spouse and whisper protestations of his love into her willing ear; then something too trifling for human eye to note will happen and their shrill voices raised. But it is soon over. The little lord gains tho supremacy and they both go down to the seed- box to soothe their ruffled spirits. I ^li'ive three of these birds, the odd one being a hen and very de trap. The other two combine to drive her off as if s'he were a. step-mother. Occasionally they relent a little and then the little lord has an affectionate mate on either side vying with each other in their fond caresses. Me bears him- self nobly. Under favourable circumstances these charming birds will breed in captivity as freely as canaries. {To be continued). Early Notes of the Season. B\' h2. M . Hrk'.ht. The promise of the very early days of the season has not been upheld, the warm spell being succeeded by very wintry and wet weather, and up liil quif^ recently frosts in the early morning were quite common. In consequence many promising broods came to nought, and only in a few cases have young been fully reared. Pope Cardinals {Paroaria larvata): In the early days E-" O p PQ ^. Early Notes of the Season. 183 of June a brood was successfully hatched out and all went well, the parents proved excellent feeders and the young (two) progressed rapidly, only to succumb one bitter, windv night when fully fledged and all but ready tc leave the nest. The nest was a very flimsy one and little or no protection against the bitter weather prevailing in this district (Liver- pool). However, they are not giving up in despair, for another nest has been built, but in a more exposed position than the last, so that, unless we get a little summer weather soon, the outlook is none too hopeful. Himalayan Siskin x Greenfinch (Chrysomitris spl- noides X Ligurinus chloris). This is a happier story than the preceding, for four strong young hybrids are now disport- ing about the aviary. An interesting fact about the rearing of these hybrids is, that a pair of V^irginian Cardinals who lost their own young one bitter night, at once took charge of the young hybrids. 1 hey take t'lie greatest care of them and will hardly allow their own parents to approach them. The hen Virginian at once took them over when her ow.i young- died and I could hardly drive her oft the nest to lei the Siskin and Greenfinch feed their oft'spring. They used to sit waiting for me to' drive the Virginians away, and then rushed to feed their young ones. A pair of Chaffinches have young just underneath, and they and the Siskin are continually attacking the Cardinals, and 1 have seen the Chaffinch holding on to the Cardinal's tail while flying. They do not seem to have taken any harm, as the small birds are so quick, but it is curious and interesting that the Cardinals should have taken over the young hybrids instead of going to nest again. Virginian Cardinals {Cardinalis carduialis). These hatched out a little later than the I'opes, and with exactly thei same result, so I need not recapitulate the tale of woe. It was most disappointing on looking into the nest to see the two young, nicely feathered but dead. So far they have not gone to nest again, but instead have become sort of foster- parents to four young hybrids as stated above. I should say that though in the same aviary the two species of Cardinals did not interfere with each other in the least. Bearded Reedlings {Panunis biannicus) : This is 184 Early Notes of the Season. the first season that this species has nested with me, and two pairs built, laid and commenced to incubate in the early days of June — one pair in a Hartz cage, in the shelter, and the other pair high up under the eaves of the aviary. On June 25th I had a look at the nest in the Hartz-cage and could find no trace of either eggs or young, though previously I had -seen the eggs (exactly the same result has followed the nesting operations of a pair of Cuban Finches in the same aviary) : I do jiot know what is in the other nest as it is very difficult of access, but as this pair are still very anxious for live food there may be young there, at least I hope so. This nest is high up under the eaves at the back of a tall privet bush, and. I can't get to it. The first pair of Reed- lings have built again; outside this time and quite low down, so I shall be able to watch their operations. Yellow-throated Sparrow x Desert Trumpeter Bullfinch (Gymnor/i/s flavicoLiis x Erythrospiza githagi- nea) : This odd-assorted pair duly mated up and spent some time in nest construction and later a clutch of four eggs was laid, I think now there must be young in the nest, as this evening (June 27), I saw the Sparrow take a gentle to the nest and leave it there, but could not see what took place. If reared it will be of some interest to see v/hat sort of young sudh a crioss produces. Malabar Starlings (Polwpsar maLabaricus) : These charming and handsome birds went to nest in a barrel, high up, and duly hatched out young, cannot say how many, some are still living. The old birds clear all comers away from the piece of open grass near their nest, and have sparring matches with the Cardinals; if he or she is getting worsted, whichever it is calls out, and the other at once comes and lends a hand ten drive ofi the enemy, and then gabble away to each other their congratulations. I aXn expectantly awaiting the emerg- ence of the young, which apparently are always hungry. Young Long-tailed Grassfinches and Diamond Spar- rows are flying about fully reared, and more have just left the nest. Of all my many species of Doves and Pigeons, only Editorial. 185 Geofifroy's Doves have young fully reared. Most of the species have nested and incubated clutches of eggs, which have failed to hatch out. A Jiopeful feature is that many species are nesting or prospecting, among which 1 may mention Hair-crested, and Indigo Buntings, Orange-headed Bullfinches, Pintail Par- rot-Finches, and numerous Doves. Besides those enumerated the only other young reared are Budgerigars. If any of the present nests come off successfully I will send notes later. Editorial. Errata: Page 178, line 11, for "Garden Warbler" read Reed Waibler. Page 178, line 12, after "Nightingales" add. Redstarts, Gold- crested Wrens, and Long-tailed Tits. Yellow-wing Sucakbirds : We regret to have to state that Mrs. E. F. Chawner has been again disappointed in her effort to rear young of this exquisite species (see letter in correspondence section). The young lived to be seventeen days old, were fully fledged, anJ practically ready to leave the nest. A most inadequate reward for the time and labour spent in capturing insects, larv;c, etc.— to have come sa near and yet to fail is disappointing indeed I In a liirger flight, filled with growing bushes, plants, and their attendant insect parasites, probably complete success would have been attained. A detailed account of this episode would greatly interest her fellow-members. Red-deakhd Weavers : In several of our members' aviaries young of this species {Quelea quelca) have been reared during recent years —we should be glad to know if any member can definitely state whether the young cocks come into full colour, that is, don the black mask the following season, when about one year old. We hope members will record their observations upon this point. Redstari : Our member, Mr. W.^ E. Teschcmaker, has successfully bred thi.s charming species we heartily congratulate him on this success. Ruhcauda Finches: We recently noted in Lady Samuelson's aviarits a family party of this pretty Gra? sfinch— s/a: strong young birds and their parents— disporting themselves amid the bushes and herbage. This species is somewhat eratic in its! nesting operations, often falling short of com- plete success, and the rearing of so large a brood not Ircqucnt. 186 Correspondence. Correspondence. BREEDIxNG RED-COLLARED LORIKEETS. Sir,— I have been very successful with my Red-collared Lorikeets {Trichoglossus rubritorqiies) again. At New Year time I had a tine young pair liatched out. I fed exactly as on the occasion of my pre- vious success, except that no green food was given. They nested in a barrel, and were in a large cage, three feet square ai base by six feet high, and it was as easy as rearing canaries, for I did nothing but, keep them well supplied with food. MISS E. G W PEDDIE WADDELL. Slamannan, i7-6-'i6. [It would be of great interest if M!sf Peddie VVaddel) would kindly write an account of her success, for publication in this journal.— Ed.J PRODUCING A BLUE BUDGERIGAR, ETC. , Sir, — I am pleased to report that I have at last bred a Blue Budgerigar. It was produced by a pair of Greens which I bred, the hen in 1914, and the cock in 191 5, both from: a green hen (three eighths; Blue, three eighths Green and one quarter Yellow). I boughit a few days ago a cock, which was yellow on face, crown of head very dark green, very little yellow on back and not as much as .normal on wings, the two long feathers in tail white, with the excep- tion that the tips for three quarters of an inch were blue, other pans green. I also bought two yellow cocks, one with blue tail, the othei darker in tail and the blue extending over the rump. 1 used to think that Blues were bred from Greens, though I had heard and read that Yellows were used to breed them, and these last make me think they may have been. Harrogate, i8-6-'i6. JOHN W. MARSDEN. [I', would be of general interest if Mr. Marsden would kindly write an article, givmg all possible details of the above most interest- ing) event, for publication in this Journal.— Ed.] NESTING OF YELLOW-WINGED SUGARBIRDS, ETC. Sir, — You will be interested t o hear that my V^ellow-winged Sugar- bird hatched two young ones on Thursday last, and is a most devoted mother She only uses live food, will not look at ant's eggs or fruity but catches all sorts of small insects, and, to-day has added tiny metal - worms to the menu. I " sweep " for her several times a day, and shei quite understands and scrambles about the net pecking over the contents as soon as it is brought into the aviary. The cock accompanies her and drives otY other birds but takes no share in feeding or incubating) Correspondence. 187 The young look ivell, are covered with flufY, and grow fast. The Indigo Buntings also are nesting, but have onl'y reached the egg stage as yet. I wish I could get hold of a hen Rainbow Bunting for I have a oock whiclt is anxious to go to nsst. Last year someone gave me a crippled cock Greenfinch, which I turned into the aviary ; this spring I picked up a hen temporarily dis- abled and turned K er in likewise. They have a nest of young, but I do no', know how many. ETHEL F. CHAWNER. Lyndhurst, Hants, i8-6-'i6. WHOLESALE FLY-CATCHING. Sir, — The enclosed newspaper cutting is of interest as describing the methods of capture and preserving of dried flies, and as indicating the extent of the industry. " Among the Sierra Madres of Mexico, eight thousand feet high " and about fifteen miles from, the capital of the republic, is San Vicente, " a town with a population under fifteen hundred. Most of the inhabitants "earn their living by catching flies. "lAlthough the elevation is so great, San Vicente lies in the ";midst of a marsh that surround? ^ chain of lakes— Tczcoco, Xochimil'co, " and Chalco. Here, in the black mud, subsisting on the rank vegeta- " tion, breed countless millions of black flies, somewhat larger than out "ordinary house fly. Day in, day out, month after month, hundreds " of peons splash about, up to their knees in water. They are dressed " only in cotton trousers, rolled halfway up the thighs, supported by a " banda, or sash, wound many times about the waist, a cotton shirt, and "p grea; sombrero, or conical wide-brimmed hat. Each is armed with a " fine-meshed long-handled net, and carries a leather or cloth bag slung " by a jdraw-string from the shoulder. At the approach of the peon the " the flies rise in great clouds, and, as quickly as the peon moves his "iirms, snares the insects in the net and literally shovels them into the " bag. " At, the end of the day he takes the bags to certain primitive " presses of wood and stone. Rows of boxes, six inches by six incheii " stand side by side. Each box has a lid three or four inches thick, "which fits into the mouth of the box, ijul so loosjly that it can slide " up and down like rlie plunger on the end of a piston rod. "The natives shovel the flics into the boxes with wooden paddles. " As fast as each box is filled the men lay the thick lid on the squirming " mass. When two lines of boxes have been filled, planks are laid along. " the tops of the boxes, and stones to the amount of several hundred- " weight arc piled on them. After a day in the ])rfss the men (Mnpty the "boxes and dry the six-inch cubes of pressed flics in the sun. The* "process makes the finest bird food in the world." 188 British Bird Calendar. These details concerning one of the chief items of the soft-bill menu should be of general interest. Calcutta, 3-6-'i6. E. W. HARPER. British Bird Calendar. ARRIX'.ALS, ETC., CATERHAM DISTRICT. April 17.— Tree Pipit. i8.-ChifYchaff and. Willow Warbler. ,, 21. — Heard Cuckoo. ,, 24. — Swallows and Yellow Wagtails. J, 25. — Sand Martins and Wheatcars. May 4. — Swifts (same day as noted 1915I). ,, 9. — Heard Turtle Dove. ,, 19. — Red-backed Shrikes. ,, 21.— Spotted Flycatcher. June 3.— Wryneck sitting. ,, 4.- Shrikes sitting. 6.— Nightjar sitting. J. S. R., Caterham, 2o-6-'i6. morning, he is staying late this the latest date he was heard lost 27. — Heard Cuckoo this year, June 22 was year. R.E.P.G., Sturminster, Newton, 27-6-*i9t6. Al! rights reserved. August, 19! 6. BIRD NOTES: - THE JOURNAL OF THE FOREIGN BIRD CLUB Breeding of Red-cotlared Lorikeets. By Miss E. G. R. Peddie Waddeij,. Notc;^ have already appeared of the successes of my pair of these beautiful birds in past years, which still con- tinue to nest regularly. As regards this year's successes, nesting operations commenced in December, 191 5. They Were kept in a large cage (3 feet square by 6 feet high) in my bird-room. Their cage is fitted with branch-pr^rches and a nesting barrel, hung up at one end near the top, but not so high that I could not see inside by standing on a stool. The period of incubation was calculated from the first night she sj^ent in the barrel, and exactly twenty-four days later I heard the first sound of young birds. During the in- cubation period I have noticed, that they consume less food, and the cock bird is often in the nest barrel. For the first week or ten days, though I gave more food than usual they did not oat it all, but after that it was hard work to keep them supijlied. 1 always kepi j)ltnt\- of canary seed in the rag-e, and ir ihe morning about seveii o'clock I lit the gas and gave them two tea biscuits, broken up and moistened with sop, made of Mellin's Food, Horlick's Malted Milk and honey; at mid- day half a sponge cake dry, and in the evening* half a sponge .'re put out in a coop and one disappeared the same day. One of the chief difficulties I have found in dealing witli ' pheasant chicks, as indeed those of CJuinea Fowl, and all game bii'ds, is the fact that they seem very prone to wander away and get lost during tho first two or three days after hatch- ing, and I a-ln stronglv of opinion that all coops should have a wire run fixed on to them of very small (half-inch) mesh wire for at least three or four days after hatching, otherwise losses are almost bound to ocmr. I fancy that the reason of this wandering is due to the fact that the chicks fail at first to recognise the "clucks" of the broody. The remaining chicks were fully reared to be independent of the broody, ■ which had left them, but I allowed them to remain at large too long, I suppose, for all except one, and two more which I have just caught up, have now vanished. Whether they have wandered off or have fallen a victim to some marauding beast of prey 1 do not know, but I still entertain a " slight " hope that they may turn up later on. And now disaster follows disaster with tiresome monotony. Venture No. 3.— (Set in Stable). Broody purchased from farm. Sitting (my own), 16 Goldens, 5 Kaliges Four Goldens a nd i Kaligc mfertile. ."Vine Goiriens and a Kalisre died in shell. 3 Sickly Goldens hatched, two of wliich were crushed same day by broody. Venture No. 4.- (Set in Srable). 1-arm Broody. Sitting (my own I 13 Goldens; 4 Ciuinea Fowl; 4 Kalige. Broody deserted eggs the morning they were due to hatch ;ind though two eggs actually did hatch out in <.\)\xc of this ; having no incuba- tor or artificial foster-mother to put them into, I was unable to save them. Nearly all the remaining eggs contained fully developed chicks. Venture No. 5. - 'Stable ). Broody: White Silky cross. Sitting 13 white Guinea Fowl 'pur- chased). Only one egg proved fertile, which duly hatched out, the chick, however, wandered off on being put out and died of exposure. Venture No. 6.— (Set in Stable). Broody : White Silky. Sitting, dozen Silver Pheasants (purchased Pheasant Rearing Under "Broodies."' 193 tfggs). Every one proved infertile. One, in fart, that I tested on arrival, proved to be rotten!.! ! It is only fair to add that the owner, a lady, returned my cheque, but I Jost meanwhile the services of one of my best broodies. \'e.nti;re No. 7.- (Stable). Broody : Farm bird. Sitting 12 Amherst (purchased eggs), and 6 Golden anc3 '>■ Kaligi^ (my own). 9 Amherst infertile. 2 or 3 died in shell. 2 or 3 Golden died in shell. 3 or 4 Golden hatched. 1 Kalige died in shell. , I Kalige hatched. All save one Kalige and one, either Golden or Amherst, .subse- quently crushed by broody. (Venture No. 8.— (Stable). Broody: F'arm bird. Sitting 12 Silver Pheasants (purchased), J Silky (my own). 6 Silvers died in shell. 4 Silver: i fertile. 2 Silvers ' itched but crushed by broody same day. Sill:y tied 1.1 shell. Ve.mijRE No. 9.— (Set in pigeon loft). Broody: Silky-Belgium cro.,. Sitting 12 Goldens. Every one died in shell. Venture No. id. Broody : Black Silky. Sitting iS Californian (Ouail ; I Silky (my own). Incubatioi Irst 16 days in stable; remainder of period set out of doors. All but five dead in shell, remainder, and Silky chick doing well. Venture No. 11. Broody : Farm bird. Sitting 14 Guinea Fowl (my own). (This lot and all .subsequent "sittings" were set in s;ime sitting bo.xes with wire netting bottoms, but placed out of doors under the shelter of thick rhododendron bushes). 12 hatched and doing well. Venture No. 12. Broody: Farm bird. Sitting 13 AVhite Guinea Fowl (purchased); 2 Silkies (my own). 3 Guinea Fowl infertile. 2 dead in shell. The two Silkies and rcmaming 8 Guinea Fowl doing well, save one of the latter, whose death I cannot account for. \'e,\ture No. 13. Broody: Game Bantam. Sitting 6 Goldens; 4 Kalige; 4 believed Gani'- Bantam and Guinea P'owl iro';'.. 194 Pheasant Rcarino; Under ''Broodies."' Game lien made a nest (it tlic Ixntoin of a thick hedge ;'nd as it tvas \vonderfulIy well hidden 1 decided to let her take her chance, adding the Pheasants' eggs and leaving four of her own. (She has heen paired to a cock Guinea Fowl all the season, the two having been quite inseparable.) 1 These eggs after she had been sitting i6 days, began to disappear until all except five had gone and the hen herself deserted. I suspected a hedgehog or a rat, but to my ^iirpr's? a trap baited with an q'^^^ produced a stoat. Further investigation disclosed a regular collection of eggs some i o yards further down the hedgte„ which consisted of 2 Goldens, 3 Kalige, 2 Ban.'ams, and 4 small white eggs about the size of a pigeons. W'ha*^ these eggs are I have no idea. I don't think i know of any other kind of white eggs of this size except a pigeon's, and surely they could not be that ! Perhaps Eomc of our members can help mc 10 idtniify them. I have put them for the present under a bantam, but don't expect for a moment they will be any good, in which case I would be very pleased to send them on to any member for id.entification. The nearest pigeon loft is at least 60 yards away, and this, a small one, to which there is no possible entry from the ground so far as I can see, is situated on a lawn near the house. Moreover the eggs, while about the size of a pigeon's are not quite the same shape and I can't think that they do belong to one of these birds. Though what else they could possibly be, I admit, completely baffles me. It seems rather curious, I00, that this animal did not apparently attack the broody, nor, as vvill appear later, was this his only depredation at my expense, neither did he inter- fere with yet another broody v>hose clutch he raided. Nor for the matter of that did I lose any bantams, either, adult or young, which are always scratching about m this particular hedge. Pheasant Rearing Under "Broodies.'' 195 Possibly the numerous young rabbits which arc swarm- ing everywhere provided all the meat he required for the moment, in which case it rather tends to prove that, provid- ing a sufficiency of the latter is obtainable, the stoat family is content to sign a. truce with feathered game. However that may be, this animal was either an enthusiastic egg-collec- tor or he was endeavouring to "" corner" the egg supply of the district, for none of the eggs recovered appeared to have been injured in any way. {To be continued). « Visits to Members' Aviaries, and Birdrooms. By Wesley T. Page, F.Z.S.. Etc. ■Lady Samuelson's Aviaries: I was recently privil- eged, one July afternoon, to see these aviaries and their occu- pants at Hatchford Park, Cobham. The aviaries are, as yet, in their infancy, and consist of some half dozen enclosures, the the main one of which has a heated shelter at the l:)ack:. There has been much encouragement already this season, though some hoped for successes, have, since my visit, had to be relegated to the category of "all-buts"'! However, all avi- culturists get their share of these, and when the contem]>latcd natural flights are completed, "all-buts"' will be reduced to a mniimum. The area of ground, which is gi\'en up to the present aviaries and prosp:'ctive ones, is well sheltered grassland amid the beautiful gardens of Hatchford- Park. The general plan of the aviaries at presenit is a snug shelter, with a moderate sized flight in front of same, at present not naturally planted, though the main aviary contains a number of box and privet bushes etc., in pots and tubs, providing a certain amcnint of cover to its occupants. With this introduction, I shall lea\e further descrip- tion till a later date, when. 1 shall hope to be, able to illustrate the prospective and present aviaries As regards occupants, the main aviary contains : Mclba, Rufous-tailed (7.rass, r.oulcJi.in, Zebra, Alario, ami Pintailcd Parrot Finches; Cordon Bleus, Rainbow Buiiung, Bluc-brcastcd, and St. 190 Visits to Alcm/wrs' Aviaries ami Bird rooms. Helena Waxbills ; ;uk1 Indian White-eyes. There are young Zebra Finches' galore and a pk-as- ing picture they made, parents and young, some of the latter still being fed 'arid' others cjuite independent and assisting their parents with their latest babies. Another pleasing suc- cess has been the rearing !of a brood of six young Rufous- tailed Grassfinches, and a fascinating 'sight the family party was — all are still (July 27) living and fine strong young birds. The other records have nqt so pleasant an ending, as they form part of the "ail-but" successes already referred to. A pair of Melba Finches nested in the outside flight in one of the bushes, and duly hatched out four healthy chicks; all went well for ten days, when, three of them were picked up dead in various parts of the aviary and one found dead in the nest — storms and cold nights were -the suspected cause. Blue- broasted Waxbills, similarly Inested and hatched out two young (birds, one of which was ultimately found beneath the nest and the other hanging out of" ithe nest, both dead of course — in this case the interference of other birds (St. Helena Waxbills) is isuspected. The writer is of the opinion that had the flight been larger, and with an abundance of natural cover, both the Melba Finches and Blue-breasted Waxbills \vould have suc- cessfully brought up their broods; 'as he noticed considerable competition among the birds for the existing cover, How- ever it is not all discouragement, as Lady Samuclson is the fortunate possessor of breeding pairs. All the birds;! were fin the pink of condition, and I do not remember to have seen a richer coloured or liner speci- men in any way than the cock Melba Finch. The young Rufous-tails were just beginning tO; show a little red about the head. The other (smaller) aviaries were occupied by Canaries, Goldfinches, Pekin Robins, and Diamond Sparrows. The Pekin Robins and Diamond Sparrow are indefatigable at nesting and incubating, but so far, Avithout any definite result. Lieut. Bainbridge's Aviaries: I had the pleasure of spending July 20 and 21 iwith my colleague and fellow avicul- turist, who was enjoying a bhort furlough from his duties at Vis/is to Alcmhcrs' Aviaries and Dirdrooms. 197 the front. He has not lost any of liis keenness for aviculture, in fact, short as his holiday has been, much of it has been spent among his birds, some new accjuisitions have been made, and during;- my stay, one aviary whicli has been empty for a tw^eivemonlh. was peopled with two pairs of -Melba I- inches, and five pairs of Gouldian Finches, and an exquisite living' pic- ture they made too ! These aviaries have been described and illustrated in past issues of ' ' Bird K^otes," so I need only remark that they had vastly improx-.d, the bush and plant life having greatly developed and that there is now an abundance of natural cover for the feathered inhabitants. The young Zebra Finches were very numerous, and more than one brood of Red-headed Finches was on the wing. A beautiful young Indian White- eye, quite independent of its parents (nesting again), made a fascinating picture as it disported amid the living green. Wa.xbills, pairs of Gouldian and Diamond Finches were nest- ing, as also were the aforenamed birds and Diamond Doves — the last named have already two young birds on the wing, the whole forming a charming picturs of happy bird-life not easily to be described, all the more appreciated by the writer, as owing to a change of residence, etc., he is deprived of the pleasure of his aviaries for this season. Not one whit less pleasant was our avicultural talk, and anticipations of the "to be" when the 'piping times of peace " come round again. The Delicate Life-Thread of the Young Grey Parrot. n\ M.D. (U.S.A.). Young Parrots, before learning to eat seed, commonly are fed with starchy foods of some sort. Now the envelope of certain starch granules becomes digestible only after more and different cooking than even the most careful person is likely to give it. Birds have extremely rapid digestive processes. Twice its weight in food is none too much for a young wild bird to assimilate daily. If the nutrient lluids pass so swiftly 198 Delicate Life-Thread of Young Grey Parrot. through the membranccs of stomach and h)wcr digestive tract •into the circulation, equally prompt will be the absorption of noxious fluids or substances in solution. In acute indigestion exactly this occurs. Commonly with young birds it is starch-indigestion — if 1 am permitted so inexact a tei^m. Acid fermentation is in progress and the by-products formed by the splitting up of the ferments pour into the blood. Some of these by-products are active toxins — poisons. Is it strange that the bird shows symptoms of digest- ive disturbance and, as these poisons continue to flood his tissues, becomes quiet, lethargic, comatose, and dies? A young Grey Parrot of mine, not yet feathered out fully, became listless. His discharges were bad; he vomited scantily, and had recurrent attacks of palpitation with the accompanying quickened respiration. Then he drowsily set- tled himself upon his perch to die. So weak, apparently, had he become that already he was swaying from side to side preliminary to the final fall to the cage bottom. All this within six hours. We put an electric flat-iron under his cage-covering and turned on the current. We floated a few drops of castor- oil upon a dilution of blackberry brandy in which was a pinch of Sodium Bicarbonate and urg^ed' it down the little fellow's throat. In a few minutes he had brightened up and in twenty minutes he was trying to move about on his perch, fighting his way from his perilous position /// articiilo mortis. So cramped and drawn up were the bird's tendons and feet, that he fell from the perch and fluttered about pitifully. We rolled him in a blanket, put the clenched feet in a hot bath, and massaged out the drawn-up tendons and tightly closed feet. Then, at half-hour intervals all night long we gave him the brandy dilution and alkali. Next day the bird was practically well. So swiftly do these toxins develop and invade the cir- culation, so rapidly are they absorbed, so overwhelming is their effect, that this alone is ample explanation why so many birds apparently well at night are found dead m the morning. Dawn Amongst the Birds. 199 A young Parrot's digestive apparatus is more sensitive than a baby's; the least carelessness or uncleanness in feeding is likely to cause swift and fatal mischief. In a like situation I should agahi treat with castor oil for the gastric or gastro-enteric trouble, with brandy and heat to provide the requisite stimulation, and with an alkali to neutralize the acid fermentation. I do not suggest the dosage because whoever has not judgment sufficient to modify that according to conditions will doubtless lose his patient anyhow. May I say — to prevent in this case the common and undue confidence in printed words — that I know very little about Parrots. Dawn Amongst the Birds in an Egyptian Garden. By M.P. It is interesting to notice how the smaller kinds of birds wake earliest, in fact the Warblers begin singing first. It is now high summer, and to secure some rest I sleep in the cooler air on an upstairs verandah, the quiet peace of which is brought to an end at the first hint of morning light. The Olivaceous Warbler {HypoLais palUda) begins with a most persistent song, one wonders how the little fellow keeps his breath to the finish. Then the tiny Graceful Warbler {Prinia gracilis) carols in a higher key. We know about the nest, in a clump of Pampas grass just below the verandah ! The Rufous Warbler {Aeclon galactodes) comes hopping along, fanning his tail, down by the Vine Pergola, giving forth short but lovely notes. The Palm Doves {Turtur senegalensls) coo to each other, and Sparrows chirp as the world over. A certain number of birds are coming in to roost, Night Herons {Nyclicorax griseus) coma honie with much noise of "cluck cluck," and settle down in a great Banyan tree, to sleep through the hot hours of the day, already a Grey Heron {Ardca cincra) has finished iisiiing in the canal near by. ihc " Caravan " {Oedicneinus sencgaLensis) shrieks 200 Dawn Amongst the Birds. some final directions to worship, and a Barn Owl or two silently flits across. Over the roof like flashes of light, dart four or five Kingfishers (Ceryle rud/s), going straight to the Nile to fish therein ; they arc very noisy birds on the v/ing though looking very beautiful hovering over the water to catch fish. Presently two Egyptian geese {Chencdopex ncgyptiacus) hurl themselves all round the garden, making a great amount of noise, also Hooded Crows {Corvus comix) "caw" loudly, generally quite close to me on the verandah railing I A small Kestrel {Falco tiiiiuinciilus) circles round, uttering a shrill cry all the time, lastly an Egyptian Kite {Alilvus aegyptius) with much wing- flapping wheels up from some fir trees in great numbers, to meet the sun that is just tinting the tops of the trees and Palms vivid gold and shining! green, and all the individual songs o- 1' birds merge into one great chorus of praise and joy and I igive up h ope of going to sleep again, in fact I feel rather pleased to have enjoyed the society of such a varied number of happy uncaged birds. ... The History of the Budgerigar By E. Hopkinsox, D.S.O., M-.A., Etc. " Mons. Pauvvel, with that keen avicuhural zeal of his had dis- covered the whereabouts of the original strain, heard of by many but seen by very, very few. We were fully cognisant that a Dutchman some 25 years ago had produced this charming varietyi,. but at his death they had been disposed of, to whom and to what place they, had been transferred remained unknown, until by sheer good lurk and watchfulness, Mons. Pauv\els unearthed their obscurity. When once this knowledge had become ours, the next question was to secure all particulars, which were quickly forthcoming, only to confirm the facts already known, that the then lucky possessor, a lady living in a re- mote district of another country had secured the two pairs belonging to the Dutchman at his death, and not being deeply inte^-ested in avi- culture, but like matty others, kept birds for the love of them and theii beauty, had daring the intervening years kept these birds in her po.sscssion steadily, very steadily I should imagine, breeding them. " Mons. Pauvvel's desire in bird life being to possess the unique, the next move was to either secure the existing lot, or as many as The History of the Budgerigar. 201 ' possible, and to arrange for the monopoly of the others remaining in ' tlic lady's possession. The latter was the offer accepted, as the lady ' would not part with her old breeding pairs,, atid that is exactly how ' matters stand — the monopoly of these charming, unique, beautiful birds, ■ remains in our hands at least for a few seasons so it is unlikely they ' will become at all common for some years. " There is no question but that we are on the eve of most interest- " ing experiments . It is most satisfactory to be able to say " this newly acquired variety is no freak, it is assured and established, " its colour isi absolutely fixed, and l!icy breed true to colour and type. " They are not lacking in any way, but fine, robust specimens, whilst the '■ type is even an improvement upon the original imported strain." " Whilst to some extent they have been in-bred, no signs of such " arc in c vidcnce, because each generation has more and more fixed their " pigmentary tissues in the production of this strain by freely crossing " with the Green and Yellow varieties. In each instance where this cross " has been made the young have been true to the colour of the respective " varieties, by which I mean where the blue and green have mated the " young truly represented either the Blue or Green type— no spots or " freaks, no mismarked or unsightly young. Personally, I am hoping, " sincerely hoping, for a few of the former, so that I may by careful " study and, by systematic mating, create something equally startling as " the Blues " A: present I believe the whole of the Blues living to-day are " in three hands only,— the lady already spoken of, Mons. Pauvvels, and '■ thf London Zoological Society, a pair having been presented to them " by Monsieur Pauvvels.* I do not think it will remain so. Keen as " Monsieur Pauvvels is to hold unique specimens, his interest in our mutual " hobby and study of bird life, will prevent him reserving the study of " this interesting variety to himself— his main object in this instance will be " to restrict, as far as possible, their becoming at all common for some " years." In "Bird Notes " of the following year (1912) there there is a =mggestive note (p. 216) by the Rev. J. M. Paterson on the influence of dull light, or rather protection from direct sunlight, on the production of the blue colour, which is due to loss of the protective yellow pigment not needed under such conditions. Young bred by hiin ;are mentioned on page 297 of the same volume as showing indications of blue and white in their plumage. M. Pauvvcl's collection of birds was dispersed in 191 2 and many of Iiis birds found new homes in England, among 202 Tlie History of the Budgerigar. ihem a certain number of the Blue Budgerigars.* Ir. "Bird Notes" for 191 4 we again are indebted to Mr. Millsum for another valuable article from which, on the principle that one cannot have ton much oi" a good thing, I boldly again quote wholesale. Having Learnt that but little success had been met with by the new owners of the birds after they had passed out of his charge, he writes (p. 25) that he thought it worth while recording what h^ oelieved " from practical experience to be the only methods to real success." He says '"two conditions are absolutely essential for the successful breeding of these birds," and these conditions together with other advice he gives in the following words : " (i). The birds must not be subject to any powerful light my " contention being that powerful rays of light reduce the stamina of the '■ of the birds. It must not be forgotten that their beautiful colour, a rich " sky-blue, though pure, is not natural, having undoubtedly been produced " by selection; therefoJa I suggest a semi-darkened indoor aviary or flight. " not allowing any direct or powerful rays of light to enter any portions, " of their enclosure. (2). Birds must not be allowed to mate until fully two years " old. This is a most important item, and has been in the past the '■ gieatesi cause of non-success. .\s with the Green variety, these birds '■ will male when quiie young, but it is rarely with success. The young " of such birds are anaemic and often infected with rickets, as well, the ' colour exceedingly poor, more like grey than blue, they do not thrive, ' and but a very small percentage live to any age. The parent birds '■ are more liable to egg-binding, and when this occurs the chances for " recovery are very small. " My advice then, is this, if too impatient for the birds to be- " como fully adult, dispose of the birds. I know, for I speak with cx- " periencc 1 made \.ht iam*, mistukt lu the yeai 191 1 I had about " 30 of these delightful birds under my care at Everberg, and being " an.xious to breed them freely, I located them in three large aviaries, "each with a large open out-door flight. 1 had visions of such a lovely " flock by the end of that year. My visions, did not however, niaterial- " ise. Plenty of eggs and a fair number of young, but I finished up " the season with I believe ten, and not a fine youngster among them. " These were sold in one lot to a dealer on the Continent. So much *\Vhat about the Belgian breeder Mr. Millsum tells us about later? No doubt Mr. ^M. inadvertently omitted him, or only met him after ihis was written. — E.H. In the Catalogvie ol M. Pauvvels' sale, Blue Budgerigars were priced "at 15 guinea^s a pair for adults, 12 guineas for birds of the year. The History of the Budgerigar. 203 '■ for that attempt, but why my failure? I meant to find out. Wi'.hin " a few miles of these aviariei I knew a Belgian fancier with " a few of these birds, three pairs, I believe, but was neverthi'less h.uing "fine success, breeding good colours and fine robust youngsters, as m iny " as six in one nest. I visited him several times and had a good look " round, seeking all the information possible. His birds were flying " loose in quite a darkened out-house, the adult birds in one compart- " ment, the young in another. Breeding boxes were permitted in the " spring and summer and removeJ in the early autumn. Hence his success, " and he admitted this was the only secret." The more recent history of the Blue Budgerigars is not, I am afraid, a very cheerful one. Qu'te a large number must have come to England, but as far as can be gathered from the pages of the avicultural journals but comparatively few have been bred The Zoo had one or a pair of M. Pauvvel's birds and later purchased four more blue birds, but these were young bad-coloured specimens, whicli did not long survive. A glance through the back numbers of " Bird Notes," enables us to give the following list of recent owners of Blue Budgerigars, Astley, Beaty, Clare, Fasey, Hawke, Poltimore, Sutton, Tavistock. [These aviculturists will, I trust, pardon this bare list and omission of titles, sexial or other- wise, but i am trusting to notes j-otted down son:e time ago]. There are no doubt also others wholm I have missed, but anyhow v.ith all these chances the number of lilues bred, as far as one can gather from what has been recorded and from report, seems very small. Mr. Astley has been successful, but not as successful as he would wish. Some of his bred in a cage in the winter of 1913, an occurrence he records in the "Avicultural Magazine," 1914, p. 178. Other records of success which I find in "Bird Notes ' arc on p. 30, 191 3 (Pelham Sutton), and p. 62^ 1914 (^ Devon Aviculturist). The last it is noted was bred from Green (blue-bred) parents. No doubt there are other successes, of which 1 know nothing, but nearly all the other references to this variety in recent numbers of ' Bird Notes " refer to failure, usually due to infertile eggs. Such then is the present position of the Blue Budgerigar and one can only hope that it is in reality a little rosier iii outlook, than one would gather from the above, and that there 204 Tke History of the Budgerigar. are other successes which I have overlooked or which have never been reported. Both the Green and the Yellows soon got past the stage of shy-breeding, etc.; it only seems right that thi^ new variety should follow in their steps, notwith- standing the fact that its requirements seem somewhat un- natural. On its actual origin it will be seen that I have been able to throw very little light, and it really appears as jif nothmg very 'definite is now known, or at any rate published, on this point. The question, which one would specially wish to have answered, i.e. whether the present day birds are direct descendants of those known before the eighties or not. is one on which our informants arc silent. Over che history of this feathered gem I fain would linger, but having been always strongly of opinion that one may bore a reader with impunity for, say, half an hour, but that it is unwise to presume on his forbearance too much, and expect him put up with an unlimited number of pages, I will make a move towards an end, but must just refer (even at the risk of the metaphoric boot) to one other little point of interest in connection with the general history of the Budgerigar. This is (the question; was the common charge laid a- gainst dealers, in the days when cocks largely exceeded the hens in number, a true one or not? They were accused of burning with caustic the ceres of a certain number of cocks, to change the tell-tale blue to the brown proper to the opposite sex, in order to sell them as such. Gedney and other writers make statements to this effect, but Dr. Greene appears for the defence, saying (The Amateur's Aviary) that the story is unworthy of credit and quite devoid of foundation. He appears to be almost alone on this side, and at any rate the story was very commonly believed, whether true or not. While on the question of sex, t^wo delightful pieces of advice as to distinguish these, lure me to quote again. The tirst I 'find in Gedney 's Foreign Cage Birds, Fart I. p. 20, and runs thus : " A;s a test of sex, put the birds one by one into a small travelling cage, " and make believe to catch them. The males will all cry out, keeping The History of the Budgerigar. 205 up a continual ' ping 1 ping ! ping ! ' but the hens never make any noise. This is the best check which inexperience;! amateurs can adopt if they have any doubt about their pets." The Other is given by Dr. Butler in " Foreign Birds for Cage and Aviary (Part II. p. 230) with strong backing of Mr. Abrahams' authority and is to the effect that hens draw blood when ihey bite, and that cocks do not, so that, as he neatly puts it, "if you purchase your birds after the- breeding season, you have nothing to do but let every specimen bite vou, and th? tirst which draws blood will be a hen." With this digression from the strait historical path I will conclude, adding a hope that these pages will provoke comment and further information on the many points still left in the mists, so that the wish I expressed earlier of a really complete history of this bird may be realised at no distant date. I may mention some of the points, which have suggested themselves to me on re-reading what I have written. " Furthei informal ior. on the actual pigment-change in the Blue Budgerigai. 2. Were there ever really White Budgeri- gars, and where? How many Blue Budgerigars are there in England now? Cannot some of our readers give us a census? {Concluded from page 151). ♦ Editorial. We regret that the pressure of many duties has pre- vented the continuation of the article " Endhrance of J>irds," it will, however, ho resimied as soon as Mr. Page can collate his data, some of which is astray, owing to his recent change of residence. Nesting Notes: The following have been sent in (see others under Correspondence). L. PULLAR (Bridge of Earn). Willi Du(k.— 4 fully rcarcu. Golden Pheasants.— Produced iS eggs, all infertile I thmk new blood lb needed. Calilurni.m Quad. — ib eggs being incubated by a broody inn. RingMR'ck Parrakeets.— 3 eggs laid, all infcrtdL. Quaker Parrakeets.— 4 eggs laid, one young bird being fed in nest. Turtle and Stock Doves.— Koth incubating clutclies ol eggs. 206 Editorial. Budgerigars.— laid and ip.cubaled, but the Quaker Parrakocis des- troyed the eggs. Red-bilietl ^\'eaverb. -Have buih many nests, but not produced any eggs- C. F. Crow (Grimsby). Have fully reared young : Cutthroats, Saffron Finches and Canaries. Believed to be incubaling : Java Sparrows, Spice and Firehnches, and Combasous. Had eggs : Red-headed Finches. Nesting : Ruficauda Finches. Mrs Chatterton (Crouch End). St Helena Seedeatcr X Canary. Paired at once, when put together in an ordinary breeding cage, and a clutch of eggs was quickly produced^ which were incubated fourteen days, when all (3) hatched out and are now lull) rearsd, being fine, handsome, strong young birds. Dr. Lo\ell-Keays (East Hoathley). Latest results are us follows : 2. Grey-winged Ouzels on the wing. \ 2. African White-eyes on the wing. [ N^ot lesults of the season but 3. Zebra Finches on the wing, f recent happenings Several Napoleon Weavers on the wing./ Black Tanagers left the nest but were drowned. Correspondence. REARING OF A ROSEFl.XCH AND GREENFINCH HYBRID. Sir,— I claim to have bred what, 1 believe, may be a new hybrid viz. : between, a Sibcriart Rosefinch {Carpodacus crithrinus), and a G reenlinch {Ligiiriiiun chloric). I do not know whether (if it is new) the evidence will be held sufficiently satisfactory to qualify tor a medal, as I can only rely upon the appearance of the young bird, I have no doubt myself as to its parentage, but never saw any male bird taking any interest whatever in the hen Greenfinch, at the time it was laying and in- cubating its eggs. There are several unattached males in my small aviary, va- Linnet, Redpoll, Chaffinch, and a Bloodstained Finch. This last bird is of a iuost ardent temperament, a:i:l has sent a hen Canary three times to nest this season — so far without result. You may remember I did get a young one of this cross a year or two ago, and exhibited it in London. Now the Greenfinch iuis gone to nest again, and there is little doubt that this tunc it is paired with the Bloodstained Finch. I feel :hat the young bird in question must stand or fall by its appearance ; and as I Editorial. 207 "say I have personally no doubt whatever as to its parentage. This ovidencc may not be sufficient, however ; and I shall be very glad if you will tell me quite plainly what you think. I rany say I have shown the young bird to two experienced fanciers (one of whom is m\' fellow- membei Mr. SykesJ and they agree with my view. The general appear- ance and contour of the bird much resemble the Siberian Roselinih, the shape of head and beak being identical. W. R. TOMLINSo.X. Inveresk, 2i-7-'i6. [One object, the main object of the medals is to secure fully de- tailed accounts of respective successes. Our member should send in a ■detailed description of the young bird, and all the details he can concern- ing its rearing, as well as naming the other occupants of the aviary. It will then lie with the " Awards Committee " to decide whether a medal can be granted.— Ed.]. SUCCES.SFUL HREEniNG OF JACKSON'S \VHYi:)AH AND A HYBRID SPARROW. Sir, — It will probably be of some interest to members, that I have a brood of Jackson's Whydahs {Drc punuplcctcs jacksoni) quite independ- ent of their parents. Also a young hybrid Sparrow, Passer domcstica X P. aicuata. I liave also a brood of Bj.irded Tits. I will supply notes of these episodes for our next issue. Wcbtbury, 3i-7-'i6. WM. SHORE-BAILY NESTING OF LORIKEETS, B.H. CONURES AND YELLOW GROSBEAKS Sir,— I have three young Black-headed Conures {Conurus nenday) in the nest, also a pair of Yellow Grosbeaks (Phetiiicus rhrysogaster) have a couple of young in thef nest. The Cranes have their annual brood, and the Rcd-naped Lorikeets (Tric/ioglossus rtibriforqiies) continue to increase. Ecclefechan, i--2i-7-'i9i6. E. J. BROOK. [Thus tersely (tiie extracts were made from ordinary correspondence, not penned for publication) Mr. Br. Brook alludes to several most interesting!, episodes • it would be of general interest if he wouhl kindly send in a detailerl account of same for next issue of "B.N." Ed). NESTINC; NOTES (JF illE SEASON. Sir, Some of the nesting episodes mentioned in my former notes have not materialised, but many species are still attempting to reproduce their kind. i)n my rciurn from) a brief holitlay down S^uth I found one young Pope Cardinal fully reared and quite strong on the wing; also a young Virginian Cardinal in the nest. A brood of young Cuban Finches' were also flying about. Two more young Geoffrey's Doves arc just ready to lly. Jwo lnorc young Masked (Cape) Doves are in tiie ncsi. Ihc- following species arc all feeding young in the nest : Long- tail Grassfinchcs, Diamond Sparrows and Malabar Mynahs. .'\nothcr brood ot Beardc-d Reedlings have been hatchet! out, but not reared. The lirst 208 Some Colony Birds. brood of Himalayan Siskin X Greenfinch hybriils arc now quite vigorous and have been independent of their parents for some time, who now have another nestful of youngjtcrs just ready to fly. My Parrot Finches are incubat- ing and, the Goulciiaii Finclies playing about witii nesting material and visiting a husk for the first time this year. The Himalayan Bullfinches are building again, just a-* they did la-.t year, and I hope they may go- one better this year and. rear young, they are certainly fit enough. Cressington Park, July 2f'-'.6 HERBERT BRIGHT. [Extracts from a private letter.— Ed] Some Coloiiy Birds. Reprinted from " TIMEHRl " (The Journal of the Royal Agricultural and Commercial Society of British Guiana), May, 191 5; with cotn- pliments and thanks to ihe Author and Editors.-- Ed. " B.N." {Confimied from page 182). The White-Breastei) Parrot. Of all the feathered I have ever possessed in this country or any other, the seven- coloured-parrot, as this bird is generally called, is the most entertaining. Pioiiites ineUiiioccplialus, its scientific name, may be translated: "the black-headed little fatty." The one I once possessed was the liirst I had ever seen in the flesh. I had seen, of course, the Museum specimens; but a bird never interests me except as a link in Nature's long- chain, until 1 have a living example and can hold it in my hand and study its ways. I was making a missionary journey on the Barama River in the North West District and slung^ my hammock for the night at the farm of a half-cast aboriginal Indian, of a type t^hat is rare, for he was working his farm according to approved methods. The little parrot sat perched above 'the entrance of the loggia as I approached and I was at once struck by the bright green of the back; he seemed to have a satin coat on. I found that he was treated like a member of the family, and was as playful as a kitten and as knowing and mischievous as a monkey. The children and he would run races or play hide and seek; and when it was his turn to hide and they couldn't And him, he would come slyly out of his hiding-place and nip the bare foot of the nearest child. Seeing that I 'had taken a fancy to him my host courteously ( Some Colony Birds. 209 said: "Father, if you like him, he is yours." It was of no use my protesting that I should be depriving his children of their pet. ""Oh, there are plenty more: sometimes we get whole flocks of them." Melanoccplialus is seven inches in lengtli, tJie tail, as is the case of all parrots (using the word now in its limited signification j being short. The head is large and the body sturdy. The back, wings, and tail are a vivid grass green; the breast is snowy white; the sides, thighs and vent, as well as the neck, a beautiful orange; the cheeks, yellow ticked with white; the crown of the head, and the beak are black; tlie bare skin around the eyes is also black, so that the bird seems to be wearing a cap slouched over the eyes; but the eyes are prominent, being red. The cere is indigo, and, there is a patch of dark green at the cornersof the the mouth. The bastard wing is blue; the green of the back, at. the nape of the neck, is also blue; and the black cap is edged with the same colour. The under-wing coverts are brick-red and the primaries are tipped with biack; the feet are, black also. I may remark that those in captivity, are seldom clean-looking, for the bird is always getting into mischief and requires frequent bathing; but he repays all the. trouble, for then he is in truth an object of beauty : fhe feathers having the appearance of clean wool, as the back and the wings of satin. A friend of mine had a pair of these beautiful birds; but they had to be kept m a cage for, content with their own company, they would, through mutual jealousy, allow no inter- ference, biting savagely if approached, and laughing all the time. I dubbed them at once "!the heavenly twins," after the hero and hcromc in Sarah Grand's famous novel, for they were up t<* all sorts of mischief, and were perfect acrobats, twisting around their perches, swinging, and putting their heads between their legs, leaping up, dam ing and whistling. If. one of them came to the bars of the cage and was shewn any attention, the other would dash at it in jealous rage and squabbling wtnild go on foi some time i)ef<)re they were reconciled aLiain. 210 Obituary. I am ashamed to say that these beautiful birds are too fond of eating and may actually die of surfeit if their food is not properly regulated. They may be taught to say a few words but are not good talkers. {To be continued). Obituary. The Club has sustained a severe loss in the death of Lieut. -Col. B. R. Horsbrugh, A.S.C: He had been in act- ive service since! the outbreak of the war, and during this period has had more than one illness. He was in action at Loos and elsewhere. Only a fiew months previous to the out- break of war, he presided at the Club's Annual Dinner at the Holborn Restaurant, and took a keen iinlerest in the progress of the F.B.C. He was a keen lover of birds, and personally and otherwise imported ;tnany rare species, and did much to advance the cult of Aviculture. The writer not only misses a fellow member but a friend. — W.T.P. We tender our deepest sympathy to Mrs. Anningson in her great bereavement, her husband. Dr. B. Anningson; having passed away on July 19th after a long illness. — Ed. U-t b All right!: reserved. September, 1916. BIRD NOTES: THE JOURNAL OF THE FOREIGN BIRD CLUB. The Breeding of Jackson's Whydahs. By W. Shore Baily. Notes on the life and habits of this bird have appeared in " B.N." from time to time, but so far nothing has appeared as to its nesting in captivity in this country. I think myself lucky, therefore, to be able to Bend you this short account of what is probably the first case of successful breeding in the British Isles. I secured !my (pair of birds from our member, Mr. G. E. Low, and later on this gentleman was kind enough to let me have a second hen, a great advantage from a breeder's point of view, as these birds are polygamous. The cock was in full plumage, and I must say that I thought him very handsome, with his drooping tail and stately carriage. On their arrival I turned them into a large cage, with a variety of other birds, all smaller than themselves. With these they agreed very well, although at first the small birds were pretty badly scared when the cock made one of his wild swoops into their "midst. However, the little chaps soon got used to this, and' I am bound to say that Mr. Jackson made no real attelmpit to hann them, and tliis they evidently well understood. Karly in January the cock began to go out of colour. The long black tail feathers were the first to go, then tho body feathers began to change colour, so that in the course of a fortnight he was only distinguishable from his mates by his larger size, and by his bigger frontal shield. This shield is very conspicuous in the male when he is out of colour, but is not nearly so noticeable wlicn he is in his breed- ing dress. One would have thought that the exact opposite 212 The Breedinfr of Jackson's Whydahs. would have been the case,* as the shield is ivory white in colour, and it should contrast with the black plumage of the head. , In the middle of May I turned all three birds into a large aviary, the greater part of which was in grass. Here they were thoroughly at home, and the cock soon prepared his circular playground. On the 2 0th of the month I tioticed that he was showing black on his breast; by June 7th his tail was grown and he now began displaying on his playground, which was from three to four feet in diameter, a tuft of gras::. about a foot high being left in the centre, the grass surrounding it running from two to three feet high. In this miniature amphitheatre he, many times a day, went through the most wonderful evolutions. At one time, after circling aroimd the central tuft of grass, with wings brushing the ground, and with head thrown hack touching the tail he would suddenly turn and charge straight at it, the neck feathers forming a distinct ruff. At another he would indulge in a series of high jumps, his tail spread, and his other feathers very much puffed up. These jumps, just about clearing the top of the surrounding grass, which, as I have stated, was in places about three feet high. He would vary these proceedings by short flight? to and from a bear by tree, all the time keeping up his apology fo^ a song. The hens meantime look on from the shelter of the long grass. After this had been going on for a week or twoi I no'.iced one of the hens carrying grass. By careful watching 1 was able to locate the nest. This was built entirely of grass, the living grass being bent over so as to form; a shelter, which was capable of protecting the occupants of the nest from all hut the heaviest thunderstornis. It wab neatly lined with flowering grasses. Three pear-shaped eggs were laid, greenish-white, blotched and sjDotted with various shades ol brown and grey. One I removed for my collection, and the other two hatched after an incubation period of twelve days. The young when newly born were naked and flesh coloured. They 'were fed upon grass seeds, miik-t, and canary. No live lotr artificial foods were provided. I am in- *The nuptial plumage is fuller and extends somewhat over the shield.— Ep. z w CfC! Crq W o The Breeding of Jackson^s Whydahs. 213 clined to think' \hat small ground' insects were given them, but I cannot be certain of this, I have never seen the old birds taking insects on the wing as the Weavers do, and; I do not think 'that they are quick enough to be able to do so. 'J'he young left the nest wlu-n sixteen days old, and were like their mother, only slightly smaller. They con- 214 The Breediiifr of Jacksoii^s Whydahs. tinned to spend their time in the grass. The cock, as appears to be the custom with whydahs, took no part in the rearing of the little ones, but was lalways somewhere in the neighbour- hood of the nest, where he acted both as sentinel and guard, his warning call enabling the hen to slip quickly out of the nest before anyone could get near enough to sec her do so. By this time he had entirely discontinued displaying or using his playground. The first time I saw the young ones feeding was upon the seeding-grasses growing in the aviary, and of these they seemed very fond. They now visit the feeding trays with the other birds. Jackson's Whydahs are the largest whydahs I have kept, and I have to-day Crimson-ringed, Red-collared, Red-shouldered. Queen, Paradise, and Pintail. They are also by far thd inost interesting and' amusing, although all the whydahs make good aviary birds. I shall hope next year, if the young ones survive the winter, to let you know when they first come into- colour. [This is the first occasion on which Jackson's Whydah {Drepanoplectes jacksoni) has been bred in captivity and we congratulate Mr. Shore JSaily on a notable su'C;ss, which will entitle him to the Club's medal. — Ed.] ♦ Breeding Red-naped Lorikeets. By E. J. Brook. I have been asked to record ,my experiences of breed- ing Red-naped Lorikeets. Some nine or ten years since :I obtained two of these birds, at that time a great rarity. They turned out to be both of the same sex, and on the death of one of them I discovered what they Were and was fortunate enough to buy an odd bird, and so made up a pair. It was not long before the pair went to nest in a large box with a deep bed off peat and rotten \vood. Two eggs were laid, both were fertile, and the young birds \vere reared to maturity. 1 fully believe tha^t if I liked' to go in for it, I could produce these birds in almost any quantity. They give no trouble whatever, are as hardy as Budgerigars and nearly as prolific. Breeding Red-naped Lorikeets. 215 My Red-napeds are housed in a fair sized aviary witii outdoor flight. They get one kind of food only, viz; the food I have often mentioned, composed of Marmite, Afellin's Food, and H or lick's milk, with a very small amount of sponge cake added. They also eat a considerable amount of the grass growing in the flight, especially while rearing young. "1 know I am going against 'all the pundits when I condemn milk sop, but I hate the stuft' and have not used milk for years. If I buy a honey-eating bird of any, kind that has been fed on milk 1 never feel comfortable about it, till I have had it long enough to be sure that its liver is not diseased. I go so far as to say tha^t I would always give more for a honey-eating bird that had been imported on a nourishing liquid food, other than cow's milk, than' I would give for one imported on the usual milk sop. Breeding blue Buderigars. By J. W. Marsden. In 1 91 4 1 bought a green hen from Mr. Pulsford of Paignton, bred as under : Blue Cock Green Hen. 1 Same Blue Cock — Gieen Hen. Green Cock — Yellow lien I I Green Cock Green Hen I Green Hen. 3/8 Blue, 3/8 Green, 1/4 yellow. I then picked out from a lot of Greens two cocks and one hen with as much blue and as pale in yellow as I could find. From the Blue-bred hen and one of these cocks I reared one hen (3/16 blue, 11/16 green, 18 yellow). From several reared by above other pair 1 picked out all that were bluest in nest feathers (I findj from ordinary Greens some young are bluer in nest feathers than others, but they appear 10 moult the same) . In 191 5 I paired the original 3/8 Blue-bred hen with one ol the selected cocks — result 4 cocks (3/16 blue, 11/16 green^ 1/8 yellow). 216 Breeding Blue Budgerigars. This spring I put into the aviary the 4 Cocks (3/1."; blue), their half-sister (3/16 blue), their mother (7 '8 blue), a Green hen (1/2 blue, 1/2 green), which I bought from Miss Clare, and. a pale Yellow hen. The half sister and brother reared one very good Blue and one Green. A few weeks ago I bought another half Blue and half Green hen from Miss Clare, this bird was only hatched last January, thinking she was too young to -breed 1 put her into the aviary. At the present time all 5 hens have young in the nest (so one of the cocks must have paired with two hens). As far as I can see to-day (some are too young to tell colour) there is another good Blue from half-sister and brother. The aviary I built for these birds is facing north, sheltered by a wing of the house from the east, getting a little sun only in the evening. I feed them on 3^ parts canary seed, 2)2 white millet. 2 Jiernp, and a little Provost oats mixed. When they are feeding young I give them scalded game or chicken meal, fruit, seeding grass, and in fact a little bit of almost anything they will eat. I always keep a raw carrot impaled on a nail on the seed shelf. [We sihall be greatly obliged if Mr. Marsden will kindly report on the young Blues as soon as they have moulted out of the nesting plumage. — Ed.]. 4 The Endurance of Birds. By Wesley T. Page, F.Z.S., Etc. {Continued from page 102). There is quite a gap between the last instalment, and now I cannot maintain proper sequence or any regular method in the list as some of my data are mislaid. I do not propose referring to British species in this list as, of course, they are in their native climate. All these records refer to birds out of doors all thei year round. For the convenience of printing fractions of a year have been dropped. Avadavat: Covering 12 pairs, kept between the years 1890 and 1913, the lives of the respective pairs being as follows: 6, 4, 3, 5, 7, 8;, Breeding Blue Budgerigars. 217 2 6, 6, 4, 5, 4 years; equalling an average life jier pair of five years. One male was over ten years when it died and came into my possession in full colour. Be.ngalese : I liave found " egg-binding " ratlier common with these birds, materially shortening the life of the pairs, as my records with very few exceptions only cover pairs, and the survivor of a pair, would have his or her record commenced again, when a mate was found for it. Records of 20 pairs are: 2, 1, 8, 7, 7, 6; 6; 3; 3; 2; 4, 4, 4, 6, 5, 5; 3; 6; 4; 7 years re ipectively. Average 4 years. I have ona record for a cock of this species of just over twelve years. Blackbird. Red-winged : One pair onI> — with me two years, then cock escaped and hen was given her liberty six months later. Bl.\ck-h FADED SiBiA : One pair only. I found them perfect!/ hardy, after they had been with me just over two, years they were sold owing to a change of residence. Budgerigar : I have several records of individual birds of over 10 years, but the mates of the re^spcctive pairs were not allowed to re- main the same over a p.eriod of years, and consequently lives of pairs are not tabulated e.xcept for losses from " egg-binding," mostly during abnormal weather periods, they are^ long lived, and stand the worst weather really well, providing their aviary is fairly roomy — I know of no species which so quickly suffers from the lack of wingi exercise. I have not kept them for the past ten years, but intend renewing my acquaintance with them next season. Bli.bi."!.. Red-eared: 2 'jiairs, 3 and 5 years respectively. ,, Himalayan Black : I "male only -killed by a sitray dog, which forced an entrance into the aviary, iS months aftier 1 recci\cd it. ,, Red-vented : 12 pairs, 4 ^and 6 years respectively. „ White-cheeked : Kept in my early days of aviculture wheri I did not keep records and their home out-door cages (very rough), the two I had lived several years. ,, White-eared: i pair, 3 years. Bullfinch, Rosy-winged Afghan : i cock only, killed by a Black Tanagcr after being a ;Jear in the aviary— it passed through rather a wet winter out of doors without showing any ill effect. BuNii.NG, Black-headed : Average for 3 pairs 5 years. ,, Chinese : Came to me on outbreak of war from Capt. Reeves' aviary, where they had been for some time still living — also kept them inany years ago, but no records. ,, Hair-crcsted : Are severely tried by a wet cold season both as to summer and winter periods— out of several pairs kept during later years^ all were sold, after from i to 3 years in aviary. ,, Indigo : 3 pairs and several odd cocks, two of the latter living 9 and 10 years respectively— average for the pairs 4 yearg. 218 Breeding Blue Budgerigars. „ Nonpareil : Many cocks, covering a long period, average life 7 ycais; 2 pairs lived 4 and 5 years respectively. „ Rainbow : i cock lived 2 years — killed by a Snow Bunting. ,, Red-headed : 2 pairs — i pair lived 3 years, and other pair was sold owing to change of residence, after being in my pos- session over two years. Cape Canary : Had several pairs, but have only record of one pair, which lived 5 years, the cock of this pair only died in 1913, having lived in my aviaries over 11 years. Cardinal, Grekn : i pair only^ which passed 4 years in my aviary, had bred for their previous owner. I sold them in 19 to, cock still living, the hen died in 1915. „ Pope : Have possessed many, mostly cocks — records cover si.\ indi- viduals— minimum and maximum periods, 5 an,d 8 years re- spectively, one of them {wi'xih nre 8 years) I had known in a friend's aviary for over 5 years previously. „ Red-crested: Records of 4 pairs, 3, 5, 6; and 4 years respectively, one of the cocks lived for 12 yoari and was in exhibition form when its body was picked, up. „ Virginian : Only had two true pairs, but many cocks, and in each case the hens were murdered by their mates, in their second and third seasons respectively. My present cock was pre- sented to me by the late Mr. Tinniswood Miiler, in 191 1; I had known it in his possession lor about 8 years, it is still living and very vigorous. CocKATEEL : Have had many of these, mostly the progeny of two pairs, most of the young did not long remain in the aviary, one hen died from egg binding in her fourth year witir me, the cock (her mate) was 10 years old when he met with a tragic end from the beak of a Quaker Parrakeet. The other pair were sold after being with nw 5 years — they escaped from their new owner, and roamed about Chelsea at large for some months— their ultimate fate I do not know. CoMBASOu ; I have had many of these, but very few records of them; they have been somewhat uncertain, very wet winters seeming to be fatal to this species — however, I have, had more than one specimen live more than seven years with me. {To be continued). -■■- Pheasant Fearing Under Broodies. By G. E. Rattigan. Concluded from page, 195. With apologies for 'this somewhat lengthy digression I Pheasant Rearing Under ^^ Broodies.** 219 will proceed with : Venture No. 15. Broody: Cross Silky and Belgian. Sitting 9 Common Pheasants. I addled. 8 hatched. Siibbcquently lost two, one through a pig breaking into the field and overturning the coop 1 Remainder are now practically independent. Venture No. 16. Broody : White Silky. Sitting 8 Quail, (purchased), 2 Kalige (my own. This was the other call made by the stoat referred to above: He annexed on this occasion 4 Quail, and i Kalige. This broody, save for half an hour every morning, is com- pletely shut in in a coop that fastens down with a flap in front. She always comes off as soon as I leave after raising the flap and she very much resents the presence of anyone when oft the nest, I always allow her half an hour or so to herself, and liave always found her back on the nest on my return, so the stoat could not have wasted much time in getting to work ! This, with the •exception of three broodies still incu- bating clutches of guinea fowls is my last venture and in- somuch as I have already lost half the sitting, it at best cannot prove a very successful one. The eggs are due to hatch tomorrow ( 1 8th July)* So I will add a foot-note as to the result. But apart from this lot the results of the season's work are as follow : TABLE OF RESULTS. Set. Hatched. Fully Reared Golden Pheasants 67 21 or 22 12 or 13 Amherst 12 I? I? Silver 24 2 2 Kalige 17 — — Californian Quail 27 — — Common Pheasants 9 8 6 Apart from the above my pair Californian Quail hatched out 8 of 1 2 eggs, and all the remaining four eggs contained dead chicks almost due to liatch. 1 have also found *l8tb July.— Eggs have not latched this morning I 2^0 Pheasant Rearing Under " Broodies V more unhatched eggs in the nests of wild birds found round here than I can ever remember finding before. To mention a few instances : An early nest of a Thrush contained 3 unhatched eggs, and one bird almost ready to leave the nest. Found Hedgesparrows" nest with 2 unhatched eggs, both addled. Redstarts i infertile out of five left (ist clutch), and 1 our of four (second clutch), and later deserted young for no apparent reasor. when about i 2 days old. Several other nests of various species contained one or two addled or infertile eggs, in fact it was quite the excep- tion to find any nest with a full clutch safely hatched. To quote one more instance, my Black Tanager in her last clutch had one infertile eg^ and one with chick dead in shell out of the usual complement of 3 eggs. The first eggs out of five or six clutches, which ha\-e even failed toi hatch, though the fact that she is this season mated with one of last season's young may have something to do with the matter in her case. Possibly this wretchedly cold summer may have im- paired the vitality of the feathered tribes and thus have made them Imore prone to lay eggs either infertile or contain- ing weakly germs. No doubt, however, as far as my " sittings " were concerned, other causes, some of which I attribute to the following circumstances, contributed to my signal lack of success. PROBABLE CAUSES OF FAILURE. First and foremost I attribute the enormous percent- age of chicks dead in shell to the fact that I originally com- menced operations inl a stable, which was much too stuffy and dry and had, as in most stables, a cobbled floor. For the young chicks being crushed on emerging I was at first a good deal to blame, because instead of. moving the broody to a coop the; day " before " the hatch was due, I moved her Ithe iday "after.*' One or two chicks were lost ' Pheasant Rearing Under '' Broodies ." 221 through my not having' a sufficiency of wire runs and in the case of the Quail five or six eggs were spoilt through drop- ping through the wire at the bottom of the sitting box. Therefore, as I mentioned before, if wire is used for this pur- pose it should be of a very fine mesh to avoid accidents of this nature. I think I also made the mistake at first of plac- ing too many eggs under one hen. I should say (though an expert could decide this point much better than I) that a dozen eggs is quite suffi- cient for a Silky ot Silky Cross and fourteen or fifteen for one of the standard breeds of poultry, though if avoidable I should strongly advise anyone against using one of the latter for such delicate and fragile little objects as Pheasants, etc., as such birds are much too heavy and clumsy. Of course a decent sized barn door hen will com- fortably cover from twenty to four or five and twenty Pheas- ants' eggs, but in, the first place I doubt very much whether she can properly turn so large a number and secondly even if she were successful in this, it is a practical certainty, that she would crush half of the chicks during the first few hours after hatching. One more most important point, if you mean to try and rear a number of Pheasants, or anything eise under broodies for thai matter, never commence operations without a reliable incubator, or better still, both incubator and foster mother (artificial) in readiness for use in case of need. 1 wished a hundred times that I had had one or both. Moreover, I am not at all sure that it would not prove an excellent plan to, on the day before the chicks are due to hatch, remove the eggs to an incubator, returning the chicks to the broody the following night, when they should be fairly strong on their le^s. But here again the practised " hand " could probably enlighten us from actual experience. My nicnu for newly hatched game birds is Sprait's "' Banto " (a most excelleni staple iood by the way for any species of bird that will eat it, from Long-tailed Tits to Waders j. Mixed with chopped egg and when obtainable live ant's eggs, plus a dish of small seed 222 Pheasant Rearing Under " Broodies.*' mixture as supplied to my aviaries, my experience being that they much prefer this to the standard "chick feeds." I can guarantee tliat game [bird chicks will do splendidly onithc above diet without extras of any kind. I have now taken up quite enough valuable space, so will conclude with the hope that some meinber^ with much more knowledge and experience than myself, will throw more light on the points I have raised and also upon many more which doubtl-'ss have not occurred to me. I have omitted to mention that — fallow the broody ofY from lo to 20 minutes according to the temperature' obtaining. That 1 had a few though not more than four or five eggs broken by the " broodies," and that, when such a cat- astrophe does occur, I always supply a f.resh nest, first care- fully cleansing each Q^g that may^ have been soiled (usually the lot be it said) with a rag dipped in warm water; and that 1 imake it a practice to liberally dust both the broody and nest with some good insect powder both when incubation com- mences as well as again a few days after the eggs have hatched out, and that I have been singularly free from insect pests. 1 should most strongly advise anyone who takes up Pheasants to buy their own breeding stock instead of purchas- ing " sittings " from strangers, but if eggs are purchased, be very careful from whom they are obtained I ■ ♦ My Aviary Experiences. By H. Carr Walker. It is good of you, Mr. Editor, to ask me to give you some of my aviary experiences bu;t I am afraid that much will be mere repetition, as I am a novice in aviculture. i I was in Australia from March to October, i 9 1 4, and, having an innate interest in birds and other wild life, became at once attracted by the wonderful variety of birds in Austra- lia, and their peculiarities. A study of these at the Melbourne My Aviary Experiences. 223 Zoo, where the aviaries are truly fine, and also in the Bush in the wild state made me a keen aviculturist. The war, and munitions, with the necessity for being daily on the spot, has given me the opportunity for studying the few birds I keep. I brought back in 1914, twelve pairs of finches, viz.; Cherry, Chestnut-breasted, Zebra, Parson, and Bicheno; these all travelled perfectly in a box-cage 24in. x i 2in. x i 2in. — all arriving in the best of condition. I kept them through the winter in a room heated by fire and hot water-pipes, and in spring put them' outside into a 1 2 feet by 8 feet enclosed aviary, together with SatYron linches, Redpolls, 'Whydahs, Indigo Buntings, Budgerigars, and other birds. In May I added an open flight 14ft. x 6ft. x 6ft. The summer of i 9 i 5 was disastrous, in so far as that the hens died of "egg-binding " in a wholesale manner. The only exception being the Saffrons, which reared young satis- factorily, h\\\ I ihad to part with them, as they were murderous towara.' all the smaller birds, even in an aviary of those dimensions. Last winter, 191 5.. ! heated the enclosed aviary incon- sistently, and had a number of losses. In future I shall give no artificial heat whatever. This spring the Ribbon and Zebra Finches nested and reared young without trouble, also the Budgerigars. I had nests of Redpolls and St. Helena Seed-eaters, and young were hatched our, a very fine Pintail Whydah, when he took on his summer plumage, played havoc with all open nests, eggs and young, before I found him out. In any except very spacious aviaries the mixing of the Serins is also very much, against successful breeding, as they arc so quarrelsome. In my opinion the Australian Finches are much more satisfactory, inasmuch as they can withstand any climate except an exces- sively damp one, and this much I liave proved. .My Chestnut- brtasted Finches arc and have always been in perfect coiidi- tion. also Cherry and Zebra Finches — ^they have lived in a temperature of 70 degrees for days, and again, have had 70 degrees by day and 5 of frost the same night, and it never nifiled a feather; 1 do not know any other Finches that are 224 Death of a Veteran Lemon- crested Cockatoo. able or could be expected to be able to stand this treatment. This season I have been fortunate, so far in not having lost a hen through the egg trouble, and account for this by giving a plentiful supply of old crushed mortar and fresh green-food twice daily. I am also quite convinced that the change to a .mixed seed dietary, which you were good enough to advise has been most beneficial, and during the moulting seabon the giving of as great a variety as possible gives a better tone to the plumage. A very fine Red-headed Gouldian hen hao paired with a Red Weaver. Is it possible for those to mate satisfactorily ? Death of a Veteran Lemon-crested Cockatoo. Reprinted f.om some unknown Australian Journal, with apologies ij the Editor. Cutting sent by Mr. W. R. Coltcn. — Ed. The famous Cockatoo which re- cently died at Canter- bury, aged 1 1 9. This is a record in long- evity for an Austra- lian Parrot so far as the offic'al records are concerned. For many years the bird was in J os£ession of Mrs. Sarah Bennett, the li- censee of the Sea Breeze Hotel, at Tom I'gly's Point. When she left there, about 1 2 months ago, she transferred the Parrot to her nephew, Mr, Murdoch Alexander Wagschall, at Wool- pack Hotel, Canter- " Cocky Bennett." bury. The old bird was practically featherlesi for the last 20 years, but it maiq- Some Colnti] Birds. 225 tained its " patter " till the day before its death. " Cocky Bennett " was a (great traveller, and is said to have journeyed seven times round the world. Mr. Wag-schall had the re- mains of this liistoric parrot preserved by a taxidermist and the result is seen in the illustration. Some ColOiiy Birds. Repiinted from "TIMEHRI " (The Journal of the Royal Agricultural and Commercial Society of British Guiana), May, 1915; with com- pliments and thanks to the Author and Editors. — Ed. " B.N." {Concluded from page 210). Amazons. Most of the parrots kept as pets in the Colony belong to one of the several species of Amazons in- digenous to the country. But it would be unfair to judge of th^ tribe from most of the specimens one sees; ill-caged, wrongly-fed, ill-kept, teased and scolded, with feathers be- (Vaggled and voices harsh, they are often neither beautiful, njr desirable as familiars. Ab they are all green and all, more or less, the same size, they may easily be mistaken one fnr the other by those not skilled in bird-lore. The commonest of all bears the unenviable local name of ■■ Scrccch.er," {Animona. or Clirysotis amizon'ca). When properly cared for, the bird is not the obje(':i()na;)k' jiarty Lis name w )uld suggest. All parrots screech to some extent, as the name, Ps.i ci:\ gi\cn to the whole order testilies. For the word is derived from a Greek verb which means, to call, or cry, and truly amoi^g the feathered multitudes there is no tribe or family that can express its feelings and sentiments so eloquently as parrots, nor do they hesitate to do so. In size the amazons vary in individuals but speaking generally they are more or less the size of the African grey, being from twelve to fifteen inches in length. The feathers of these birds, when they are In good condition are hard and each one distinct, so that we might imagine them as clad in scalej armour. I suppose that a Darwinian would assure us that feathers are merely scales, as of reptiles, frayed out. 226 S<^me Colony^ Bifds. The Screecher then, if carefully brought up from youth, is a charming bird, though no great talker. It is affectionate andl lively in disposition and in consequence is a general favourite. The w"hole body of the bird is grass-green; it has a yellow forehead, dome-shaped, and yellow cheeks and throat; the naked orbit of the eye is indigo blue and the yellow of the* forehead is also edged with same colour. The iris is bright red and the beak horn-yellow merging into black at the edger. and point. The wing when opened is a beautiful object, for the primaries are black with purple-blue edges and tips, and 'the secondaries orange, tipped with purple-blue; the bastard wing is yellow. When the wing is closed, only the ends of the purple-blue feathers are visible and a bar of orange. The tail, with the exception of the two middle feathers which are green, is orange, tipped with greenish yellow. When the bird cries, it opens out its tail and raises the fea- thers of the head in a pleasing manner. The Culu-Culu. The Culu-cuku Amazona dufres- niana, differs from the Screecher in several important re- spects. When fully developed it is a larger bird and of a darker green. The cheeks are indigo-blue instead of yellow, and the crown of the head, merging at the cere into dark yellow, wliich broadens into a patch at the lore. The beak is: red with dark edges; the iris, warm brown with an outer ring of red. The wings are marked much in the same way as the Screecher, but the middle, outer webs o'f the secondaries are orange-yellow, and the red of the tail scantier and hardly noticeable; the bastard wing is "light green. It is a much rarer fbird and is a better talker; for though the Screecher, if brought up from the nest, will learn a few words quicker, the Culu-culu will learn miore. It is a shy bird and generally speaking will only be friendly to a few persons. It is also more sober in disposition and has none of the pretty ways ot the Screecher. The Red-back. A rarer bird still is the Red-back {Amazona festiva -ilm Amazon of festive attire). This bird is much smaller, being oi ly eleven inches in length. It is a sage green with a crimson rump like the Red-back Mocking bird; its forehead also ib red. The _primaries are purple and Some Colony Birds. 227 black but the secondaries are a uniform cobalt green. The cheeks and throat are marked with bhie, the beak horn-yellow. I have not yet made its personal acquaintance. I am told that it speaks distinctly and in a loud voice. The Saurama. The Saurama Parrot is the largest of the Amazons. It is a rather gaunt bird, measuring from sixteen to seventeen inches in total length. It is not in such request, as the vScreecher, being slow, not to say dull and un- interesting. It may be taught to speak a few words and this it doe; distinctly, but the process requires time and patience. It may easily be distinguished from the rest of the group by the broad circle of bare, white, skin around the eye, which, hnw:"vcr, is not so expensive as that of the African Grey. The uniform green of the body is relieved by the line of purplc-and-crimson of the wings and a yellow patch of indefinite and variable hrhape on the crown of the head. The v.'iii^; r athers are the same as the Screecher except that the mi 'dl'' outer, webs of the secondaries are a beautiful crimson insteaii oi orange. The tail feathers, which are somewhat longer in proportio.i than those of other Amazons, are green, fading into a light colour, and the outer feathers have some- times an edging of light blue. I'he beak is horn-yellow, c'ark or. the inargins; tlie outer rim of the iris is red. The feathers of the nape and upper back have often a bluish tinge. There are some light crimson feathers on the bastard wins;. I do not know why this .Ainazon shtnikl be called farinosa, that is mealy, except perhaps that it has, more than the others, a tendency to become spotted with yellow. The alternate generic name of Chrysotis. "golden," may reveaf the same proclivity in the family generally. The species, acst.va, not found in thii^ Colony, is sometimes seen in its wild state entirely yellow. ()r it may be tha; in this species the powder- down patches are more in evidence. The Amazon of Amazons. The King of all the Ama- zons is undoubied'.y that epecies {A/n':z!ni oclirocepliala) which is the only one of the genus known in ICngland by the name of Amazon outside scientific circles. It is the Amazon par excellence. Hardly inferior in size to the Saurama, it is handsomer 228 Some Colony Birds. in form and feather and withal very dignified in mien. He is 'no common dog that makes friends with everybody; but to his master or mistress he reveals a Very intelligent and affectionate disposition, and will go to the length, parrot-wise, of endeavouring to feed the one on whom he bestows his affections, with food brought up from his crop. While one may appreciate the sentiment, one can hardly be expected to accommodate oneself to the mode of its expression. This bird would almost answer to the description of the Saurama; but as I have already said, the feathers are trimmer, and the shape of the bird more graceful. The fol- lowing 'points must also be noted : the yellow of the forehead, of a definite, mitre shape, is of a richer hue, and extends to the cere; the beak is red; the purple blue of the wmgs is mor'i prominent; the rectrices or tail feathers have at their base an inner' web of crimson ; and while the bastard wing is light green, there is on the shoulders of the wings a prominent patch of crimson ; the green of the body is lighter and brighter. There is only a narrow circle of bare white skin around the eye. I do not know why this species should be called ochro- cephalu (yellow-head) for there is less yellow on the head than on the head of the Screecher. It is one of those many anomalies in scientific nomenclature that shews these names are to be regarded, more or less, as mere labels. All these parrots make their nests high in the holes of trees. Generally, a 'partly decayed tree is chosen and the hole whittled out by their powerful beaks. They pair for life; and though' they fly in flocks to the feeding grounds, always maintain their couples. At night or in the morning they may be seen and heard as they return to their roosting place or go forth to feed, flying higih on laboured wing and screeching as they fly; the couples keeping as close together as if linked like chain-shot. If required as pets they should be obtained young. The Indians catch great numbers of these birds by stupefying ithiem with smoke as they roost at night. These never become tame. Again, the bird may be domesticated, but may have incorrigibly bad habits, or he may Some British Birds in My Aviaries. 229 have been underfed. A male bird should be chosen, for not only- is he a much finer bird, but has a more equable tem- perament. Females may be better talkers, but in these birds the dictum of Rudyard Kipling is exemplified. "The female of the species is more dangerous than the male.* [Below we give English equivalents for th- ninrjs u.icd in ilii.-, article, covering instahnen'.s in July, August and pre e it i sils.— Ed. 'B.N." The Lovebird=:Guiana Lovebird. ^\ hite-breastcd Parroi=^Black-headed Caique. The Screccher=^King .Amazon Parrot. Culu-culu-~Dufrcst)e's Amaz.m I'arrot. i Red-backed Parrot=Festive Amazon I'arrot. S.iurama Parrot=--Mealy Amazon Parrot. The .-Vina/o:i of .Am izons^^^Vcllow-frontetl Am.izon Parrot. Some British Birds in my Aviaries. By W. Shore Baily. Living as I do in the heart of the country, there is no inducement to keep many of our English birds in my aviaries, as there are plenty of opportunities to study most of the commoner, and not a few of the rarer species, without going very far from my doorstep. There: are however, two kinds that ( 'liave kept for sotiietime, one the fieldfare, which only visits this district in hard weather, and the other the Bearded Tit, a bird which 1 believe is unknown in this county. (Wilts.). I have for two or three years wanted to breed both these species. The Fieldfare {Tardus pilaris, Linn.), I believe, has not bred in captivity, but I cannot see any reason why it should not do so. The principal difficulty is, I suspect, to get a true pair, as the sexes are alike. My first pair were very fine birds, but were, I think, two cocks, as they wero always quarreling and made no attempt to nest. This year I parted with one of them, and got another from a dealer, which was supposed to be a hen and I believe, rightly so. She in a miserably dirty condition, when she arrived, its tail and half her flight feathers were gone, and altogether she looked 230 Some British Binds in My Aviaries. most disreputable. However, she had one very good point, she vi^as tame and would feed from 'the hand; rather unusual with such a shy species. I am glad to say that although she now has her freedom in a ive,ty large aviary, she will still come when called. So far they have made no attempt at nesting, prob- Photo W. Shore Baily. Fieldfare (^ ably because the hen was so' badly out of condition, but I hope that next year they will make up their minds to do so. These birds nest very late in the year in Norway. I remember finding, at end of Au;gust, a nest of young ones in a spruce at Fnondheim, when on a yachting cruise there some some years ago. I tookl a pnoto of tlie nest, but the light was not good, and the resultant picture not good enough' for ''B.N." Thesei and the Hooded Crows were about the^ commonest birds I ).Siaw in Norway. Some day, when I have time, if our. Editor is short of copy for "B.N." I must send' a few notes of some pf the birds seen on the trip> which ex- Some British Birds in My Aviaries. 231 tended through Lapland, past Spitzbergen, and as far north as the polar ice pack. With the Bearded Tits {Panurus biartnicus. Linn.) I have at last been successful, and two young ones are being reared this season. The first pair I turned out met with ill luck, the hen dying egg-bound. I was lucky to get another from Mr. Frostick, who warned me not to give mealworms to these Photo W . Shit.f Ihiily. Hen Fieldfare Prepare! to Attack. birds. I had always been in the habit of giving mine one or two daily. Mr. Frostick's advice was very opportune, as just about this time mealworms became unprocurable, so what live food they had, they owed to their own exertions. Early in July the hen built a nest in a box in the shelter. I can't give the incubation period, as at this time I was away from home a good deal, but on examining the nest during an interval in my holiday^, I found two strong young birds and two addled eggs. On visiting them again ten days later I found that the hen, disgusted probably with the interference of my last visit had built a neat cup-shaped nest in another corner of the shelter, and had somehow installed her young ones therein. Both birds were well feathered, but neither could 2.^2 Some British Birds in My Aviaries. fly, and I should very much like to know how she succeeded in getting them to change their quarters. A week later, they werei quite strong on the wing, and now a disaster occurred. Annoyed by my efforts to secure a photo of them, a very difficult operation by the way, they, both slipped through the three- quarter inch mesh netting and escaped. One I recap- tured, but the; other probably perished, as it wasn't capable of fully providing for itself. The survivor lived another week Plwfo W. Shore Baily. Bearded Tits in Nest. or so, when it met its doom in the fangs of a young rat, which managed to squeeze its way into the aviary. The murderer was promptly executed with high explosive, in the! shape of a charge of No. 6 shot. I was very much surprised to find that any bird could get through three-quarter inch netting, but I have since found that the Common and Willow- Wrens can easily do so*. In this connection I have just had another unpleasant surprise, *So also can Avadavats and most of the Waxbills. — Ed, Some British Birds in. My Aviaries. 233 three rare Gallenules having escaped from an enclosure covered with two inch mesh netting", an4; of course, with no possible chance of recovery. One other British bird I have iust added to my col- lection, and that is the Nuthatch {Sitta caes'a, Wolf), a pair of which were kindiy oflered me by one of our lady members. Photo W. Shore Baily. N'uthatcli Walking Head Downwards. I find them most interesting as aviary birds and, I think, it ii extremely likely that they will breed if they survive the winter. 234 Correspondence . For many years I have had a pair of these birds in the trees around my homj, but this year they are absent. I have always found it very difficult to observe them, as they seem to like to keep the body of the tree between them and the observer. In the aviary it is different as one or the other nearly always on view, and very pretty they look walking- down the tree stems head downwards, or darting across the aviary with their Kingfisher-like flight. I do not think there is a hole or corner which they have not explored. I notice that they are storing nuts and sunflower seeds in some of the coco-nut husks, put up for the other birds to nest in. One or two other Britishers I have had enter the aviary of their own free will. A Common Wren has occupied a series of five aviaries since last March. It easily finds its way from aviary to aviary, but cannot find its way out. This morning a King- fisher was fishing in the pond of the Waders' aviary; a beautiful and handsome visitor. Correspondence. TRYIxXG FOR BLUE BUDGERIGARS Sir, — 1 have much enjoyed the article " History of the Budgerigar," by Dr. Hopkiiison, and I enclose several letters from which you may care to take a few extracts. [These letters have a distinct bearing on former communicationi to " Bird Notes," viz. : 1913, page 30, and 1914, page 62. Ed.]. Mr. Pulsford is the "Devon Aviculturist " referred to by Dr. Hopkinson on page 203 of our last issue. The two pairs referred to in the following letter, brothers and sisters to my birds, were bred : Blue Cock Green Hen I Same lilue Cock - it leen Hen. Green Cock— \ellow Hen 1 ! Green L'ock Green Hen 2 Cocks and 3 Hens all green. " My luck with the Green Budgerigars bred from Blues has been rather " bad. I had two pairs (brothers and sisters to yours), also one cock " bred from Blue cock and Yellow hen ; one of the hens was killed by an " Adelaide Parrakeet, leaving me with a pair and two odd cocks. The " pair bred, one very rough and' cold January, three Blues, two all " right and one deformed ; the deformed one soon died, and another got " between a box .ind the v.-^.M and died there as it could not extricate " itself, the survivor was :i .':uw bird, and a lovely colour, but it stayed " put one cold, wet night, ought pneumonia and succumbed thereto. The Correspondence. 235 ' next nest produced one Green and one Blue, but the latter died before 'leaving the nest. This was followed by another brood of three Green ' hens ; so the end ot the season found me with the old pair, two old ' cocks and three young hens. I paired them, the old hen killed one ' of the young hens, and her mate pined away, evidently the old hen was ' injured m the fight v/ith the young one, as she only laid two eggs, ' one maliOrmed and the other clear, and she has not laid since. One ' young hen mated with the cock (Blue and Yellow) produced two Blues and one Grer^n. Just before this a rat got into the aviaries and was so artfu' tha. 1 could not catch it, and although I had men, dogs, traps, and poison it was three weeks before the end came, and before this came about it had accounted for the two Blues and many others, m- cluding a Rosella I'arrakeet. The next resulted in the rearing of one Blue and one Green (both livingj, the Blue a fine hen; then fol- lowed another nest of all Greens. The other young hen mated with the old cock: laid and sat for a month before young hatched, and only one Green was reared. I then paired her with a Green cock (Green and Vcllow bred), result two youngsters, one strong the other weakly. I have now seven pairs (do not want to part with any). With moderate luck I ought to breed several Biues this year, bu: fjar I shall not be able to give as much time to the birds as I should like. —A. Pulsford,. February, 22nd, 19:6." In reply to yours I cannot give results at present — I haxe three nests jus. hatched l)ut cannot tell what colour they will be.— A. Pulsford, Aug. 22, 1910." I have no young Budgerigars bred from Blue and Green. 1 liave only two Blues left, and they are mated to Green, buj what prospect of getting any young, I cannot say yet. — W. R. Fasey, Match 27, 1916." I am glad to hear that you are trying to breed Blue Budgeri- rigars. 1, myself, hav.? not been successful, aid as 1 am going back to India in October, I have parted with all my birds and aviaries.. The darkened birdroo.Ti, in w]i ch I was trying my experiment was too dry. I have bred many (li).a-i;, I think I may say hundreds, of Hudj^rigars, an 1 I have found thit dam[) is essential to successful brcjji.-'.g. It i, ditifiiuli to get moi it air m a birdrooni, but 1 think a guja pla 'C woul 1 b; a large shed, under trees in .1 damp place in a garden ; on b.dg.it days darkened screens, or hlin-ls of red cloih' migh' wi:h advantage be placed over the windows. For many years, in India, I noticed that eggs laid in hot weather, by many different species of birds, before the rains burst wore very small and rarely fertile. After the burst of the • rains, the s inie pairs laid eggs four times as heavy as those laid in the hot dry weather, and nearly all were fertile. My Budgerigars did best during rainy si;i g. a:-.d a.itnmr.s, and tho.ie in their tliird and fourth year were the most productive. Both the Blue and the White Budgerigars are bound to come in the nciir future u>t as surely as the White canary has come, and I 236 Post Mortem Reports. " hope you may have a share in successful experimenting. I rather " fancy that grass and groundsel help to retain the green in the " colouration, and I fried to substitute as greenfood the more bleached " varieties of lettuce, such as the drumhead.— J. M. Paterson, .^ug. tQ, " 1914." I hope you may find something of general interest in the enclosed etters which, please return, for " B.N." readers. Harrogate, Aug. 27th, 1916. J. W. MARSDRN. [We are much indebted to Mr. Marsden for sendin;^ such interesting etters and tender best thanks to the writers of them, and should be •lad to receive their latest results. ~Fd]. BREEDING MANY-COLOUR, AND STANLEY PARRAKEETS. Sir, — It is not necessary for me to repeat details of treatmen .13 hcse were fully given list year, but I am glad to nc able to report Xu.a ny pair of Many-colours, have successfully reared four very fine young )nes, which are quite independent and strong on the wing. The Stanleys lave also fully reared three, which are now strong on th3 wing and in )eautifu] feather. This year for some reason the hen Stanley did very ittle feeding after her babies were: a week old. p s ibly she may have fone off formi a little; the cock, however, did hi. pirl 4^ w?ll 'h.it the ^oung were all reared, and certainly they have never r.a od nmr y>)u.-.;4 han the trio referred to above. Kendal: August 7, 1916. J. SMITH. Post Mortem Reports. Canary.— (A. H. Scott, Liphov^K, Hants). The cause of the cock Canary's death was acute pneumonia. Miss Johnson, Orr, Hastings. The cause of death of the two birth sent was fatty degeneration of the heart and liver. In-breeding is likely :o predi:;pose birds to "French moult."' Hrccling boxes, hu^ks. etc.. shoul.l DC creosoted at least once a year, even if not renewed. Answered by /705/:— Jamis \callaiid ; .Vliss Sturton Johnson. H <;ray. M.R.C.V.S. The History of the Budgerigar. Ekkata : Re page 131, June i;sue. In this instalment the foot- note has got mixed up with the t..-xt, making it read incoherently. We apologise for the error, a!s j for the irrcgu'ar manner In which the article was broken up into instalments. We are only partly to hiani2, OUT hands were forced, mostly by shortness of copy an 1 not being able always to wait for the mail bringing Dr. Hopkins in's revisio.ns. The " time? " a'so are very diffi;"u't for the printers, and it is impossible to avoid rushing things at times and in this way errors creep in. W^e will reprint the portion referred to in a later i:sue, so as to clear up the incoherence. — Ed. Bird Notes. Photo W. Shore Baity. Red-coUared Whydah Feeding Young on Nest. All rig/ify reserved. October, 11)16. BIRD NOTES: THE JOURNAL OF THE FOREIGN BIRD CLUB The Breeding of a Hybrid Crimson-crowned Weaver X Red-collared Whydah. By W. Shore Baily. Last vSeptcmber I was able to send you an account of the rearing of two Red-collared Whydahs in one of my aviaries. This year in the same enclosure I have succeeded in rearing" a young hybrid from a Crimson-crowned Weaver cock, and my old Red-collared Whydah hen. The little hybrid should make a very handsome bird if it lives to obtain full breeding plumage, which I hope that it nxaydo. It was the first week in May and in rather cold weather,. that I turned into the aviary two cock Crimson Crowned Weavers, an Orange Weaver cock. Red-shouldered Whydah Cock, and my young Red-collared Whydah- cock, and with them hens Red-collared and Red-shouldered Whydahs and Crimson-crowned Weaver. The other occupants of the aviary were pairs of Yellow \\'eav:'rs, Bronze-wing and Diamond Doves, Zebra Finches. Black-cheeked Lovebirds, and an odd, male Blue-winged Lovebird. The aviary being a large one, they were by no means overcrowded, and did not take long to- settle down. Nothing much happened for the first two months, except the rearing of young Diamond and Bronze- wing Doves, but towards the end of July I found the deserted nest of the Red-shouldered Whydah, containing eggs of both Whydahs. The Red-collared hen had evidently driven away the smaller bird. 1 gathered from this that the Red-collared Whydah hen, does not build her own nest, but depends on the cock doing so, as is the case with the Weavers. My young Red-collar cock was too much bullied by the other birds ut 2;i8 Breeding of Hybrid Crimson-crowned Weaver. this time to have any inclination for nest building, although he has since built several of a somewhat rough description. 1 M'as away on holiday the first two weeks of August, and lost the chance of seeing what was going on during that time, but on imy return I found that both the WJiydah hens were incubating, the Red-collared in a highly woven and rather deep cup-shaped nest, attached to the stems of some tall horse-radish, well concealed. The nest was tilted to one iside, so that it was protected >to a certain extent from rain, hut I Tmade kioubly sure by having a sheet of iron placed on top of the .netting. The nest was a totally ditYerent structure, from tht one in which she reared young last year, that being a very loosely constructed dome-shaped aftair. The two eggs were bluish green, thickly speckled with brown, with a ring of denser spots at the larger end. From the situation of the nest, which was in what might be called the sphere lof influence of the Crimson-crowned Weaver cock, I had my doubts from the first as to whether the young Red-collar had had anything to do with its construction, more especially as he would have had to cross the territory of his bitter enemy, the Red-shouldered Whydah, a thing he was very loth to do. On 'testing the eggs of both Whydahs a week after my return, I tiound that each set of eggs was fertile, and the question now arose as to what live-food I should be able to give parents in the event of the eggs hatching out. Wasp grubs were unobtainable in our neighbourhood, a very curious fhing, as there had been plenty of cjueen wasps in evidence in the spring, and young wasps are generally far too plentiful with us in the fruit season. Last year my Inan dug out three or four nests every day during August and the beginning of September: this year he hasn't found one. Mealworms it was impossible to get from the dealers, so I decided to try gentles, althougli' I had heard a bad report of these from, •vfeirious quarters. On scattering some of these rather dis- gusting grubs on the feeding table, I saw the Crimson- crowned Weaver carrying one to the Red-collared Whydah on the nest, thus proving that he was her husband, for the time being at any rate. A few days later two young ones were hatched, I cannot give the exact i)criod of incubation, but b Q Breeding of Hybrid Crimson-crowned Weaver. 239 240 Breed! np: of Hybrid Cr'im'ion-crow'ned Weaver. I should say 'about twelve clays. The hen as usual did all the w'ork about the house, the cock merely keeping other birds at a distance which he did very effectively. I supplied the gentle;^, rather sparingly at first, fearing their effect on the very young birds, but these for the first ten days were the only live food supplied; after that, I was able to get a few mealworms from a neighbouring miller's man, and these she at once took in preference. But I may say right here that I believe she would have succeeded in rearing her young with- out the assistance of mealworms or other live-food. Other foods that she used were bread and milk, canary or millet. From the time I supplied mealworms, the growth of the young birds was rapid. When fourteen days old the first one left the nest and I was able to get one or two photos of the hen feeding it on the top of its late home. The next day the hen enticed it to the shelter of a Ifirge laurel bush, where for seven days, Siomc of Avhich were frightfully cold and wet, it was quite inivisible. The second bird remained in the nest three days logger, and left it only to perish from an early frost. Both birds showed the buff eyebrow-streak, common to so many species of Weavers when oui of colour, and in .shape much more nearly resembled the Crimson-crowned Weaver than they did their (mother. The death of the second young one allowed the mother toi pay much more attention to Jier first- born, and she proved a perfect little feeding machine, taking in tnealworms land gentles to the laurel bush as fast as I liked to give them to her, which, as the weather was bad, was {©.irly often. When the young one was three weeks old I saw it fior the first time flying after its mother. She now gave it mealworms without first swallowing them herself. At the time of writmg it has grown "into quite a nice bird, and is, I slwuld say, a [male. It is altogether a stouter and bigger bird than the hen. 1 hope that in two years time or sooner I hiay be able to describe its breeding plumagte. Bird Notes. Phnln \V. Shorr liaih/. lxc(|-c(>ll;ircil W'lixilali Hen FeediiiK VouiiK ii> Nest. Bakloh Aviary Notes. 241 Baklob Aviary Notes. By Major Perreau, F.Z.S. Part I. — I have been away from Bakloh except sliort spells since October 191 4. In February 191 6 I was there recruiting from a bad go of malaria when the Regiment in Kohal got orders to mobilise for Mesopotamia. Of course I dashed back lat once, but the Kohat doctors were obdurate, and gave !me jio hope of going out till say October or Novem- ber, if then. Thus was I left with the Depot to return to Bakloh our own permanent station in the hills. We arrived rJiere i ith March and though our own doctor played up for me (having known me nearly all my service) I had little hopes of getting out before Septienil:)er 1 determined to try and broed a few Indian birds. However, to my great joy and surprise our doctor had hardly expected so rapid a re- sponse— to hi^ report on me, on 19th April I got my orders to g:> and I loft with a draft on 24th. While in Kohat I had left a fe'w birds in charge of a pensioned Gurkha sepoy ("ineligible"), whom my servants call bird orderly. I had also caught a few birds, most of which I iet go on departure. When I left my wife took over charge of the bird orderly — Dila Ram by name. Gurkhas (of W. Nepal at any rate) do not make good bird men, the work is too light and requires too much thinking, also as a rule the pensioner who remains in British territory is not the best. In a very short time my wife had taken almost entire charge of the birds, and in my opinion she has had a most successful seas(Mi. ( >f course, she knows more than she pre~ lends to, and has often given me invaluable help, but she has never had Ijirds on her own before, excej)t for short spells at a l-mie, and those were seed-eaters. Out of the few pairs in the aviaries two species have successfully reared young and anothcM- got as far as feeding young for ten days. She has Ncni me copious notes in jier letters, and also kept a rough diary, which I have now with me. 1 {»upix)Se I ought to write a separate account of the doi/ngs of each species and this I 242 Bakloh Aviary Notes. tried to do, but it seerriicd tocutlup herinotes so much, and I have myself got so much pleasure from reading and re-reading the notes (copied into a book) that, I venture to hope our members will be intrested in thcrrf ^s originally written, with a few notes by myself. I therefore propose to write these aviary notes in four parts: Part I., Inio'tes to date of my de- parture, by myself; Part II. and III., notes by my wife, including nesting and rearing; Part IV., notes on the birds in a wild state, &c., by myself. My new aviaries, though erected in 1909, have been little used and badly want repair. My old ones, built in 1903 are far more convenient and the few birds I've kept ■recently have been housed in them, but they have been prac- tically empty since early 1913. They want cleaning and tidying up badly, old nests require pulling out of boxes, both Parrakeet and Finch, and they rather present the look of a lumber room with boxes and cages stacked in places, but they are useful aviaries, well furnished with pea sticks and artificial perches and nesting boxes of very varied shapes and sizes. The aviary consists of a stone house with 8ft. ver- andah, both iron sheet over plank roofing, with 20ft. open flight to south. This house runs gablewise into the west verandah of lOur bun_galow. The house is 12ft. by 1 8ft., but 3ft. at the back is taken \ixf by two aviary cages, one over the other 14ft. by 3ft. and 4ft. at the end near the bungalow is used as a store room. It is divided into two aviaries, rough ineasurementf as follow: Near or Finch Aviary.' — House 9ft. by 8ft., verandah 8ft. by nearly 12ft., flight 20ft. by about 14ft., the east sidel having nearly 2'ft. of eaves of the bungalow. Far or Parrakeet xiviary. — House 9ft. by 6ft., Vferandah 8ft, by 7ft. 6in. to 8ft., flight 20ft. by 8ft : to 9ft: At the S.W. corner of the bungalow verandah is the' verandah aviary 14ft. by 4ft. wide by 6ft. high, of which for 6ft. is glass and wood, covered with blanket and tarpaulin, quite a useful little aviary it has been; remaining 8ft. is open wire. All wire is half-inch mesh, strong galvanised netting. Finches and Parrakeets having been absent so long Bakloh Aviary Notes. 243 ^ FLOWE'R 135135 ^1 o vS § s E 0 0 en c i L. o U4 X or ri o n t- "1 • > ■ -■ c -x )2 ranqC(V 1 if^ iT 1 T 1 u. 1 (3^ATE«? u- M^ 1 0) i_ ■< 1 O 1 idat, o^roQ^y ^ -tf D, 0 o 0 1^ o^ -x^ .^ ^« ^ c: 5! ? R S: ^ , POc^/JS c ^0 «> in w Ul c 1- t u. »o «o O) '^ iND o vv 244 Bakloh Aviary Notes. there is a Jiice crop of grass and weeds in the flight, in other parts floor is flagged. Outside near aviary Ligh*!: at the jconier of the bungalow is a ibougainvillea anirl a fig tree, the twigs of the latter I try to train through the wire in early spring, but the Imali in my absence invariably prunes off these twigs and I have to conteint ^myself with a few later trained twigs. A fig tree inside would either die or lift the roof ofl^ wlien one was away. Inside (the same corner), I Imve put in a large ihiydrangea bush in a tub. Then I have built up some low mounds with artificial holes for Chats, Rock Thrushes, &c., with stones, earth and grass. These my wife in the feminine intuitive way calls "quail 'dug-outs," they are not dug out and I fhave no quail but still there you are, they " look like " (as Mark Twain's Eve puts it) quail dug-outs. Anyhow, my tame chats refuse to use them, preferring an unnatural Parra- keet box and I bave known wild Chats use far inferior artificial sites by the satae artist in the campound. I suppose I shall have to get some Quail when I ^get back, I'll bet that, unsuit- able for Quail as they are, they will be snapped up at once. Water is given iji flight twice a 'day in large shallow iron pans. Food is placed under cover in dishes, standing inside larger dishes, in dififerent parts. Food consists of dry cake, insect Jnixture, and live food, chiefly mealworms and wild things when procurable and sometimes maggots and (when I had my, old mali) earthworms; fruits when procurable. Flying white wints when iprocurable are good and dried ones are also good, but one is able to get them in such small quan- tities. There seem to be millions, but collecting them in thousands, or even hundreds is dift'ej^nt; ithey do not tome out at night .with us or the lamp on a brick in a basin of water would do the trick. When I feel energetic enough to polish up some rough letters I've startled, I hope to lay the seeds of a business" wh*^re I shall be able to buy dried termites and also silkworm pupae. This lajnp game and net sweep- ing provide a fair amount of live food at certain seasons, thoroughly dried, sun or oven, and kept in dry place in air- tight receptacles. Those jam jars with screw lid, inner lid and rubber waslheil are "it." I've had dried white ants (texmiies-rlYing), for over two years in such! a jar and the.se Bakloh Aviary Notes. !^45 were only greasy dried, as they should be. The commoa blackbeetle of the Tvitchen dries very -.veil (dry real hard), and responds very well to hot water when wanted. I seem to be rather off the lines but foods are my par- ticular hobby. My .own mi.^cture at present' is one part each, in bulk, flies,, ants' egg's and cVissel, co two parts biscuit made crumbly moist and then hard boiled agg lightly mixed in, one ^gg to say ten to sixteen birds. Now having cackled, lets get to the losses. (Jn arrival in Baklon .on i ith March I found in the Finch aviary i cock Blue-headed Rock Fhrush, i cock Blue Chat, i cock Red- billed (Wren), Babbler, all these (with spouses smce departed) were caught in September, 191 4; i pair Tailor Birds, and 4 Crested Black Tits caught in December, 1913. Bar one Tit all very fit. To these 1 added and did not let go i hen Tit B'abbler (it's no good both my wife and self have got into misnaming the Red-billed Babbler, they are more like Tits than Wrens, soi 1 give up trying to name them correctly) on March 12th ^^smart catching this), .one hen Rock Thrush; on April 12th, both in Fimch Aviary. Also added and placed in Fai Aviary i pair Pied Bush Chats (domestic Pied Chat) on 1 8th and 22nd March, and i pair Tit Babblers on 13th March. In verandah aviary i cock Paradise Flycatcher on 6th April. My notes till I Jjeft are as follow : Reu-billed Babblers. Cock started feeding hen while the latter was still in the mieating. ofl cage, aiul lien was soon let out and cock then started carrying grass and leaves, and courting conmtenced, no special display bar tickl- ing in 'true babbler style, hen quiescent, but helped in latter sKa^cs of nest that cock was building in a half covered Lip- tjpn's tea tin, about Gift, from ground under the ca\Co of the bungalow. Nest j)ra< tically linished on 1 ytli April, domed, made of coarse grass and leaves, and lined with fibre. Un 23rd there were 3 eggs, rather huge for size of bird, white with rather large pale rusty splashes at big end. Rather think other pair may start soon, too. Crested Bl.\lk Tiis {L. inclanolophus). One ccr- 246 1 • Bakloh Aviary Notes. tain pair, cock Wexy amorous, has a pretty way of lifting and fluttering the off "vvLnig, chivies her considerably, hen not responsive. Tailor 'I^irds XOrtlwtonuis siiton'us) nested in early August, 1911, HI two llg leave's, the eggs 'were fertile but eaten by liiiie. The cock was very .amorous and noisy, ohivying the hen a great deal, she seemed rather struck with 'an outside birtl; the cock did a little sewing in the very few fig leaves. Blue-headed Rock Thrushes {Petrophlla iincloihyii- cha). the cock was very amorous, and showed olf continu- ally, but the hen was really hardly meatcd jif in the way I like when I put her in the aviary prior to departure. Summer visitors were very late this year. Indian Blue Chat {Larvivora brannca) ■ cock very fit but hens had not arrived when I left, worse luck. Indian Pied Bush-chats {Pratincola caprata). The first pair of the year were I)ot]i caught in the same tree by double spring net trap almost on arrival. From ,my chair near t(lie aviary \ tsaw both go^ for the mealworm at the same lime. As, la rule when this happens one gets hurt, and this may have happened in this case as the hen succumbed in ii few days, though apparently feedhig well. I got another hen and and took particular care with her before letting her loose. Tliey were settling down nicely when I left, the cock doing a m.osmitirs Aviaries. KEY TO GROUND PLAX. A.Aa..\b and Ac. — Lobby Birdroom forming a «afc entrance to the aviarv, by means of the 4ft. wide tiled path through the centre. There arc three flights, as shown by dotted lines Aa. being 10 x j.'.ft.. and A!) and Ac. 5^- x s'ft.. each. B. and Ba. — The main aviary shelter originally one large room 2> \ lofi , now divided into two by a wire netting p.irti'ion as indi'ated by dotted line. Bb. — The main aviary flight, with an area approximately too x 2ift. Ba. and B.a.a. — The Weaver Aviary, the (light (B.a.a.) being a jungle of evergreen and deciduous shrubs. C. and C.a. — Parrakeet shelter and flight rcspcctivcly-this is well shown on photo-plate. D.— A small shelter (about 10 .\ 4-^ft,j wTtili a flight, D.a., about ijx 4tt,, 250 Vistls to Members' Aviaries and Birdrooms. The double lines back and front of shelters indicate windows, and the lines at an acute angic mark the doors. These shelters have s. total area of 50 x 10ft. The ground plan and the photo-illustrations greatly facilitate my task oi describing "the aviaries, though' it is prac- ' Visits to Members* Aviaries and Bird rooms. 251 Mr. Grossniilli's Aviaries (l-'fuiit \'i(.'w). tically iin|)<)ssil)l(; to get a roiiiprohciisivc pholoi^rapli ol the whole with trtie perspective. Tlic I.KiuK' of the aviaries is plain and tasteful, and though phu etl in the midst of the 252 Visifs io ' Member si^ Aviaries and Bird rooms. beautiful garden noar the house, arc not in any sense an eye- sore ; . in fact, quite the reverse, for, even in this prominent position, they add to, rather than mar, the beauty of their setting. The whole structure is built upon a concrete wall 2lh. deep by 9 inches thick, which runs entirely round the aviary; this effectively Iceeps out the rats, which are fairly numerous about the grounds. The flight is imos'tly constructed of 2in. X 2m. deal quartering, with half-inch mesh wire net- ting (thick gauge) stretched over the whole — it did not. suffer any damage during the heavy snowfall in the early part of this year. On the east side there is a 3ft.height of match- boarding as a ishelter, but on the S. and W. the netting ex- tends to the ground, the N. end of flight being bounded by the shelters — the position is a fairly sheltered one. The shelters form one range 50ft. long by loft. wide, and are constructed of two Courses of matching with a layer of felt between, over a skeleton framing of 2in. x 5in. quar- tering. Shelters "B and Ba," and Lobby Flights "A" are heatea by gas hot-water apparatus, the gas boilers being attended to from the outside, and having outlets only to at- mosphere; thus almost any and every species "of bird can be comfortably housed according to their several requirements. The shelters are stained exteriorally with " Solignum " (medium brown), with windows and doors picked ouit in very pale sea-green; the interiors are coloured pale sea-grcien — Hall's Washable Distemper being "the colouring material. The woodwork of the flights is also covered with medium-brown " Solignum," fthe 'netting receiving a coat of Brunswick-black varnish before being stretched over the fram- ing, and the whole result is a most tasteful and handsome structure, which would adorn any garden or private park. The trees and shrubs arc looked after by the gardeners, and kept perfectly trim and in order, yet this does not effect the provision of cover for the birds and the work is carried out so as not to disturb the birds. The shelters are kept spotlessly clean — the aviary attendant is at present with " the colours," but his wife is most effectively attending the birds, etc., while he is serving his King and Country. V/sffs to Mrmbrrs' Aviorics and Bird rooms. 253 I do not propose to give a list of tho birds, but merely to indicate some of the families kept, in the hope that at a later date Mr. Grossmith will kindly write an article si^iving a list of the birds and recounting many oT the episodes and successeG that have occurred since the aviary has been '\\\ existence. On entering the aviary by Lobby-shelter, one was at once struck by the quiet beauty of the struclure, from which I was at once attracted by the flashing |hues of Gold-fronted Fruitsuckers. Australian Moneycaters, Zosterops, various Tana- gers, Gouldian Finches, etc., as they disported amid the branches, and several bay trees in pots — here I paused for quite a time, as these were birds that had always fascinated me. while chatting with their owner concerning them — these alone forming) a collection of which any bird-lover may well be proud. Passing from here into the main aviary flight I was met by large numbers of the " Small Ornamental Finches," and a charming picture they were as they flew in and out of the trees and bushes (this flight being sufficiently large for six or seven persons to walk about in and yet leave the birds undisturbed); it was (|uite a naiur.i] ])i(ture, as they went about their business, foraging for prey and feeding the'.r families. Here, in a bush, by the side of the walk (jue looked into the beauiiiul nest of that sweet songs. er, the Grey Singingrtnch, and saw three bonny babes all but ready to leave their snug and safe retreat. Against one of the stand- ards hung a small barrel, and therefrom came the cries of young Zebra Finches, yelling " blue-murder for grub " — these charming plebeians of the bird-world were everywhere, adults and young, nestlings slill being {<^(\. and (itlu-rs just passing into mature plumage; wlial a scolding i)usy crowd lluyucrel What a channing natural picture tht^j ^ formed I Next Cardinals claimed my attention. Pope. ked- rrested, and Virginian— the latter have nested several times. but, though young liave liiore than once been fully fledged, none, as yet, have lived to fend for themselves. They were worth their place indeed, being nearly always in the picture, 254 Visits to 'Mrmhtrs^ Aviaries and Birdrooms. and a brilliant patch of colour at all times, they added life and beauty to the scene. But I must not ]ini;(M-. Firefinches, Cordon Bleu^. T-ong-tailed and Rufous-tailed Grassfinches, Alelba Finches, Diamond Sparrows, Scarlet and Blue Tanagers, White Java Sparrows, AvacLnats, Mashed in and out of the picture in- cessantly; while occasionally Pied and Yellow Wagtails ad- orned this charming" scene. In the next aviary, " I3a," were gathered together a colony of Weavers, many of the Hyphantornine group, also Cirenadier, Napoleon. Orange. Crimson-crowned, and many others ; a'so other pugnacious pairs counted unsafe, bwing to many misdemeanours, for the general crowd in the main aviary. ; ' , i ' The adjoining aviary " C " was occupied by Psiftact. I no'ed Mealy and Red Rosellas,> Pennant's. Jendaya, All r,reen and other Parrakeets; Peach-faced Lovebirds, Green and Yellow Budgerigars, all apparently in the best of health and fine plumage, their glowing plumage fully compensating for the lack of growing trees and bushes in their enclosure. After leaving the aviaries I was shown two nests, Ijy one pair of Hedge Accentors, from which two young Cuckoos .had entered the wide world — the nests were placed in bushes at the back of the herbaceous border by the side of the temiis lawn. The writer sincerely hopes that Mr. Grossmith will supply in the near future a more detailed account of the doings of the birds — the photos illustrating the above notes were taken by Mrs. Grossmith. Miss Lucas' Aviary : Last Imonth I spent an after- noon with Dr. and Miss Lucas at East Grinstead, who arc new adherents to aviculture. While chatting aviculture \fith Dr. Lucas, a charming Shama flitted about the room, begging continually for mealworms, it was tame and familiar, and of the many of this species that 1 have seen, kept or handled, I have never seen one in better condition or richer colour than the above mentioned bird. In the drawing-room while Visits to Members* Aviaries and Birdrooms. 255 taking tea we were entertained by the antics and speech of an attractive Grey Parrot. The Aviary : Some distance from the house in the middle of a large piece of wild ground, bordered all round by trees and shrubs stood the aviary. The flight, 20 x 12ft. with a shelter at the back. "B.N." members will remem- ber that in 191 4 the first aviary was burnt to the ground, the present aviary erected on the same site is practically fireproof as regards the shelter; nothing has been neglected that would tend to the safety and comfort of the birds — the shelter is heated during the winter months. The walls are of brick and the roof is first asbestos, then wood with an outer covering of " rubberoid." The shelter is fitted with a sliding door, and has/ a concrete floor. The flighjt is of half- inch mesi'i netting on a fight wood framing, the netting being carried deeply into the ground to exclude rats. The ground is covered with rough grass and there are several evergreen shrubs, in one of which was a well made nest, built by Cuban Finches, from which one brood had already flown, it contained at the time of my visit two half-fledged young, which have since lefi the nest. While from another nest came the noisy call of baby Zebra Finches yelling for food. Only seed- waters arc kept, of which Miss Lucas has kindly supplied a list. I pair Himalayan Siskins {Chrysoinitris spinoides). I pair Green Singing Finches {Seriniis icterus). I cock Common Firffinch {Lagonosticta minima). I hen Bar-bre.istcd Firefinch {L. rnjopicfa). I pair Spice Finclies {Mania puncltiluta).. I pair Cuban Finches {Phonipara canora). i I pail Zebra Finches {Taeniopygiu caslanolis). I pair Bcngalese {Miinia domcsticn). I pair St. Helena \\'axbills {Eslrildu ustrilda). I jiair Grey Waxbills {E. Cincrea). I lien Quail Finch {Orlygospiza polyzona). I Red Avadavat {Sporarginihiis anumclava). I cock Jacarini Finch {Voladniii jticarini). I pair Abyssinian Sparrows {Passer lutctis). ilie following young have been successfully reared. 5 Cuban Finches. 3 St. Helena W a.\bills. 5 Zebra Finches. 256 Correspondence. Dr. Lucas is at present much occupied with hospital duties, but I gather that when the piping times of peace come round again, the size of the aviary flight will be increased at the expense of some of the wild grcmnd around it. As I talked Avith Dr. and Miss Lucas in the aviary it was easy to understand the interest and pleasure they gath- ered from their aviary and its occupants, as one topic after another concerning their welfare was discussed. I, too. passed a most interesting visit, as many of the species in the aviary were old favourites of mine, when seed-eaters claimed a larger share of my attention than they do at present. Correspondence. A REPUTED HYBRID ROSEFIXCH >( GREENFINCH. Sir.i — Referring to my prcvix . Butler's illustration of the hen rosefinch shows the shape of the hybrid's head and beak exactly. The other male birds in the aviary at the time of the nesting were ' Redpoll, Twite, Chaffinch, Linnet, and Orange Bishop. The young hybrid >ihows no trace of thcic. There remains the afore-mentioned Mexican Rose- finch. Tills is a most ardent and mercurial bird. He will sing and display to any hen in the aviary, even to a Meadow Pipit ! He was tfie- cause of the (jiecnfinch leaving two of its innocent progeny to starve, whicli is the more to be regretted since nothing came of the second mating There is no resemblance to him, however,, in the hybrids. I ma)- say I 'iim permitted to refer yon to Mr. Sykes, a fellow member of tlir. Club, if this is thought necessary. His opinion as to the parent- age of the bird coincides with mine. I hope this over-long (but I fuar nr)t over-clear) description mav bo held satisfactory. Midlothian, 30-9-'i6. R[. R. TOMI.IN.SOX. BRKKDIXC. OF BI.UE-BREASTEl) \VA.\BILLS, ETC. Sir, — I have had a great success in breeding three beautiful Blue- breasted WaxbiJls, they arc quite strong on the wing now (September 17th) and fly from one end of the aviary to the other. The nest was built in a ^Tiiail box tree, and this time, happily, no other liird interfered, (l had taken the precaution of removing the pair of .St. Helena \VaibiIls, wlioji' interference spoiled the Biucjbreasls' first attempt). Th.^^c throe liltlo Waxbills are lovely mites, blue and dove colour, ju^l like the old' I'irds, one has le.-s blue than tiie other two, so I :liink it must be a hen. Tiie ^lolba I'inches have failed again, f"our young birds were hatclicci ou; on this occasion, but another little Waxbill would think it wa^ he.- nest, and, I think, tried to feed them, the consequence being that after aboui ten day.; one was pulled out of the nest and the others died. I think Molbas arc very bad parents, a-; snn a? they have young ones ^pretty well feathered they seem to get tired of looking after them. 1 lia\e another ne-.t of Ruficauda Einchcs, strong young birds now I lulievc tiiere is a third nest of young uncs hitched out .iiul being f<(l. 258 * Correspondence. s^ ' I have no end of Zt'-ra Finches, too '.nany, I fresh ones appear every day ! M^ pair of Cordon AxcWi /lave a nest. The Parrot Finches have made a nest in a h^t, and the Gouldian Finches appear to be nesting also, but I fear it is now too late for any successful result. (I^ady) E. SAMUELSON. Cobham, 17-9-'! 6. Sir," — The young Blue-breasts are doing finely and now I can hardly tell them from their parents. The aviary is full of young Ruficaudas, three broods of young birds this season. i Cobham, 30-9-'i6. (Lady) E. SAMUELSON. NESTING NOTES, 1916. Sir,— In answer to your enquiry there were six young Ruficaudas in the last brood, the nest was so full that one got pu'ihed ou; and died; thi;. v*i.s' a pity but I bave so many I did not soem tc mind much. I also have young Gouldian Finches in the nest, and greatly hopt^ they will be reared. I cannot now distinguish the young Bluc-breastcd Wa.Kbills from their parents. A recently acquired pair of lilack-cheeked Wa.xbills are trymg to make a nest, but, of course, it is t<;o late for anything to come of in this year. My Melba Finches have taken a strong dislike to the Parrot Finches, ana wUi give them no peace ; I shall -citber have to part witli the Parrot Finches, or put them in another aviary, and must say I do not care for either alternative. Cobham, ii-io-'i6. (Lady) E. SAMUELSON. DANDELION LEAVES FOR SOFTBILLS. Sir, — There is nothing no\cl in mixing chopped dandelion leaves with food for softbills, but in my experience when this is done in the ordinary way, the particles of leaf to a large extent dry up and are not louchctl by the bird. I am now trying* a method vvliich seems to get over the difficulty, and may be of interest to some novices of limited experience like my- self. Aftei finely chopping a sufficiency of dandelion leaves I pour over it first enough boiling water to render the mixture to which it is then added, sufificiently moist for use. (The advantage of this method is tha the food contains the leaf as well as the tea, which w.ns soake(i into it and the birds consume every particle). I am now treating the dried flies and ants' cocoons, which 1 kecj-) separate from the rest of the softbill mixtur<'i, in \.\: his wings and rather short tail, liis bil) nearly touching that of the hen, a nd retnains rigid for several seconds. I have frec|uently tried to gte.t a photo of him in this position, but without success. In this attitude the scarlet patch on the shoulder, looks very pretty, and he reminds one ver/ strongly of the Red-shouldered Blackbirds and Troupials. The song is a harsh wheeze, and quite unworthy of the name of nmsic, but he certainly puts his heart into it. Stray Notes. By Lt. B. Hamilton Scott R.E.A: I have just recently seen a very bratttiful Australian Broadtail belonging to a lady in this distrx:. This bird has been in her possession over 22 years, and was brought by a friend from South Australia. He is a fine bird and shows not the slightest sign of age, either in beak, claw or plumage. I guessed from her previous descriptions that he was a Bauer's and I verified it on my visit by comparing him with the illustration in "Bird Notes," p. 123, Vol., 1910. Like most other Bauer's and Barnard's, he is very vicious to certain people. Apart from his beautiful colourings and great agC; he is quite a performer; he will dance and whistle " Weel may the keel row," when asked to by his mistress, and also say a few words. I thought this might be of interest as showing the age a Broadtail will live in a cage. The whole time this lady has had him he has only been out of his cage once ! Cardinals: Here is another little episode I should like to mention: I have had for the last three years in a natural garden aviary a pair (so called) of Red Crested Cardinals, I now have no doubt they are both cocks. During July they did a great deal of " sparring " and 1 was wonder- ing if any member had noticed how this species (and perhaps other Cardinals as well) actually do fight. I had one splendid stray Notes. 263 opportunity of observing them: they were both on the ground, when one jnade a sudden dash at the other. They both rose straight into the air to the top of the aviary (i.sft.) singing all the time and fluttered towards the ground, facing -each other. Their chief object seemed to be to " get to grips " with their feet, which they ultimately did just before reaching the ground. Each one had the other one's leg tightly gripped, and there they sat with heads back and crests raised and their tails spread out behind them. Neither seemed to have the advantage, and thus they sat for fifteen seconds. I only wish I could have had a camera handy and have snapped them, Then one must have relaxed his grip, for they dashed apart, both singing. The sight of these two fighting caused a Dom- inican Cardinal in an aviary some distance away to sing louder than I have ever heard him before. wSome weeks ago I liberated some young English Turtle Doves {Tiirtur turtur), bred in the aviary this year. I thought it would be 'rather interesting to see whether, after two generations of captivity, they had any migratory instinct left in them. At the present time (October 8th) they are still about. I have not seen any of their wild brethren for some clays now, I might add that one of the old birds (the grandparent of the young at liberty) I have had for the last eleven years. I bought the pair uhen at school from a man who had reared them two years previously from eggs placed under a Barbary Dove. At 13 years he looks as lit as any young bird of last year. Flycatcher and Butterfly: I always understood that practically all insectivorous birds a\oided capturing and eating any species of British Butterfly. However, about the last week of August 1 saw a spotted Flycatcher fly after and catch a large while cabbage butterfly, which she {jromptly gave to one of her fully fledged young which was silting with two others on the dead branch of a birch tree. 1 knew that most birds were very partial to moths, especially the large yellow undcrvving — and I ha\e seen a Robin enjoy- ing> a meal off a large Poplar Hawk Moth. But this is the first instance in which 1 have seen u bird capturing and eat- ing a butterliy. 264 Unique Hybrid. An Unique Hybrid. By Fl.-Lt. R. S. De Q. Quincey, R.N.A.S, When at home, on leave, I noticed that my one re- maining hybrid Parson X Long- tailed Grasshnch (c^) was taking' a lot of interest in a nes! of sticks |and hay that he had built in a Hartz-cage (hanging outside the birdroom in the bottom aviary) ; but as he had built many nests at odd times, I gave the occurrence only passing notice, even when 1 saw an odd hen Ruficauda Finch at the same nest. However, on the last day but one of my leave, I heard an unusual noise (a noise which no bird in that aviary would make) and sooq I saw a small drab-coloured bird, obviously one which had just left the nest. At once I thought of the hybrid and the Ruficauda, and at .the same moment down came the male hybrid, which began to feed the infant. About a minute later the Ruficauda Finch joined these two. There could be no doubt about its parentage, though a double cross, almong finch-like 'birds, is,, I believe, almost un- heard of. On a closer inspection, at an age, I imagine, of about 18-20 days, this bird appeared to be drab-brown above, with a black beak, eye-line and bib (about the same size as the bib of a Bib Finch); while below it appeared to be a dirty greyish colour with a faint green tinge (I believe the latter has now become more distinct). A letter from home, dated October 1 3th, states that this young Taird is fending for itself, and Hying in and out of the bird-room. The other occupants of the aviary are : a crowd of Gouldian Finches, a Flair-crested Bunting, a pair of Indian Red-headed Bullfinches and a hen Orange Weaver. I was very much surprised and jnuch regretted that I had not been able to see the whole lepisode. I imagine such a cross is very unusual, probably unique— though of course, a Parson Finch looks very much like a Long-tailed Grass- finch, at an>- rate iii colouration. j Baktoh Aviary Notes, igi6. 265 It i? curious that this should be the only breeding rcsuh of the season, and that in September ! The babe must have been hatched on one of the last days of August, as it left the nest on September iith. [The only detail I can add is, thai the hybrid's legs are salmon-pink; of course, the plumage is only immature. I trust we shall be able to winter it. and see what the adult plumage will be.— R. de Q.Q.], Bakloh Aviary Notes. Part II. (Continued from page 246). EXIKACTS FROM LETTERS FROM, AM) DiARV BV E. G. M. Perreau, with Notes bv Major G. A. Perreau. Nesting of Red-billed Babblers {Stacliyrhidopsis ruficeps), and Tailor Birds {Ortfwtomus sutorius). April 27th. — Noticed Tailor Birds carrying something into hydrangea bush, did not look. Red-billod Babblers' eggs warm. April 29th. — You will laugh .at my attempts at keeping a bird diary, they are the merest jottings. Yesterday, all by myself, and by observation 1 found the Tailor Birds' nest, half finished in the hydrangea quite high up (say 4|feet), three or four leaves bent over, and sewn together. I'd seen them fussing and otTered some of my best selected lengths of cotton, but on watching them' I saw him carrying fluff out of a husk, so 'gingerly went to investigate, quite time that I did. I do hope it will come off. TIu' Rock Thrush lady, lis very fit and all over the place; the cock is very handsome, too lovely to live at times but an outside lady seems attractive to him, 1 try to get out in the afternoons to see something for you, but e.\.pect it is a poor attempt. Tell me the things you want to hear about most. May 2nd. — L. Had inspection yesterday. Red-billed Babblers sitting tight. The Tailor Birds' nest is sweety one big leaf for the bottom and 3 others bent downwards and back- wards for the bides and sewn on to the bottom one, and a 2(i6 Bakloli Aviary Notes, 1916, very thick layer oF Huff, very soft nesting- materials all rounfl the inside tilling up all the i orners, a very small slit opening near the top, the side leaves only partly .sewn, and the whole nest is really more fluff than leaf, which is unusual, isn't it? But I suppose that is owing to the tenderness of the leaves. (So much Huff is unusual; I, too, think it is owing to leaves being tender. — G.A.P.). Paradise Flycatcher (|uite strong and flitting about a lot, great interest is taken in it here, and Major Collins wants to photograph it, I'm encouraging th's desire. May 4th. — Tailor Birds ha\-e two eggs. J did not see the nest yesterday. Babblers sitting very tight — still eggs. Lady Rock Thrush very well but a bit shy when mealworms are being given out — one has to take pains with her. May 5th. — Red-billed iiabblers seem to be feeding. May 6th. — Tailor Birds have 4 eggs. Red-billed Babblers have young. I Left yesterday, and it was warm and soft and wriggly. May 7th. — Babblers have 2 young, I give many meal- worms, but the old birds don't seem to sit much, I do hope' they will grow up alright. They are crying for food but 1 believe the mealworms are too big to feed the young on. They go in with a worm and coinc out again with it. " What can I do "? I do wish I knew more about the subject.. (I wrote a letter advising net sweepings, insects from lamp and water basin game and cut up mealworms, hand-fed to old birds if possible, against the time the Babblers should hatch buit I fear my letter was late. — G.A.P.). May 9th. — Paradise very lively, not frightened, but flying on to the wires and shrieking a lot though there are no others al)oivt close and no hens, wings really wonderfully strong. 1 go on feeding with mealworms. Tailor-birds — still eggs — the hen seems to do most of the sitting by day at any rate. Babblers have certainly one young still. May loth. — Very cold, rain, rain, rain, like early July, i think the Tailor Birds will soon be washed out. May 12th. — I've got dreadful news for you. TJie Paradise was found dead this morning. I went for Dila Ram, as it was pure starvation, he must have left off his feed- ing the usual twice a day. I gave my usual in between Bakloh Aviary Notes, 191 6. 267 times. Mealworms are getting a bit scarce, as they're beetl- ing tremendously and I doubt if he gave enough. (Also I doubt if he gave proper food, his job, but gave the ordinary stuff as for the rest and did not change that often,, when he found it uneaten — the swab. — G.A.P.). Then the young Babblers are not, I looked in the nest and found nothing, 1 can only suppose it was a mouse or other bird. T Might be, but I thhik food was the reason. — G.A.P.). I told you they did not seem happy after the young arrived. It"s most depressing, they're fussing about inside. If they build again, what do I do? I'ailor Birds are all right bur it's a terrible downpour for them. I don't get all the time I should like, to stay and look at them and I prob- ably do not see things quickly. ' May 13th, — Last night on way back from the Mess fairly early I saw an "Ant" and fled home to rouse the compound. They all played up bar perhaps Dila Ram, and we got quite a lot on the Range Road. Then my funny Kbit reported lots on the lawn and I came back to find the back lawn (too near the house for my liking. — G.A.P.), a seething mass. The Ayah had filled a tin and Daphne was covered with them and as happy as you please. I've never seen anything like it, we all worked like niggers, cows were not thought of and Daffy was left as she was till dark. We did quite well, 9 bottles and tms full as well as heaps in my net. I'm trying to dry them to-day, I don't know how, but they're getting on and I'm working very hard. One of the Tit.s looking seedy. (Daphne age \\ years should be a great nature lover if she goes on as at present). — G.A.P. May 1 5th. — Had worry with Dila Ram, will insist that there's no fruit when there are lots of yellow blackberries and mulberries, then he swears the birds don't eat tiiem. Then as to net sweeping. Kira nakiii hai, billkul chaina,, mausin chaina (Xo insects, none at all, it's not the season) as usual, but he went and came back triumphant, with the same words. About half an hour later I told luju 10 bring me the net and I'd show him. lie began fumbling witii it, >aymg lie was cleaning it, as there was Jul m 11. 1 seized it and of course found all sorts of tiny live creatures there. Then he ;^68 Bakloh Aviary Notes, 191 6. didn't understand how they got there. Now he really does go out and as you know a few creatures turn up and every little helps. My big net of live white ants is still lasting, I give these myself. They like them now, did not seem to at first. (Note: This is strange, unless birds were over-gorged with wild ones coming into the aviaries; it seems to have been an extraordinarily large flight and unusually close to the house. Nets for white ants are ordinary large butterfly nets, those for net sweeping are of thick drill on an old tennis racket, double cloth on front of 'rim and at corners.— G. A. P.). My dried white ants are not like yours, much blacker, and its difficult to get them clean and separated from wings and rubbish, because of the grease. (Note: It is rather tricky, and too long to go into here ; these were probably over- dried, but I lexpect they'll be^ good food all right if not quite as succulent. — G.A.P.). May 18. — Tailor Birds hatched. Mealworms very scarce, all beetles, giving sweepings and still have a few live white ant J and shall give dried ones soon. May 19. — Tailor Birds have two lovely children. By just lifting a leaf one can see right into the nest, 2 mouths opened wide at me to-day, the whole width being about the size of a pin head. Dila Ram says meat maggots are not ready yet, he has two lots, and they smell vile. He sweeps but does not get very mucJi. Have given cake and tnilk the last few days, the; Tailors do not touch it, but Babblers eat a bit. May 2 1st. — All birds, including seedy Tits, are very well, young Tailors very fat and fit. I can see into the nest now without touching the bush at all. The bush is in lovely flower now, just a mass of pinlc. Both the .'parents are out a great deal now, do not seem to sit witli young much. Had snake frights, saw one coming out of a box in the aviary. Went to call thq bearer, but it had disappeared, though I was only away a few seconds. Wie had; a thorough search but found nothing, so think it went out, it was a small thin one and could easily have gone tlirough the wire. The birds soon calmed down, a good sign. Anyhow the young Tailor birds are all right. Baklo/i Aviary Notes, 191 6. g69 Pied Chats are nesting, since yesterday I've seen them taking stuff into a box over the shelter door. Why can't they do these things when you're here and can see it. They only die off with me through some ignorant stupidity. (Note: Can any aviculturist honestly say that he has ne\"er lost a bird through his own sins, either of commission or omission, through ignorance perhaps, but still really his own fault)? I've kept very few insectivorous birds in the breeding season, and those few Pekins and White Eyes had not much special attention, they just took their chance' with the seed eaters and got no insect food regularly. As on this date the Pied Chats have started nesting and Tailors not finished their first round, so to speak, I continue my wife's letters in this Part, omitting all mention of Pied Chats. Part III, will, I think be longer in any case. It is curious that these Bush Chats should nest in a bo.K and so high. I expect they did not like their mound, fear of snakes perhaps, or that ass Dila Ram may have con- tinued deluging it twice a day with water, a practice I ordered when the mounds were new so as to get grass to bind and to take off the newness of the artificial sites, but which I had stopped before I Left. It all shows adaptability. The Babblers, failing a thick bushy tree in which to build their domed nest (one might almost call it thatched with green and dead leaves) took to. a roomy (for the'm) box pretty well as high up as they could get one and built a domed nest inside the box, the thatching being much thinner than in a wild nest. The Tailors not finding good tough hg leaves (the round shaped ones) had to put up with tender hydrangea, used more leaves and reinforced the nest with an extra amount of lining.— G. A. P.). May 26th. — Only one young Tailor can be seen but it seems fit. Babblers still fussing about. Giving meat and grubs as well now, great exertion getting them out of Dila Ram. (Not over keen on maggots for young, especially as D.R. won't clean them and I left tlieni out of my instruc- tions.—G. A, P.). 270 Bakloh Aviary Notes, 191 6. May 27th. — Tailors don't seem to be feeding young properly, though very fit themselves and the one young bird is looking very well. I\Iay 28th. — You must come l)ack to see to the birds. Those beastly Tailor Birds are building again. To my hor- ror I saw the cock with cotton in his beak, so looked at the nest and found it empty. First thought — snake; but we event- ually found the body, only just dead, very nice and plump, feathers on wings, back and Jiead, not hurt in any way, or pecked; could it have tried to lly out by itself. Nest perfect, so don't suspect other bird, no sign of other young bird or the addled egg which werei tliere three days ago. The cock has been shrieking at top of his voice (my poor wife. — G.A.P.) I put it down to high feeding himself and boredom with feed- ing the young. It was not my looking at the nest which worried them ? ? ? (Note: 1 think my wife is right as to reason, mice might have caused desertion but the hydrangea tub is not mviting for mice. Snake worries might have upset them and looking at them might also have done it, but personally I do not think so. Babblers: Cock started nesting about 12th April, lien helped about 1 6th, no eggs on 19th evening, three on 23rd morning. Hatched on 5th May. Last young one died 12th May. Tailors: Nest half finished, 28th April; no eggs on 2nd May. two eggs on 4th, 4 eggs on 6th, hatched i8th; last one died 28th May. — G.A.P.) My Aviary and Birds. By C. F. Crow. The object of this article is not inspired by any idea of enlightening members of many years study and experience, but rather with a viciv to showing to iioviices what can, be done in the way of aviculture in tJie centre of a large town (Grinisby), and with a limited area of ground. o D ?1 My Aviary and Birds. 271 I was always fond of birds. After a breakdown in health I was advised to keep in the fresh air as much as possible, and J cannot imagine a more suitable hobby than lav'iculturc, especially when violent exercise is barred. The birds are of intense interest, summer and winter, and I shall not attempt to count the number of happy healthy hours spent in the garden, which would otherwise have been spent indoors. KEY TO PLAN. U- British Bird Aviary, as yet without a shelter. A. A. A. A.— Various sections of Foreign Bird Aviary. O.— Evergreen Shrubs. 272 My Aviary and Birds. The Foreign Bird Avtarv: This had its beginnings in June. 191 5. when' I was fortunntn enough to obtain a large (rift, X 8ft.) polished teak Deck-Housc, taken from a steam yach^ which had been dismantled for the purpose of conversion into a fishing vessel. This, when erected in the garden and suitably furnished, made an excellent " Outdoor Sitting-room/' in which most of our unoccupied hours were spent. Now the aviary begins tO; come in; its beginnings .■were small indeed. With the deck-house I obtained a quantity of teak, tongued and grooved boards, and it occurred to me to build' a s'mall aviary between the "Outdoor Sitting- room and "the outer east wall. This was done. It measures, including shelter. 9^ft. x 3.jft. A good view of the aviary is obtained from the outdoor sitting-room (see plan). I soon found it 'was overcrowded and that if I wanted breeding results, I mus' extend, so as to obtain a naturally planted flight. I commenced by obtaining a wooden shed 8|^ft. x 6^ft. as an additional shelter, fixing it against the outer east wall, some 15ft. distant from the out-door, sitting-room, and then netted in the space between the two, to a width of 14ft., thus obtaining a nice flight 15ft. x '14ft., as well as a good shelter for same. The shrubs are mostly laurels, aurubas, and privets — 1 find the growth of these is retarded by being under wire and the nipping off of the young shoots by the birds, especially Canaries. I had also reached' a decision to construct another aviary for British birds (but I will refer to this later) as I had formed the opinion that they were better kept apart from foreign finches. I will now give a few notes of the birds I ha\';' kept in the above aviary. Melba Finches: I have only a male, he is in perfect plumage, but inclined to be sluggish. RUFICAUDA Finches : A very handsome pair, at least three nests have been built, but, alas 1 no eggs have been laid. The constant " j'gging " with nesting material of considerable length by the cock is most amusing. Zebra Finches : My pair have built at least six nests and laid twenty-five eggs, but all were infertile. I think it would be well to exchange your cock with some avicultural friend. — Ed], My Aviary and Birds. 273 Rock Bunting.- Only possess a male, but it is a fine aviary bird, and does not molest the small birds. Shaft-tailed Whydah : I was grieved to lose my fine cock on October i 6th, the body when picked up was well nourished, and it was in excellent condition generally, includ- ing plumage. It was imported last June and appeared an exceptionally strong bird, and the cause of its death is a mystery. It had a peculiar habit of "hovering" in flight over other birds, but did not appear to be vicious. Cordon BleU: Have only recently obta'ned this bird. She has paired with an Orange-cheeked W'axbill, but 1 fear it is tO(j late for results this season. COMB.\SOUS : I have two of this species, imported in the early spring. One of them has come into perfect colour, but the other only partially so, most probably owing to its being a newly imported bird and climatic conditions here retarding the moult. Java Sparrows: Two pairs have rested, but all "ggs have been infertile, I am inclined to doubt the sex of some, and the Oreys appear aged, which may account for the dis- appointing result. I intend getting fresh b'ood bc^oie anothe.- season when 1 hope for better luck. Sai-I-ROX l-ixcms: These nested in a small box in the open, laid a clutch of four eggs, and fully reared two strong young birds. But that is not the end of the story, worse luck! The parent birds murdered a fla'f-masked VVeaver, the third day after being placed in the aviary— they also attacked other birds and made thamselves so generally objectionable tliat 1 had to disjnjbe should have been on the previous page a^ i'. refers to paragraph four there. .Second foot-note, correctly placed, a? it refers to line i of this page, but the note needs ail asterisk to indicate its reference. Gambia, 28-9-'! 6. THE SEASON, 1916. Sir, -Our bird.; have not done badly tliis year, for we have had Ncry little time to give to them. The Gouldian Finches are in superb fyrn\ but as far cs I can see they have buf two youngsters- among i\\:- lot of them. Vh'- T'urple Sunbirds constructed a flimsy nest in an upturned broom the three cgg> fell down through the hairs of it. I tried ti pi<-!. ihr.T up 2nc s»:f.j:or! the nest j bit, the hrn sat patiently for week', and weeks on the place whfre she Laid :kcm ! Of cojric it was ill wa~ted effi/r;. (Mrs.) E. SCOTT. ;si78 Correspondence. OCCURREiXCE CF I'HE RED-THROATED PIPIT IN DEVON. Sir,— It may nterest readers of " B.N." to learn that I saw a fine specimen of the Red-throated Pipit {Aiithiis ccrviiiiis, Pallas) on September' 22nd last, on one of the higher creeks of the River Dart, S. Devon. It was a cock bin in full plu:ii;i,L;c and excellent condition, and was so tame that I was al Iq to study it for some time. Or referring to my edition of Morris' British Birds, published in 1870, I find his plate of this bird most accurate in colouring, and ati that date he writes : I have much satisfaction in giving for the first time a figure of this bird as a British one " and states, ' that it had been seen in the neighbourhood f)f Dunbar and Edingburgh- but this species inli.ibits " principally the South and East of Europe. It is also found m the " American and .Asiatic Continents and likewise in Japan." I shall be interestel to learn if any of your readers have seen the bird in their districts, or if it is still a rare bird in Great Britain. Pahbacombe , October 3i-'i6. THEO. FOSTER. [Howard Saunders in his Manual of Brit. Birds (1809 I'^ditio.i:, gives the following occurrences: March 13, 1884, a bird-catchor ')rought to the late Mr. -Swaysland, of Ilrighton, a specimen of this species — —it was examined in the flesh by Mr. J. H. Gurney, and duly recorded in the Zoologist. In the Zoologist, 18S4 (p. 272), Mr. ^^■alter Prcntis stated that in Ap"il, 18.S0 he shot an example of th's species at. Rainham in Kent, while it was feeding and singing among the freshly- turned furrows behind his plough— both these specimens were later examined by the late Dr. R. B. Sharpa, and the former was exhibited by him at a meeting of the Zoological Society, April i, 1S84. Up to that year no thoioughly authenticated British-killed example was known, although to the late Mr Bond possessed a genuine specimen of th^ bird labelled " Unst., May 4, 1854," pu ihased at the sale of the collection of the late Mr. Troughton. Subsequently, as recorded by Mr. F. Coburn (Zoologist, 1896, p. loi), an example was obtained near St. Leonard's, Sussex, on Nov. 13, '895- 'ind thi i was exhibited at a meeting of British Ornitholo- gists' Club in the ollowing December. There have probably been many latC'- occurrences.— Ei).] . Bird Notks I'ltidii W. Shore Bail!/, ('riiuson-i'iiiL;t'il Wlivdiili's Nest. Al! nghf; reserved. December, 1916. BIRD NOTES: THE JOURNAL OF THE FOREIGN BIRD CLUB. The Crimson-Ringed Whydah. ( Penthetria laticauda). By Wi\i. Shore Baily. A very fine coloured drawing' of this handsome bird by Mr. Goodchild appeared in the November number of B.N. for the year 191 i. Thel species at that time was pra(ti(ally unknown to avicuhurists, the few birds that had reached this country being either in the hands of e.K- hibitors, or at the Zoo. In 191 4 Mr. E. W. Harper brought over a few from East Africa, and of these I secured a oock and two hens. The cock, when in colour, is black; the back, wing coverts and a patch on the thighs heavily striated with brown ; the crown of the head and a wide ring around the neck crimson. 1'hey are considerably larger »than their cousins (/-'. ardens). My male was a long' time coming into colour, and was not in full breeding dress until August; I think that this was probably the reason why they did not breed. He built three nests; one in a bush, another in a conifer' and the tliird in a bunch of grass (sec i)late). This last was ver)- neatly built, and was much like that of the Jack- son's (D. Jacksom), but instead of being on the ground, was abouf two feet above! it. Unfortunately he was unable to persuade either of his mates to take possession of it al- though I occasionally saw one of them making a casual inspcitioii of ii. In the article on tliis bird already mentioned it is said to construct playing grounds, after the manner of I), jacksoiit, but my male made no ^uch attempt here, although there was every facility for his doing so. Moreover, his dis- 280 The Criinson-r!nets much fussed over and fed by both parents. Are they coming out direct as cock and hen? One is very brown and very speckled like ma, only more variegated, with whiter front, and has speckling at the throat like a sort of bib, the other looks so much blacker all over. June 27th. — I don,t know how long you are going to be away at the war, but assuredly you will not find me in this little world if you don't come back soon. To-day I killed an enormous snake in the aviary. Birds showed it to me. Of course D.R. said there was no stick at all and no snake. ' Bil- kul chaina ! as usual Then the two coolies rolled up full of joy, they beat the grass in the far aviary, and eventually saw it in the Cjuail dug-out, poked it out and missed it. while 1 watched the av'ary verandah; of course it slipped up there into the big box in the far corner. The Khansamah now strolled up and took command, and stuffed up the hole with a jharun (duster), and proceeded to cut down the wiring of the boN ! — sorry, but this had to be done. A second en- trance was discovered, and a coolie whipped oft" his skull cap, found it too small, so took off his waistcoat to stuff up the hole. D. R. all this time was inside — a nice safe place. Finally the box was brought forth and put on the lawn, one hole undone, and the snake poked. By this time the orderly, and about half the bazaar I should think, ha-d rolled up, all armed with sticks, and stood round. Snake refused to move (Note : It is not noticeable from outside but this box has two- separate compartments, so probably the beast could not g"et out of the other hole. — G.A.P.) I got the 28 bore walkings stick gun and dustshot cartridges, did my ' usual " and amidst wild excitement the head and about four inches was dragged out and then — yards. I felt very sick, rushed away, and had hysterics. It was a bit of a Bakloh Aviary 'Notes, 191 6. 283 doing foi me. as I was just crawling after a bad go of fever, and a snake has not tlic most soothing effect on me at the best of times. But I got it! Honestly, D.R. would never have done it even if he'd seen it. (Note: D.R. would certainly never have seen it, though the birds give away the presence off a, snake in a most unmis- takeable way, and of course the young Chasts' at least would have vanished. My wife's " usual " consists of putting the muzzle of the gun into the snake hole and pulling the trigger, a most dangerous game. She's done this several times before and about which I've spoken to her, apparently without effect. This snake was evidently a dhamin (rat snake), and harmless as regards poison, the others were very deadly snakes, Rus- sell's V'ipers, and one willingly takes a risk if one tinds them close to the house. Even the wriggling of a worm makes my wife uneasy, so I don't wonder at her bolting after hnishing the job.— G. A. P.) The birds seem to have survived the snake fight all right, but every bird has shrieked for an hotir and the nurs- ing mothers had hysterics, and it's just pandemonium ; my legs arc water and my bead's going round like a teetotum. Hope you can read this. I'm sitting out with the birds (ought to have been in bed. — G.A.P.) and have given some soothing meal- worms, and things are gradually quietening down. The P. Chats will nest again; I fancy, at least the lady intends to, ek dun: (at once if not sooner), hope she won't stop feeding, the cock seems more intent on going on feeding. June 28th. — Two young P. Chats quite well, being fed so fai. Only i youngi and i 0,%%, in Tailor Birds' nest, there were 2 young on 24th, no trace of corpse, but I was rather shaky and grass was long I D.R. reports one Red-billed Babbler missing in far aviary, suggests snake, don't believe it (nor do I, a snake takes some time to catch a bird by daylight unless in a box. — G.A.P.) ^ June 29th. — Saw long grass snake in far aviary at 6 p.m., an hour at which it is hard to find servants. W'e had a thorougli search without any result. This was a real one, 284 Bakloh Aviary Notes, 191 6. but I feel that I can see snakes at any moment. Two young Cl.at. are very well, and take things most calmly, though they can fly very well. I haven't seen them feeding them- selves, yet, but they arc well fed by both parents. I was mistaken as to difference in their plumage, both are alike brownish and speckled like Ma. Ma is a terrible fusser. One young Tailor still in nest, very fat and fit. Am having grass in aviaries cut and wistaria trimmed and cut back. June 30th. — Baby Tailor Bird is out! I can just see it in the hydrangea being fed by Ma. I do hope it will live. I'm not breathing at present. It does seem a shame so little decent food can be got to you— the mealworms here are so well fed. (Things have greatly improved since then. — G.A.P.) July 1st. — Baby Tailor all over the place during the day and back in the hydrangea at 6 p.m. Saw Three young Chats to-day, always was doubtful as to there being only two. One is d.fiierent from the others but dark form predominates. July 3rd. — The baby Tailor Bird is a little pet, no tail whaievei, very fluffy and white in front and nice greenish grey on back, about tlie size of a bumble bee, flies not at all bad.y and is simpxy a luce aivil, completely runs iU parents. Put itself to bed in the verandah. I of course, threw fits and tried to get it back into its nest and put on on greatcoats, and mufflers. 1 do hope it will live. I spend much time dodging that beastly Rock Thrush over live food. 1 i.ave just now put a plate of cut-up mealworms on top of the cages in the verandah, as the Infant was sitting in the( branches just above. See that thing call up Pa and Ma, it just yelled and howled at the sight of food. I wave a flag at the Rock Thrush, it's very funny how the Tailors don't mind it a bit they know perfectly well that it's for him and not for them. July 4th. — Young Chats well but can only sec two. Those beastly Tailor Birds are going to nest again, can they do it three times? (Wild ones prefer August to June. — G.A.P.) I thought I'd done with these children. I shall never get through a nother nest with all their live food Bakloh Aviary Notes, 191 6. 285 and shooing off other iiirds. I shall strangle that Rock Thrush some day, turn your back for a second and some hours' work is gone in a few gulps. The infant does nothing for itself, yet so if parents take to nesting, be prepared for the worst. Mealworms will be' well on by time the next young come out, that's something. July 5th. — Three young Chats, v'ery dark speckly over head, and back varying into very dark brown, almost black tail, very dark wings (the long feathers), the upper-parts darkish brown and speckly with bits of white, not like uniform brown of hen, pale brown fronts. Parents seem to have given up the idea of nesting again. Tits looking only fairly well, moulting heavily and one doing so badly. Babbler in far aviary very bad, put it in a cage, the one in near aviary not too fit. July 6th. — Babbler in cage died, rather light but a full crop and well covered breast bone. (Note: The warm deluge of the " rains " seems to try most birds, especially Australian, far hiore than the cold rains and snow of winter; probably old food is the danger here, a clean up would also do no harm, especially just before the rains. — G.A.P.). July 8th.— Chats are feeding themselves a little at any rate on live things, though still being fed by parents. July 10th. — Tailor Bird growing a tail and gohig very strong. It seems to have deterred its parents front nesting again. It bosses them entirely. The Chats arc feed- ing themselves a good bit. They are very pretty now, their plumage is so variegaled. Shoulders very speckled yellowisli and brown, then a band of light yellowish and then iiuite dark tips to the wings and tail. Head dark brown, breast ashy but browner and more speckled by throat and neck and then changing to> a more uniform colouration. Trobably this one is a cock, anothei is certainly less variegated and less ^marked in colour, though not the uniform brown of the hen. July 1 2lh. — Tailor's tail growing apace, parents not nesting. All youngsters doing well. 286 Bakloh Aviary Notes, 1916. July 1 5th.— Chats practically feeding thelnselves though I can't be certain that parents have entirely given up feeding them. Of course the Demon Child won't feed itself, though its parents are trying to get it on to cake. I'm sure it can feed itself. July 16th. — The infant which is now exactly like its parents, except for a shorter tail was discovered wolfing cake, but parents still feed it, though it seems unnecessary? The Chats are well grown up. Can't you get gold medals? I'd love you to get gold medals; and I've done such a lot, caugh'. moths and insects at windows and in nets and in water, lighted lamps all night, cut off mealworms in their tender youth and induced Dila Ram to earn his pay almost. Won't I do as a witness as it were? Those youngsters were always on my mind (or rather my probable sins of omission were) and you should have seen the fever stricken woman stag'- gering round watching the pink snakes go by, trying at the same "time to count young' birds and tempt them with hardly- gained live food and shooing off giant robber birds. I'm sending a rough diary. (Note: Observe the greed of the female mind, gold medals indeed. Still I do think she",s deserved them, and if any medal is awarded it should go to her and not to me. What advice I gave would have been useless without her energy and care. I've asked her to leave the birds to Dila Ram., as she's apt to do too much; one human Demon-Angel child gives her ample to do at the present. No bird news for a week as my wife was ill in bed, Dila Ram reporting that birds were all right. — G.A.P.) ■ July 23rd. — Nervous break-down is imminent. The fever stricken woman staggered from her bed to the draw- ing room window and there — did, she see three Tailor Birds nests before Iher? — She did. Is not every law of Nature out- raged by this? It's a beautiful little nest c|uite close to the other two, almost finished, exquisitely sewn and stuffed. Parents very busy and child is not fed when it asks — so it just goes over and takes what ii wants out of Pa's mouth; saw it take a mealworm. I saw it eating very heartily, so put Bakloh Aviary Notes, 191 6. 287 this down to laziness (or greed. — G.A.P.). Infant very well. so are the Chats and all the other birds including the Tits and the Babbler. How any birds lived through this last six days" deluge I can't imagine. There should be no difficulty as to mealworms when next young do come, there are thousands and thousands nearly fully grown and tiny and still beetles, so all is well. Can't you get two gold medals for all this. I'll try to get more data this time if necessary. (Note: How persistent is woman? I think this a good place to stop, other letters have " birdy " bits in them but constitute another era so to speak. The Tailor Bird and Chat young were all well and beyond doubt entirely independent of their parents on August 3rd. I had previously written to my wife for further detailis as to Chats' change of plumage. — G.A.P.) SUMMARY. Pied Chat started building May 22nd. Xo eggs 26th. Four or five e^gs 30th. Hatched June i ith, still in ne.st 24th, two out 26th, third probably same date but three only noted July 1st, beginning to feed 7th, practically independent 15th, still alive and well August 3rd, quite independent. Tailor Birds (second attempt) building on same date last young died. May 28th, almost finished 30th, three eggs June 3rd, I young just hatched i6th, noted 2 young, i egg in nest on 24th, only i young on 28th, out 30th, returning to nest at night, out for good July 3rd, started feeding July 1 6th, practically independent i 5th. Still alive and well August 3rd.— G.A.P. (7"6> be continued). 288 Mesopotamian Birds. Mesopotamian Birds. Rr.PRlNTED FROM " THK TlMES," CUTTING SENT BY REV. G. H. Raynor, M.A. NOTES OF A NATURALIST. A few notes of the birds which I saw wliile serving in Mesopotamia may be of interest to naturalists and others. At Basrah, at the end of February, my attention was caught by the Kites and Buzzards hanging over the pahn-groves. A Black Crow, exactly like the English Rook except that it had no wattle above the beak, and a large Grey Crow visited the camp, and I saw a flock of six Hoopoes among the palms. On the way up the' Tigris early in March, the Greater King- fisher was seeii in large numbers, a bold and noisy bird, pied with a slight crest which it raises when alarmed. I saw also several species of the extraordinarily interesting LiniicoLae. At Orah. where we spent two days and nights ashore by the Wadi, I noticed, besides White-throats and Tree Sparrows, two distinct species of Gull — a bird like the Ivory Gull and the Blaciv-headed Gull, which may be found nesting in the marshes hundreds of miles inland. Some oif these were getting up their spring plumage, having already blue-black heads and blood-red beaks and feet. At Sheikh Saad, about March I I, a pleasing sight was the harriers hunting for their prey, flying just above the ground with their long narrow wings and long tails (dark brown to bluish grey, male and female), then circling round with a perfect gliding motion and but little movement of the wings, and then suddenly moving oft with another rapid glide. (It was at Sheikh Saad, also, that at the end of June. I saw a Flamii\go, flying low). On March 20 migratory birds were first observed at Orah; Sand Grouse in thousands flying from south-east to north-west; Storks circling round and round till they disap- peared northward at a tremendous height, and fascinating little flocks of yellow, pied, white, and blue-headed Wagtails. These were extraordinarily tame, and walked about close to mules and men. As we moved up to lake Falali-y-Iish, close Mesopotamian Birds. 289 to the marsh of the Suwik-Ish lake, hundreds of Coots were feeding on the tender grass shoots by the lakeside ; and I saw also many Tern. Chats, something like the desert chat, hopped about on the top of the vacated trenches; and as I walked round one of the trenches, wJiich had become full of water, a beautiful little Kingfisher, apparently rather smaller and darker than our English species, darted along in front of me. Many Quail were flushed here; the black Partridge started calling, and a pair of Stone- Curlews allowed me to get close to them. On April 1 5 I found near the Aba- Roman Mounds a crested Lark's nest with four eggs. Bee- eaters were plentiful; and on April 18 I had a good sight of a large Night- Jar, chocolate brown with darker bars. At Biet-ais-Essem in the third week in April, Sand Grouse were still numerous and flying high, but were paired. One that had been wounded in the, wiiig wa? captured and proved to be the painted Sand-grouse. On May 8, down at the Narrows, we found the nest of a Warbler, which is very like the Night- ingale, except for a white bar across the centre of the fan of the tail, which it flirts well over its back. The nest was built on the ground in the middle of a small shrub, and had four egg.-) like those of a Pied Wagtail. Here, too, was found the nest of a tiny long-tailed Warbler (the size of a Gold Crest) with young. ,The nest (the size of a dormouse's nest) was woven with cobwebs to twigs of the bush, and was made of dry grass and dome-shaped, with an entrance near the top. On May 1 8 I dug out the nest of a Bee-eater in the side of one of the Macon Mounds, close to the top. Ihe hole ran with a slight' slope straight back and down into the mound for 6ft., and then ended in an oval chaniiier about sin. in diameter, which was at a depth of 3ft. from the surface. In the nest, which was just the soft loamy soil at the end of the hole, were two white round eggs, a little bigger than a kingfisher's, transparent, and highly polished. From later /bbservations I judged the clutch to be four or five. About May 27. Ave miles soutli-south-east of the Mounds, not far from the Jujailah redoubt and Sinn-Atbar, I found three nests of the sand grouse, each containing three eggs in an 290 The Endurance of Birds. advanced state o f incubation, proving that this bird stays in the plains to nest and does not, as I thought, return to the hills. The eggs were laid in a slight hollow, devoid of any lining excepit a few pieces of straw. The nest sug- gested that of a bird belonging to the Linilcolae, but the eggs were of a long oval shape at both ends, and buff in ground, spotted with large and small spots of light brown and red- dish brown, with underlying markings of purple grey. The Endurance of Birds Bv Wesley T. Page, F.Z.S., Etc. {Continued jroni page 2iSj. CoxuRES : 1 have kept the Black-headed (C. ncnday), Cactus (C. cactorum). Golden-crowned (C. aureus), White-eared {Pyrrhura leucotis), and Jendaya (C. jendaya). Of the above I liave possessed odd males or single pairs only, a nd with the exception of the last named parted with them after retaining them for periods of from two to four years. I only got as far as eggs with the Golden-crowned and Cactus. I found ^hem all indifferent to the worst weather our winters were capable of inflicting apon then. 1 also found ihcm rather quarrelsome and interfering with other Parrakeet^, and without exception they are most excellent wood cutters, CoKDo:^ Bleu ; Vox many }-ears I did not keep these charming birds owing to the reputation they bore for delicacy and from the desire to have no part in encouraging the importation of a species which' so speedily died in large numbers after reaching our shores. I first kept them, owing to the kind gift of Dr. E. Hopkinson, of several pairs which he had personally brought over, when coming home on leave, I found no difficulty in establishing these and two pairs bred the same season in a roomy, naturally planted aviary.' Put 1 lost most of the young and several of the old birds too in experimenting with them during the winter--the result of my experience i,: that during mild, but wet muggy winters those left out invariably die, but that during a cold but dry winter under similar conditions the majority survive and go to nest at the first sign of spring weather the following season. I have had others since, which have confirmed the above experience. Their longevity in the aviary varied from one to six years — the average of twenty specimens being 4.32 years. Cow-BiRD. Bav-winged.— HaM' had but one pair of , this species, which lived with me five years— during their fourth year with me an open cup-shaped nest was built in a faggot of birch twigs, pi coarse and line grass on a base of rootlets and twigs ; three eggs were laid, but after The Endurance of Birds. 291 they had been incubated for ten days the ne^t and eggs were destroyed by a Virginian Cardinal. Two of the eggs contained well formed chicks, the third wa^ infertile. They made no further attempt at nesting, both dying in the autumn of the following year. I found them quite hardy out of doors ail the year round. CowBiRD. Silky.— I have possessed several pairs, as well as odd male>< a.- different times. .A.nd speaking of them as a whole they have passed through our worst winters out of doors without apparent discom- fort. 1 have a cock at the present time, vvliich has been with ma six years and still looks quite youthful ; at the same tinie I must say my hens have not been long-lived (three years being the longest period), speaking of three specimens two died in mid-winter (not wasted at all and in good feather), the other in the midst of a tropical summer— in the two former cases the cause of death undoubtedly was exposure from sleeping out during spells of severe frost, and in the latter case heat apoplexy ended her* career This species is parasatic, but the first pair I had, finding no suitj able nest in which to deposit their eggs, actually gathered together a mass of tufts and grass in a Ibg nest, provided for Parrakeets, and deposited therein two e ggs, but made no attempt to incubate, which would be rather what one would expect of them. This species has deposited eggs in the nests of Cardinals, Blackbirds, and Thrushes in Mr. Willford's aviary, but no young have been fully reared. Ci'TTHRO.xT : These birds are very variable, I have had three pairs which have lived with me over eight years each, and others which have only lived two, three, four or five years. I have found them rather prolific breeders, though some pairs are so eager to go to nest again that thej desert the partly fledged young, and build again, often doing this right up to the end of the season, though they usually tear the last brood successfully. This was the first species of foreign bird I bred! in captivity, so a paiij is usually to be found in one of my aviaries. It is quite ready to mate witli its near relative, the Red-headed Finchj, failing a. inate of its own kind, and the resulting hybrids are usually very handsome Some pairs are very meddlesome, and prefer to steal nesting material from other birds' nests to foraging on their own account, or visiting the bundles provided for them in the aviary. I have not found them quarrelsome; at the sama time they arc quite able to, and do defend their nests against birds much larger than themselves— for this trait I cer- tainly have more admiration than blame. DiiVAi HtkD : I have only possessed two males of this species, they arc charming aviary birds, among a collection of largish birds, and can be left out all the year round, providing they have a good shelter which' ■'ihcy car. retire to at will. I find they usually roost indoors at night, both iummcr and winter, and they usually seek the shelter during a stormy peiiod at any time. At the same time, on wet retentive soils I consider ic safesl to take them indoors between November ist and .\i)ril 30th. 292 Editorial. Dove. Aurita : Have only possessed one pair, which I only kept for tlirpf ye;irs, and as they showed no signs of going to nest, I made exchange- of tlieni with an avicultural friend for otlicr species. DovEj AijiYRALiAN CRESTED. : These are charming and long-lived Mrds, though some pairs are a little difficult to establish. They are fairly prolific breeders, but after rearing two broods, I parted with all of them, owing to them being rather large, for my, then, limited accommodation. Do\E. Bar-Shouldered. I procured a young pair of new arrivals of this species, they proved to be two males, and also very quarrelsome indeed to the other Doves in the aviary, so I took an early opportunity of getting rid of them. ' ' , . Dove, Bakh.nry, Turtle. — These are too well known to be worth space, they are long-lived and as hardy and prolific as domestic Pigeons, but realK 1 only kc-pt them as foster parents to incubtite the eggs of rare specia^ of Doves, some of whom make very indififerent parents in captivity. Editorial. A Success and a Disaster : Mrs. Stanley Gardiner (Cambridge), reports the successful rearing of two broods of Sydney Waxbills {A. temporalis), but after t'hey were all independent of tbeir parents, all the young except one, also some other birds, were found lying dead in the flight, mostly with one leg pulled right out from the socket. Owls of some species were undoubtedly the culprits, most probably Little Owls. The wire netting of flight is % inch mesh. An outer course of one inch mesh netting, six inches distant from the small mesh netting, would make the aviary secure from owls or other similar vermin. It is most disheartening to succeed and then to lose the young birds so tragically. We congratulate our niember on her success; not many Sydneys are bred in captivity, and also symipathise with her re the sad triitedy. i Breeding Bramble-Fi.n-ciies : Mr. W. E. Suggitt (now at the front) reports that in his brother's (Mr. R. Suggit) aviary, a fair nuinlbor of the freely imported species were successful! >- reared this past season, also that three Editorial. 293 young Bramblings have been fully reared. He promises a detailed account as soon as possible. We should be greatly obliged if any member or reader, knowing of any previous instance of the successful rearing oif Bramblefinchcs in cap- tivity in the British Isles would send details. Errata: The title plate opposite page 261 should read, Nest of Red-shouldered Whydah, with eggs of Red- collared Whydah. Page 275, line 17, for " Mulcin " read Mullein. A Retrospect: In these times a somewhat unpleasant and thankless task. However, we are pleased to say that, considering "the times," the year's work has not been an unlavourable one. I'he current volume of " Bird Notes " though less bulky than some of its immediate predecessors, will bear com- pari;on with them, and not suffer thereby. As regards numbers, the decrease, if any, will be small indeed— there have been comparatively few withdrawals, — and our losses, so far, from casualties at the front, are not nu- tnerous, though very many of o\ir members are vvith the colours. The influx o'f new members has exoeecied antici- pations, and we trvist that all members vvfll realise their res- sponsibility to assist the Council and Officers, by making the Club and (its objects known to all bird-keepers, so that the Club Journal " Bird Noiks," may be thoroughly representative of Aviculture in all its branches. Perhaps the worst feature of the year is, that »hcre are quite a nmnber ol unpaid subscriptions, and where income barely covers expenditure, this creates rather a difficult position for those bearing llic burden of office. We should add, however, in justice to the greater portion of those in de- fault that it arises from their being called to serve their king and country, and tliat at some later date these will be made good. We asic: the support and help ot all those of our members who are not called to serve^ and who are prospering in these times, as many are to assist those who willingly give their time to ^iiak<; our Society successful and representative, by helping the Illustration and Dchcit Fund, by sending copy for the Journal, and b> the prompt payment of their subscriptions. 294 Editorial. Wc sorrow for those memljcrs who have given their lives upon 'lie battlefield in their country's cause ; their names, no longer on our roll, are registered upon the imperishable roll of th; honoured, never forgotten while their country lasts. Beautiful Birds. I. Ye birds that fly through the fields of air, What lessons of 'wisdom and truth ye bear I Ve would teach our souls from the earth to rise, Ve would bid us all grovelling scenes despise, Ye would tell us that all its pursuits are vain. That pleasure is toil, ambition is pain, iha: its bliss is touched with a poisoning leaven, -5 would teach us to fix our aim in heaven. II. Beautiful birds of lightsome wing. Bright creatures that come with the voice of spring, (\"e see you arrayed in the hues of morn, Yet ye dream not of pride, and ye wist not of scorn ; Though rainbow splendour around you glows, Ve vaunt not the beauty which nature bestows ; Oh : what a lesson for glory are ye. How ye preach the grace of humility I III. Swift birds that skim o'er the stormy deep, Who steadily onward your journey keep, Who neither for rest nor for slumber stay, But press still forward by night or day, As in your unwearying course ye fly Beneath the clear and unclouded sky, Oh I tnay we without delay, like you, The path of duty and right pursiie f Beautiful Birds. 995 IV. Sweet birds th.it breathe the spirit of song, And surround heaven's gate in melodious throng, Who rise with the earliest beams of day, Your morning tribute of thanks to pay, Vou remind us that we should likewise raise The voice of devotion and song of praise ! There's something about you that points on high, Ye beautiful tenants of earth and sky ! --C. W. THOMPSON. Post Mortem Reports CuTiHROAT ($J. (Lieut. W. R. Batty, Southportj. The cause of death was rupture of the left auricle of the heart, setting up haemorrhage. I^LiE Tit. (Miss Clara Bowring, Ascot).. Cause of death, pneu- moTiia. .Striated Finch : Cause of death fatty degeneration of the liver. Bird (?). (Mrs. Alice M. Cook, Kilburn). Cause of death, chronic pneumonia. Bf.ncal Pitta (cf)- (Capt. John S. Reeve, Caterham, Surrey). Cause of death, cardiac failure. The heart was affected with fatty degener- ation Cordon Bleu. (G. E. Haggie, O.xford). Cause of death, rupture of the liver. Goldfinch-Bui I FINCH Cro.ss. (J. Goodchild, Suffolk). Cause of death, pneumonia. YouNc; CocK.Miii.. (Miss L. Sturtin Johnson, Hastings). Cause of death, acute pneumonia. Answered by Post: James Yelland ; Lady Kathleen Pilkington. H. GRAY, M.R.C.V.S. Z' 296 Index, Index. Aechmorhynchtis occldcntalis, 167. Acilo.'i galactodcs. \c)i). Acgint/ius tcinponilis, 133. ' acgyptiaciis, Che, 200. aegyptiiis. Mil., 200. Aethopyga satnnita, 74. at finis, Cas 91. afra, Pyr., 3, 25. Agapornis cana, 25. ,, nigiigcnix, 25. ,, piillaria, 25. O Ageloeiis ictcroccphalits, 133. albivcntor, Mcr., 154. All About " Ari " — A Herrinj? Gull, 91. amaruiava, Spo.^ 255. Amazona amazonica, 225. ,, dtifrcsni, 226. ,, festiva, 226. ,j ochroccphalus, 227. amazonica, Aina, 225. Amazon-Parrot. King, 225. „ ,, Mealy, 227. ,, ,, Red-back, 226. ,, ,, Vellow-headcd, 228. aquaticus, Ral., I 11. Arachnechthra asiatica, 73. arcuata, Pas., 207. Ardea cine r a, 199. ardens. Pen., 25, 279. asiatica, Aru., 73. astrilda, , £s/., 255. Avadavat. 216. Aviaries. Lt. Bainbridgc's^ iq6. ,, Breeding Results In My, 247 Mr H. Bright 's, 158. „ Mr. C. E. Croker's, 173. „ Mr C. F. Crow's, 270. „ Mr. W. 11. Fisher's, 173. Aviaries Mr. J. L. Grossmith's, 2, „ Mr. C. F. Leach's, 174. „ Dr. L. Lovell-Keays', 176. „ Miss Lucas', 254. „ Maj. G. A. Perreau's, 241. „ Lady E. Samuelson's, 195. Aviary and Birds, My, 270. „ and Gouldian Finches, 41, 45. ,, Experiences, My, 222. ,, Notes — Bakloh, 241. 265, 280. Avicultural and Field Notes, 163. B. Babbler Red-billed, 245, 265, 268. Bakloh Aviary Notes, 241, 265, 280. Bare-eyed Thrush, 80. biarniiciis. Pan., 1S3, 231. Bearded Tits, 135, 183, 231. Beautiful Birds, 292. Biid Catchinsr in India, '.20, 139, 169. ,, Life on Achill Island, 114, 142. ,, Lists. Breeding, 25. 205, 206, 255 ,, ,, General. 16-20, 173, 174. ,, ,, In Aviaries, 173, 174; 175, 178. ,, ,, In Same Aviary, 174, 195. 254, 255. ,, ,, Synonyms. 91, 137, 229 ,, The Cotton, 156. ,, The God-, 155. ,, Trappers of the Riverina, The, 43- Birds. A Colony of, 107. ,, In and About the Station (Bak- loh), 13. ,, In the Firing Line, 69. ,, in My .'Vviarie,, Some British, 195. 254, 255. ,, kept in the same .Xviary, 174, 229. ,, Mescpotamian, 288. fndi ex 297 Birds. Seen in Flanders, i6i. ,, Some Colony, S i , 1 30, 151, 178; 208, 225. ,, Tailor-, 246, 268. Blackbird, 217. ,, Guiana, 131. Black-hcadeu Sibia, 217. ,, throated Sacki, 86. 3 Breeding African White-eyes, 134, 159. Bearded Tits, 207, 230. ,, Black-headed Conures, 207. ,, Blue-Bicajtcd Wa.xbills, 196, 257- „ Blue Budgerigars, 186, 217. ,, Bramblefinches, 292. ,^ Cacalua galerita, 102. ,, Hybrids, 183. 206, 207, 237 ; 264 . „ Indian White-eyes, [97. p ,, Jackson's VVhydafi, 207, 211. ,, Landrails, 28, 58. ,, Lists, 25, 205, 206, 255. ,, Malabar Mynahs, 3, „ Many-coloured Parrakeets, 236 „ Pied Bush-Chats, 269, 280. „ Quaker Parrakeets, 247. ,, Red-collared Lorikeets, 186, 1 89, 207, 214. ,, Redstarts, 185. ,, Results in my Aviaries, 247. „ Ruficauda Finches, 185, 196. „ St. Helena W'axbills, 190. ,, Season, 1915. Shore Baily, 25, S3- „ Stanley Parrakeets, 236. ,^ Tailor Birds, 269, 280. ,, Unique Hybrid Grassfinch, 264 ,, Vellow-Grosbeaks, 207. Britis'i Bird Calendar, 136, 188. brunneu, Lar.^ 246. Butk Canary, 86. Budgerigar, 217. ,, Blue, 186, 215. ^ ,, History of t he, 67, 124, 148 200, 236, 277. ,. Trying for Blue, 234. ,, Yellow, 135. Bulbul. Him. Black, 217. ,, Red-eared, 217. „ Red-vented, 217. ,, White-cheeked, 217. ,, White-eared, 217'. Bullfinch, 217. ,, Desert-trumpeter, 184. ,, Rosy-winged Afghan, 217. Bunting. Black-headed, 217. ,, Chinese, 217. ,, Hair-crested, 217. „ Hybrids, 52. Indigo, 187, 217, 274. ,, Nonpareil, 218. ,, Rainbow, 218. , Red-headed, '218. ,, Rock, 273. Bush-Chat, Pied, 246, 269. C. Cacalua galerita, to2. caenitatus. Dry, 137. cueniicscens, Lag.^ 20. „ Mon., 13J. cacsia, Sit., 233. Culliite cayana, 87. ,. flaviveiitiis, 87. cana, Aga, 25. Canary. Buck, 86. ,, Cape, 218, „ Creole, S^. ,, Grass-Biids, 83. ,, Hybrids, 206. canota, Pho., 255. capiala, Pra., 246. Cardinalis cardinalis,, Caidinals, 2(32. ,, Dominican, ,, Green, 218. ,, Pope, 182. ,, Red-crcstcd, ,, Virginian, 164. 1S3, 21S. Cassadix oryzivma, 131. Cassicii.i, af finis, 91. ,, persicus, 89. Cassiquc. Black, 130. castar,eivcntrif., Spc, 133. I Castanet is, Tae., 25, 255. 183. 263 2IS, 263. 21S, 202 298 Index, cayaic, Cat.. 87. Euo, 87. Ciryle nidis. 200. Chaffinch, i34- i59, 276. chalcoiitera, Phups, 25, 27. Chan-aepclia griseola, 153- tuiiiuta, 153 passerina 15-- ,, talpacoti, 152. Chat., Ind. Blue, 246. Pied Bush, 246, 269; 280. Chclidorhynx hypoxantlium, 14. Clu'italopcx acgypliacus, 199. chloris, Lig., 183. Chlori.^ sinica, 25. . chrysogasier, Phe, 207. ChiysomitiL^ spiiwides, 183, 255. cJiiysoptcrygius, Pse., 37- Chrysoii- amazoiilca, 225. dujresiii, 226. jcstiva, 226. ochroccphalus, 227. rii.c /orl.yiuhil.',, Pet., 246. cincrca, .4rd.. 199. „ fi^. 255. Cockaleels, 218. 247. Cockatoo. Death of a Veteran, 224. ,, Galah, 43- ,^ Roseate, 43. Suiphur-ci-eit. 102. cocUb:i, Fri., 134- Cornbas-ous, 21S, 273. Conure. Black-headed, 207. ,, Petz's, 26. ,, Speckled, 26. Ccnures, 290. Coiiiiriis, cuups, 25. ,, nanday, 207. , ocularis, 25- Cordon Bleu, 273, 290. comix, Cor., 200. Corrigenda, 277. Ct^AVHS comix, 200. Coryp/iospi/igiis ciistutiis, 82. Cow-Birds. Bay-winged. 290. ,, „ Silky, 291. crii.t(itiis, Cor., 82. /^o^, 166. ciiculUiLUi,, PiC, 12-3. Culu-culu, The, 226. ctnicata. (ho., 25. Cuttluoat, 291. cvantis, Mon., 137. D. Dandelion Leaves for .Softl)ills, 258. Dawn Amongst the Birds of an Egyp- tian Garden, 199. Death of a Veteran Cockatoo, 224. Delicate Life-thread of the Vuung Grey Parrot, 197. Dhyal Bird, 291. dissimilis, Pse., 12-3. ii'oriwstica, Mtin., 255. Do\'e. Aurita, 292. ,, Australian Crested, 292. ,, Bar-shouldered, 292. ,, Barbary Turtle, 292. ,, Bleeding-heart, 53. „ Bronze-winged, 27. „ Brush Bronze-winged, 27. „ Diamond, 53. „ Hybrid; 53. ,. Masked, 53. „ Necklace, 53. „ Savannah Ground, 152. „ Speckled, 152. „ Stock, 248. ,, Tiny Ground, 153. ,, Turtle, 248, 263. Drcpanoplcctcs jacksoni, 207, 211, 279. „ ruficollis, 137. Dryo/iastcs cacniladis, 137. ,, ruficollis, 137. Duck, Wild, 247. dafrcsiii. A/na., Chr., 226. E. Early Notes of the Season, 182. Editorial, 20, 72, 102, 133, 158, 185, 205, 292. clcgans, Clia., 25. Elciiica pagana, 178. Endurance o f Birds, 16, 31. 97, 146, 2 Eophona melanura, 261. „ personata, 23, 261. index. 299 Errata 72, 102, 185, 293. Erytlno^piza gH/iafriiiea, 184 Estrilda astiUda, 255. ,, clncrca 255. Euplwniu cayuiui, 87. ,, niiiiiita, 86. ,j violacca, 87. Euphonia, Black-faced, 87. „ M -throated, 87. ,, Yellow-sided, 87. .,, Violet, 86. euops, Con., 25. exiitiius^ PI a. 25. Falco tiiinuiiculiis, 200. fainosa, Ncc, 73. festiva, Amu, Cliry., 226. Field and Avicultural Notes, 1^3 Fieldfare, The, 229. Held Notes — N.S. Wales, 71. 1-inch. Alario, 274. ,, Bramble, 292. „ ChafY , 134, 159, 276. „ Diamond, 196, 197. „ Fire, 82, 274. ,, Gold, 276. „ Gouldian, 41, 42, 55, 197, 277 „ Green, 182, 206, 276. „ Hybrids, 183, 206, 254, 264. „ Lavender-backed, 133. „ Lcngtailed Grass, 56. „ Masked Grass, 43. „ Melba, 196, 197, 272. „ Moustache 85. ,, Parrot, 103. „ Piiitailcd Nonpareil. 103. >. .. Parrot, 103. „ Ked-headed, 197. „ Ribbon. 274,. ,. Ring-neck, S^. , Rose, 206. ,, Rufirauda, 185, 272. ,, Rufous-iailed Grass, 196. ,, SafTron, 55, 273. „ Scaly-crowned, 274. ,, Scarlct-crcsted, 82. Finch. Singing, 274. ,, Spice, 274. „ White-throated, 84. ,, Zebra, 53, 196, 197, 272. flavKoUis, Gyni.^ 184. flavii'cntris, Cal., 87. fliiviatilis, Pod., 165. riuvicola pica, 157. Flycatcher and Butterfly, 263. „ Ind. Paradise, 13, 246. ,, Yellow-bellied, 14. Eringilla coclcbs, 134. Fruit, A substitute for, 162. G. galactodes. Acd., 199. galbiila. Sit., i . githaginca, Ery. 184. God-Bird, The, 155. Goldfinch, 276. gracilis, Pri.^ 199. Grassfinch Hybrid, Unique, 264. Grebes, 165. Greenfinch, 183, 206, 276. ,, Hybrids, 183, 206. Grey Parrot. The delicate life-thread of the young, 197. griscola, C.ha._ 153. griitus, Nye, 199. Grosbeak, Yellow, 207. guiancnsis, Psi., 182. Gull. Black-headed, 61. ,, Herring, gr. Ciyninorhi. flavicollis, 184. H. haemaionoliis, Psc. 8. hacnialorilious, Psc. 25. Hangnest. Red-back, 91. ,, Yellow-back, 89. Hawfinch. Black and Yellow, 134. ,. ,, -headed, 261. ,' u -tailed, 23, 259. Hen of the Black-tailed Hawfinch, 23. History of the Budgerigar, 67. 1 24, 14S. 2CO, 236. fiypfianloniij viU/linit.t, i, 35. fiypolai.i pallida. 199. hypoxanthutn, Chv. 14. 300 .Index . Hybud. St. Helena Seedeater x Can- ary 206. Hybrid. Cape x House Sparrow, 264. ,, Crim. -crowned Weaver x Red- collared Whydah, 237. Him. Siskin x Greenfinch, 183 ,, Indigo X Nonpreil Bunting, 52. ,, I'arson — Long-lailed x Ruficauda Graibfinch, 264. ,, Rosefinca x Greenfinch. 206, 256. ,, Squamafa x Californian Quail, I. icteroccplialtis, Age., 133. icterus, Scr, 255. jucaiiir Vol , 255 jacksoiii. Drc , 207, 211, 279. jamaciaiisis, for., no Jardine's Pigmy Owl, 72. Jay, Mexican 135. Lugoncsticta cccnilcsccm,, 20. J, minima, 255. ,. nifopicta, 255. Landrail.7, 28, 58. larvaia, Par., 1S2. Larvivora bntnnea, 246. liiticaiida, Fen 279 Laughing-Thrushes, Eastern Variegated 137- ,. ,, My, 137- Ligurinui chloris, 185. lineata, Spc. 84. Uneatuni, Trci., 137. lineola. Spc, 86. Lists of Birds, Breeding, 52, 205, 206. ,, General, 16-20, 173, 174. ,, In Aviaries, 173, 174, 175, 178. ,, In same Aviary, 1T4, 195,255 ,, In the Firing Line, 69. ,, Seen in Flanders, 161. ,, Sjnonyms, 91, 157, 229. Lcng-lived Finches, 133. Lophophanes melanolophus^ 245 Lorikeet. Red-collared, 69, 186, 189, 207 ,, Ked-naped, 207, 214. lijgiibris. Qui. 131. /:i/cns, Pas 25, 255. Lovebird, Black-cheeked. 26. ,, Guiana, iii. Madagascar, 26. 27. ,, Red-faced, 27. M. Malabar iMynahs. 3, 184. lualubcti ifi!^\ Pol.. 184. iiielanoccphc'liis, Pio., 208. w.elaiiolophiis, Lop., 245. mclanoxanthus, Myc, 134. melaniira, Eop, 261 Melopyrrha nigra, 52. Morula albivcntcr, i 54. Mescpotamian Birds, 28S. Milvus acgyptiiis, 200. ii'iinma, Lag., 255. miiuua, Cha. 153 Eiip, 86 Mccking-Bird. Black, 130. , ,, Red-back, 91. ,. ,, Yellow-back, 89. Mock-i5g-Bnds, 88. Mo/iticola cacriilcscens, 137. ,, cyaniis, 137. ,, nibripes, 137. multicolor, Pse., 9, 11. muni, I domcstica, 255. ,, puiiciiiiata, 255. 'ntisciilns. Tro 155. Myccrobas n:elanc.\-ai:tlius, 134. N. nana ay, Con., 207. Nectarinia famosa, j^. Nesting \otcs, 72, 134. 133^ 158, 258. of Bearded Tits, 135,. 183 ,, B'ack-tailed Hawfinches ,, Golden Weavers, i, 2. ,, Half-marsked Weavers, ., Indigo Bunting, 1S7. ,, Jays, etc., 135. ,, Landrails, 25, 58. , Malabar Starlings, 1S4. ,, Mclba Finches, 196, 197 „ Pied Bush-Chats, 269. Ncstins: 205, , 259. Index- mi Nesting of Pope Cardinals, 1S2. ,, ,, Purple Sunbirds, 277. ,, ,, Ked-billcd Babblers, 265. ,, ,, Red-collared Lorikeets, 69. ,, ,, Red-shouldered Whydahs, 261. , ,, Spot-winged Weavers, i, 3. ,, ,, Tailor-Birds, 246, 265. ,, ,. X'irginian Cardinals, 183. ,, ,, Yollow-wing Sugaibirds. 1S5 Nest of the Xorlolk Plover, 118. 186. J, ,, Stone-Curlew, 1 18. niff/7, Mel., 25. nip,ri(>i'nis, Agii 25. nignnuntiim, I'la., 137. nipalcnsis. Pal., 25. Notes of the vScason. Early, 182. ,, ,, ,. Nesting, 207. Nuthatch, 133. N yrlicorax giisviis, 199. o. Obituary, 210. obsoletits. Rat, 1 10. occidetitulis. Ace, 167. Occurrence of the Rcd-thro.Ucil Pi[)it in Devon, 278. occUata, Spe, 86. ochrocephala, Aina., Chry., 227. ocular i.-. Con., 25. Oedicnimu^ sculopax 118. ,, sefUfralfnsis, 199. Ortlioiomits siitoriiis^ 246, 265. Ortygospizi palyzoiia. 255. nryzivora. Cos., 131. Oryzobonn (on id 11 s.^ 82. Owl. Jardinc's Pigmy, 72 P. pugana. Etc, 178. Puluvurni-, lupaUnsifi, 25. put lid a, Hyp , 199. Panurns bianiiicus, 183 231. paradisi, Terp 246. ^Paroariu Inivnlii, 182. Parrakeet. Alexandrine, 26. ,, Bauer's, 262. " Blue Bonnet, 36, 38. Parrakeet. Canary-wing, 26. ,, Hooded, 12, 36. Malabar, 134. Many-coloured, 11, 236. Mealy Rosella, 26. Psephotus, 7, 36. Quaker, 26, 247, Rcd-runiped, 8, ^7. Ring-necked, 247. Rosella, 26, 134. " Stanley, 236. Tui, 26. Yellow-bellied, 40 Parrot. Grey, 197. ,, White-breasted, 208. Parrot-Finch. Pintailcd, 103. Parrots, 179. I'asscr arctiata, 207. ,, domcstica, 207. ,, III teas. 25, 255. pnsscrina, Clta.^ 152. I'ciitlutria an/ciis, 25, 279. ,. laticaiida^ 279. pcrsiciis^ Cas., 59. ptrso/iaia' Eop, 23, 261. Pcliuphilu cinclorhyiiciuis^ 246. I'liiips chalcoptcra, 25, 27. ,, etc guns ^ 25. Pheasant. Golden, 247. ,, Rearing under Broodies, 190 218. Pheiiliciia chrysogaslcr, 207. Phonipiira canora, 255. pica, rill, 157. Pics. Occipital Blue, 20. pilaris, Tiir., 229. Pintailed Nonpareil, 103. Pionilus melanocephalns, 208. Pipit. Red-throated, 278. Pln/yccrciis cximius, 25. Pddinpi's rrislalits, 166. ,, ftiivialiliSj 165. , , podicipes, 1 67 . poliiiiip/ialtis, Por., 112. Polio p\itr malubariciis, 184. poly zona, Url., 255. 302 Index, Poiphyrio jamaciensis, no. ,, pcliocephaliis, 112. porphyria. 112. Post Mortem Rcpnris, 24, 107, 136, 236 295. I'ratincola cuprata^ 246. qrincipalis, Vitl., 2801 Priiiin iiracilis, 199. Producing Blue Budgerigars, 186. Prospect, The, 20. Psephotiis, 7, 36. ,, clirysoptcrygiiis^ 37. ,, ctictillaiiis^ 12-3. ,, dissirnilis. 12-3. ,, hacniatorrhoiis, 37. ,, haenictorrhflits. 37. ,, multicolor, 9, 11. ,, pttlchcrrimiis. 37. ,, xanthorrlwtis. 37. Psephotur Parrakeets a t Liberty, 7, 36. Psitiaciili! iiitiaiifnsis, 182. pi/sscrina, 237. piilclwrrinuiK, Pse., 371. piillaria, Af^a. 25. piinctiilata, Mi/n., 255. Pyromclana (lira, 3. 25. ,, /rt/m, 3, 25. Q. Quail, Californiau, 164, 247, 275. ,, Hybrid, 148. Quiscalus lugtibris, 131. R. Rail, The Amazon, 109. Railiis aqiiaticiis, in. ,, jamaciensis, no. ,, obsoletus, no. Redpolls, 276. Redstart, 185. Red-throated Pipit in Devon, 278. Reed-Bird ,The. 133. ,, „ Yellow-headed, 133. Reedlings, Bearded, 183. Reviews ,"A Veteran Naturalist," 72. ,, '• A Bird Calendar for N. India," 105. Roadside Tagedy, A, 160. nibripes Mori., 137. nibritcrques, Tri., 186, 20 riidis Ccr. 200. rujiccps, Sta., 265. rujicollis. Dry. 137. riifopicta, Lag. 255. Sacki, Black-throated, 86. ,, Yellow-sided, 87. ,, ,, -vented, 87. saiurata, Ac, 74. Saurama, The, 227. SCO I o pax, Oed., 118. Screecher, The, 225. Season 1916, The, 277. Seedeater, Hybrids, 206. ,, Sulphury, 55. Seed-Finch. Torrid, 83. seiicgalensis, Oed., 199. ,, Tur., 199. Scrinus icterus, 255. ,, sulpliuratus, 25. ,, Sexing Occipital jBlue-Pies, 20 Shama, An Aged, 134. Shows. L.P.O.S., 74-80. Sibia. Black-headed, 217. Silverbills, 275. sinicus, Lig., 25. Siskin Hybrids, 183. Siiagra galbula, i . Sitta caesia, 233. Some Colony Birds, 81, 130, 151, 178, 208, 225. Sparrow. Cape, 207. ,, House, 207. Hybrid, 207. ,, Java, 273. ,, Yellow, 55. ,, ,, -throated, 184. Spermophila castanciventris^ 133. ,, lincata, 84. ,, lineola, 86. Stai hyi liiaopsi.> ruficeps, 265. ,, ocellata, 86. spi modes, C/iry., 183, 255. Index 303 Sporaeointhus amandava, 255. Stachrhidopsis ruficeps, 265. Starling, Glossy, 276. ,, Malabar, 3, 184. Story ol my B.H. Gull, 61. Stray Notes, 262. Substitute for Fruit, 162. Sugarbirds. Yellow-winged, 185, 186. siilphuratiis, Ser., 25. Sunbird. Amethyst-rumped, 103. ,, BJack-breasted, 74. Purple, 73, 134, 277. ,, Southern Malachite, 73. Sunbirds, My, 73. sitforius, Ort., 246, 265. Sycalis arvensis, 83. Synonyms 92, 157, 229. Taeniopygia castanoth, 25. 255. taha, Pyr., 3, 25. Tailor Birds, 246, 269, 280. Talebearers, The, 22. talpacoti, Cha., 152. Tanager. Black, 164. ,, ,, -faced, 87. ,, Yellow-vented, 87 temporalis, Aeg^, 133. Tcrps,i phone paradisi, 246. Thrush. Bare-eyed, 80. ,, Blue-headed, 246. ,, Rock, 137. ,, White-bellied, 153. f/griiiiis, 'fur., 25. /iiiniinciili/s, Fal., 300. Tit. Bearded, 135, 183, 207, 230, 2 ,, Crested Black ,245. lorridiis, Ory., 82. Trachaloplcnim linrfi/iini, 137. I. varicgatiim, 137. Trir/ioglossiis rubrilorqiics, 186, 207. Troglodytes musciilus, 155. Trying for B lue Budgerigars, 234. Tua-Tua, 82. Tardus pilaris, 229. Tartar se/tegalensts, 199. ,, tigrinus, 25. ,, tartar, 261. Tyrant-Bird. Black and White, 157. ,, ,, Rustic, 178. u. Unique Hybrid, An, 264. V. vari( gatitm. Tra, 137. Vidua principalis, 280. violacea, Eup., 87. virens, Zos., 13^, J59. Visits to Members' Aviaries, 173, 195, 249. vitellinus. Hyp., i, 25. Volatiiiia jacarini, 255. w Waxbill. Blue-breasted, 196, 257 ,, St. Helena, 196. ,, Sydney, 133. Weaver. Crimson-crowned, 237 Golden, i, 2. Half-masked, i, 273. Hybrid, 237. Red-beaked, 185 ,274. ,, Spot-winged, i, 3. ,, Taha, 273. Whitc-cye. African, 134, '50- Indian, 197. Wholesale Flycatching, 187. '.Vhvdah. Crimson-ringed, 279. Hybrid, 237. Jackson's. 207, 211. Red-collared, 237. ,, -shouldered, 261. X. xantlinrrlious, Psc., 37. z. , virrns, 134, 159. 304 Index Index to Inset — (Pink Pages). Bird Market, 15, 22, 24, 28, 29, 31, 33, 35, ■})■], 40,, 44, 4s. Breeding Medal Rules, 20. Changes and Corrections of Address, 21, 24, 28, 29, 31, 35, 2)1 > 40. 45- Committees. 17. Donations, 14, 21, 24, 27, 29, 33; 37; 40. Illustration and Deficit Funds, 14,, 21, 24, 27, 29, 33, 37, 40. 4^. Members' Roll 2 — ^^13, 33. New Members, 14, 21, 23, 27, 29, 31, ^t, , 35, 37, 40, 43, 43. Notices to Members 14, 21, 23, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37, 39, 43, 45. Obituary, 37. Officers of the Club, i. Rules, 18 — 20. Show Notices and Reports, 39. Show Rules. 19. Show Season, 39. JANUARY 1916 The Foreign Bird Club, President : Till-; Lady Dunlkatii. Vice Presidents: H. R. Fo.i.MKi;. E. Hopkinson, D.S.O., M.A., M.B. E. J. Brook, F.Z.S. • Council : The CorM kss of WiNciiii.sr.A Dr. H. Hetlev TnK Hon. :\Irs. (i. BoiRfu-: Dr. L. L()Veli,-Kk.a.ys. F.Z.S. Mrs. C. An'\in(;son Dr. X. S. Lucas Mjss M. E. Bakkr Dr. J. E. R. McDox.vriii Mrs. E. a. H. Harti.kv Dk. J. Ea.^tox Scott Dr. M. Amslkr Rev. G. H. R.a.yxor, M. A. W. Shore Baii.v W. T. Rooers \V. A. I-5ainrrii)(;k R. SuGfarr W. Bamfokd a. Sutcliki'e H. Briciit W. R. Temple E. W. Chai'i.in H. W1EI.EORI) Dr Pmii.i.ip (i()<,.(),l'. Hon. W. B. Wi.u! 1 i -,,i v I' Z.S. Hon. Editor: \Vkt/. E.dkihitional Sfcreldrt/ : Stanley M. Townsend. .''., Swiit Sii;i:k. i. FriJiAM, Ijondon, S.W. Hon. Veterinary Surgeon : Hknrv (Jrav. M.R.C.V.S., 2;{, I'im'er ]'iiili,i\I(ii;e Placi;, Kensinoion Ijo\D(^n, W. Hon. Solicitor : ' II. R. Fillmer, Church Streei', BiaoiiiuN. Hon. Photographer: II. WiLLioHi), Uplanii View. Uavenstrkei. Rvue Roll of Members. JJdiiovdry Member. FII.LMEK, II K., (Foundtr). JJremlon. 22, Harrington Hood, Brighton. ACTON, Ci. li., I^ythani, Kiiliudic Road, (aversham, Roajding. (February,] litm. AJ)AMS, A. W.. lis, N')rtliami)tun Road, INfarkct lfarliorou<,'li. (May, 1912). j .^ i J)i:ix'S()\, :\riss R., Park Hollsl^ Worksop. (March.. 19091. Al.LAN, .1. W., ]3oiidgate, Alnwick. (Ai>ril. 1911). .ALMOND. 'IM;? Kev. F., Dormant. (February, 1906). ■\T/r, Mrs. M., "is, Moli-ose Gardens, Hammersmith , London^ W. (April, 191t). .\:\[ES, Mrs. HOBART, North Haston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. (March, 1913). AM.SLER, Dr. MAt'RTCE, Eton Court House, High Street, Eton, Windsor. (March, 1909). .\NDERSON. J. H., 20, Hoghton Street, Southimrt. (February, 1914). ANI)Ri;\VS. F. J., (lordon House. W.ooel Manor, South Molton, North Devon. (July, 1911). BARLOW-MASSICKS, Mrs. C, Dormant. (November, 1911). * MARNABY, Miss ALISON, Oak Lodge, Bitteme, Southampton. (August, 1912). BAPNARD, T. T., Kempston Hoc, Bedfoixi. (July, 1915). BATTY, Lieut. W. E., 15, Alexander Road. Sonthport. (October, 1915). BEATY, S., Strathiiarn,' Elm Grove. Alderley Eer, 1909). BOUSFIELD, Miss M., Avon 'Court, Southbourne Road, Bournenio»ith. (Janu iry, 1908). bOWERM.VN, v., 12, Wellington Street. Swindon. (Sei)tember, 1914). * bOWRlNG, Miirs CLARA, The Holly House, Broadway, Worcestershire. (.July, 1914;. BOYD, Miss M . Webl>ery. Bideford. (Februaiy. 1914). BOYD. HAKOLl), Box 374, Ketowna, Brit. Columbia, Canada. (April. 1903). LRANFOOT, B., Dormant. (November, 1912). I. BIGHT, HERBERT, LyiitoJi, Eaton Roaw York, U.S.A. (February, l?tlO). BROWNE, Cain. A. E., IJelmont. Alurree, Punjab, India. (:March, 1912). URCCE, .Miss A., Clievct I'ark, Wak?:ield. (March, 1909). lil'F'I'ON, REGINALD P., Caerhyn, Llandritidod Wells. (January, 1913). lU'RGESS, Mrs.. Kingsweii-, .'')2, Clare. I'.lon l\()ar. 1912). I ARTWRIGHT, Mrs. E.. Ilrettnii Txxige. WakefieNl. (January, 1912). < ASTI.i; GA.N'T. Mr.^. .\., Willow Hyrst. Helliugly. Susse.v. (June. 191.5). I H AMlJERbAIN, C. The Aviary, 20, I'crkin St reot. J'ort Eli/.abt^th, Cape I'rovime. S. Afrira. (June. 1914). < HANNING-PEARCE. J.. ALD.. etc.. Montague House. R^uusgato. (.Janu- ary. 1!)1(;>. • lIM'blN. Mrs. DIM'M.MOND. Government Hou.m., Salisbury. Rliodesia. (.Inly. 19U). HAI'I.LN. E. W.. Till- Fif-s. (ireul Aniwell, Ware. (Sept., liK13). I HARI.ES. .1.. Sloiic House, Douc-artter. (February. Itni). 4 (■]IA1^LKSW(»1;TII. Mi■^r^ ATDRY. :\rnnihull Rcctoiy, Stunniii.stor NewtiHi. Dorset. (July, V.iU'. tUATTKKTON, Mr»., 11, Fairfiehl luuid. Crmich End. Ijondoii, N. (Janu- ary. 1915). CIlAWXEi;, .Miss K. F. Fore~s1 Hank, Lyndhurst. Hants: (Jvily, 1910). ( lilCK, llKRlIEirr J.. 39a, Radtoni Road, Nottingham. (March, 19U>. CMRISTIE, Mrs G.. i\c\\lr>n IIoum-. Elsin. (January, 1913). (LAKE, iliss LYDIA, '\'hv llolliis, 191, CoomlH- Lane, Wimbledon, London. S.W. (March. 1910). ( LARK, ^V. (!.. Ilunimers Knott. Wiiuisor Road, Slough. (January. 191.')). CLARKE. S.. Inoes. Sca.yiies Hill, llaywanls Heath. (August, 1911). CLlF'l^dN. Lord, Dormant. (Octolx-r; 190.'-)). ( OLTON. R., 9. Bukendale Roaer, 1911). CRONKSHAW, J., 193, Manchester Street, Aocrington. (Nov.. 1901). CROSS. R.. Northumberland I'ark, Tottenham, London, N. (January, 19U). ( ROW, C. ]'".. Lindsey Bank House, Gri.m«by. (Octxiber. 191.5). ( ROYSD.VLE. Mrs. B., llawke House, Sunbury-nn-'l'hames. (January, 1908). ( LRRIE. J.. 128. Willowbrae Road. Edinburgh. (August, 1913). c I'SIINV. Charles, c./o. Messrcs. Neish, Howell, and Haldane, 47, Watling Street, St. Paul's, E.C. (Orig. Mem.). DARRELI>, Dr. H. W., .\delaide House, All Saints' Green, Norwich. (Sep- tember, 1908). J)AV1DS(;)N, Mrs., Yew Tree Cottage, Bittern©, Southampton. (April, 1911). T) A VIES. i[r,s. M. IL, Daresbury Hall, near Warrington. (January, 1914). DAWSON-SMTTH, F., Nash Rectory, Stony Stratford, Bucks. (March. 1912). 1)I;LL, C. E.. 12, High Street, Harlesden, London, N.W. (January, 1914). . DENNIS, Mrs. HAROLD, St. Leonaixl's Park, Horshaan. (January, 1904). DEWAR, D., I.C.S., F.Z.S.. 33, Sbeepcote Road, Harrow. (June, 1907). DEWAR. J. F., 2, St. Patrick's Squaj-e. Edinburgh. (Orig. M*m.). DE YAL'BIJRG-BATESON, The Hon. LILLA, Heslington, York. (June, 1903). DlTCHFiELD, F., 37, Nugget Street, Oldham. (April, 1914;. DOBBIE, J., Waverley Works, Leith, Edinburgh. (April, 1906). DOBSON. W. B. C, Bindown, Hampton Wick. (April, 1914). DRUMMOND, Mis*?, Mains of Jlegginch, Errol, Perthshire. (November, 1907). Ll'NKLEY, Mrs. H. F., Protae, Burma, India. (February, 1915). DLNLEATH, The Lady, BallywaPer Park, Ballywalter, co. Down. (Novem- bei'. 1901). Dl'TTON, the Hon. and Rev. Canon, Bibury Vicarage, Fairford., Glos. (May, 1906) DA'OTT', ('apt. R. A., Freeford. Lichfield. (November, 1912). EARLE. J. HUDSON, Newgate House, Cottingham, Hull. March, 1914). EBRILL. WM.. 14, Victoria Terrace, Limerick. (April, 1906). I'-D.M1'NI)S, W'., ( (ojuoc Fiiiin, LaiiKtoii Maliavcrs, Wai-ehaiu. (November, 19091. . , ■ 1-LMS, E, F. -M.. H(S(biiiik ( uttayio, ( 'aishaltdu Iwiarrs. D., Trevu, Camborne, Cornwall. (Feb., 1915). I'LANNKKY, M. J., Barrack Street, Nenagh. (January, 1909). \ I'LOWKll, (apt. S. S., F.Z.S., M.B.O.TJ,, Keedah Plouse, Zoological Gardens', Gizeli. Egypt. (March, 1909). ' . ' I.OWFK, Mrs. STAiSLFY, Eongfiebl, Tring, llert.«. (July, 1910). ! OKSTKH, \V. 1^., Sniilhtield, Orange Fre^ State, S. Africa, i May, 1911). iOSTER. T., I'dirliglit, Babbaeonibe, Devon. (March. 1911). FOSTER. Miss E. M., 3'). High Stieet, Huntingdon. (January, 1909;. ')\VLER-\VAK1), Dr. F., 10, Berners Street, Ji^swich. (Oct., 1913). b'l>EL\ND, S< OTT, Hill Rise, Qnairy Hill, Tonbridge. (July, 1912). I IxEVlLlj;, .Mi>- M. N. de, Quennevais House, Jei-sey. (January, 1916). i HOST. \V. .). < .. 13, FairlawiV Avenue, ( 'li'iswick Park, London, W. (Augu-,t, 1913 . i iajSTlCK. J., 303, Hi-h Road, Streathani, London, S.AY. (Dec, 1909,. (.ALLOW AY, .Mrs. E.. Fernville, Fortis Green Road, East Fi.nchley, London, .\. (January, 1908;. , '.ALLOWAY, \\ !•'. M., 22, Rectory Raa, Mansti.n Rectory. Sturniinsler Newton, Dorset. (DecenibcT, 1902). '..)SSE, Dr. I'lMLri'. M.B.O.I".. Cur.leniad. B.aulieu, Brockenhurht , Hants. (April. 1910). ' <>|RLAY, H., i'en.shiu'^t, ShorUwatii, Fanihani, Surrev. (Novenilwr, 1907 r. i.iv AHA.M. JOHN, R.iinlhjw irolel. Kendal. (February, 1911.. GRAY. H.. .M.R.C.V.S. (Hon. Vittriminj Sunjeon), 23, IpixM- rhilljjiion) Place, Keiwinutoxi, London, W. (May, 190C), GRl'lENALL; La;1y, Wallon TFall, iioar Wania-'toii. (September, 1915). GREENAl.L, Alisn SUSAN, The Manor, CarKori Scroop, Grantham. (May, 1914). GREEVJ'JN, Miss ^I., c/o. Mrs. Grocn, 51, Clanricarde Gardens, Nottiiijj Hill Gate, LoiidoiL W. (October, 1907). GROSSMl'J'Jl, .1. L., The Granye, Uickloy, Kpnt. (January, 19i;J). Gt'RNEY, G. 11., Keriwick iiaJl, Norwich. (.June, 1913). IIAGGIE, G. E., B.A.. Brumconibc, Foxcombe Hill, Oxford. (Feb., 1910). HA UN, Countess C. V., 192, Walpole Road, Wimbledon, London, S.W. (Au;,nist, 1910). IIAI.L. M'is« A. F., 2(i, Adelaide Road, Regent's Park, I/ondon, N.W.; anruary, 1915). HOPKfNSON. EMILUS, D.S.O.. ALA.. M.B., Oxon, South Bank, Bathhurst, Gambia, West Africa. (October, 1901). HORSBRLGH, Lieut.-Col., B. R.. F.Z.S., Tandridge Priory, Oxted, Surrey. (.October, 1909). HOKTON, Uisi M., Mascalls, Brentwood, Esses, (NoTOmbpr, 1915), HOX'FTOiV, Mk-s K.. Fountain Dale, Mansfield, Nocts. (April, 1014). IIOl'LTUN, ('KAKLE8, Laburimni House, Denton's Green, St. Helens. (November, 1901). liOWE, FRANK, 54, Thomas Street, AVellingborough. (February, ]!)02). HUBBARD, .Mrs. D. L., Dormant. (January, 1905). Hr.MF, .IA.M1':S, llejjscott. Mori)otli. (.June, 1903,). li r.MlMUiVS. Rl'SSFLL, Present a^klress unknown. (July, 1902). IMRNDALL, -Mrs. R., Ditton Hill Lodge, Ditton Mill, Surbiton, Surrey. (April. 1913). IIVDF, WALTER, Kempton Park. Sunbury-cn-Thames. (June, 1915). ISAAC, ("HAS., Brockley House, Slough. (Mareli, 1911). JAMRACH, A. E., 180, St. GeoKge's Street, London, E. (July, 1909). .lAPDINE, J., Castle Inilk, Lockerbie, N.B. (August, 191.3). .lENKS. H., 54, Ebury Street, London, S.W (August, 191.3). 'OIINSON, Miss L., S'I'I inON, Orotava Douse, (Jre, Haistings. (Septenilx-r, 1910). .iOIlNSUJS'. .Maj'ir F., .Melrose, Wilbui'y Road, Hove, Brighton. (August, 1911). JONr.S. W . YAKWORTIi, Villa <1 AriiA, Kingston-on-Thames. (Aug., 1915). KELSON G. MOirriMER, Home Cottage, Sunbury-on-Tliames. (June, 1913). KENNl'JDY. Capt. G., c/o. ilrs. Kennedy, 7, Albion Road, Sutton, Surrey. - , (-May, 190S,. KENVVOKTllY. J. M., ]Mea-. (Sei)tejnber, 1910). LEGH, DE LEGJI, Dr. IL, Rendon, W. (January, 1914). l.YN \\L C. ('., M.A., Bardswell Road, Oxford. (Sef)icinber. 191.3). LY'l'HGvyE, G. W. F., Cunilyn, Crouiwell Koaerley, Stroud, GJos. (October, 1908). MARSHiCN, J., Thornhurst, lewit i'ark, Ijarrogate. (March, 1914). MASON, JD., The Maisonette, Broadstairs' (April, 1914). MASTj'.il. G., M.B., B.C., 86, Guildhall Street, Bury St. Eamunds. (Nov., 1903). MAXWELL-JACKSON, Miss M., ( owiiill, Rutland Road, Harrogate. (Jami- ary, 1913'-. MAXWELL, » . T., J, Shardcroft A\en, Heme ILill, S.E. (December, 1908). MEADOWS. J. C. W., 19, Cardiff Road, Luton. (February, 1908). AiEAKlN, H., 16, Shafteybury Roaon-Tyuc. (August, 1913). BAYLOR, iir-,. W M.. " Verniont.y Grappenhall, Warrington. (Oct., 1915). NEWLEY, R.'A., 24, Stockwell Green, London, S.W. (December, 1902). NEWAIAN, T. H., F.Z.S., M.B.O.L., Newlamls, Harrowdene Road, Wembley, Middlesex. (Jnly, 1903). CAKEY, W., 34, Lligh Streoi, i.. uc-ti r. (Original Alember). OliERHOLSJsR, HARRY C, 1,444, Faiimont Street, N.W., W^ashingtoii, D.C., r.S. A. (December, 1903). ( DONNELL, O., Hyntle I'lace, Hintlesham, Ipswich. (August, 1912). It UONNELL, Major-Gon. II., CB., D.S.O., Banu, N.W.F.B., India. (Octo> ber, 1913;. O'KEILLY, NICHOLAS o.. Ill, i^a^tern Road, Kent Towji, Brighton. (Orig. Member). . ■ ( GG, J. E., The Grove/ Cockburnspath, Berwickshin'. iFcbiuaiy, 1913). ONSLOW, The Counte&s of, Dormant. (April, 1913). 1 AGE, W. T., F.Z.S., (Hon. Ediiuv), Gleuhcld, Graham Avenue, Mitiiiiain, Surrey. fit End Lane, Kilburn. London, N.W. (Oct.. 1991). PICKLES. W. H., Stonyhurst, Moi'ecambe, Lanes. (May, 1904). PIKE, L. G., F.Z.S., King Barrow, Wareham. (December, 1910). PILKINGTON, Lady KATHLEEN, Che/et Park, Wakefield. (September, 1908). POLTIMORE, Lady, Poltimore J 'ark, E.xoter. (August, 1911). POND, Mrs. T., 174, ri)por Parliament Street, Liverpool. (November, 1902). POPE. Mrs.. Ilowden, Tiverton, Devon. (Februaiy, 1914). POWELL. Miss M. .M.. Hawthorn House. Oakhill Park. Old Swan, Liverpool. (May, 1914 >. PrCK, OTTO, Darenth Lodge, Chingford, N.E. (May, 1912). 1 PLLAR. LAWRJ;NCE, H. F., F.Z.S., Dunbarnie Cottage, Bridge of Eajrn, Perthshire. (OctobtM-, 1913). QL'INCEY, R. de QI INCEY, Ingiewood, Chislehurst. Kent. (August, 1910). IvATHBORM;, II. RATTIGAX, G. 1909^ RAVEN. W. TL, 239, Deiby Road, Nottingham. lOcto)>er, 1909). RAYNOR, Rev. (L H., M.A., Uazeleigh Rectorv. Maldon, E.ssex. (Deoombcr 1909). • READ. Mrs. W. IL, (^hurch Croft, Weston Park Road, Thames Ditton. (January, 1911). \ REEVE, Ca)»t. J. S., GU-ndaragh, Caterhani, Surrey. (March, 1908). R.ESTALL, J. A., 82, Ca.ni)>ridge Street, Birmingham. (November. 1903). RICE, Capt. G., Clayquhat, Blairgowrie. (July, 1002). RICKM.VN, I'., Bro()kiiipa, Cheltenham. (February, 1903). ROTH, FRED G. R., Sherwood Phice, En-lewood, N.J., U.S.A. (Nov., 1908). ROTJIWFLL, J.VMES E., 153. Spwell Avei.ue, Brookline, Mass., U.S.A. (February, 1911). KUUiH, Col. J. J., 2, B^^eehworlh Villas, Cheltenham. (January, 1912). ROW, C. H., Chapel House, Long Melford, Suffolk. (December, 1905). RU:MSEY, lacy, 23, R\ia de Torpa Pinto, Villa Nova de Gaya. Oporto, Poriu^al. (October, 1911). R\'.AN. G. E., i,Bar.-at-law), Hintlesii.im Hall, Ipiswich. (November, 1913). EVAN, \V. .J. NORWOOD, St. John's, Beaufort Road, Kingston-on-Thames. (Septeinber, 1913). S( IIUYL, D. G., 12, 'J'oe-Haringvlihl, i;.,tvorH:, J.,. Woodlands, Kendal. (JanuaiT, 1910). SMYTH, Miss ALFREDA, 40, Davenport uoad, (Jatford, London, S.E. (January, 1911). SNARLY, H., 21, Leamington Eoad, Blackburn. (March, 1911). SOAMES, Rev. H. A., M.A., F.L.S.. Lyncroft, Bronxley, Kent. (Rejoins January, 1914). SOMERS, Lieut. F. W., A.V.C., T.F.. 66. Francis Street, Leeds. (January, 1907). % SOUTIICOMBE, S. L.. Highlands, Ash, Martock, Somerset. (September, 1910). c^OUTHEY, Miss M. E<, The Viclrage, Cliiddingly, Halland,, Sussex. (Janu- ary, 1915). SPEAKl!.R, .Mrs. ALIL'E, Giffonl Lodge, Twickenham. (April, 1915). SPRANKLING, E., Brookland Cottage, South Road, Taunton. (Fobi-uary. 1908). SPRAW.-^ON. Capt. lO. C, R.A.M.C.. (i.s. Soutliwood Lane, Highgate, London, N. (October, 1913). SLROS'ioN, Mr3., The Elm House, NanUich, (January, 1911), 11 STEAFENSON, Mrs. PAGET. Crosos Baiik Hill, Hurwood-on-Teee, Darling- ton. (January, 1915). STEED, D., 22, North Strwt, Sudbury, Suffolk. (May, 1911). ST1]1NS('11]]N, W. E., The Bun^'alow, Contanchey, Guorn.sey. (February, 1911). STEIMli^NS, A. J., Aryyle Koad, lliord. (Febiiiary, 1914). 8TEECKMANS, Dr. C, Dorniaiit. (August, 1910). sTEW'Airr. 13. 'I\, Glenhurst, The ( ro^spaths, RacUe-tt, Herts. (February, 1914). STONEY, Mr.-,. STELl^A, .'i8, Canipden Ilou«e Court, Kensington, Loudon, W. (August, 1912). STOKx..,!, Mrs. A., Sxunmer Hill, Tarporley, ("heshiro. (November, 1912). STOTT, A. E., 15, Ea^st I'aiade. Leeds. (January, 1915). s'l REET, E., The Poplars, Oatwoodis, Anslow, Burton-on-Trent. (May, 1909). STRICKLAND, E. A., 16, Alma Road, Wiadsor. (May, 1912). STRONG, HERBERT, The Hollies, Beckenham Lane, Bromley, Kent. (April, 1913). SlGGITT, \V. E., Suggitt's Lane, Cleethorpes, Grimsby. (Jaai., 1915). SUGGirr, W. E., Suggitt's Lane, Cleethorpes, Grimsby. (Jan., 1915). SUTCLIFi'E, .ALBER'J", Fairholme, Welholme Road, Grim.sby. (May, 1907). SWAYNE, HENRY' A., 29, Percy Place, Dublin. (January, 1913). SWAY'SLAND, W., Dormant. (Original Member) SY'KES, J., 16, Shiorthope Street, Musselburgh. (January, 1912). TAINTEGNIES, BARONNE LE CLEMENT DE, Cleveland, Minehead, Somerset. (.August, 1913). 'I.WISTOCK, The Marquis of, 19, Hanover Square, London, W. (Jauuarj', 1913). 1 EMPLE, W. R., Ormonde, Datchet, Windsor. (December, 1908). •I ESCHEMAKER, W. E., B.A., Ringmore, Tedgnmouth. (iMarch, 1907). THOM.YSSET, B. C, F.Z.S., The Manor House, Ashmansvvorth, Newbury. (July, 1912). '! HOMl'SON, M.. 1, William Stree't, .'^oslyn, Duuedin, New Zealand. (June, 1911). THORBLRN, Mi*>s C. W., 99, Edge Lane, Liverpool. (March, 1910). THORNILEY, PERCY W., Shooter^s Hill, Wean, Shrewsbury. ^May, 1913). TilWAlTES, Dr. GILBERT B., 94, lieacon-sfield Road, Brighton. (May, 1910). I IDEY', J. W., Dormant. (January, 1912). riLLEY, G. D. F., Now York. Z.S.. Darien, Connecticut, U.S.A. (January, 1913). TOMASSI B.ALDELLI, L.\ COUNTESSA G., 4, Via Silvio, Pelico. Florence, Italy. (Deceml>er, 1901). TO.MLINSON, M\LCOLM R., ShophenlV House, Inveresk. Midlothian (Ai)ril, 1913 > lOWNSEND. S. VI.. (Hon. Kjhihnonul ScrhUiry). 3, Swiff Street, Fulhani. S.W. (Original Aleniber). I l\ACY. :\Ir-i. \. H., Thala.>ba. Shaldon, Teignmouth. (February. 1914) IK-AVERS, .Mrj,. JOHNSON, Feij. Hill, Ch.nukiltv. co. Cork. (December 1903). K.A.V1S, Mrt>., Pediuore Grange, Stourbridge. (January, 191D. 'IRELOAK, Sir W"\I., Bart.. Grange Mount. Norwood, S.E. (June, 1909). 'lURNER. PiKRIiERT J., Treniadoc, Keybc-riT Road, Newton Abbot. (Feb- ruary, 1915). irRNER-rrRNER, Mr.-?., Abbf.y SiKing. Beaulku. Brockcnhurst. Hante. (November, 1910). TYSON. C. R., 1C9, Sloane Street, Cbelsca, London, S.W. (February, 1911). URWICK. D. R., St. Cross Mill, Winchester. (March, 1913). VALE, LEWIS, 8, Broadway. Woiulfoni, London, N.E. (May, 1913). VALENTINE, E., 7, Tlighfield, Workington. (December, 1911). VfLLIEuS, Visoiiuntess, C, Aniwick's iianor, Letcombe Regis, Wantage. (November^ 1912). VOLLMAR, I'., 8, George Street, Minorie*^, London, E.C. (February, 1909). Wtember, 1913). W.AIi.', Misjs L. M., ^t. A., 12. Rosary Gaidens, South Kensington, London, S.W. (December, 1907), \V.\RD, lloi). Mrs. SO.MERSET. Greenniount, Newcastle, oo. Down. (Octo- ber, 1!)05.). W ARDALE, II. ,t)orniant. (May, 1903). V\'AREN-WILLJAMS, H. E.. WiioS0N: T. N., -M.A., Harrow Lodge, Bransgore, Christchurch.(Jan.. 1902). WINCIIELSEA and NOTTINGHAM, The Countess of, Haverholme Priory, Sleaford, (June, 1903), 13 WIMBLE, CHAS., Thirlmero, South End Road, Beckenham. (December, 1909). WOOjJ, J,. \V., .M;^]ii:!^' Fartii, Aldwinclo, Thrapslon. (April, 1911j. WOODWAl^D. KENNETH N., 1. Mrdisoii Avenue, New York, U.S.A. FebTiiary, 1915). WORKMAN, W. 1[., M.B.O.T'., Lismore. Windsor, Belfast. (June, 1912). WRIGHT, G. B., c/o. G. Heaton, Church ITill, Handsworth, Birmingham. (June. 1908). WRIGHT, 11. NEWCO:\IBE, LEB., Dormant. (.January, 1911). WROTTESI-EY, 'I'he Hon. WALTER B., F.Z.S., Seiser, 1902). YEALLAND. JAMES. Bin.stead, Ryde. (Septemlier, 1909). YOUNG, ARTHUR E., Thornhill, Alnwick. (October, 1911). ■0- The Hon. Business Secretary rrqvext.^ ih'tt he may he promptly informed of any errors in the above List. 14 Notices to Members. SmscRiPTiONs : The year is sure to be a difficult and trying one for tlie officials, and we ask tli u all suhscri[)tions may be sent in promptly, so as not only to lighten as far as possible honorary tasks, but also to facilitate the smooth working of the business of the club. Tm- M AGA/iiNK ; This issue will, -,ve fear, be rather late, owing to the revision of Roll, etc., but also, so many having enlisted, our printer is much undcr-slaffed ; these difficulties, liowever, will right themselves as the year proceeds. That the Magazine may not be lacking in interest and variety, the Hon. Editor requests that copy may be sent to him dealing with any t'ment,'i mutt be prepaid and reach the R^'torial Secretary by the lOth of thi' month. Charge: Mcmbe>-^ ^vertisementa, four words a penny, minimum 4d. Non-Mcmhcrs, three words a penny, minimum 6d. CONOUUED PLA'I'KS: All the plates that have been issued up to the present, c&n he obtained uncut for framing, at 1/- each, with the excep- tion of '"A Beautiful Aviary" which is 1/6. Apphi III The Prm.rsHKK, Market Place. Ashbourne. — ^ 4 MEMBERS' SALES AND WANTS. FOR S.ALE . Two Silverbill X Bronze Mannikin hybrids, 5s. each, or would excliangc— Miss. Mary Boyd, Webbery, Bideford. FOR SALE. Cocks. Taha Weaver, 7s. 6d., and Cutthroat, 4s., both accli- matised and in perfect health.— f^apt. Reeve, Glendaragh, Caterham, Surrey. FOR SALE or EXCHANGE: "Bird Notes "-VoL VI., N.S., unbound ; \'ol III., First Scries, bound; good condition. WANTED: Zebra Finches. Java Sparrows, and Small Doves. -Mrs. Cartwright, Bretton West Wakefield . FOR SALE : Mealy Rosella (cock), lost one eye, 40s. ; Blossom-headed (cock). 40s.. or exchange hen; Breotiing pair Black-cheeked Love- birds 40s.; pair Madagascars 10s. 6d. -W. Shore Baily. Boyers House, VVestbury, Wilts. lOR SALE. "Bird Notes," Vols. 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6; splendidly and, uniformly bound, leather barks, perfect condition. Cash offers or exchange (or part) for good mu roscopc.- F. Howe, 54 Thomas Street, Wei lingborough . ' 'FFERED 2 cock Diamond Finches, wanted cock Pectoral Finch and hen Diamond Dove ; also offered, hen Red Avadavat for hen Golden- breasted Waxbiil. all outdoors past 18 months. Also < ock Crimson Finch, imported igi.s. has bred, for cock Red Gouldian ; and 2 aviary bred Cuban Finches, for 2 other ditto, all perfect feather except on Cuban.- Capt. Sprawson. 68. Soutfiwood Lane, Ffighgate, London, N. WANTED Hen Vellow-b;i< kod Whydah. J. Charring Pearre. Montague House, Ramsgate. \V.\NTED : Hen Green Avadavat; p.-iir of Cordon Bleus ; Singing Shama.— Apply c/o Editor, " Bird Notes " WANTED to Exchange,' Peach-faced Lovebird (believed to be a hen) for guaranteed cock. — G. E. Haggi?. Brumcombe, Foxcombe Hill, Oxford. FOR SALE : Copies of " Bird Notes." all in good conditio^, and with coloured plates, 1908, Feb. and Aug. missing. 190c) Nov. missing. 1910 December missing. 191 1 Oct. missing. 1912 and 19.3 complete. 1914 Nov. missing.— Oilers to Mrs. Croysdnle. Hawke House, Kunbury- on-Thames. AVIARIE& AND BIRD FOODS : Aviaries Planned and their erection and furnisliing supfirviscd at reasonable charges. Aviaries visited ant' export adyice given. Existing aviaries overhauled, re-arrani;ed, and re-furnished. Supervision of aviaries undertaken by monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly visits, at tnrms to be mutually agreed upon. In response to numerous requests I aln willing to supply all kinds of Bird Seeds and Foods from my own stock. Also special mixtures for Parrots, ♦ Parrakeefs, etc., at current rrftes : TNSECT- ILE MIXTURE, Is., Is. 6d., 2^., and 2s. 6d. per lb. NEST BARRELS, for Parrakeets, Lovebirds, etc., specially made for the purpose, in three sizes — small, medium and large. These jarrels. especially the large size, if fitted with a perch or twiggy branch, make excellent shelters for birds of the Finch-tribe during inclement weather. Also Rush Nests for Waxbills, and small Finches. — Apply, W. T. Page, Glcnfield, Graham Avenue, Mitcham, Surrey. De VON & Co. Importers of Foreign Birds. Small Animals, Aquarium Requisites, etc. VVHYDAHS. WEAVERS. BISHOPS. COMBASSOUS. QUAILFINCHES. CUTTHROATS. DIAMOND DOVES. 1-TREFIXCHES. SULI HURY ' SEEDEATERS. TALKINC MACAW, GOLDFISH. CRESTED MYNAHS. Price Lists from — De Von & Co., 114, Bethnal Green Road, London, N.E, Telephone : — 6489 London Wall. Telegraphic Address : — " Oiseauz, London. 17 FEBRUARY, 1916 The Foreign Bird Club< (Continued from page 1). Magazine Committee : Dk. M. Amsi.ki! Dm. L. Luvtm.i.-Keavs W. SeoRK Baii.y Dr. J. E. R. MgDonacii W. A. Bainhriixu: Rev. G. ff. Rayxok Dr. Piiu.i.rr (iossE Dr. J. Eastqx Scott H.Grav. M.R.C.Y.S. R. SuGGiTT T)r. X. S. Ll'cas H. Wir.LKORD Show Committee : W. A. Bainkridce Hon. 'Mk^. G. Bourke S. M. Tow.NSENi) (Hon. Sec.) Social Committee: Mrs. C. AsNiNOrfo.N W. Bam ford Miss E. M. Baker W. T. Rocers (Ho/i. See) Hon. Mrs. G. Bourke A. S'i;t(:i,ikke Mrs. E. a. H. Hartley W. R. Tkmim i; Awards Committee: Hon. W.B. Wrottesi.ey, F.Z.IS. E. W. Chaim.in The Cointess ok Winciuesea Dr. H. Heti.ev H. BHKillT R. SufiGrrT {Hon. Ser). A will I r Scrntinfer : E. P\ M. Ki.Ms G. Scott Fi;i la v\i. 18 Rules. 1. The objects of " Thf. Forf.ig.n- Bird Ch-b " shall be the mutual encouuigoment and assistance of the members in keeping and breeding all species of Birds, and the exhibiting of Foreign Birds, and the improvement of Shows in regard to them. " 2. The Club shall be composed of members. Every member shall pay an entrance fee of 2s. 6d. and an annual subscription of ids. Sub- scrif)tions shall be due and payable in advance on the ist of .January in each year If any member's subscription shall be more than three months overdue, he shall be suspended from all benefits of the Club, and if more than nine months overdue, notice of his having ceased to be a Member of the Club, and of the cause, may be published in Notices to Members ; and on such notice being published he shall cease( to be a member accordingly,; but his liability for overdue siibsi-riptioiis shall continue. 3. New Members shall be proposed in writing by a Member of the Club; and the name- and address of every person thus proposed, with the name of the person proposing him, shall, be jpublished in the Notices to Members. Unless the Candidate shall, within fourteen days after the public.Ttion of his name, be objected to by at least two Members, he shall be duly elected. If two or more Members shall lodge with eifher of the Secretaries objections . to any Candidate, he shall not be elected, but the signature to the signed objections must be verified by the Scrutineer. The Secretaries and the Scrutineer shall not disclose the names of the objectors. 4. Any member wishing to resign at the end of the current year of the Club shall give notice of his intention to one of the Secretaries before the 31st of December, and in default of such notice he shall be liable to the following; year's subscription. 5. The (Officers of the Club shall be elected from the Members, and shall consist of a President, one or more Vice-presidents, and Auditor, a Scrutineer,, one -or inore Secretaries, a Treasurer', a Veterinary Surgeon, a Council of Twenty-four Members, and such number of Judges as shall from time to time be determined by the Council. The Editor, Secretaries, Treasurer, and Veterinary Surgeon shall be ex-o/fieio members of the Council. Three Members of the Council shall retire annually by seniority, but are eligible for re-election. The Editor, Secretaries, and Treasurer shall be elected trienially. The Council and Judges shall be elected in a manner hereinafter provided. The other officers shall be elected annually at a meeting of the Council, immediately after their own election. 6. The .election for the three annual vacancies on the Council, and the Judges, shall take place ^ every year between the 15th November and the 5th December. • The Secretaries shall ascertain which of the Members are willing to stand for election to office, and shall send to each Member of the Club on or about the 15th of November a voting paper containing a lis!, of all such members, showing the offices for which they are respect- ively seeking election. Each Member shall make a (X) opposite the names of those for whom he desires to vote, and shall sign the paper at the foot, and send it in a sealed envelope to the Scrutineer, so that he may receive it , before sth December. The Scrutineer shall prepare a return of the Officers elected, showing t'he number of votes recorded for each Candidate, and send it one of the Secretaries for publication in the Notices to Mem- bers for December. The Scrutineer shall not reveal to any person how any Member shall have voted. In the event of an equality of votes the President shall have a casting vote. 19 7. Dealers in birds shall not be eligible for election to any office in the Club, cxcei)t that of Judge. For the purpose of this rule, any iMem- ber who habitually buys birds with the intention of selling them again, shall be deemed a bird dealer. Before the annual election of officers', the Sec- retaries shall submit to the Council the list of Members willing to stand for lelection to the Secretaryship, the Treasurership, and the Council ; and the Council shall remove from the list the name of any Candidate who shall be, in the opinion of the Council, a dealer in birds, within the mean- ing of this rule. The decision of the Council or of any Committee to whom the Council shall delegate^ its power under this rule, shall be final. W'hen a dealer is proposed as a Member of this Club, the fact of his being .1 dealer shall be stated in the Notices to Members. 8. 1 1 shall be lawlul for the Council to delegate any of its p(jw'ers 111 a rommittee. V. Thi- Council may ajjpoint an Arljitration Committee^ wliicli may decide questions at issue between Members, when requesited to do so by both parties. Any decision of such Committee shall be final. Except to the extent permitted by this rule, the Club and its officers shall decline to concern themselves with disputes between Members. lo. The Council shall have power to alter and adtl to these Rules', but shall give to the Members noti'ce of any proposed alteration or addition, anti in the event of six members, objecting thereto within fourteen days, the proposed alterations or additions shall be submitted to the votes of the Members. Failing such objection the alteration shall date from its adoption by the Council. 12.— Neither the office of Scrutineer nor tiiat of Auditor shall be lield for two consecutive years by the same person. The Scruiinoer shall not be a Candidate at any Election at which he acts as Scrutineer. I3'.— If any 'office becomes vacant at any time other than the end the current year of the Club, the Council sh.ill ha\e power to .ippoint any Member to fill the vacancy. 14. The decision of the majority of the Council shall he iinal and binding on the Club, but a resolution passed by the Council shall not be acted upon unless there be an absolute majority of the Council (and not merely of those voting) in its favour. Rules Governing Club's Patronage at Shows. 1 he patronage of the F.B.C. is given at all OPEN SHOWS, j)rovidcd the following conditions are observed. (a) At least three classes must be provided for FOREIGN BIRDS (excluding local and members" classes, in which no bird competing for F.B.C. p.-\lron;ige may be shown). ih) The classification, and name of tiie judge, mii.-^l be sub- mitted by show Secretaries, when applying fof patronage. {c) Those societies obtaining patronage, must print in the schedule tha • the section is under the patronage of the F.B.C. (d) That no alteration (.im.ilgamaiion or canceliaiioivj of classes must be made, or the judges changed without giving notice to the Hon. Show Secretary of the F.B.C, in which case the original pat- ronage does not hold good. All MEDaLs are awarded to BEST BIRDS (but the Coinmittee have the right t" iw-fl , 0 Toronto Sticei, Monks Roatl, Lincoln. Mrs. A M. Cook. 3i Oxford Road, Kilburn. London, N. \V. By S. Williams. Stanley Amor, c/o Long & Sons, Railway Road, Bath. By IV. Shor0 Baily. / 22 The Bird Market. Advcrtisemrntft iiitist 6(^ prepaid and nach the Editorial Secretary by Ihi'. 10th of the month. Charyc : Members' advcrtiscmettts, four words a pnivy, minimum 4(1. Non-Members, three worcts a j/enny. mihimum 6i. \ MEMERS' SALES AND WANTS. FOlv. SALE ■ 'True pair Scaly-crowned I'inches, have nested and laid in cr would exchange for breeding pair of Zebra Finches. — B. Thomasset, Ashmansworth, near Newbury. I WANTED . Hen Diamond Dove in exchange for Cock, will give little Cash al^o. -Miss Webb, Millington Road, Cambridge. WANTED . Cock B.H. Gouldian Finch, also pair of Red Avadav.its. — H Turner, Trcmadoc, Newton Abbot. FOR SALE . Cocks,, Crimson-crowned Weaver, 6s., and Napoleon Weaver 4s., or would exchange for two hen Zebra Finches.— R. E. Simpson. 5 Christ Church Avenue, Armley, Leeds. FOR SALE • Privately imported, St. Helena Waxbills, Grey-necked Serins. Russ' Weaver, Cape Rock Bunting, Pintail Whydahs, St. Helena Seedeater. —Page, Glenfield, Graham Avenue, Mitcham, Surrey. FOR SALE; Three cock, three hen Golden Pheasants, perfect condition, from aviarv ; verv tame. — Longdon, Arriton, Guildford. De VON & Co. Importers of Foreign Birds. Small Animals, Aquarium Requisites, etc. WHYDAHS. WEAVERS. BISHOPS. COMBASSOUS. QUAILFINCHES. CUTTHROATS. DIAMOND DOVES. FIREFINCHES. SULI HURY SEEDEATERS. TALKING MACAW. GOLDFISH. CRESTED ' MYNAHS. Price Lists from — De Von & Co., 114, Bethnal Green Road, London, N.E Telephone : — Telegraphic Address : — 5489 London Wall. " Oiseaux, Londoa.* \ 23 MARCH, 1916 The Foreign Bird Club. Notices to Members. 1 HE Mag.izinf : T he Hon Esliioi regrets the non-aiiponrance jf any repon of the Foreign Section of the Holborn Bird Show, but in conse- quence of change of residence, he has been quite unable to have, access to his notes, which have gone astray in packing ; perhnps members would write him, and slate whether tfiey, would like a report to appear in April issue or not ; if 'there is no response he will conclude that the matter is too much ancient history to occupy space. For the,^ same reason he has been unable to include anv instalment of the " Endur-> ancc of Birds " in this issue, but hopes to resume it next month. Aktjcif.s. These are tnuch needed if the contents of our Journal arc to be as varied as Hitherto, and the Hon. Editor solicits articles on. such toi)ics as " Foreign Doves and Pigeons," " Parrots and Parrakeets." " Aviary Records " (these should be sufficiently full to impart help "and iiiKtiuciion to others), " Wading Birds and Waterfowl," " Fancy Pheasmts," or any oilier aviculturai topic. Co'-OiKFU Plati- : The Hon. Editor has a beautiful coloured plate aw.'iiting rciirf>duction, and in these troublous times does not consider he ought to spend the fund.s thereupon ; he is desirous to hear from some laember who would be willing to bear the cost of same, otherwise he is o! the ojiinioii that we should abstain frcMii coloured plates this vol., even though he has three g'ocid water-colour drawings awaiting rrproduction. WESLEY T. PAGE, Hon. Editor. SIDNEY WILLIAMS, Hon Bus. Sic. and Tieas. 24 Illustration and Deficit Fund. These two funds much need all the assistance members car^ give them. The committee tender best thanks for the following donations: £ s. d. Cc.nncll, Mrs. 0130 Gcriinge, Rev. R. E. P o 2 6 Hu.mc, J. o 2 6 I ; Montague, R. (ovci-paid subscription) 006 | Phair, H. J (ovei-paid subscription) 006 Rothwell, J. Ej o 10 o New Members Elected. Richard Baines, 6 Toronto Street, Monks Road, Lincoln. [ Mrs. A. M. Cook, 21 Oxford Road, Kilburn, London, N. W. Stanley Amor, c/o. Long and Sons, Railway Road, Bath. Proposed for Election as Members. Baron M. Tossi^.za, 15, Rue de Lubeck. Paris, France. By the Hon. Editor. Cajcr Walker, Tyrie, West Park, Headingiey. Leeds. By Mrs. C. Hnllins. Changes and Corrections of Addresses. li. Vvnistlcr, I. P., to .'X.mbala Ciiy, Punjab, India. G. ]■-. Hoibeit. to Hcmingford Abbots. St. Ives, Hunts. The Bird Market. Advcrtiscvients viust he prepaid and reach the Editorial Secretary by the lOlh of the month. Charge: Members' advertisements, four tvords a penny, minimnm 4d. Non-Members, three words a penny, minimum 6d. ' ^ , — OBD— MEMERS' SALES AND WANTS. COLOURED PLATES : All the plates that have been issued up to the present, can be obtained uncut for framing at 1/- each, with the excep- tion of " A Beautiful Aviary " which is 1/6. .1/1/)/// fo The rrr.i.is;:r.n. ?T:ir1cet riaco. Asli'inuriic 25 FOR SALE or Exchange for Finches and VVeaMers : i cock Wagner's Mang- iest, 30s., ! cock Yellow-backed Whydah, 20s.— Dr. J. Chaning Pearre, Montague House, Ramsgate. I OR SALE: Pair King Parrakeets, £10; odd cock £5; pair Blue-wingcd Parrakectsi, £10; pair Mealy Rosellas, £5; odd hen, 50s.'; Cherry, Finches, 7.1s 6d. I'pair ; Scaly-breasted Lorikeets, 50s. each; doldcn- shouldered Parrakeel, £10.— R. Colton, 9 Birkendale Road, Sheffield. FOR SALE: Cock (Red-headed Finch; St. Helena Waxbills, Grey-necked Sf.un. Kuss' Weaver, Cape Rock Bunting, Pintail Whydah, St. Helena Seed-eater, Red-headed Bunting, Alario Finch, iGrey Finch, Scaly-crowned Finch, Siiky Cowbird. Speke's Weaver. Malabar Starling.—Page, " Lang- «tc ne," Lingfield, Surrey. WV'lvTFD- Pair Nightingales; acclimatised Gouldian Finches; cock Red- surt ; hen Grey Wagtail. Cash, or part exchange breeding pair Peach-; faced Lovebirds and Norwich Canaries. — A. Scott, Liphook, Hants. WANTED: Fiom out-door avikry : Hens, Californian Quail, Rosella Parra- keet (one which has bred preferred) ; Cock Cuban Quail, and two pairs Ccckateels, or. would exchange two pairs for change of blood — Mrs. Lee, Hartwell, House, Aylesbury. FOP SALE : Avicu!ti;ral Library, about 50 vols., including complete sets of early Vols, of " Avicultural Magazine " and " Bird Notes " (several r.f which are out of prints. Unique opportunity to acquire scarce avicultural books. List on application.— H. R. Fillmer, 22 Harrington Road, Biighton. FOR S.ALF: : Unbound "Bird Notes" Vols. II. to VI. inclusive; kindly uonaled by Mr. Hansell, for the benefit of the Deficit Fund. QtTers inviitu— S. Williams, Oaklcigh, iio Riverway, Palmer's Green, London, N FOR S.'V! E : Cock Green Cardinal, 20s.; pair Ruficauda Finches, 353.; pair Indian White-eyes, £4. WANTED: Hens, Mealy Rosella,,- Blio-bonnet, Blossom-head, and Plum-head, For sale: Champion Italian Gieyhounds.— Miss Clare, The Hollies, 192 Coombe Lane, Wimbledon-, S.W. I WANTED . Hen African Silverbill, and true pair Orange-cheek Waxbills.— Rev. W .1. R. Sherlock, 159 Park Road, Barnsley. FOR S.\LE : I pair Californian Quail ; i cock Silky Cowbird ;' 1 cock Cockatcel ; i pair Amazon Parrots; 28-30 Green Budgerigars. All are in out-door aviary, quite hardy and in perfect health. Would prefet' to sell cheaply! as one lot, but will sell any pail or bird separately^ Dcibson, liitiflown, Jlanipton, Wick. 20 AVIARIES AND BIRD FOODS : Aviaries Planned and their erection and furnishing supervised at reasonable charges. Aviaries visited and expert advice given. Existing aviaries overhauled, re-arranged, and re-furnished. Supervision of aviarfes undertaken by monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly visits, at terms to be mutually agreed upon. In response to numerous requests I aln willing to supply all kinds of Bird Seeds and Foods from my own stock. Also .special mixtures for Parrots, Parrakeets, etc., at current rates : INSECT- ILE MIXTURE, Is., Is. 6d., 2s., and 2s. 6d. per lb. NEST BARRELS, for Parrakeets, Lovebirds, etc., specially made for the purpose, in three sizes — ^small, medium and large. These Ijarrels, especially the large size, if fitted with a perch or twiggy bl'anch, make excellent shelters for birds of the Finch-tribe during inclement weather. Also Rush Nests for Waxbills, and small Finches. — W. T. Page, " Langstone," Lingfield, Surrey. De VON & Co. Importers of Foreign Birds, Small Animals, Aquarium Requisites, etc. PRICE LISTS. FROM :- De Von & Co., 114, Bethnal Green Road, London, NE. Telephone : — Telegraphic Address : — 6489 London Wall. " Oieeaux, London.* APRIL, 1916 The Foreign Bird Club. Notices to Members. Members' Advertisements : ' Commencing with May issue, advertise- ments for members (not deakrs) of birds only lor SALE^ EXCHANGE, or WANTS, will be inserted tRt.ti of charge; but all adverts, for books, dogs and other creatures^ etc., will be charged 6d. for i8 words, and one penny for each additional three (or part of three) words. Trade mem-, bers can insert small adverts at the rate of a penny for three* iox part of three, words. Rates for displayed advertisements for quarter, half or whole page can be obtained from the Publisher or the Hon. Editor. Apart from the above change, adverts, are sent and accepted acco'.ding to conditions prevailing hitherto. M*:mbeks' Sub.scriptions : There are still a few outstanding ; will all those who have not yet paid please remit at once and save the clutj' and officials the expense and trouble of postal application? The .Mag.azine: The Hon. Editor desires to thank the Rev. C. H. Raynor for kindly sending the article from " TIMHREI " for reprinting in '• B.N.", slso B. T. Stewart for the loan of his water-colour drawing of the Bare-eyed Thrush for rcproluclion. Articles and photos on all topics of aviculture arc much needed to keep our contents varied and helpful Will not our members who specialise in Parrots and Doves kindly write descriptions of their aviaries and birds^ together with details of ticjitmcnt and nesting episodes? \ WESLEY T. PAGE. Hon. Editor. \ SIDNEY WILLIAMS, Hon. Bus. Sec. and Treas Illustration and Deficit Fund. The Committfc lender best thanks for the following donations : £ s. d. Lovell-Kcays, Dr. I o ii o Proposed for Election as Members. Mull- \ . r,u,ini.'ii, Au>4U'.i.i llnu-..-, Vn-Wr \'uc Ko.ul, Rani-^gatc. /ij' Dr. J Chanin^ Pcarcc. W. .Jordan, Mill f^ouse, Palmer's (Irecn, London, N. .Miss M L. Harbord, Lorton P.irk House, Lorton, Cockermouth, Cumber- land. * By S. Williams. 11, \' llamilt.(in. The Rest on the Hillsiile, Hytlie, Kent. By the Hon . Ijlitor .\. i: .Irakins^ Winscottie, Simla, India. By F. . W . Harper^ New Members Elected. ( .in Waikir, lyric, West Park. He.uiinglcy, Leeds. !>.ir'»n ,M. To>M?./a, 13, Rue de Lubcck. Paris, France. 28 Changes and Corrections of Addresses. R. E. Simpson-, i Highthorne Grove, Ridge Road, Armlcy ; Leeds. The Bird Market. Advertisements must reach the Hon. Editor by the loth of each month. Rates : Private Members' Adverts, referring to birds only inserted For terms of Displayed Advertisements of quarter, half, or whole page, apply for each additional three words. Dealer Members. Three words per penny For terms of Displayed Advertisements of quarter half, or whole page, apply to the Publisher or Hon. Editor. MEMERS' SALES EXCHANGES AND WANTS. FOR SAL: Several pairs of Pintail Nonpareil Finches, just arrived, in show condition, 50S4 a pair, hens 20s. each.— R. Arnold, Tower House; Leigham Court Road, Streatham, London, S.W. FOR SALE ; Beautiful Australian Laughing Jackass, 5 guineas ; Rare! African Buzzard^ 2 guineas; Pair fine Runts, 12s. 6d.— Rectory, Nash, Stcny-Stratford, Bucks. FOR SALE : Pair breeding Peach-faced Lovebirds, WANTED : Gouldian Finches.— Scott, Liphook, Hants. FOR SALE : Cocks : Red-headed Finch ; Russ' Weaver ; Cape Rock Bunt- ing ; Pintail Whydah ; Red-headed Bunting ; Grey Finch ; Scaly-crowned Finch; Silky Cowbird ; Speke's Weaver. — Page, Langstone, Lingfield. FOR SALE : You^ng Ring Doves from out-door aviary, 2s. pair ; hen , Canaries, 5s. each.- — Mrs. Croysdale, Hawke House, Sunbury-on-'Thames. FOR SALE: Aviary-bred Zebra Finches, all now out of doors, pairs 15s., odd. hens los. each. — Nicolson, Glenoe, Walton-on-Thames. WANTED "to e.\change 2 Cock Cutthr'oats, and i ^ock Cockateel for hens of same species. — Salt, L.M. Treloar Cripples' Hospitab and College, Alton, Hants. | FOR S.A.LE ; Acclimatised pair of .Magpie Mannikins, breeders. W.\NTED : cock Gouldian Finch, hen Fire Finch, and hen Zebra Finch.— Smith, Woodlands, Kendal. De VON & Co. Importers of Foreign Birds. Small Animals, Aquarium Requisites, etc. PRICE -LISTS. I'ROM :- De Von & Co., 114, Bethnal Green Road, London, NE. Telephone : — Telegraphic Address : — 5489 London Wall. " OiseaMX, London." 29 4 MAY. 1916 The Foreign Bird Club. Notices to Members. Thf ^Magazine : The Hon. Editor requests that members will send him( notes (photos also if possible) of the doings of their birds. He also specially desires articles on Doves arid Pigeons ; Parrots and Parrakeets ; Pheasants and other game birds ; Cranes, Flamingos and Waders generally ; Raptores ; and also details of their housing and treatment. He also particu- larly requests that those who are only able to keep birds in cages in- doors, will send him full notes of their birds and how they treat them. The coloured plate appearing with this issue is to illustrate the article " My Sunbirds " in last issue, page 73. SIDNEY WILLIAMS, Hon. Bus. Sec. and Treasurer. WESLEY T. PAGE, Hun. Editor. Illustration and Deficit Fund. The Committee tender test thanks for the following donations ; £ s. d. A Friend o 10 o Bourke, The Hon. Mrs., (p.irt cost coloured plate) I 18 o Henderson. Mrs. o 'i " Jones, W. Yarworth (op. '-ub.'. o o 6 Pithie, Miss D. E o 2 6 Changes and Corrections of Addresses. The Countess of Jersey, Osterley Park, Isleworth. Mrs A. L. Tracy, to Halsham, Teignmouth, Devon. Proposed for Election as Members. J, L. Bonhole, M.A., F.Z.S., The Zoo, Cairo, Kgypt. Hy Sc- Lieut W. .4. [ininhridge : New Members Elected. Mons. Verstranten, Augusta House, 'Belle Vue Road, Ramsgate. W. Jordan, Hill House, Palmer's Green, London, N. Miss ^M L. Harbord, Lorton Park House, Lorton ; Cockcrniouth. Cumber- H. V. Hamilton^ The Rest on the Hillside, Hythe, Kent. .\. E. Jeakins Winsrxittie, .Simla, India. The Bird Market. Advertisements must reach tlie Hon. Editor by the loth of each month. Rates : Private Members' Adverts, referring to bird.\ tlic < ()-operation nf all members. S.DXE'/ WILLl.-^MS, Hon. Bus. Sec. and I reus. WE.SLEY T. page, Hon. Lditor. Illustration and Deficit Fund. The Committee tender best thanks for the following donations : £ s. d. Scott, Dr. and Mrs. J o lo 6 Walker, H. Carr o lo o Southcombe, S. L \..: o lo o New Members Elected. Ml-. .\ . Alatkiic'-s. 22 Cypress Road, Church End, Fim hlcy, N. London. Irb. C Garcke, Wye Lodge, Maidenhead. I A Windybank, Latchmcre, Richmond Road, King>ion-on-Thamc;s. Proposed for Election as Members. T. W. Macrcady, 39 George-street, Stranraer. By S. Williams. r. C. Halkes, The Limes, 141 Monks Road, Lincoln. E. Paterson, (jlenulg, Wellington, Salop. Lady Samuelson, Hat< hford Park, t'obham. Surrey. By llic Hon. Editor. Add to Roll. Lady Yule, Hanstead House, Brirket Wood, Herts. The Bird Market. MEMBERS' SALES EXCHANGES AND WANTS. I OK S.\LE- Breeding pair Pea. ii-factd Lovrbiids, WANTED: Albino cock Spaiiow. -Scott, Lipliook, Hants. I OK S.ALE ; Very fine young pair of Red-collared Lorrikects, 4 guinea>, tUo an All-(;recn Tanager cock, 35s.— Miss Peddie Wadfkll. Balquhal- >ione, Stamannan. Slirlin^^liire. 34 FOR SALE . Proceeds Red Cross Fund, Lot : cotks, Long-tailed Grass-, Zebra, and Scaly-fronted Finches; hens: Gouldian 1-inch, Dufresne's and Gold-breasted Waxbills ; tickets, 4s.' 4-°^ = 4 pairs Budgerigars, tickets 2S. ; i J>air ditto,, tickets 6d. Also cock Red-rump Parrakeet. —Miss Clare, 194 Coombe Lane, Wimbledon, S.W. FOR SALE: Swinhoe Pheasants, i cock and 2 hens, il6 the pen; cocks Yellow-flank and Canary-wing Parrakeets, 25s, each ; Brown-throated Conure, 20s.— Mrs. C. H. Williams (S. ThomasJ, 3, Manor Road, Exeter. FOR SALE : Two handsome cock Crimson-wing Parrakeets, acclimatised, agree together, can be kept out of doors in unheated aviary ; owmg to change of residence, will accept 9 guineas for the two.— Hon. M. C. Hawke, c./o., Miss B. Harrison, Manpr Hou;je, Otton, Tadcaster. FOR SALE : Handsome cock Peacock Pheasant, healthy and acclimatised, will accept 50s.— Miss A. B. Smyth, 40 Davenport Ro:id, Caiford, S.E., London. FOR SALE: Cocks Half-masked and Taha Weavers, 7s. 6d. each; also a Little Owl, hand-reared, 20s.— Capt. Reeve, Dunhevcd, Caterham, Surrey. , FOR SALE: Privately Imported, Himalayan Blue Whistling Thrush, Siskins, and Goldfinches ; Red-headed Buntings, Jungle Babbler, Maroon Orioles, hen Hardwick's Fruitsucker, Black-breasted (Rain) Quail, and Afghan Rosy-winged Finch.— Apply W. T. Page, Langstone, Lingfield, Surrey. WANTED: Cocks, Grey Singingfinches ; pairs, Avadavats and Bib Finches. —Mrs. Chattertonj 11 Fairfield Road, Crouch End, N., London. WANTED : Hen Bib flinch.— Miss C. Bowring, Rose Cottage, Windsor Forest, Berks. FOR SALE . Orange Bishop, in exhibition form. A few Green Budgerigars, single or pairs.— J. H. Henstock, Avian Press, Ashbourne. FOR SALE : Cocks, Hooded, King, and Red-rump Parrakeals ; also pure bred Fox Terrier bitch, and pup Italian Greyhound bitch, 8 rronths old. WA^TED. Adult Cock, African Ring-necked Parrakeet- — Miss Clare, 194 Coouilie Lane, Wimbledon, S.W POR SALE : Several pairs of privately imported Pintail Nonpareils in .show con- dition, 50/- pair, hen.s 20/- each. — K. Arnold, To\«^r House, Leighain Court Road, Slreatham, S.W. , London. De VON^^. Direct Importers of Poreign Birds, etc SEE PRICE LISTS. Address :— IMBethnal Green Road, London, N.E. Telephone: 54S9 London Wall. T(kgrai)liic Address: "Oisoaux," London. ^^ AUGUST, 1916 The Foreign Bird Club. Notices to Members. Members Meetings at Zioo : Owing to the war we have omitted these meetings this year, bul there will be an informal gathering on •I'hursday, August 31st, when the Hon. Editor hopes to be supported by as many o,f the Council and members as can make it convenient to attend. Kriulczvoim- Outside Small Birds' House at 11 to 11-30 a.m. and 2, p.m. Will those attending either wear club badge or carry a copy of Bird Note.'. ? , SIDNEY WILLIAMS, Hon. Bus. Sec. and J'reas. WESLEY T. PAGE, Hon. Editor. Changes and Corrections of Address. Mi.s .\. B. Smytli, to 27 Havcifield Gardens. Kew Gardens, Kew. New Members Elected. T. C Halkes, The Limes, 141 Monks Road, Lincoln. E. Paterson, Glenelg, Wellington, Salop. L-^dr Samuelson, Hatchford Park, Cobham, Surrey. T. W. Macrcady, 39 Georgt-»treet, Stranraer. The Bird Market. MEMBERS' SALES EXCHANGES AND WANTS. FOR SALE • Brcedi.ng pa;r PcaUi-factd Lovcbi.d,, WA.XTED : Albino cock Spajiow.— .Scott, Lipliook, Hants. FC Peddie Waddcll, Balquhal- sione, .Slamannan, Stirlingshire. FOR' SALE. Pairs Doves, Bronzewing 4cs., Diamond 30s., Necklace 20s., Hybrid IMecklace X Senegal, very pretty, 20s.; Young Rosclla Parra- kects, 20s. each; Californian Quail 15s. pair; Eastern Variegated 'I'hru^li. 50s., hen Cordon Bleu, finest condition ; 20s. Young Waterfowl : 3 Red-crested Pochards 40s., 3 Yellow-billed Ducks 25s., 2 Cinnamon Teal 30s.^ 5 Wigcon 25s. -W. Shore Baily, Boyers House, Westbury, Wilts. FOR SALE: ■.•\11 privately imported— Red Avadavats ; Indian Silverbills ; Button Quail ; Red-headed Buntings ; Jungle Babbler ; hen Hardwick's Green Bulbul ; Temminck's Blue _ Whistling Thrush ; Bank Mynahs {Acridotlwrcs ginginianiis). Large Hill Mynah, Swainson's Ldrikeet Maroon f)riole. Particulars from W. T Page, Langstone, Lingrteld Surrey FOR SALE. Pair Black-headed .Mannikins 1 3s ; . (m k White-he.ided Manni kins 7s 6d. WANTED: hen African Silverbill.-Rev. U I R Sherlock, 159 Park Road, Barnsley. FOR S.'\LE : Beautiful lame Australian Jackass ^5 ; African Buzzard 30s young tame Tawny Owl, io.>. , Pair Runts los. 6d. -Rectory, .Nash Siony-.Siraiford. 36 FOR SALE ;■ Cocks, Hooded, Red-rump, and King Parrakeets ; Zebra Finch, breeder; 3 Indian White-eyes; hen Af. Ring-neck Patrakeet, breeder. Als(. Fox Terrier bitchy 2 lyears 8 months, sire Ch. West Point, good house dog, suitable for brood bitch. 40s. HALF PROCEED RED CROSS -FUND : Italian Greyhound bitch, 9 months, peach fawn sistct to famous Ch.\ Dandy Dick, tickets is. 2'! each. '.Miss riarc. i()4 Coombe Lane, Wimbledon, S.W. FOR SALE: Crimson-crown Weaver, winner, 6s. 6d.; pair Gieen Budgeri- gars, champions, always first, 9s 6d. ; cock Yellow Pi»d, 3s., Parrot Show Cage, once used, cost i8s. 6d., sell 8s. 6d. ; uiso others " Avi- cultural Magazine, Vols. 3 and 4, offers.— Shipton 71 Cloudesdale Road, Ralham, London, S.W. WANTED: Cock Cockateel and hen Vcllow-backed Wliydal, J Chaninf; Pearce, Montague House, Ramsgate. FOR SALE : Pair Virginian Cardinals. 60s., ctxk, lalcnied songster ; :m- other pair, coclg, ifine colour, hen rather old, but free breeder, 42s. ;• Diamond Doves, perfect, 30s. pair; Emerald-Spotted Doves, 25s., odd cock, defective foot, 7s. 6d. ; Black Tanagers (free breeders and easy to rear; 20s., young from. do. 6s. each ; Common Quail 7s. 6d. pair ; Californian Quail 25s. pair, young from same los. each, 17s. 6d. pair; pair Nuthatches (in cage and aviary since last winter) 15s.; Grey Plover 6s. ;( Golden Plover (summer plumage) 6s. ; hen Scarlet Tanager 3os.;Jiien Red-faced Lovebird (show condition) 20s. ; PHEAS- ANTS : this year's birds, Golden 5s., .Amherst js. 6d., Kalige 8s. 6d., adult pair Kalige 30s. ; pair Pallas' Sandgiouse 40s. AVIARIICS : No, I 30 X 15x7 feet (i inch mesh netting) complete with shelter shed 10.4ft. X 5.2ft. X 7ft., constructed September. 1915, cost £30. No. 2 : 20ft. square x yft. (| inch mesh netting), shelter 9^ft x 4ft. X 7ft., cost £17, constructed Afftil, 1914. No. 3: Pheasantry, with 3 partitions, shelter for each run. cost U 1 2 los., constructed May, 1916 (20ft. X 15ft. X 7ft.), ofl'ers in\itcd, no reasonable infer refused — Rattigan, Caersws, Montgomeryshire. WANffED : 2 cock Nonpareil -Buntings, hens Cuba and (Jlive !• inches,. cock Hooded Siskin, and many other odd cocks and hens of various species.— Grossmith, The Grange, liickley, Kent. De VON & Co. Direct Importers of Horeign Birds, etc SEE PRICE LISTS. Address :— 114Bethnal Green Road, London, N.E. |li"[ir 5489 London Wall. Telegraphic Address: " Oiseau.s," London. SEPTEMBER, 1916 The Foreign Bird Club. Notices to Members. _ 1 UK Magazine : Ihe Hon. Editor and Secretary would be grate- ful for any donations, however small, to the Illustration Fund. Our lllust-- rations form one of the most practical fi-ytures of our .Journal, but in thewe 'time* they are very costly ; yet, if each will send a little, there Will be no need for further curtailment than in receint issues — the Hon. Editor presses this point upon the consideration of all. He would also be grateful for articles ■ upon any and every topic of aviculture — individual ex- periences, because we get similar from many, situated in various localities does not necessarily mean mere repetition ; rather the. comparison of such results from many localities is most valuable, — 'moreover, there are many roSds, all of which may and often do lead to success, and the more fre- quent publication of such in our Journal should still further tend to enhance the value of " Bird Notes " as an Avicultural Text Book — this ought to he ihc ambition and aiin of every member. SuB.sc RiPTiONS ■; There are still a few of these unpaid, and we would again remind those in default, that we hiive to meet very heavy printing bills at fretjueni intervals, and that subscription's and donations are our SDie' source of inconie. The earnest desire of your Council is to h'astfn the time' when subscriptions will pro\'ide a sufficient income ; bui tho slack ovtersight of the date when such become due (.Jan. isti, and the failure to remit them promptly cause much anxiety and unpleasantness to youi- honorary ofificers. We would further remind members that all officers, without exception, give their services'^gratuitously ; thus the whole income of the Club comes back to the members in the form of a valuable Journ.il, Medals, etc. It should not be needful to pre.s^ the matter further, and apology is unnecessary for this plain statement of the case. J WESLEY 1. PAGE, /iou. Editor SinXKY WILLIA.MS, '//«'/. AV.' S^ . , - ■ Obituary. (iip'ain A. (- Vouni^ ; killed in aclion, July 1st, 1916. Illustration and Deficit Fund. 1 h'^s'^ iv\-(i funds no^-tl all the assistance members can give thoni.i Th. Commllti' ii inks fur tlir- following donation : £ s. d. (row I F I 10 Proposed for Election as Members. Mrs; L. \fKon, The Wvrh, SsndKanks, l';irksii)ne, Dorset /ir ih- lion, t.d.to.. Ml.. 1; A iVrrenu, Maklwh, I'linjal., India Changes and Corrections of Address. Cronkshaw, J., to " Red Croft," Hollin's l.ane, .\ccrington. H M> ' 'A -• "■■•'• T.,.i..,. ^,,.,,, Hork<;. The Bird Market. MEMBERS' SALES EXCHANGES AND WANTS. FOR SALE : I'air lilack-heuded Bjuiue M.iiinikins 15s. ; also cock Gri'y Java Sparrow 5s., or exchange Zebra 1-inches. — Theo. Foster, Fair- light, Babbacorabe, S. Devon. FOR SALE : B.H .Gouldian cock, 2 years, perfect condition, 2Ss. ; two Bronze-wing Mannikins 10s. ; pair Zebra Finches los. Od. — Turner, Tremadoc, Newton Abljot. FOR SALE : Pairs Rosellas and Black-checked Lovebirds, 35s. each ; Bronze-wing and Brush Bronze-wing Pigeons, 40s. pair ; Necklace and Hybrid Necklace -f- Senegal Doves 20s. pair ; all in very fin«: condition. — W. Shore Baily, Boyers House, Wcatbury, Wilts. FOR SALE : Three very fine Many-colour Parakeets, also three young Stanley Parrakeets ; own breeding. Will exch:inge acclimatised Oreri- dier Weaver in colour for hen Firefinch or hen Zebra Finch. J. Smith, Woodlands, Kendal. FORi SALE : Lory hybrid, Swain«on -f- Garrulous ; own breeding, very handsome, feed from hand. — ^Mrs. Hartley, Lynchfield, Bishops Lvdeard,* Taunton. FOR. S.'\LE : All acclimatised ; Yellow Budgerigars ; cock 'jreen Glossy Starling ; - Yorkshire Canaries ; All Green, and Ring-neck Parrakeets ; Black-ctieeiced and Peach-faced Lovebirds ; Red-billed and Russ' Weavers ; Grey Java, Sparrows ; Orange-shouldered and Stiining; , Whjrdahs, hens, Cockatee", Orange Bishop ; ParticuTars, c.o. Hon. Eduv. . PRIVATELY IMPORTED.: Silverbills ; Red-headed Buntngs ; young Blossom-headed Parrakeets ; cock Japanese Robin ; Jungle BafcbUr ; pair Glossy Calornis (hand-reared) ; Blue-cheeked Barbct ; Button Quail ; pair Bank Mynahs ; hen Hardwick's Fruitbuckor. — W. T. Page, Langstone, Lingfield, Surrey. FOR S/\LF : Acclimatised, adult pair Barraband's Parrakeets ; i)air acclimatised Pennant'i Parrakeets, in full colour ; acclimatised hen Rosella ; pair Cockatecls ; 3 Crested Pigeons ; 4 Piping Crows : pair S^ack Rajls ; pair Bleeding-heart Pigeons ; cock Brush Turkey ; 2 pairs Mandarin Ducks ^ 3 Gargancy^s ; 5 fin^r tame Canary-wing Par- rakeets ; 2 Banded Parrakeets ; cock Ring-neck Parrakeet ; 2 Bare- eyed Cockatoos; 4 large Yellow-crested CocJcaN'O;; Slender-billed Cocka- too ; 2 Brown-eared Conurej ; pair Himi'.iyan S.iow Pigeons, etc. alto tame Monkeys.--A E. Ja-iurach, 180, St. George Street East. London FOR SALE : Acclimatised pair of Meyer's -Parrots, tame, and in good feather : also large cage 4ft. long, 4 ft. high and 3 ft. wide, which they are ace ustomed to occupy. *Also a copy of Kuss' " l''^ee"l'i.. .. ;.,„-. Ad.lic.s.s: 114Bethnal Green Road, London, N.E. '' ':^'-. T ntidon Wall. Tthgraphir .-Xddress : "Oiseaux," London. 39 OCTOBER, 1919. The Foreign Bird Club. Notices to Members. The Magazine The Editor much regrets the late appearance of this issue, pressure upon his tim>; prevented him dealing with copy till the issue was all but due. Members can materially assist him by sendinij articles and notes of their aviaries and birds, or any other topic of avicultural interest, which would enable him to prepare the issues a little in advance. Even in these arduous times such can be done, if meml>ers wiil kindly give the matter a thought — the times are equally arduous /or all and such assistance will much lighten your Hon. Editor's task. Our Roll. This hideous war has already claimed many of our members, whose names willbe missing from the roll next year — another two months and 1916 will have passed, will members kindly looK arotmd among their bird friends who are not members of " F.B.C " for recruits for the coming year? Thus we may repair the breaches made by (he war and be in a position to recover lost ground, when less weighty matters claim our mutual lime. WESLEY T. PAGE, /ion. Editor. SIDNEY WILLI A.MS, Hon. Bus Sec. and Treas. The Show Season. The Show (umnutlec li.ive gtanleii the {.'lub's Patronage to the following Shows : SHEFFIELD, open 81.ow, Noveml>er 3rd and 4tb Classification for six classes for Foreign Birds. One Silver Medal. Judge, Mr. J. Frostick. Schedule* from .Mr. E. C. Job, WincoUnk, Sbeftield. 3 Swift Street. Fulham. S. M. TOWNSEND, Exhibition Sec. ' 40 Illustration and Deficit Fund. These two funds need all the assistance members can give them^ The Committee tender best thanks for the following donatiotns : £ s. d. Cook, Mrs. A, M. ... ... 2 6 Chawner, Miss .. ••- 110 Mortimer, Mrs. ... ... 5 o Perreau, Mrs. 6. A. ... ... 76 Reeve, Captain J. S. ... ... 100 New Members Elected, Mrs. L. Nelson, The Wych, SandV)anks, Parkstone, Dorset. Mrs. G. A* Perreau, Bakloh, Punjab, India. Proposed for Election as Members. Henry Le Pelley, L.C. & M. Bank Ltd., Guernsey. A, I. White. Glenshira, Barrohy Road, Grantham, P. J. Calvocaressi, Holme Hay, Croxteth Drive, Liverpool, Ouy Falkiier, The Cottage, Belton. Uppingham. By (he Hon. Editor, Changes and Corrections of Address. G. E. Rattigan to, Lanarkslea, Cornwall Gardens, London, S.W. Miss M. Gerard to, 31 Via Santo Spirit<>, Florence, Italy, Mrs. C. Anningson to, 4 the Crescent, The Park, Plymouth. The Bird Market. MEMBERS' SALES EXCHANGES AND WANTS. FOR SALE — Few pairs, fine Green Budgerigars S/3 pair; also I pair Zebra Finches 15/- all out-door aviary bred.— Mrs. Mackness, 22 Cypress Road, Finchley, London. N. FOR SALE— Fine pair Senegal Parroi.s, have nested, 3c/- ; handsome pair Black- headed Conures, 50/- ; cock Moustache Parrakeet, 2c/- ; hen Ringneck, 20/- ; all in out.side aviaries. — VV. Shore Buily, Boyers House, Westbury, Wilts. KOR SALE — Weavers : cock Greater Golden, rare 35/- ; Crimson-crowned, 8/6 ; Rufous-necked, Cock, lc/5 ; Large hen, species unknown, 7/6 : acclimatized birds in out-door, unhealed aviary — I ion. Sec., 110 Riverway, Palmer's Green, f London, N, 41 FOR SALE— Californian Quail, i7/6ipair, 3 pairs 50/-; Indian Painted Sand- grouse 15/- ; Scarlet Tanager hen, 30/- ; Teach faced Lovebirds 70/ — Guaran- teed true breeding pair and in Show condition— a young bird from above 30/- ; take £7 10/- ; fur the lot,— Kattigan, I.anarkslea, Cornwall Gardens, London, s.w WANTED — Acclimatised hen Pennant's Parrakeet, for out-door aviary — Baronne Tanctegnies, Cleveland, Minehead, Somerset. WANTED — Acclimatised hen Rainbow Bunting — Lady Samuelson, Hatchford Park, Cohhain, Surrey. FOR SALF2 — Bengal L'iitas, hand-reared ; Indian Green Barbets, hand-reared ; Glossy Calornis, hand-reared ; Yell-backed Lory Jungle Babbler ; heu Hard- wick's Chloropsis ; pair Bank Mynahs ; Button Quail, both s.-xes ; Blue- cheeked Barbet ; Black-headed Nnns ; Indian Silver-bills ; Red-headed Bunting's Himalayan Goldfi iches ; Young Bloss-headed Parrakeets ; Japanese RoWm {E. akhaige) ; pair Gold -fronted Ciiloropsis — All above privately IMPORTED. Also Ring-necked Parrakeet; Yellow Budgerigars; Shining and Orange-shouldered Whydah ; hen Orange and Red-billed Weavers ; hen Yell- throated Sparrow; all acclimatised — Apply W. T. Page, Langstone, Ling- field, Surrey, FOR SALE — Aviary bred Zebra Finches, either sex, pairs 15/- ; ditto Peacl>face3 Lovebird 30/ — G. E. Haggle, Brumcombe, Foxcombe Hill, Oxford. FOR SALE— Mandarin Ducks; Purple Kaleegea { Evphjcamiis hnrsfieldi) ; Swinhoe's Pheasants; Horned Tragopans ; Monauls ; Elliott's Pheasants; Bleeding-Hearts Pigeons ; Crested Pigeons; Bare-eyed Cockatoos; Black Swans ; Crossoptilons ; Pied Peafowl ; i pair Barraband's P.irrakeets ; tame pet Monkeys, etc,— Ali^ert 1% Jamrach, 180 St. George Street, London, E. TOR SALE— As a going concern the business carried on for some years under the title of "Pets" Supply Co., Coppice Drive, Hatrogate — Buildings, Office. Aviaries, Poultry runs, houses and all accessories ; charmingly situated, low rental, looo customers on the books — a .splendid opening for Lady or Gentle- mon with small private income Wanting a fascinating and remunerative hobby -Apply as above — Higheat testimonials. FOR SALE— Exquisite pair of Red-naped Lorikeets (rr/cAoj/ZosaM* ruhritor- (/»^k)— Miss Peddie Waddell, B.dquhalstone, Clacmannan, Stirlingshire. FOR SALE— Finding it impossible to look after stock during had weather and being unable to fnid suitable labour, I wish to clear the llolowing and will Le glad of reasonable offers — I pair Silver Pheasants, full perfect plumage ; 3 pairs Senegal Turtle Doves, breeding ; 6 pairs Yellow and Green Budgerigars ; I cock C^alifornian Quail ; 2 cock Saffron Finches, full colour ; l Leadheaters Co'katoo; I Lemon-crested Cockatoo, very time, A great number of show cages of various kinds, Aviaries and general appliance. — Mrs; l^Iollins, The Aviaries. Coppice Drive, Harrogate. FOR SALE^Cock Diamond Sparrow, Culian Finch (cock?). Two Cock avadavats Cock and Hen Cor'don Blue Cock Fire Finch ; 3 common Wax Bills, sex uncertain ; cock Golden Breasted Wax Bill ; Orange-cheeked Wax Bill (2). No rea.sonahle ofler refused to clear the lot, — li. M. Kelson, " Home Cot" Sunhury-on-ThaineP. FOR SALE — I cock and 2 hen Stanley Parrakeets, and 1 pair of Many-colours; all outdoor aviary bred. Wantkd— hen Firefinch. — J. Smith, Woodlands, Kendal. FOR SALE — Well-appointed outdoor Aviary, about 20 Foreign birds and pair of Califonian Quail and ten young ; no reasonable offer refused, owner with the colour'. — Apply Miss H. Watts, Fairago, Weldon Road, Hornsea, E. Yorks. FOR SALE— Private Importation, just arrived, in sfood condition, Avad- avats ; Kokia Green Fruit-Pigeons (SpheuncercuH gphenurus) ; and a few c©ck Pintail IJonpareils. — W. T. Page, Laugstoue, Lingfield. Surrey. De VON & Co. Direct Importers of Roi^eign Birds, etc See Price Li.sts. Address : 114Bethnal Green Road, London, N.E. Telephone: 5489 London Wall. 1 elcgraphic Address: " Oiseaux," London. J 43 NOVEMBER, 1916 The Foreign Bird Club, Notices to Members. Eu.cTiON or Cui:n(;il: Mr. A. Sutcliffe and Mrs. E. A. Hartley retire by rotation, hut are eligible for re-election. Miss E. M. Baker has rfisigneci and wo suj^gost that Lady Kathleen Pilkington he elected to fill 'ic vacancy. SL'i;scRiprioNS : There are still a few of these unpaid I We should In- greatly obliged if those who have overlooked 1916 subscriptions (due .lanuary ist of each year, in- advance), would promptly remit same, as we are most anxious 10 dose the year's accounts promptly. To Mr.MrjERs Ovkrseas : Arrangements Ixave been mai^e to secure. " Bird Notes " reaching all our members in neutral countries, and if any number.-* are mi<;.inf thn {'ubliiiher will be obliged if ihcy will communicate ith him. USSLEV 1. PAGE, /-/o/i. Editor. SIDNEY WILLIAMS, Hon. Bus Sec. and /reus. Changes and Corrections of Address. he Countess of Jersey, to Middlcton Park, Bicester. Proposed for Election as Member. ]• M. Castcllo, 20. Chaifont Court, London, N.W. By \V . fi. F/.thrr. « New Members Elected. Il'nr, i. r ;:. V 1 ( ,,n.i \1 , iVuik, CuernsfV. N I Willi. 1,1, , ,, '..iirohy Ko.id, ("irMiiihan). ay Fiilkii. ' uifagc, Belton, Uppingh i' 1 44 The Bird Market. MEMBERS' SALES EXCHANGES AND WANTS. FOR SALF-! : Breeding pairs Sikliim Siskin-^. 4<"- , Sulphuiy Seccieatcr.^, 20S. ■ Saffron Finclies, 15s.; Yoimg Sikhim Siskins 30s.; Yellow Spar- rows, los. ; Zebra Finches 10s. ; Diamond Doves 2;s. ; all per pair.— W. Shore Baily, Boyer's House! Wcsthmy, Wilt- FOR SALE " Bird Notes," good opportunit\ 8, all uniformly and sjjlendidly bound. -"Coloured plates, fine condition. 60s. or near offer. .Approval if desired. F Howe, 54. .ThoiUfis .v Wellingborough. F'OR S.'ALE . Breeding pair Diamond Doves, 35- , /tl)ra I'itKlu--. ii>- '>d per pair. Red-headed F'inches. 12s. 6d. per pair, odd hcn^ ~- 'nl.. cock, 6s. 6d. each; also pair of Buttrui (juail. 4; ■'» \ Bainbridge, Hazelwood, Thorpe. Surrry. 1 ( >I\ SALE I'^irs Cireeii 1- ruit-I'jgeons (,■>. splu-ni:rn^ ' , 5 s ; (...()>.> iiitiiii: Starlings {Calornis chnlybcus), 50s. ; Bank Mvnals. 45s ; Cock JungN Babbler, rare, 63s.; hen Hardwick's Fruitsucker, 60s. Expected n- anive about 17th inst. : Bronze-wing Pove-** {Chulcophdps indictts), Black- crested -Yellow Bulbuls [Ruhif^ula //ai'ivinlris), Bengal Pittas, hen Shania, Pintail Nonpareils; Blue-cheeked Barbets, Gold-fronlrd Fruit- suckers, Pied Hornbill, etc. Also acclimatised breeding p.iir of Malabar Mynahs, 50s. No post cards. — \V. T. Page, Langstone, Lingficld, Surrey. W.ANTED .Acclimatised pai.-- of Golden-breasted W.ixbilN ■ In 11 Vellow- winged Sugarbird ; cock Firefinch ; pair Grey Singingfinchcs > ,, Hon Editor, "Bird Notes." Langstone, Liii,i.,'(iel<]. Sune>'. S.\L1-" UK E.\rll.\\(.l-: Silvci J'iii.i..,,, ,,.-,, ,n/> >>.,,- ],,,.:.->, lu,, Hi<'«^". 2 cocks and 1 ]Veii, would exchange for other spefties (Jther than Silver ^r Gold W ! Page, Langstone, Lingficld, Surrey. WANTED : I'air ol Orange-flanked P;inakcets. Capt. Reeve, Glendaragh, Caterham, Surre\ FOR SALE: Aviary Bred Zebra iinclie- ■ ■■• IMii.h, 'I'.iiil Xoiis. l.angston?, Lingfield, Surrey. 45 DECEMBER 1916. The Foreign Bird Club. Notices to Members. Election of Couxc il : No other nominations haviag been received, ilio following— Lady Kathleen -Pilkington, Mrs. Hartley, and Mr. A. Sut- ' iitife are duly elected to fill the vacancies ._on the Council. SuBSCRiPTio.Ns : These become due on January ist next, and are payable in advance. It will greatly help the Honorary Secretary in these diflicult limes if members will promptly remit same, together with . Bartels "Orchidia," Mayne, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia < Itas. Clecberg, junr., 16 I^ckerbie Road, Dumfries, N.B. i - I'. > r Parmenler, Didgcmere Hall, Roydon, Essex. f I Hy till- lion. Editor. The Bird Market. MEMBERS' SALES EXCHANGES AND WANTS. I OR S.Kl.E; f'liva-ily ImpoiLd l'.iir:, liiai k-cresteJ Yellow HuUuils, Indian (Irecn-wing Doves, and Bank Mynahs. Also aviary-bred Zebra Finches .ind aiclimali,ed breeding pair of Malabar Mynahs Mon F.ditnr.' ' Bird Ntttcs," I.angslone, Lingfiel.l, Surrey. 4'> I"OR SALE • Cock Pckin Robin, arclimatized and perfect in every way, 20S., or would exchange for Hcii in siniilnr rnndition.--<'".'ip^. Rcovc. Dunhevcd, Caterham, Surrey. WAN TED . Hen Yellow-winged Sugarhird. — Apply cyo Editor, Langstnno, Lingfield, Surrey. WANTED Cock White Sparrow, also thirty square yards |in. mcsli netting. — A. H. Scott, Waterside Copse, Liphook, Hants. KOR SALE: Young Champion-bred Italian Grey-hounds, 12 mutuiis i-iil. Dog, £4; Bitch, £3, peach-fawn, 6lb.' , Cocks: Zebra, Scaly-headed, and Grey-Singing Finches, breeders; cock Rosella 50.S. ; Purple Sun- bird, £4 los.; hen African Ringneck 7s. 6d. ; cock Budgerigar, bred from Blue and Green, £2. W.ANTED : Softbills, Shama ; also Parra- kects, hen Yeliow-naped, and cock Many-colour. — Miss Clare, 194, Coombe Lane, Wimbledon, Lundon, S.W . FOR SALE Pairs, Taha Weavers, 25s.; .\a|x)leon Weavers, 15s.; St. Helena Waxbills, 15s.; and Red-headed Finches 15s. Cocks: Grena- dier, 12s. 6d. ; Taha los. ; Half-maeked los. 6d. ; and -2 Sitagra Weavers (species?) los. each; Giant 63s.; Pintail 21s.; and «,)ueen Wh].dahs, 63s.; 2 ,Singing P'inclies, young, los. the two ; "Scaly-fronted 13?.. Quail, 15s.; and Red-hcpded Finches, 15s. pair, cocks los. each; St. Helena . Waxbills, cock, 63. 6d., hen 8s. 6d,— Mrs.' W. A. Bt inbridge Hazclwood, Thorpe, Surrey. FOR SALE: Silver Pheasants, 2 cocks, and i iien, \ijorn\i year, full grovn ; or would exchange for other species, Gold alone excepted. — Page, Langstone, Lingfield, Surrey. BOOKS AH in library pondiiion, clean as published. I)i. iUi In - 'Foreign Finches"; 60 coloured • plates by Frohawk (2nd edition', puhlisTied 35s., for 17s. 6d. "British Bi;'ds,' 6 volumes, by Teget- meir and 7 other special authors; 318 full paged plnle« of Birds and Nests, and 24 coloured plates of Eggs, by Frohawk; 1248 pages, published £5 5s,, for £« i|,i2s. 6d. Morris's. " British Birds," 6 volumes, 400 full paged plates £6 6s., for £3 3s. " Fauna Hawaii- ensis." The Zoology of the Sandwich Islands; 27 hrge coloured plates; 12 photogravures and 41 full paged plates iq black and white; 3 volumes in i8 parts, quarto, paper covers as or^^iiuiUv ifisiied, pub- lished £20 5s., for £5 5s. Hook of Birds by Duncan. 4 volumes. Ixumd in 2, Calf; £2 15s. Dr. Green's "Parrots," 3 volumes, K -> Natural History: 6 volumes, bound in 3, C2 ics., published by Cassels. These volumes woidd form beautiful Christmas or New Year Gifts. — Address, Mr. John Dobbie. 12 Inverleith Gardens, Edin- burgh. FOR SALE :Finc Yellow Budgerigars, los. per pair; also aiT adu!' ,r 15s. prolific breeders; and one hen Cockatcel (brec' Mrs. Wethcv. I.chden. Coatli.nn. Re Ic .,. N'o.k, New Scries. JVV JANUARY, Idle. Vol. VII., No 1. ?•?'-'•; ^^, .3^ s§>' \\^ 'K ^^^m^s^ 1:^^^^ as© ^* ^Vj ^%^. ~-<7 ijiim^. ^>r? ^^ S^Si m All RidKl-s Reserved. Price Y^. AniviiJ SuLscrfph'o/^ \ ,' ; > V //».'• ',. I, '• '- 1 \i \\)l BIRD NOTES THE FOREIGN BIRD CLUB Wesley T. Pe^^e, F-Z-S.^xv. \\\\ 1^: '^z- //'''■,] Pa£)/sAg^ UoaJ-J-^ /5f^S^eix(fAmotJA, \fh\\\ AIHBOUXNE PrintctI and PnbUsked br J. H. BIMSTCCR. Avian Tr—m GONTENT8. J he Siestinv of Half-Masked Golden and Spotted-winged Weavers ... B^ W Shore Bailkv. My, Malabar Mynahs By Weslev T. Page, F.Z.S., Etc. Psephoiui Parrakcets at Liberty Bv the Marquis of Tavistock. Birds In and About The Station By Majou G. A. Perreau, K./..S The Izndurance oj Birds By Wksi ev T. Pack, F.Z.S., £tc. Editorial The Talebearers Bv M. N. dk Frivelik. Correspondence -.—The Hen oj the Japanese Hawfinch. Post Mortem Reports. ♦ The conditiona upon whicli tlies« will b« mad« bj Mr. HY. ORAY, MJl.C.V.S., 23, Upper Phillimore PUce, Kensington, London. W ., are m foUowg : — (1) The birds mutt be sent immediately after death. (2) They must be packed is a box. (3) The Letter accompanying them must wot be pheed in th<. box along tcith th« bird. (N.B. — Unless the above conditions arc complied with tJke paek- Ages will be destroyed without examination). (4) The letter must detail at far a» potaiblt all partioulan as to — (o) Date of death. (6) Length of illness. (0) Symptoms of illness. (d) Lodgment and feeding of birdii, and (e) Eepecially as to whether egg food or inga seed has been given. (6) The work will be done gratuitously, and a report puV- /Uhed in Bird Notes, but under no eircumstaneet whatever will a report he sent by post unless a fee of 2s. 6d. accompanies the letter and bird. Pressure of work compels Mr. 6ray to make this an invariable rule, and it applies to all Members, whether they are personally au- ^uamtsd with hitt or not. i New Series. FEBRUARY, 1916. Vol. VII., No 2. Price l6» Ai\T\aeJ SaI>scriph'o3\ """""■"""^ fo r\o/\-/we/r\leps, /"^^ BIRD NOTES the: FOREIGN BIRD CLUB Wesley T. Pe^^e, F.Z.S.ek.. r/(«? nukiJ-Me /S^^s^eacA /nan/A, ASHBOURJIE Printed apd Publlihfd by J. H. HINSTOCK. Avun itcs CONTBNTS. I h. 1 , / ; l; Mr Aviary and ( •'••,i,i:.,,, /■;,,,- /-^c <•:■ PsipkiHii'^ PinriiLtit- (if liberty I'.v I III. .Makqi is <^^ iwisrfHK.. Some Obscrvaliona on the Nesting and Rearing of Landrails in Captivity... hS CiKRALD E. RaTTIGAN. The Brffding .'Reason, 1915, in Hoyefs tlonsr Ai'iiirirs...hv \V. Shohe-Bailv. !'hr Birr I rappers of the Riverina .. By Charles Babsk rr. CoRKE.spoNDF.KCE : hidigo X NonparcH Bunting Llylirids. Post Mortem Reports, The conditiouB upon which these will be m&de by Mr. HY. GRAY, MJl.C.V.S., 23, Upper Phillimore Place, Kensington, London, W ., tir* u follow! : — (1) The birds mugt be sent immediately after death. (2) They must be packed in a box. (3) I'ht Letter accompanying them must not be phused in tht box along with tht bird. (N.B.— Unless the abore conditions are complied with t^e paek- Age« will be destroyed without examination). (4) The letter must detail at far a* po$»ibl» all p&rtioulan tM to — (a) Date of death. (b) Length of illness. (c) Symptoms of illness. (d) Lodgment and feeding of birds, and (e) Especially as to whether egg food or inga seed has been giten . (5) The work will be dons gratuitously, and a report pub- itshed in Bird Notes, but under no circumstances whatevtr will a report b» sent by post unless a fes of 2s. 6d. accompanies the letter and bird. Pressure of work compels Mr. Gray to make this an inrariabU ml*, and it applies to all Members, whether they arc personally ac- ^naiaWd with him or aot. Vtw ScrfM. MARCH, 1916. Tol. YII., «• 3. 3> •^K^, a\\ \>'" iiV^ N' :>J) ^ ^ g>- lx^: ?? .^ *« i> '/'./u'''' All Rig K>s Reserved. Price I'fe, Ai\r\aeJ Suhscn'ph VOA. /54 BIRD ;• J/A ') '>C''': NOTES the: FOREIGN BIRD CLUB Edited Q^y^ Wesley T. Pzx^c, F.Z.S.^, A\V ASHBOUUfI Priatatf 1114 PabUtlie4 by 4. H. MINI TOCK. AtIu rr«M OONTJ^r^tB, J'fte Bu'edfA^'SeaUSh, i^^in'fibyers Hrms^' Avidfh's. By W. Shors-tBailv; ..V/ , a*^ GiatifM Finches Bv Bernard C. ThoiAissbt. Some l)bsirvati6'ni p)ii the Nesting and Rraring of Landrails in Captivity ■ Hy Gerald E. R'Ai-riCAk'. The Sio/y of My Black-headed Gull By Frank Dawson-Smith. J hi- Histary of the Budgerigar ©v E Hopkinson, D.S.O., M.A, C'.oBRrsi'ONDKNCF. : Early Nesting of the Red-collared Lorikeet \\ Birds In ihf I'iritig Like ; Field Notes^ New South Wales. KlU lUKl Al,. T6si Mortem Repotts. The conditloDs upon which thew will be made by Mr. HY. GRAY, M.R.C.V.S., 28, Upper Phillimore PUise, Kensington, London, W ., are as follows : — (1) The birds must be sent immediately after death. (2) They must be packed in a box. (3) The Letter accompanying them must mot be placed in tkt box along with the bird. (N.B.— Unless the abore conditions are complied with iV« pask- Ages will be destroyed without examination). ('4) The letter must detail a$ far as possible all partionl^s as to — (o) Date of death. ({>) Length of illness. (c) Symptoms of illness. (d) Lodgment and feeding of birds, and (e) Efipecially as to whether egg food or inga seed has been giren. (6) The vrork will be done gratuitously, and a report pub- Aihed in JSird Notfs, but under no cireumstancet whatever will a report b$ sent by post unless a fee of 2a. 6d. acoompanies the letter and bird. Pressure of work compels Mr. Gray to make this an inrariable rule, and it applies to all Members, whtihar ihey ars personally ae- ^uafaUd Witk hui w aot. MEMORANDA FOR MEMBERS. Aanuftl Subttription to Membcn 10s., du* on tlb* Ut el JkatuBH A N«w Volume tommencM tT*rj January. All Subteriptiona ihould be Mnt to Ik* Hon. Treasurer, SIDNEIX WILLIAMS, F.Z.S., Oakleigh, 110, Biverway, Palmera Green, Lon- don. N. All dead birda for ^o»i moritm examinations should be sent to H. GRAy, M.E.C.V.S., 23, Upper Pbillimore Plaoe, London, W. All MSS. for publication in BxxdL JNotea, and Books for Heriew^ Propoaala for New Members. Advertiaements for " The Bird Market," Mkd clainv for Breeding Medals, should be sent to the Hon. Editor, W,« T. PAGE, F.Z.S., etc., " Langstone," Lingfield ; Surrey. All enquiries as to the treatment of Birds should b« sent t* the following gentlemen: Parrots and Parrakeets, H. T. Camps, F.Z.S.i Linden House, Haddenham, Isle of Ely ; Inseotivorous, Frugivorous, an4 Snail Seed-eatbg Sirds. W. T. Page, F.Z.3., Glenfield, Graham Atcbtm, Miteham, Surrey. *** All Letters referring to the above identification of birt§ mtt$t contain a penny ttamp for reply. All applications for Show Medals and enquiries re Shows should bs sent to Mr. S. M. TOWNSEND, 3, Swift Street, Fulham, Londoa, 8.W. All other Correspondence, Changes of Address, eto., should b* ami to the Hon. Busineaa Secretary, SIDNEY WILLIAMS, F.Z.S., Oakleigh, 110 Riverway, Palmers Green, London, N. This Magazine is printed and published by J. H. HENSTOCB^ " Avian Press," Market Place, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, to whom all order* for back numbers and bound volumes (with remittance) should be seni* All correspondence, MSS., etc. (also remittances) relating U TRADE ADVERTISEMENTS should be sent to the publisher, J, H. HENSTOCK, who will quote rates and transact all business con- sected therewith. Also all complaints re cion -delivery of the Magazia*. An Illustration Fund is kept spen for the purpose of increas' ing the number of plates, other than the regular income of the Olufc provides for. The smallest donation will be thankfully received far this object by the Hon. Treasurer. All members not receiving their copies of Bird Note* by the 20th of each month should at once write the Publisher, complaining of tha omission. BINDING COVERS. A New Binding Case In Art Linen, of Handsome Design, is now ready. Cases 1/9 post free. Tiie Pub- lisher will bind the Volume compkte for 3/3 post free. The Publisher undertakes the Binding of VoiumfH \u the C\mh OaM ar any ethar style of ^indinx as may b<> df«irc>i BOUlfD VOLUMES OF "BIRD NOTES.' V«l«m« I. ii out of priat. «. 4. Yclum* II. »nd III., there remaini onlj » few eopiae, to Members and AMOciatea (each) 21 (^ V«lninea IV. and V. with Hand-coloured Platet : — To Member* and Aaiociatea (each) 10 f To Othera 16 ^ ▼elomea VI., VII., and VIII. with Hand-coloured Plates:— To Members and Aaiociatea (each) 16 (^ To Other* 30 0 HBW SERIES, Volume I. out of print fWhtmea II., III.. IV. and V.— To Member* (each) IT » To Other* M 9 Oa«a for Binding Vol*. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 6, 7, and 8 may ba had pria* IS. 8d. post free. Cases fo- Binding Vols i, a, 3, 4, 5, and 6 (New Series, to be obtained from the Publisher, is. 8d. post free. 39W Pabliaher, J. H. Henstock, "Avian Preas," Ashbourne, will W pleased to Bind Members' Copies at 3s. 3d., including Cover aat return postage. JUST PUBLISHED. SPECIES tlf Reared Young and HY5RIDS tit Been Bred in Captivity in Great Britain. BY WESLEY T. PAGE, F.Z.S., M.B.N.H.S., Systematically arranged according to Dr. Gadow's Classification slightly revised. ♦ ILLUSTRATED. INTERLEAVED. IN CLOTH. MEDIUM 8vo. 2s. 6cl., Net. By Post 2s. 9(1 J. H. Hbnstock "The Avia.n Pkess," Asubouic^ib. 1 MIMORANDA FOR MEMBERS. — « — Aaail»l Stibstription to Memben lOs., da* on tha 1st of Jftnaarip A New Volume commenoee erery J»nu»rj. All Subscriptions should be sent to the Hon. Treasurer, 8IDNBT WILLIAMS, F.Z.S., Oakleigh, 110, Riverway, Palmers Green, Lorn- do», N. All dead birds for po»t mortem examinations should be sent !• H. GRAY, M.R.C.V.S., 23, Upper Phillimore Place, London, W. All MSS. for publication iv Bird Notes, and Books for Rerieir, PropobaU for New Members, Advertisements for " The Bird Market," and claim.^ for Breeding Medals, should be sent to the Hon. Editor, W. T. PAGE. F.Z.S., etc., Glonfield, Graham Avenue, Mitcham, Surrey. AH enquiries as to the treatment of Birds should be sent im the following gentlemen: Parrots and Parrakeets, H. T. Camps, F.Z.S.* Linden House, Haddenham, Isle of £ly ; Insectivorous, Frugivorous, aai Small Seed -eating Birds, W. T. Page, F.Z.S., Glenfield, Graham Arsnua, Miteham, Surrey . *** All Letters referring to the above identification of hirit fmut contain a penny stamp for reply. AH applications for Show Medals and enquiries re Shows should be sent to Mr. S. M. TOWNSEND, 8, Swift Street, Fulham, Londoa, 8.W. Alt other Correspondence, Changes of Address, etc., should \m sent to the Hon. Business Secretary, SIDNEY WILLIAMS, F.Z.8., Oakleigh, 110 Riverway, Palmers Green, London, N. This Magazine is printed and published by J. H. HENSTOCK; " Avian Press," Market Place, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, to whom all orders for back numbers and bound volumes (with remittance) should be seoA,, AU correspondence, MSS., etc. (also remittances) v>elating to TRADE ADVERTISEMENTS should be sent to the publisher, J, H. HENSTOCK, who will quote rates and transact all business coa- nected therewith. Also all complaints re non-delivery of the Magann*. An Illustration Fund is kept spen for the purpose of inoreac- ing the number of plates, other than the regular income of the OlaW provides for. The smallest donation will be thankfully received far this object by the Hon . Treasurer . All members not receiving their copies of Bird Notes by tha l:t^>th of each month should at once write the Publisher, complaining of the omission. BINDING COVERS. A New Binding Case in Art Linen, of Handsome Design, is now ready. Cases 1/9 post free. The Pub- lisher will bind the Volume compl^ite for 3 3 post free. Ths Publisher undertakes the Binding of Volumes in ths 01«k Case ar any ethsr sty la of Binding as may be desired. BOUND VOLUMES OF **BIRD NOTIS/* ▼•Inme I. is out of prini. •< d. Volume II. and III., there remain* only a few eopiM, to Members and Associate* (each) 21 0 Volumf«* IV. and V. with Hand-coloured Plate*:— To Members and Associates ('each) 10 6 To Others 16 0 Volumes VI.. VII., and VIH, with Hand-coloured P/ar« :— To Members and Associates (each) 16 0 To Others SO 0 WBW SERIES, Volume I. out of print ▼olnmes II., III., IV. and V.— To Members (each) 17 « To Others 33 0 OaoM for Binding Vols. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 may bo had prie«» IS. 8d. post free. Cases fo- Binding Vols I, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 (New Series, to be obtained fioni the Publisher, is. 8d. post free. Th* Publisher, J. H. Henstock, "Avian Preaa," Ashbourne, will be pleased to Bind Members' Copies at 3s. 3d., including Cover antf return jiostagc. JUST PUBLISHED. SPECIES tit Reared Young and HYBRIDS T,ait Been Bred in Captivity in Great Britain. 15 V WESLEY T. PAGE, F.Z.S., M.B.N.H.S., Systematically arranged according to Dr. Gadow's Classification slightly revised. ll,i,r.>l !;A'I'I'.!> JNrERLEAVED. IN CLOTH. MEDIUM 8vo 2s. 6d., Net. By Post 2s. 9d. J 11. Uknsiix iv "Thi: Avjan Piti-.-s.'' Ashbournk. MSMORANDA FOR MEMBERS. Annual Sab«cription to Members 10s., due on the lat of Jannary tM eaflh jear. A New Volume commences erery January. All Subacriptiona should be sent to the Hon. Treasurer, SLDNBT WILLIAMS, F.Z.S., Oakleigh, 110, Riverway, Palmers Green, Lom- don. N. All dead birds for post mortem examinations should be sent !• H. GRAY, M.R.C.V.S., 23, Upper Phillimore Place, London, W. Alt MSS. for publication in Bird Notes, and Books for Reriew, PropoaaU for New Members, AdvertiMmenta for " The Bird Markst," and claim. To Others 20 0 N.BW SERIES, Volume I. out of print Volumot II.. III., IV. and v.— To Members (eaeh) 17 & To Others 23 0- CasQs for Bindinii; Vols. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 may be had prioa- is. 8d. post free. Cases fo- Binding Vols i, 2. 3, 4, 5, and 6 (New Series, to be obtained' ftoni the Publislier, is, 8d. post free. Th* Publisher, J. H. Honstock, "Avian Press," Ashbourne, will b« pleased to Bind Members' Copies at ^s. -d., jn-i' '■■^'^ '"over .ind" return postage. JUST PUBLISHED. SPECIES g Reared Young and HYBRIDS t^ Been Bred in Captivity in Great Britain. BY WESLEY T. PAGE, F.Z.S., M.B.N.H.S., Systematically arranged according to Dr. Gadow's Classification slightly revised. • ILLUSTRATED. IKrERLEAVED. IN CLOTH. MEDILM 8vo. 2s. 6cl., Net. By Post 2s. 9d. J. 11 1h-.:.-ii-K Thk .\ni\n Pjuo-^s," AsiinciMtNK. New Scries. w AnnaoJ Suhscrfph 15^-: BIRD NOTES THE .FOREIGN BIRD CLUB Wesley T. Pzv^e, F.Z.S.eK Po6)/sAiea ewfoo^yife /SH's^etcA moi\/A^ ASHBOUKNI I>rtnted ard Publithed br J. E. HENSTOCK. Avian PrM« CONTENTS. My Sii'ih, _ 15V TilK LI 'i. H.>ri;Ki Foreitjii iind Hrtl'xU lliiils ,it thr //nJboni Tmrn /fnll...H\ \\ l^Z.8.. Ew: T'i> Ihtirffje.l Titroy'i \<\ I'HEO. Stkwaiit iSomc ('i)lvini liiril.< lil,i-i:i.v i F,r» KKoM "TlMKHJM.'' All Al'out "A'-r' HyFkvnk 1)vw-;..n- S\mn Till' EiKhn-.Kir^ of liir4 will be deatroyed without examination). (4) The letter mnat detail at far at pottiblt all partioalara aa to — (a) Date of death. (6) Length of illneaa. (c) Symptoma of illneaa. (d) Lodgment and feeding of birda, and (e) Especially aa to whether egg food or iuga aeed haa bean given . (6) The work will be dona gratuitoualy, and a report pub- Aahed in JBird Notes, but under no eircumitancet tchattvtr vfill a rtport ht ttnt by post untttt a fet of 2a. 6d. aeeomponiu Iht Utttr amd ^rd. Preaaure of work compela Mr. Oray to make thia an iuTariable rula, and it appliea to all Membcra, whathar thay are paraoaally m* ^uaiftlai witk kim ar not. Mtw Series. MAT, &016. Vol. VH., M«. 5. ASIBOUINB Printed »ni PubliUed by J. H. HKNSTOCK. Aviu PrMa CONTEMTS, The Amazon Rail By W. Shore BaiLky Bird fAfe and Sport on Ac/till Island By Frank Dawson-Smith An Indian JSestof the Norfolk Plover or Stone-Curlew By Hugh WHrsTLER M.B.O.U., I.P Btrd Catrking In Ihdia By Douglas Dewab, F.Z.S.. l.C.S The History of (he Budgerigar Bv E. HopkINSON, D.8.O., M.A. British Bird Calendar OoRRESPONDENCE .—The Netting of Japs. Editorial. pobt mortkmb. Post Mortem Reports. — ^_ Th« coaditioM npoB wkieli tlwM will b« mad* hj llr. HT. OBAY, MJt.C.V.S., 28, Upper PMIlm«ra PImi. KciuiBfton. LondM, W^ »r* M foUovi: — (1) Tht bird* mtxft b« Mst immtdiaMi/ after daatli. (2) Thej mutt ba packed ia a box. (3) Th« Letter aceompanffing them mm$t voT ht phetd in (J^ ioa along with tht bird* (N.B. — Unlets the abore eonditions are eomplied tritb tiu paek- agee will be destroyed without examination). (4) The letter most detail as far at pottibU all partionlars as to — (a) Date of death. (6) Length of illness, (o) Symptoms of illness. (d) Lodgment and feeding of birds, and (s) jBspecially as to whether egg food or inga seed has bsea (ivtt« (5) The work will be done gratuitously, and a report pub* Athti in Bird Notet, but under no eiroumttanott whatovor wiU » rtport bt ttnt by pott unlett a /es of 2s. 6d. aeoompmitt tht Isflsr mi4 bird. Prestore of work compels Mr. Gray to maka Ihia in invariable rule, and it applies to all Members, whether they art parMMllj m> fxialated with him or not, Price 1^6 AnnatI SuLscriph /54 BIRD NOTES TAe q/oupimJ ^o/^ THE FOREIGN BIRD CLUB Wesley T. Pavge. F.Z.S.e>c .Pa^/sAe^ e^u^/Ae 15^ s^ etxeA /nonZ-J^ -.v^".;->^?^ ASHBOURNE Pilnted and Publlihed by J. H. HINSTOCK. Aviu Pi-cm CONTENTS. Aty Laughing Thruslim ll\ \' -.. .:.-B^n.v Blrif Catrhirig in hdia Rv Douglas Dfavar, F.7 S, \ X S Bird I. ill and Sport on Arhill Island Bv F'rank I).,. Tho tlndiiranrc of Birds . By THK Marquis of TAriSTorK The History of the Budgerigar By E. Hopkinson. D.S.O , MA Some (ninny Birds By Rev. Chas^ R. Dawson. S I , M.A.(Oaon A Roadside Tragedy Bv Dr L. Lnvti-L-KtAVS, K Z.S. ICditorial. C■oR^:^^spONDE^fCF. -/./5/ o/ Birds Seen in Flanders; A Substitute for I rait , Field and . Avicultural Notes. Post Mortem Reports. TI16 conditiona upon which tti«M will be made by Mr. HT. ^BAY, MJi.C.V.S., 23, Upper PhiUimere PIae», Keaaington, Lond^a, W ., an as follows : — (1) Th» birdB mutt b« sent immtdimiely after death. (2) They must be packed in a box. (3) Tht Letter accompanying them must hot h* placed in the 4)02 along toith the bird. (N.B. — Unlem the abore condition! are oomplied with tKe pack- Hi gee will be deitroyed without examination). (4) The letter muat detail as far a$ po$9ible all partioulara >IM to — (a) Date of death, (ft) Lfogth of illness, (e) Symptom* of illneee. (d) LoagTuent and feeding of birds, uai (•) Kspecially at to whether egg food or inga teed ha« be«a giT»B. (5) The work will bf done grstuiiously, and a report pub- >.l«hod in Bird Notes, but under no circumstances whatever wilt a reitort bt tent by post unlesa a fee of 2m. 6d. accofnpanits the Utter an4 bird. Pressure of work compelt Mr. Gray to make this an itiTariabIa raU, and it applies to all Members, whether they are personally a«- ^uamWd with hija ar net. I MEMORANDA FOR MEMBERS. Aannal Subceription to Member* 10a., da« on tht l«t of J^nwMy ia smIi 7«»r. A New Volume commence every Januarj. All Subacriptions should be sent to the Hon. Treagureri SEDNST WILLIAMS, P.Z.S., Oakleigh, 110, Kiverway, Palmer* Grera, Lo«- don. N. All dead birds for post mortem examinations should be sent !• H. GRAY, M.E.C.V.S., 23, Upper Phillimore Place, London, W. Ali MSS. for publication in Bird Notes, and Books for Reriew, Proposals for New Members. Adrertisements for " The Bird Market," *nd claim.1 for Breeding Medals, should be sent to the Hon. Editor, W.. T. PAGE, F.Z.S., etc., " Langstone," Lingfield ; Surrey. Al' enquiries as to the treatment of Birds shonld bo sent t* the following gentlemen : Parrots snd Parrakeets, H. T. Camps, F.Z.8.k Linden House, Haddenham, Isle of Bly ; Insectivorous, Frugivoroas, tmA Small Seed -eating Birds, W. T. Page, F.Z.S., Olenfield, Graham Av«Bt»| Miteham, Surrey . *** All Letters referring to the above identification of birSk mmst eontain a penny stamp for reply. AU applications for Show Medals and enquiries re Show* shonlA be sent to Mr. S. M. TOWNSBND, 3, Swift Street, Fulham, Londoa. 8.W. All other Correspondence, Chaagea of Address, eto., should W scat to the Hon. Business Secretary, SIDNEY WILLIAMS, F.Z.8., Oakleigh, 110 Riverway, Palmers Green, London, N. This Magazine is printed and published by J. H. HENSTOOX, " Avian Press," Market Place, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, to whom all ordoiv for back numbers and boxind volumes (with remittance) should be ssdI* All correspondence, MSS., etc. (also remittances) relating I* TRADE ADVEBTISEMENTS should be sent to the publisher, J, H. HENSTOCE, who will quote rates and transact all business cob* itected therewith. Also all complaints re nou-delivary of the Maganna. An Illustration Fund is kept epen for the purpose of increas- ing the number of plates, other than the regular income uf the Club provides for. The smallest donation will he thankfully received far this object by the Hon. Treasurer. All members not receiving their copies of Bird Notes by tka 20th of each month should at once write the Publisher, complaiBtag of the oibission. BINDING COVERS, A New Binding Case in Art Linen, of Handsome Design, is now realy. Cases 1/9 post free. The Pub- lisher will bind the Volume compkte for 3 3 post free. Q'ho Publisher undertakes the Binding of Volaiaea in tho Clafc Case or any other atyU of Binding as may be daiirsd. BOUND VOLUMES OF "BIRD NOTIS." Vftlnme I. u oat of print. ■. 4. V«lanie II. aod III., there rem«ine onlj » few eopiee, to Members snd AMOoUtea (each) 81 0 Volnmea IV. »nd V. toith Uand'coloured Piatt* : — To Member* and Aaiociate* (each) 10 #■ To Othere 16 0 Votnmee VI.. VII., and VIII, with Hond-eoloured Platm:— To Member* and Asiociatea (each) 16 ^ To Other* 10 0 &*BW SERIES, Volume I. out of print T*lumea II.. HI., IV. and V.— To Member* (eack) IT f To Other* 81 0 Om** for Binding Vol*. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 6, 7, and 8 may b* had priaa Is. 8d. post free. Case* fo- Binding Vols i, a, 3, 4, 5, and 6 (New Seriea, to be obtained ftom the Publisher, is. 8d. post free. 7k» PvbliaUr, J. H. Henstoek, " Arian Pre**." Aahbourne, will ba pleased to Bind Members' Copies at 3s. 3d., including Cover an^ return postage. JUST PUBLISHED. SPECIES til' Reared Young and HYBRIDS talt Been Bred in Captivity in Great Britain. WESLEY T. PAGE, F.Z.S., M.B.N.H.S., Systematically arranged according to Dr. Gadow's Classification slightly revised. ILLUSTRATED. ]N rLllLEAVED. IN CLOTiJ. MEDIUM 8vo. 2s. 6d.. Net. By Post 2s. 9d. J. H. Hbnstock "The Avian Preks," Ashbournb. MIMORAflDA FOR MIMBXRS. Amaual Sabtaription to McmlMn lOi., da* on th« l«t •! Jaavaq; A. N«v Volum* tommenoM •▼•ry Janutry. All SubaeriptioM ahould b* sent to tho Hon. TreMurtr, SIDKIX WILLIAMS, F.Z.S., Oftkleigh, 110, Bivu-waj, Ptloitn Qxmm, Lm> 4m. K. All d«ftd birds for po$t mortem •xaminatioBa ahonld bt imiI |» B. GRAY, M.R.C.V.S., 23, Upp«r Phillimore PUoa, London, W. All MSS. for publication in Bird Notes, and Booka for R«viaV| Pvopcaab for Now Membara, AdrartiaamaBta for " Tha Bird Markat«** 4ttd alain* for Braedinf Modala, abould ba aant to tha Hon. Editor, l^i T7"PAGE,~F.Z.S., etc., " Langstbne," Lingfield ; Surrey. All anqniriaa aa to the treatment of Birda ahonld be aant l« ihm following fentlemen : Parrots and Parrakeeta, H. T. Campa, E.Z.B^ liadan Houae, Haddenbam, lale of Ely ; Inaaotivoroiu, Fragivorona, ui Small Saad -eating Birda, W. T. Page, F.Z.S., Olenfleld, Orabam AvanMi Mitabam. Surrey. *** All Letters referring to the above idemtifieatitm of Nfit mmttt oomtain a penny stamp for reply. All applieationa for Sbow Madala and enqtiiriea re Show* ahooli be aant to Mr. S. M. TOWNSEND, 8, Swift Straet, Fulbam, LondM« «.W. All other Correapondenoe, Cbangea of Addreaa, eto., aboold W •nt to the Hon. Boainesa Secretary, SIDNEY WILLIAMS, JSJZ.S^ Oakleigh, 110 Biverway, Palmera Green, London, N. Thia Magacine ia printed and publiahed by J. H. HENSTOOI^^ " Avian Preaa," Market Place, Aahbonrne, Derbyahire, to whom all ordart for baek numbers and bound volumea (with remittance) ahould be aeal<« All correapondenoe, MSS., etc. (also remittanees) Minting to TRADE ADVERTISEMENTS ahould be aent to the publiahar, J« H. HENSTOCE, who will quote rates and tranaact all buainasa eoa- aeetad therewith. Also all complaints re non -delivery of the Maganjaa. An Illustration Fund is kept open for the purpose of inerena* Lng the number of platea, other than the regular income of the OluV provides for. The amalleat donation will be thankfully reoeived fev thia object by the Hon. Treaaurer. All membera not receiving their copiea of Bird Notes by tl» 80th of each month ahould at onoe write the Publiaher, oomplainiag «f the omission. BINDING COVERS. A New Binding Case in Art Linen, of Handsome Deti^, is now ready. Cases 1/9 post free. Ttie Pub- lisher will bind the Volume complete for 3/3 post free. The Publisher underUkes the Binding of Volumes in the Qlmk Oaae er any ether style of Binding aa may be desired. BOUND VOLUMES OF '*BIIU) NOTIS." ▼•Inms I. u out of print. a. d^ Talama 11. and III., there remeina onij e few aopiea, to Membera end Aaaoeiatee (eetih) 31 (t Vvhiuee rV. end V. with Hnnd-coloured Plaht : — Te Membera end Aasocietee (eeeh) 10 f To Othera 16 ^ Vvluwe VI ^ VII., end VIII. ieith Hand-coloured Ptol«t— To Membora end Ataocietee (eech) lA 9 To Othera 90 0 WBW SERIES, Volume I. out of print r«iwMe II., m.. IV. end V.— To Membera (eech) 17 f. To Othera OT 0 fkaea for Binding Vola. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, end 8 mey be hed price IS. 8d. post free. Ceae* fo- Binding Vols i, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 (New Series, to be obteined fiom the Publisher, is. 8d. post free. 9iha Poblieher, J. H. Henatock, "Avian Preaa," Ashbourne, will he pleased to Bind Members' Copies at 3s. 3d., including Cover anrf return postage. r- ■ . . -■ ' - ■ ' - JUST PUBLISHED. SPECIES tlf Reared Young and HYBRIDS tg Been Bred in Captivity in Great Britain. BY WESLEY T. PA.GE, F.Z.S., M.B.N.H.S., Systematically arranged according to Dr. Gadow's Classification slightly revised. ♦ ILLUSTKATED. INTERLEATED. IN CLOTH. MEDIUM 8vo. 2s. 6d., Net. By Post 2s. 9d. J. H. UtNBTOCK "Thk Avian Press," Asubournk MEMORANDA FOR MIMBIRS. ■'" » ■■' ■ Aanuft) Sabttription to Members lOt., du« on tht lal of Jaauift iB eaeh j*%t. A New Volume eommenoea every January. All Subecriptione ehould be aent to the Hon. Treaiurer, BIDNBT WILLIAMS, F.Z.S., Oakleigh, 110, Kiverway, Palmer* Grean, Lm- don. N. All dead bird* for post mortem examiuationa ahould be leat k* H. GRAY, M.R.C.V.S., 23, Upper Phillimore Plaoe, London, W. All MSS. for publication in Bird Note*, and Books for Rariaw^ Propoaala for New Members, AdrertiMments for " The Bird Markat," iumI elaim/> for Breeding Medals, should be sent to the Hon. Editor, W. T. PAGE, F.Z.S., etc., " Langstone," Lingfield ; Surrey. All enquiries as to the treatment of Birds should be sent k« (ha following gentlemen: Parrota and Parrakeets, H. T. Camps, F.Z.S., Linden House, Haddenham, Isl« of Ely ; Inaeetivorous, FrugiTorous, aa4 Small Seed-eating Birds, W. T. Page, F.Z.S., Glenfield, Graham Avanii*, Mitcham, Surrey. ***■ All Letter t referring to tht above identification of hirta imtst contain a penny atamp for reply. All applications for Show Medals and enquiries re Shows should b* sent to Mr. S. M. TOWNSENO, 3, Swift Street. Fulham, LondoBi 8.W. Alt other Correspondence, Changes of Address, etc., should b« sent to the Hon. Business Secretary, SIDNEY WILLIAMS, F.Z.S., Oakleigh, 110 Biverway, Palmers Green, London, N. This Magazine is printed and published by J. H. HENSTOCS^ " Avian Press," Market Place, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, to whom all ordart tor b*ck nambers and bound volumes (with remittance) should be Mnl« All correspondence, MSS., etc. (also remittanoes) relating to TBADE ADVERTISEMENTS should be sent to the publisher, J, H. HENSTOCK, who will quota rates and transact all business aeeted therewith. Also all complaints re non-delirery of the Maganoa. An Illustration Fund ia kept epen for the purpose of inoreaa* ing the number of plates, other than the regular income of the Olnb provides for. The smallest donation will be thankfully received far this object by the Hon. Treasurer. All members not receiving their copies of Bird Notes by tka 20th of each month should at once write the Publisher, complaining •f ths omission. BINDING COVERS. A New Binding Case in Art Linen, of Handsome Design, is now ready. Cases 1/9 post free. The Pub- lisher will bind the Volume compkte for 3/3 post free. The Publisher undertakes the Binding of Volumas in the Olmk Oaaa sr any athar sty la of Binding as taay ba desirad. BOUND VOLUMES OJT *'BIRD NOTIS.' ▼•lome I. u oat of print. a. d> V*lam« II. aod III., there remftiiu onlj a few eopiea, to Member* aud Aisocifttea (each) 31 O Velome* IV . and V . with Hand-coloured Platet : — To Members and AMOciatea (each ) 10 #- To Other* 16 ft Volume* VI.. VII., and VIII, with Hand-coloured Plate*:— To Members and Associate* (each) 16 0- To Other* 30 0 MBW SERIES. Volume I. out of print T«ltme« II., m.. IV. and V.— To Members (each) 17 fr To Other* 29 0 CasM for Binding Vol*. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 may be had pri«» IS. 8d. post free. Cases fo- Binding Vols i, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 (New Series, to be obtained fioni the Publisher, is. 8d. post free. Dm Publisher, J. H. Henstock, "Avian Press," Ashbourne, will be pleased to Bind Members' Copies at 35. 3d., including Cover antf return postage. JUST PUBLISHED. SPECIES tlf Reared Young and HYBRIDS tit Been Bred in Captivity in Great Britain. BY WESLEY T. PAGE, F.Z.S., M.B.N.H.S., Systematically arranged according to Dr. Gadow's Classification slightly revised. JLLUSTKATED. INTERLEAVED TN CLOTH. MEDIUM 8vo. 2s. 6d.. Net. By Post 2s. 9d. J. II, Henstock "The Avian Pkkss. ' .Vshhovrni. New Series. JULY, i^ie^ Vol. VII., No. 7. :$-^^, ^ &a ^^ fx-^ '■^A ^ w. f^. 5^ ss^t; 'C. ^ Sl>i^ 'iTi^v" ^1 «s «f^i ^: ,/l \ Wl. \\\\ All Ri^KT^s Reserved. Price I^. Ai\T\azJ Sahscn'ph'o^ ' h> A0A-/x\e/r\6ers, /5^' BIRD NOTES TAe o/oapixiJ ^o/<* THE FOREIGN BIRD CLUB Wesley T.Pz^^e, F.Z.S.ek, Pa£k ASHBOURNE Printed and Publltted by j. h. HENSTOCK. Avian vt—% CONTENTS. r.NCE :— Breeding Red-collared Lorikeets ; Producing a Blue Budgerigar ; Nesting of Yellow-winged Sugarbirds, etfs., Wholesale Fly- catching. URiTifU Bird Calendar. Post Mortem Reports, The conditions upon which theM will be made bj Mr. HT. a}RAY, MJa.C.V.S., 28, Upper Fhillimore PUee, Keneington, London, W., are aa follows: — (1) The birds must be sent immediattly after death. (2) They mutt be packed in a box. (8) Th* Letter aoeompanying them tmut xot b$ plactd im tk9 hoa along with the bird. (N.6. — ^Unless the abore conditions are eomplied with tXe paek* 4ges will be destroyed without examination). (4) The letter must detail a$ far at pottible all particulars •« to— (a) Date of death. {b) Length of illness, (o) Symptoms of illness. (ji) Lodgment and feeding of birds, and (s) Especially as to whether egg food or inga seed has bee* giTen. (6) The work will be done gratuitously, and a report pub- dshed in Bird Notes, but under no ciroumttanca whatevtr Mfill a rtport bt $ent by pott unlet$ a /es of 2s. 6d. aoeompaniu th$ Utttr omI bird. Pressure of work compels Mr. Gray to make this an inTariable rule, and it applies to all Members, whether they are personally as- ^uaiatad with him er not. New Series. AUGUST, 1916. Vol. VU.. M«. e. '^^i a\\- S^ M] ^^_ ^?^ 'xr J^ JTi ^. &r V .i!>\ -m^-'^-^ :^< ^ All RitfKT's Reservfed. Price l'^. AnnaeJ Sahscr7ph'o7\, v.Hj •''■'/{{'A' i;i ^ir BIRD NOTES the:foreign bird club Wesley T. Pz^^e, RZ.S.ac (ft 'Ml. ASHBODRMK Priatcd aatf PabU«fe«] by J. H. HKM8T0CK, Arlui rr«M OONTENTa. Breeditig of Red^ollared Loriktttg ..Bv Miss E. G. B. Pbddib Waddbix. Pkeatant Rearing Under Broodut By Geralt) E. Rattigaii. Visits to Members' Aviarits By WisLxr T. Paoi, F.Z.S., ttc. The Ihlieate Life^read of the Young Grey Parrvt By M. D. (U.S.A.) Daum A mitn§$t the Bird* in OM EfVpUan Garden Bt M.P. The Hittory of the Budgerigar By B. HoPKlMfON, D.S.O., M.D., Etc. ExUTOBt*!.. V CSaBXESPONDBNCK. Rearing of a Rouftneh and Greenfinch Hybrid; Sweeeetf^ Breeding ofJach»on*e Whydah and a Hybrid Sparrow; Nesting of Loriheett ; B. H. Conuret and Yellow Groibtake ; Neeting Mateu ^ the Seatvn. Stme Colony Birde Bepkimtid rROW Timbbkl*' Post Mortem Reports. ThM MBditiaas ttfoa whUk Umw will W »•<• \j Mr. HT. ORAY, MJt.C.V.S.. aa, Upptt FhiUiaM* FlMi, KraiiBgt«B» UmAmt W.» BN M foUowi:— (1) Hm Urda «B«t W ant immeiimU^ eJLUg 4Mtk. (2) TImj mu$i he patkad im a box. (I) The Letter •mow^femgmf them wmat not he ptm^i im the io« •lo»t 9tith the bird, (K.B.—UBlaaa Iha aUf* «0BaiU«aa af« aanfUal vilk «M f/tk- Bgaa will ba daairojad wilhonl a»BmiBBtia»). (4) Tba lattar sibbI datail ae fmr ms p$mkle all fariiaBlan «B W-" (b) Date of daath. (ft) LaBgtk of Ulaaaa. («) SyaiptoBia of Uhnaa. (4) LodfBiaBt and faadiag of birda, aad (•) Eapacially aa to vbatiur «gf food or iaga aaad kaB ba«B givMi. (6) Tha work will ba doao gratuitoualy, a&d b rapori pBb> Atkad in Bird Notes, hut under uo eireiumetamtee wkateter wilt m tfft he eent by poet unlete a fe» of Si. 6d. oaoouqMNiM the Utttf B«dl hird. Fnetnx* of work eompala Mr. Oray lo akaka Ikia as iBTBriaMa rBla, and it appU«a to all klaaban, wkatkar tkaj bib paraBBally oo^ ^BBlBlad witk kill or bbI, Vol. VII., M*. 9, ^!^ i^ "*L. '«'.. ^^. u^: ^^ ^^ All R JUKI'S ReseTved. Price 1^, AnT\aiJ Suhscriph 70J\ /54 BIRD ,;W,;rvi ,K| 1'' .» ,'v\\ l\ NOTES THEITOREIGN BIRD CLUB Wesley T. Paxge, F.ZLS.ek, Pa6)isie^ oAhJ'Mb IS^^e&cAmonJX, m\\ ih\ ^'it^.f? ASHROURMK Prinleil ard Publithcd by J. H. i:^ CONTENTS. Tht Breeding of Jackson s Whjfdah$ By W. Shokk Batlt. Breeding uf lied-tiaped Lorikeets By E. J. Bkook. Breeding Blue Bwhrigart Bv J W. Maksubn The Endurance cf Birds By VVksley T. Paoi, F.Z.S., Etc. Pheasant Rearing Under Broodies By GbralD E. Raitigaii. My Aviary Experiences By H. Carr Walker. Death of a Veteran Lemon-cretted Cockatoo. Some British Birds in my Aviaries By W. Shore Bau.y. Some Colony Birds Reprinted from "Timehki." dORRKSPONDENCE. Trying for Blue Budgerigars ; Breeding Many-colour and and Stanley Parrakeets. * Post Mortem Reports. The conditioiu upoa which theM will b« mad« by Mr. HY. .JRAY. M.R.C.V.S., 23, Upper Fhillimore Place, Eeneington. Loader W., are u follows: — (1) Th« birda must be sent immediately after death. (2) Tiicy must be packed in a box. (8) The Letter accompanying them muat VOT he pkned in the ^oa along with the bird, (N.B. — Unless the abore conditione are eomplied with the paek- agee will be destroyed without examination). (4) The letter must detail a$ far a$ po$»ible all particmiart •» to — (o) Date of death. (&) Length of illness. (o) Symptoms of illness. (d) Lodgment and feeding of birds, and (•) Especially as to whether egg food or inga seed has beoa given. (6) The work will be done gratuitously, and a report pnb- ilshed in Bird Notes, but under no eireumttancet tfhattver will m refort fr« eent by post unle$$ a /s< of 2s. 6d. aooompmtw th* httet am4 bird. Pressure of work compels Mr. Gray to make this an inrartable rule, and it applies to all Members, whether thej are persoaaily; ••• %uaiated with hia or boI( MEMORANDA FOR MSMfilRS. ▲bbqaI Snbttription to M«inb«n lOi., do* on th« l«l efl Jab«mp A N«w VoIqb* lommasflM •rtrj Januarj. Alt Subaoriptiont ihould b« Mnt to ik« Hen. TreMurar, BIDNSl WILLIAMS, F.Z.8., O&kleigh. 110, BiTerway, Palmen Oram, Lm- doa, K, All dead bird« for po$t mortem •zamiBations ahould ba itAt to H. OBAY, MJl.O.V.S., 23, Upper Phillimore Flaoa, London, W. All MSS. for publieation in Bird Nottt, and Booka for B«Tia«| PropoaaU for New Members, Adrertiaemanta for " Tha Bird Markal,** and olaimji for Breeding Medali, should be aant to tba Hon. Eiditor, IV, Tr PAGE, F.Z.S., etc., "' Langstone," Lingfield ; Surrey. All enquiries as to the treatment of Birds shonld b* lani It «ha following gentlemen: Parrots and Parrakeets, H. T. Oamps, K.Z.B4 Linden House, Haddenham, Isle of Sly ; InseotiTorons, Frugirorons, uA Small Seed-eating Birds, W. T. Page, F.Z.S., Glcnfield, Graham AvanM» Miteham, Surrey. *** All Letters referring to the above idtntifieatum of hirtk wtmet contain a penny $tamp for reply. All applicationa for Show Medals and enquiries ra Shows shonU ba sent to Mr. S. M. TOWNSBND, 8, Swift Street, Fulham, Londoa^ 8.W. All other Correspondence, Ohangea of Addreas, etc., should In sent to the Hon. Business Secretary, SIDNEY WILLIAMS, F.Z.S., Oakleigh, 110 Biverway, Palmers Green, London, N. This Magazine is printed and published by J. H. HBNSTOOl^ " Avian Press," Market Place, Ashbourne, Derbyshira, to whom all ordara for back numbers and bound volumes (with remittance), should ba aani^ All correspondence, MSS., etc. (also remittanoes) relating U TBADE ADVEBTISEMENTS should be sent to the publisher, J, H. HENSTOCK, who will quote rates and transact all business eon* aaotad therewith. Also all complaints re non-delivery of the Maganna. An niustration Fund is kept open for the purpose of inoreaa- lag tha nnmber of plates, other than the regular income of the Olnk provides for. Tha^ smallest donation will be thankfully received far this object by the Hon. Treasurer. All members not receiving their copies of Bird Notes by tfca Both of each month should at onoe write the Publisher, oomplainiag «f the omission. BINDING COVERS. A New Binding Case in Art Linen, of Handsome Design, is now ready. Cases 1/9 post free. Tlie Pub- lither will bind the Volume complete for 3/3 post free. The Publisher undertakes the Binding of Volumes in tha OUttb Oaae ar any other style of Binding as may be deairad. BOUND VOLUMES OF "BIRD NOTES.' V«laia« I. ifl out of print. ■. 4. Volume II. »nd III., ther« remaini onlj • few «opiM, to Memben and Anociate* («*ch) 81 0' VolnnxM IV. and V. toith Hand-coloured PlatM:— To Memb«ra and AasociaiM (each) 10 t To Othera 16 » V«lamM VI.. Vn.. and VIII. tcUh Hand-eolourtd Plaits :— To Member* and Ajiooiatea (each) 16 0 To Othera SO 0 MSW 8£RI£S. Volume I. out of print ▼•lomM IL, III., IV. and V.— To Membera'(aach) 17 t To Othara 8» 0 Oaaa* for Binding Vola. 1. S, S, 4, 6, 6, 7, and 8 maj bo had priaa la. 8d. po*t free. Cases fo- Bindinf Vols i, s, 3, 4, 5, and 6 (New Series, to be obtained fiom the Publisher, la. 8d. post free. Pabliahar, J. H. Hanstock, " Arian Prosa," Ashbonrna. will ba pleased to Bind Members' Copies at 3s. 3d., including Corer antf return peerage. JUST PUBLISHED. SPECIES ti? Reared Young and HYBRIDS tit Been Bred in Captivity in Great Britain. BY WESLEY T. PAGE, F.Z.S., M.B.N.H.S., Systematically arranged according to Dr. Gadow's Classification slightly revised. ILLUSTRATED. INTERLEAVED. IN CLOTH. MEDIUM 8vo. 2s. 6d., Net. By Post 2s. 9d. T H. Hknstock "Tuk Avian Press," Ashbourne. MEMORANDA FOR MIMBIRS. Aaiaftl SnbicripUeB to MamUri lOi., d«« «b Ih* l«t •! J»biM|| ▲ N«v VoIqbm •omavBtM •vary Jtavtrj. All Snbiiriptio&t ihould h% MBt lo lki« H«b. Tr«»iar«r, BXONH JWILLIAliS, F.Z.S., Oakkifh, 110, RiTtrwaj, Palmtn Onwif Lmi* im, V. AM d««d birds for poat moritm oxamuiatioBi ihoiild b* mbI •• a. OKAY, M.B.O.V.8., 28, Upjwr PbilliaoM PUm, Loadoa. W. All MS8. for pnblicfttioB is Bird Hotu, tni Booki for lUritVi PtopoMla for Now Mozabon, AdrortiMmoto for " Tho Bird Markoti*^ tttd oUiJBu for BroadiBf Modtls, ibould U mbI to tbo Hon. Editor, W% Tr PAGE, F.Z.S., etc., " Langttone," Lingfield; Surrey. All oaiqBinM »i to tho troataoBl of Birda alioBld bo mbI It 4ko folloviag f«Btlem«B : Parrots aad Parrakooti, H. T. Oampa, KiS.t^ LSadift Boiiao, Baddtakam, Iilt of Xly ; Inaootivorew, FragiTorooo, ui flMoU 8«od*«atbc Birds. W. T. Pafo, F.Z.8., Oloaflold, OraUm Atobi^ Mitabaai, Smrroj. •** Ail L$ttw rtfarrim to tht 0ho9t iimi%tict4i«m o/ Mrli mmt sMiaw • pM*y timrnf for r«f)y. All appIioatioBs for Sbow Uodalt aad taqoirisa ra Show* shavSl ^ smt to Mr. 8. M. TOWNSBND, t, Bvift Sitmt, Fulbam, Loada^ t.W. All othar OorMopomdaaao, Chaafos of Addiaos, at«., ahonld li aoBt U tho Hob. Busiaoos Sooratary, 8IDNBY WILLIAM8, f.ZJ« Oakloifh. 110 RiTorway, Palaan Oxaaa, Loadoa, K. This IfafaaiBO ia priatsd aad publithod by J. H. HBN8T001I^ ** Aviaa Pross," Markat Plaoo, Ashbourao, Dorbyshiro, to whom all ordsn Iv bati maabsra and bouad TolaiaaB (with rtmittaaoo) should bo asala All oorrMpoadtnoo, USS., ats. (also rsmittaaaat) salatiaf la VBADX ADVEBTISEMSMTS should ba stal to Iha pablishsr, J. B. BBN8T00K, vho will quoto rataa aad traasast all busiaasa aaa«i —slid tharawith. Also all aomplaiats ra BOB>daliTary of tha Maganaa. As Illustratioa Fuad is kapt opaa for tha purpooa of iaoraaa- iag tha Buaabar of platas, othar thaa tha ragular iaeomo of tha Olak fvovidao far. Tha amallast doaatioa will ba thaakfully raaairad lav UJa abjaat by Iha Hoa. Tra«iarar. . All BMabars aot raeairiaf thair eopiaa of Bird Not$» by Iha lOlh of oaah aoath should at oasa arriU tha Publishar, aoaplaiaiaf «l Iha OBuaaioB. BINDING COVERS. A New Binding Case in Art Linen, of Handsome Design, is now ready. Cases 1/9 post free. The Pnl>- liaher will bind the Volume compkte for 3/3 post free. Tho Publishar nndertakas tha Biadiof of Voluaas ia tha OI«k Oaia* tr aay othar sty la of Biadiag aa kiay ba dasirad. BOUND VOLUMES Of ''BIRD NOTES/ Vtlame I. Im oat of print. •. 4«^ Volum* II. and III., there remainji only a few eopiee, to Memben and A«gociates (each) 81 0 Volnmee IV. and Y. with Hand-coloured Platu: — Te Members and Associate* (each) , 10 6 To Others i... 16 0 Volomes VI.. VU., and VIII, with Hand-ocloured Platti:— s Reserved. rRicE I'fe, AnnaiJ Sahscrfphor^. BIRD NOTE3 THELTOREIGN BIRD CLUB Wesley T. Pex^c, F.Z.S.ek '$3C5LJCaCE==='" ^•'^^:'? ASHBOURKI Printed aod PabUthcd by J. H. H£NSTOCK. Avian Pre«« CONTENTS. 7T(« Brfiding of a f{r/brid Crimiion-''rnir,iP/! Wfaver X Hed^oHnr^y] Wh/fJnh Bt W. Shork Baily. Bakloh A%nary Notes, 1916 By Major Pbrreau, F.Z.'S. Breeding Rf.nul($ ht Mt/ Aviaries ... By Ladrence Pum M' I' ^ S. Viail* to Af embers' Aviaries and Birdrooms By Weslky T. Paub, ■CoRREsJPONDKNCE; — A Reputed Hybrid Rose/inch x Greenfinch ; Breedingi of Blue-breasted Waxbills, etc. ; Nesting Notes, 1916 ; Dandelion Leaves for Soft hills. Post Mortem Reports. The conditioiui upon which theM will be made by Mr. HY. ORAY, MJR.C.V.S., 23, Upper Phillimore PUee, Kenaington, London^ W ^ are m fol'ow* : — (1) The bird* mutt be tent immediatelff mtitf death. (2) They miui be packed in a box. (8). Th« Ltiter eusaompanying thtm mutt vot h$ placed to tk* horn along with th* bird. (N.B.— Unleee the abore oonditiona are eoanplied with tlw pack- ages will be destroyed without examination). (4) The letter moat detail as far a$ poMihlt all partioalarg «• to— (a) Date of death. (6) Length ot illneaa. (e) Symptoms of illness. (d) Lodgment and feeding of birds, and (•) Especially as to whether egg food «r inga'seed has been giTan. (6) The work will be done gratuitously, and a report pub* Ashed in Bird Note$, but under no eiroutHstantss *chat«v4r wW a rtpoft ht sent by post unless a fts of 2s. 6d. aeeompaniu ths Utttr tmS hird. Pressure of work compels Mr. Oray to make this an inrariabla rule, and it applies to all Members, whether they are personally m« Attainted with him ar neti New Series. NOVEMBER, 1016. Vol. Vn., ll». II. i.3. ^•s, M >> :>/' f i\y m m-s ■^^i W. ^^t <■ ^y ^® ^^:.^-. > -^ 'fe ^•^ fi^ .^: t:« s^st to ^IL RitfKT's Rese-pved. Price I'fe. Ai\T\aeJ Sahscriph'or^ x}\J *',\\V. vA ,/',S'x I V /.uy '.'\V.»'j7''/ BIRD MOTES THE2F0RJEIGN BIRD CXUB ,£dr}-ed oSy" WesleyTVPa^e, f.ZS.^ ASHBOURNE Frinted and PobUihed by 4, h. BENSTOCK. ATlaa Preta CONTENTS. The Nesting of the Black-tailed llawjinch and The Red -shouldered Whydah... Bv W. Shore Baii.v. i Stray Notes ... ... ,.„ ... Jiy Lt. U. Hamilton Siott, R.F A An Unique Hybrid Hv 'Fl.-Lt. R. dc Q. Quincey, R.N.A.S. Dakloh Aviary Notes, 1916 — Part II. ... By"E. G. M. Perreav and MrVior. r, A. Pl l;::rM = My Aviary and Birds ... Correspondence : — History of the Budgerigar — Corrigenda ; The Season, 1916: Occurrence of the Red-throated Pipit in Devon. Post Mortem Reports. The condltioDB upon which tLeK will b« made \>j Mr. li 1 GRAY, Mil.C.V.8., 23, Upper Phillimore Plaw, Kensington, LoodoTi. W., are aa follows: — (1) The birds muit be eent immediately after death. (2) The J must be packed in a box. (8), The Letter accompanying them mutt not he pbnotd ■'* t\ • boa along with th* bird. (N.B.— Unlets the abore conditions are eonplied with tKe pa*;^ ages will be destroyed without examiiislion). (4) The letter must detail at far at po$*ihl» a^l particular* *« to— ■' (a) Date of death. (b) Length of illness. (0) Symptoms of illness. (d) Lodgment and feeding of birds, and (e) Especially as to whether egg food or inga seed has be«a girsn. (6) The work will be done gratuitously, and a raport puk- Ashed in Bird Notft, hut under no cirewnstanaeM vohatevtr will u rtport bt tent by post unlets a /«s of 2s. 6d. accomponitt tht ittttr amd bird. Pressure of work compels Mr. Gray to make Chis an iarariabU rule, and it applies tu all Msmbers, whether they are persoftft'ly as- fuftklii wilk hia m b«Ij New Series. DECEMBER, 1916. vol. VII., M*. 12. .% !^^^< '^%^ b^^ i^^ >.•-: IV^^ •Z^A ^: ^ ^ s%^ .x^: ri cl ^fi! ^t^^ ^^>^ ^ >^vi ^ij:s All RiJ KT-s Reserved. Price 1%. J^nnaa/ SaLscriph ^. , 70A. BIRD Mft'r* IV I V i'C.\ THE FOREIGN BIRD CLUB Wesley T.Pz^ge, FZS.eKv i^% ^"i^; ASHBOURKI rrlnted ud FirbUBliwI by J. H. HIMSTOCK. Aviaa j>>rM» CONTENTS, The Crimson-Ringed Whydah By Wm. Shore Baily. Bakioh Aviary Nolcs — Part III. ... By E. G. M. Perriau and Major G. A. Perreau. Mesopotamian Birds Reprinted from "The Times." Thf Endurance of Birds By Wesley T. Page, F.Z.S. Etc. Editorial. i Post Mortem Reports. ,' i Becutiful Birds ...;... By C. W. Thompson. Indices to Volume V .. . ' ■ ' ■ . : , -» Post Mortem Reports. t'-JI.-i >■ "3 -i '■ I Th* conditiona upon which thatt will b« Bad* bj Mr. HT, GRAY, M.B.C.V.S., 28, Upper Fhilliiaor* FUee, Eenaington, LoadM* W., ar* M follows : — • (1) The bird* mutt b« Mnk Hmmtdittidy titer death. (2) They mu9t be packed in a box. (8} Th* Letter accompanying them mutt yoT be pJmm) im tkt horn along with th« bird. (N.B. — Unlees the abore conditione are eomplied with the paek> agee will be deetroyed without examination). (4) The letter moat detail at far at fottiblt all partienlan (a) Date of death. (b) Length of illneee. (c) Bymptoma of illneee. (d) Lodgment and feeding of birde, aai (<) Especially ai to whether egg food or inga aeed hae bees giren. (5) The work will be done gratuitously, and a report pub- ^hed in Bird Notei, but under no eireuntttancet tchattvtr will a rtport bt tent by post unlets a ft* of 2». 6d. aocompanitt th* htter mmd bird Preaiure of work compel* Mr. Oray to make thia an inTariakla rule, and it applies to all Members, whether they are personally a«* ^uai«>'id with hijM er eot. MEMORANDA FOR MEMBERS. ■■"■' ♦ ■ — Abbu»1 SubtniptioD to Mamben lOt., da* on tho l doB, N. All dood bird* for post mortem oxaminationo obonld bo aant Io H« OBAY, M.B.O.V.8., 23, Upper Phillimoro Plaoo, London, W. All MSS. for publieation io Bird Ifotet, and Books for RorioVi Ptopoaab for New Members, Adrortisements for " Th* Bird Market,** tad olaims for Breeding Medals, should be sent to tbo Hon. Elditor, Wi, 1*. 1»ACE, F.Z.S., etc., " Langstone," Lingfield ; All enqniries as to tho treatment of Birds should b* sent !• Ilio following gentlemen: Parrots and Parrakeets, H. T. Cam^, F.Z.B^ Linden Houso, Haddenham, Isle of Ely ; Insectivorous, FrugiTorous, aa4 Small Seed-eating Birds, W. T. Page, F.Z.S., Olenfleld, Oraham ATenaa, Miteham, Surrey . *** All Letttr» referring to tht ahov* identifieation of biri^ mtut oontam a penny etamp for reply. All applications for Show Medals and enquiries re Shows should bo sent to Mr. 8. M. TOWNSEND, 8, Swift Stroet, Fulham, London. B.W.. All other Correspondence, Changes of Address, eto., should ba smt to tho Hon. Business Secretary, SIDNEY WILLIAMS, F.Z.S.. Oakleigh, 110 Biverway, Palmers Green, London, N. This Magazine is printed and pubriihed by J. H. HENSTOCK, ** Avian Press," Market Place, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, to whom all orders for baok numbers and bound volumes (with remittance) should be sent. All correspondence, MSS., eto. (also remittances) relating t« TBADE ADVEBTISEMENTS should be sent to the publiiher, J. H. HENSTOCE, who will quote rates and transact all business eoa- Booted therewith. Also all complaints re non-delivery of the Magasioe. An Illustration Fund is kept epen for the purpose of inor«as- Ing th* number of plates, other than the regular income of the Olab provides for. The smallest donation will be thankfully received fot this object by the Hon. Treasurer. All members not receiving their copies of Bird Notes by the SOth of each month should at once writ* the Publisher, oomplainiag «l th* omission. BINDING COVERS. A New Biii'liiiir C'-tsi; ii, Ari T.iiien.oj' Haiulxmif design, is now ready Cases 1/9 poet II biAd.th' v:ottiplete for 3/3 post free. Th* Publisher undertakes th* Binding of Volumes io the 01 af *r any otlMr style of Binding as may be desired BOUND VOLUMES OF ** BIRD NOTIS." y«liimft I. ia out of .print. •• 4.- ?«lame II. and III!., there rem»ina only a tew eopiea, to Members and Auociatee (each) tl 0 Yglomea IV. and V. with .Ha»d-coloured Plafes:— To Members and Aaiociatea (each) 10 %■ DTo Othera 16 0 fslumea VI., VII., and VIII, with Hand-eolourtd Flatu:— To Members s,nd AsBociates (each) c 16 0 To Others tf) 0 KBW SJBRIES. Volume I. out of print fUoBM II., III.. IV. and V.— To Members («ack) IT 9- To Others 83 0 Omss for Binding Vols. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 6, 7, and 8 may be had prlas IS. 8d. pott free. Dises fo- Binding Vols r, a, 3, 4, 5, and 6 (New Series), to ba obtained ftom tb« Publisher, is. 8d. post free. Publisher, J . H . Henstock, " Avian Press," Ashbourne, will bfr ple««ed to Bind Members* Copies at 3s. 3d., including Corer ani return postage. JUST PUBLISHED. SPECIES tif Reared Young and HYBRIDS tit Been Bred in Captivity in Great Britain. BY WESLEY T. PAGE, F.Z.S., M.B.N.H.S., Systematically arranged according to Dr. Gadow's Classification slightly revised. ILLUSTRATED. INTERLEAVED. IN CLOTH. MEDIUM 8vo. 2s. 6d.. Net. By Post 2s. 9d. J. H. Hbnstock Thk Avian Press," Ashbourne MEMORANDA FOR MEMBERS. Aaou*! Subccription to M«mbart lOt., due on tb» l«i «f Jt&tuur|r m akfik ymx. A N«w Volume eommeneM •T«rj Januarj. All Sulwu-iptioDf thould be sent to th« Hon. TreMurer, BIDNKY WILLIAMS, P.Z.S., Oakleigh, 110, Eiverway, Palmert Orwrn, L««- doa. N. All de»d bird* for po$l mortem •xam.inationa ahould b« ■•nt (• H. GRAY, M.R.C.y.S., 23, Upper Phillimore PUoe, London, W. All MSS. for publieation Id Bird Nottt, and Booka for RaviaTf, Propoaala for New Memberi, Adrertiaementa for "The Bird Marktl.'* .>it».i.>»>» j 11 ft V«lume« IV. and V. with Hand-coloured P[a(«»:— To Member* and Aiiociatea (eaeh) ..,:., .i..,iit7isii:^,j,if..ii 10, § To Others >........; ...>..>^.xi..-<..i»>>i>*4 15 0 Volnmea VI.. VII.. and VIU. ioith Hand-eolourta Ptov.:«uti..a 16 ft To Others ....i..,».>.jai.A...i...>..>«it,.>.-.«n tO 0 HBW; SERIES, Volume I. out of print; r«luD«s II., UI.. IV. and V.—To Members (aaoK) ....Trnwr.T^iut?! XT ft To Others >...;...:.... ..:...........".>..>..i.»i..va:..>.iit..a.4 M ft OtMS for Binding Vols. 1, 2, 3, 4. 5. 6, 7, Md 9 mtjr ba hftd prit« I*. 8d. post free. Case* fo- Binding Vols i, 3, 3, 4, 5, and 6 (New. Serici^ to ba obtainsd ftom the Publisher, is. 8d. post free. aSka Publisher. J. H. Henstock, " Anan Preaa/* Ashbonraa. will U» pleased to Bind Members' Copies at js. 3d., includinf Corer *n4 return ^ostage^ 1 X } i ! i < - ' ''' i ' ' ^! iH' > r. , • '■' ■ ' ' ■ ■ — JUST PUBLISHED, SPECIES tl? Reared Young and HYBRIDS tit Been Bred in Captivity in Great Britain. BY WESLEY T. PAGE, F.Z.S., M.B.N.H.S., Systematically arranged according to Dr. Gadow's Classification slightly revised. — i ♦ ILLUSTRATED'. INTERLEAVED. IN CLOTH. MEDIUM 8to. 2s. 6d., Net. By Post 2s. 9d. J. H. Hbnstock "The Avian Pbbss," Asubooxkb MEMORANDA FOR MEMBERS. Aaanal SnlMtriptioa to Members lOi^ dot on Iho lal •! JaBonn ia MMk yoftr. A Now Volnmo tomzaeneeo oTory Jknuary. All Subeeriptioni thould be eent to the Hon. Treftiarer, SIDNBX WILLIAMS, F.Z.S., Oakleigh, 110, Biverwaj, Palmen Oreoa, Lm- doa, K. All dead bird« for po$t mortem extminttiooe ahonld be leat %» H. GRAY, M.a.C.V.S., 23, Upper Phillimore Pl»oo, JLiondon, W. AH MSB. for publication io Bird Haiti, and Book* for RerieVi Ptopoaal* for New Memben, AdrertiMments for " The Bird Market,** and elaimjk for Breeding Medals, should be sent to the Hon. Ekiltor, ^, Tr'PAGE, F.Z.S., etc., " Langstone," Lingfield ; All enquiries as to the treatment of Birds should be sent I4 the following gentlemen: Parrots and Parrakeets, H. T. Oamps, F.Z.8.« Lindea House, Haddenham, Isle of Ely ; Insectivorous, FrugiTorous, mmA Small Seed-eating Birds, W. T. Page, F.Z.S., Olenfleld, Graham ATenoit Mitehmm, Surrey . ***■ All Letters referring to the above identifieation of Mrit ■NMf contain a penny stamp for reply. All applications for Show Medals and enquiries re Shows shouM k« seat to Mr. S. M. TOWNSEND, 8, Swift Street. Fulham, Londoiii 8.W. All other Correspondence, Changes of Address, eto., should %• Mat to the Hon. Business Secretary, SIDNEY WILLIAMS, F.Z.8.< 0*kleigh, 110 Riverway, Palmers Green, London, N. This Magazine is printed and pubrfshed by J. H. HENSTOOK^ ** ATian Press," M».rket PUoe, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, to whom mil ordert lor back numbers and bound Tolumes (with remittance) should be seal^ All correspondence, MSS., eto. (also remittanoes) relating !• TRADE ADVERTISEMENTS should be sent to the publisher, J, B. HENSTOCfil, who will quot* rates and transact all business eoa* AMted therewith. Also all complaints re non-delirery of the Magann*. Aa Illustration Fund is kept open for the purpose of inoreas- lag the number of plates, other than the regular income of the Olalf provides for. The smallest donation will be thankfully received fe« this objeet by the Hoa. Treasurer. All members not reoeiving their copies of Bird Notes by tka lOth of each month should at onee write the Publisher, eomplainiag «< the omission. BINDING COVERS. A Now Binding Cose in Art Linen, of Handsoine Design, is now ready CtweH l/'.i M'V r- • ' ' •...■>.. " • oompJete for 3/3 post fret The I'ublisber uuderUkM the Binding of Volumes in the Olab Ceaa er any oth«r atyU of Binding as tnay be desired. BOUND VOLUMES OF * BIRD NOTES." ▼•lame I. ia oni of print. •. 4» F«lume II. And III., then remain* onlj a few eopiei, to Members and Asiociate* (each) 81 0" Volwnea IV. and V. toith Hand-coloured Plate$: — To Member* and Aiaociatea (each) 10 i' To Othera 16 0 Volomea VI., VII., and VIII. with Uand-colourtd Plaits:— To Members and Ajsociatea (each) 16 0' To Othera 10 0 HIW SERIES. Volnme I. out of print ffMoBMa II., m.. IV. and V.~To Members (each) IT f To Othera 89 0 Ommi for Binding Voli. 1, 2, 8, 4, 6, 6, 7, and 8 may bo had prio* II. 8d. post free. Cases fo- Binding Volt i. a. 3, 4, 5, and 6 (New Serieil, to ba obtained ftom the Publisher, is. 8d. post free. CBm FoblUher, J. H. Henstock, "Avian Press," Ashbourne, will In pleased to Bind Members' Copies at 3s. 3d., including Cover an^ return poftage. ' r • ■ - . . , „ JUST PUBLISHED. SPECIES tlf Reared Young and HYBRIDS tit Been Bred in Captivity in Great Britain. BY WESLEY T. PAGE. F.Z.S., M.B.N.H.S.. Systematically arranged according to Dr. Gadow's Classification slightly revised. » ILLUSTRATED. INTERLEAVED. / IN CLOTH. MEDIUM 8vo. 2s. 6d., Net. By Post 2s. 9d. -T. n. Henstock "The Avian Pkess," Ashboukne AMNH LIBRARY 100101805 1 \ tO C o 01