FOR THE PEOPLE
FOR EDVCATION
FOR SCIENCE

LIBRARY

OF

THE AMERICAN MUSEUM

OF

NATURAL HISTORY

/

*

-

THE AVICULTURAL

: MAGAZINE :

BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE
AVICULTURAL SOCIETY FOR
THE STUDY OF FOREIGN AND
BRITISH BIRDS IN FREEDOM
AND CAPTIVITY.

EDITED BY

HUBERT D. ASTLEY, M.A., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.

THIRD SERIES. VOL. VII.
NOV. 1915 to OCT. 1916.

London : ADLARD & SON and WEST NEWMAN,

Bartholomew Close, London, E.C. - 1916.

Telephone : City 956.

M(T J { 1 1 ( a riRO P'3lj

H-'tt-'Z-a t - via-n.

Contents. iii.

CONTENTS.

PAGE

Title Page ... ... ... ... ... ... i.

CONTENTS ... ... ... ... ... ... iii.

Council’s Report ... ... ... ... ... v.

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS ... ... vii.

List of Plates ... ... ... ... ... xiv.

List of Members, October, 1915 ... ... ... l

rules of the avicultural society ... ... 18

The Society’s Medal ... ... ... ... 22

Magazine ... ... ... ... ... ... 23

Index ... ... ... ... ... ... 357

Annual Report.

v.

ANNUAL REPORT.

HROUGH the second year of the great war the Magazine

has been maintained in spite of adverse circumstances,
and it is to be hoped that members will do their very best to
keep things going by PUNCTUALLY PAYING ANNUAL SUB¬
SCRIPTIONS, and by writing articles whenever it is possible.
For the Editor it has been uphill work. We have lost the
valuable assistance of Mr. Newman and Dr. Lovell-Keays
as honorary Business Secretaries, for which loss the war is
responsible ; whilst through deaths on the battle fields we have
to sorrow for members whose names, no longer upon our list,
are enrolled in a greater one, the roll of the honoured who
have passed along the shining path.

The Council thanks very sincerely those who have con
tributed to the welfare of the Magazine, either by writing for
it, or by kindly giving money towards the illustration fund,
which is always more or less in need of pecuniary assistance.

If the Magazine can be upheld until Peace is declared,
we hope for better days with renewed activity amongst many
of the members whose time is now taken up with more
weighty matters.

The Council tenders its thanks to Mr. THOMASSET, who,
in spite of war-work, has kindly continued to hold the post of
Hon. Treasurer. Neither does it forget the constantly helpful
services of Dr. BUTLER.

Alphabetical List of Contributors.

ALPHABETICAL LIST
OF CONTRIBUTORS.

The Asterisk denotes in the Correspondence Column.

A.

Alderson, Miss R.

Coming and Going, 201

Amsler, Maurice M. B.

Breeding of the Lesser Saffron Finch, 25

Ashby, Edward.

The Lyre Bird (from ‘The Emu’), 215

Astley, Hubert D., M.A., F.Z.S.. M.B.O.U. {Editor).

* Humming Birds in Captivity, 43, 6S, 72
Obituaries— Capt. the Honble. Gerald Legge, 43

Lt.-Col. R. Boyd Horsbrugh, A.S.C., 288

* Previous Breeding of Bearded Tits, 44

* To the Members, 44

* Adult Spotted Eagle in Herefordshire, 69
Breeding of the Occipital Blue Pie, 70

* A Beautiful Sugar-bird, 71
Miscellaneous Notes, 116
Reviews — ‘ British Birds,’ 65, 261

‘Vigour and Heredity,’ 122
The Motmot, 15 1
A Morning in Winter, 169
More Articles Needed, 262

* The Shell Ibis, 264

* Murderous tendencies in Birds, 294

The Black Redstart and its Breeding Haunts, 300
Miscellaneous Notes from Briusop Court, 321

* The Illustration Fund, 323

Breeding of the Pink-crested Touraco, 334
Wagtails in Herefordshire, 345

* Short-eared Owls in the trenches, 350

* The Black Redstart ( Phoenicurus titys), 350

vii.

Alphabetical List of Contributors.

viii.

Atherley, Mrs.

* Suggested advice on doctoring birds, 148

Australian, Bird-Lover, An.

On Fiji Parrot Finches ami other South Sea Island matters,

B.

Baily, W. Shore.

The Breeding of the Chinese Greenfinch, 33
* Name of Supposed Troupial, 148

Barrett, Charles, C.M.Z.S., R.A.O.U.

* Birds of a Murray Island (from ‘The Emu’), 181

Bird Life on Yanko Creek, N.S.W., (from ‘The Emu’), 335

Bedford, The Duchess of.

* Snow Geese perching in Trees, 263

Bergtold, W. H., M.D.

* The Campbird, 125

“ Birdlover.”

Bird Song, 304

Blaauw, F. E.

Humming Birds in their Native Haunts, 86

Sunbirds in their Native Haunts, 106

About Birds along the River near Oudtshoorn, 243

On the Breeding of the Emperor Goose at Gooilust, 277

Brampton, E.

* The Utility of Owls, 295

Butler, A. G., Ph.D., F.L.S., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.

The Zebra Finch, 31

* A Long-lived Tanager, 43
The genus Zosterops, 73

* An Aged Diamond Dove, 97
The European Goldfinch, 99
Egg Markings and Sunlight, 193

* Supposed Troupial, 237
The Lesser Whitethroat, 265

* Murderous tendencies in Birds, 293
The Imitative Power of Birds, 327

Alphabetical List of Contributors.

IS.

C.

Campbell, A. J., C.M.B.O.U.

Reminiscences of a Field Collector (from ‘The Emu,’) 253

Chapman, Frank M.

Louis Agassiz Fuertes — Painter of Bird Portraits (from ‘ Bird Lore,

239

Chawner, Miss E. F.

Three Attempts at breeding Sugar-birds. 188
^ Fearlessness of Golden-crested Wrens, 209

Another Attempt at Breeding Yellow-winged Sugar-birds, 270
Breeding of Yellow-winged Sugar-birds, 324

CURREY, Mrs.

Our Winter Breakfast Guests, 90

D.

Delacourt, M. Jean.

* A French Avicultnrist in the War Zone, 120
Breeding of BuflFou’s Turacos in France, 211
Hybrid Pigeons, 275

Dorrien- Smith, Miss Innis.

The American Bittern in captivity, SS

Notes on Waders seen in the Isles of Scillv, 127

F,

Falkner, Guy.

* Victoria Crowned Pigeons. 70
My Swainsou's Lorikeets, 137

Frederick, John V.

* That Mocking-Bird (from ‘ Bird-Lore,’) 14S

French Member of the Society.

More Notes on New Humming-Birds, 157

G.

Galloway, P. F. M.

* Feeding a Kingfisher, 71

O11 the Best System of Feeding Insectivorous Birds, 140,

176

Goodall, A. D.

Observations on the Birds in a Suburban Garden, 191

X.

Alphabetical List of Contributors.

Gosse, Captain Philip.

* An Early Blackcap Warbler at the Front, 179
Birds seen in Flanders, 197

“Guest, A.”

A Visit to Brinsop Court, 317

Gurney, J. H., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.

The Irruption of Waxwings into Norfolk during the winter of
1913-14 (from the Transactions of the Norfolk and Norwich
Naturalists’ Society), 219

H.

Harper, E. W., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.

The Bombay Bird-Market, 138

Hbumann, G. A.

Spring in New South Wales, 77

Holden, Mrs. Ralph.

Rearing of Hybrid Hyphantornis cucullatus x H. spilonolus, 28

Hopkinson, Dr. E.

English names for the Parrots, 41, 66

Some Firefinches and other Gambian Birds, 55, 113, 310

* Supposed Troupial, 209
Robins, 346

Re poems about Birds, 349

J.

J. R. H. (from Country Life).

* Sir Scliomberg McDonnell’s Care of Wild Birds, 123

K.

Koch, Felix J.

Wonders of the Birds’ Nests, 109

L.

Lawrence, P. A., R.A.O.U. and Littlejohns, R. T., R.A.O.U.

Nesting-habits of the Mistletoe-Bird (from ‘the Emu,’) 171

Lovell-Keays, Dr. L.

Some Experiences with British Softbills, 221
Nesting of the Malabar Parrakeet, 267

Alphabetical List of Contributors.

XI.

M,

Maud, Mrs. C. E.

Notes on Honolulu Birds, 186

McCormick, W. F. J.

^ The Carolina Paroquet in Florida, 124

Mcllhenny Project, the Great (from ‘ Bird Lore ’), 149

Meade-Waldo, E. G. B.

The Red-crowned Pigeon, 23

P.

Palmer, Winifred Holway.

The Hermit Thrush, Poem (from ‘ Bird-Lore,’) 289

Pam, Albert.

Some notes on the transport of birds, 37
Grass under Swans’ tongues, 50

Pearson, T. Gilbert.

The Towhee, 45

Philips, George G.

Five little Waxwings and how they grew, 314

Potter, Captain Bernard E.

Birds in Macedonia, 24S

R.

Ramsay, James.

Photographing a Satin Bower Bird (from ‘The Emu’) 96

Rattigan, G. E.

Stray Notes on the Birds of the Countryside ( Montgomeryshire),

226, 264

Renshaw, Graham M.D., F.R.S.E.

Cassowaries, 82
The Owl Parrot, 189
Cuvier’s Podargus, 332

Secretarius.

S.

Notes for the Month — May, 207; June, 232; July, 258; August, 290.
Brandlings (Worms) as food for birds, 294

XU.

Alphabetical List of Contributors.

Seth-Smith, D., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.

* The Owl Parrot, 238

Nesting Notes from the Zoological Gardens, 297

Shore -Baily, Wm.

* Name of Supposed Troupial, 122, 263

Silver, Allen, F.Z.S.

Previous breeding of Bearded Reedlings in captivity, 72
Bar-breasted Fire-finches, 35
The Swallow Fruit-eater (Proctiias viridis), 44
Foreign Bird Exhibitors’ League Club Show, r?o

Smalley, Fred, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.

Vigour and Heredity,’ 120

* Hearing of Pheasants and other Birds, 237

Smith, C. Barnby.

-l>The English Water-Rail, 95

Hearing of Pheasants and other Birds, 200

Staveley-Hill, Mrs.

My Piping Crow, 105

Stone, 0. J.

Observations on the birds in a suburban garden, 6x

St. Quintin, W. H.

Death of a Tame Snowy Owl, 134

Sutton, Str Richard.

* Extraordinary site of a Yellowhammer’s* nest, 295

T.

Tavistock, The Marquis of.

Pennant’s Parrakeets at liberty, 52
Intelligence of a Stanley Parrakeet, 179
^‘Brandlings’ (Worms) as food for Birds, 263
* Brandling Worms, 324
Breeding Notes — and others — for 1916. 33Q

T. B. A.

A Spring Migrant (Poem), 210, 237

Alphabetical List of Contributors.

xiii

Thom, Alfred A.

* A Coincidence, 294

Toussaint, Mrs. L. H.

My Bird Neigbours, 319

Trevor-Battye, Aubyn, M.A.

Whiskey Jack and Another, 167

Tweedie, Lt.-Col.

Birds in Flanders during the War, 132

Y.

Van Someren, Dr. V. G. L., M.B.O.U., etc.

Notes on the Red-winged Bush-Shrike, 323

w.

Whitmore, Rosalie A.

^ A Rescued Robin, (from ‘ Bird Lore ’), 150

Willson, Minna More.

Two civilized Sandhill Cranes (from ‘ Bird-Lore,’) 97

Wormald, Hugh.

Colour in Hybrid Ducks, 71

* Notes from Salonika (communicate'd), 1*79-
sk Wren climbing like Tree-creeper, 209

>k Wren nesting in old Swallows’ nest, 264

X1Y.

List of Plates.

LIST OF PLATES.

The Asterisk denotes a Coloured Plate.

TO FACE

Breeding-place of Ibis abbot ti and Alectxrnas minor on Aldabra
Island, Sontli Indian Ocean .. .. .. .. f

Home of Alectretnas pulchemma. Waterfall Cascade Estate, i
Mahe, Seychelles .. .. .. .. .. /

Nest and Eggs of Chlons sitiica, the Chinese Greenfinch .. i
Nest and Eggs in Weaver’s Nest of the Chinese Greenfinch '

* Towliee (Upper figure, female : lower figure, male) ..

The African White-eye (two positions)

Hill Tit ( Liothtix ) and Zoster ops capons is .. .. . . (

African White-eye .. .. .. .. .. . . i

The Goldfinch ( Cardnelis elegans)

Goldfinches on Teazels

The Tyrant of the Shores and Islands: — .

Fig. i. Greater Black-hacked Gull standing over eggs ..

Fig. 2. Greater Black-backed Gull, sitting .. .A

Fig. 3. Nest and Eggs of Greater Black-backed Gull .. 1

Fig. 4 Young Greater Black-backed Gulls .. ..1

* The Motmot ( Momotus tnomo/a)

“The Pendulum of the Barranco”: the Mexican Motmot .. (

(two positions) .. I

Cock Nightingale taking food to young
The Owl Parrot (Stringops habroptilus)

Hedge Accentor (A. modularis)

Yellowhammers feeding young ( Emberiza citnneUa ) . .

* The Pink-crested Touraco (Turactis eiythrolophus)

Cauvasbacks. — A group of Canvasback Ducks wintering on
Cayuga Lake

Male Argus Pheasant, Displaying
Wliitethroat going to young. [Sylvia communis)

Emperor Geese with three Chicks in Down.. .. ..1

Emperor Geese. Adult .. .. .. .. ..1

Rufous Tinamou and Brood..

Male South American Rhea and Brood

Andean Gosling .. .. .. .. .. . . (

Chick of the Rufous Tinamou .. .. .. ..1

Red-winged Bush Shrike ( Telephoneus australis minor)

TEXT FIGURES.

Head of Black-necked Swau .. .. page 51

White-eye .. .. .. .. ,, 75

Wattled Cassowary .. .. .. „ S2

Cuvier’s Podargus . . . . . . „ 333

PAGE

23

34

45

73

76

99

103

127

130

151

155

177

1S3

19S

199

211

239

242

265

27S

297

29S

300

325

THE AVICULTURAL
: SOCIETY, :

FOR THE STUDY OF
FOREIGN & BRITISH BIRDS
IN FREEDOM & CAPTIVITY.

OFFICERS FOR THE YEAR 1915-1916:

President :

The Rev. Canon The Hon. f. G. Dutton.

Vice-President :

Her Grace the Duchess of Bedford.

Council :

Miss alderson.

Dr. M. AMSLER.

Mr. Arthur Denman.

Mr. Alfred Ezra.

Lt.-Col. B. R. Horsbrugh.

Dr. l. Lovell-Keays.

Mr. E. G. B. Meade-Waldo.

Mr. h.

Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant.
Mr. R. I. Pocock.

Mr. W. L. Sclater.

Mr. D. Seth-Smith.

The Marquis of Tavistock.
Mr. B. C. Thomasset.

Mr. A. Trevor-Battye.
Willford.

Executive Committee :

Mr. E. G. B. Meade-Waldo. Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant.
Mr. D. Seth-Smith. The Hon. Secretaries and the Editor.

Hon. Business Secretary :

MR. T. H. NEWMAN, Newlands, Harrowdeue Road, Wembley, Middlesex.

Hon. Correspondence Secretary :

Dr. A. G. BUTLER, 124, Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent.

Hon Treasurer :

Mr. B. C. Thomasset.

Editor :

Mr. HUBERT D. ASTLEY, Brinsop Court, Hereford.

Auditor :

Mr. C. Barney Smith.

Scrutineer :

Mr. albert Pam.

W. T. MOULTON & CO., LTD.,
PRINTERS AND STATIONERS,
CHURCH STREET, BRIGHTON.

3

List of Members.

Corrected to October 26th, 1915.

NOTICE. — Members are particularly requested to inform the Hon. Secretary
of any error in the spelling of tlieir names, addresses or descriptions, so that
it may be corrected.

Tne date following the Member’s name is the date of his election. “ Orig.
Mem.” signifies that the Member joined the Society on its formation in Oct:,
1894. The asterisk denotes that the Member belonged to the U.K- Foreign
Cage Bird Society, either at the time of the amalgamation or some time before.

Abraham, Miss Beatrice ; Grove Lodge, Muswell Hill, N. (Feb. 1911)
Acton, G. H. ; Bytham, Kidmore Road, Caversham, Reading. (April,
1914)

Ainley, John William; 16, Dalton Green, Dalton, Huddersfield.
(June, 1895)

Aldkrson, Miss R. ; Park House, Worksop, Notts. (April, 1896)
Alston. Gavin ; Yondercroft, Darvel, Ayrshire. (June, 1900
Ames, Mrs. HobarT; Nottli Easton, Mass, U.S.A. (1913)

Amsler, Dr. Maurice; Eton Court House, Eton, Windsor. (Dec.,
1908)

AnningSON, Mrs.; Walthauisal, Barton Road, Cambridge. (May, 1899)
Arthur, Charles P. ; Market Place, Melksham, Wilts. ( Jan., 1895) *
10 Astley, Hubert Delaval, M.A., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.; Briusop Court,
Hereford (Editor). ( June, 1895) *

Astley, Reginald B. ; Compton Beauchamp, Shrivenliam, Berks.

(July, 1902)

Astley, Mis. Reginald; Compton Beauchamp, Shrivenliam, Berks.
(Oct., 1905)

Athkrley, Mrs.; Croft Castle, Kingsland, R.S.O., Hei efordshire.
(April, 1903)

Attewell, Harold E. ; “Cassia Grove,” Kingston, Jamaica. (July,
I9°3)

4

List of Members.

Bainbridge, W. A.; Hazelwood, Thorpe, Surrey (1913)

Bahr, Dr. Philip H., B.A., M.B.O.U.; 12, Vicarage Gardens, West
Kensington, W. (Nov., 1907)

Baily, W. Shore; Boyers House, Westbury, Wilts. (Feb., 1910).
Baird, Sir Alexander, Bart.; Urie, Stonehaven, Kincardine, N.B.
(Oct., 1904).

Baker. E. C. Stuart, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ; 6, Harold Road, Upper
Norwood, S.K. (Feb.. 1904).

20 Baker. Dr. F. D. ; Superintendent, Nat. Zoological Park, Washington,
D.C., U.S.A.

Baker. John C., M.B., B.A., M.B.O.U.; Ceelv House, Aylesbury.
(June. 1903)

Baldet.li I .a Contessa Giulia Tommasi ; 4, Via Silvio Pellico,
Florence, Italy. (April, 1902)

Bamford, William; The Coppice, Werneth, Oldham. (March, 1904).
Bampfyi.de, The Hon. Mrs. ; Court Hall, North Molton, N. Devon.
(Oct., 1910).

Barclay-Watson, Miss F. ; The Court House, Goring, Sussex. (July,
1902)

Barlow, Alfred; Superintendent, Alexandra Park, Oldham. (April,
1908).

Barlow-Massicks, Miss F. M. ; The Mount, Rotherham, Yorks. (1913)
Bedford, Her Grace the Duchess of, F.Z.S. ; Woburn Abbey, Woburn,
Beds. ; and 15, Belgrave Square, S.W. (Feb., 1903)

Beebe, C. William; Curator of Ornithology; New York Zoological
Park, New York City. (July, 1903)

30 Bentley, David; 80, St. Hubert’s Street, Great Harwood, Blackburn.
(July, 1895)

Beresford-Webb, G. M. ; Norbryght, South Godstone, Surrey. (May,
1906)

Blackburn, H. R.; Woodlands, Surrenden Road, Preston, Brighton.
(19*3)

Blaauw, F. E.. C.M.Z.S., M.B.O.U.; Gooilust, ’s Graveland, Hilversum,
Holland. (Nov., 1901).

Blagg, E. W. H. ; Greenhill, Cheadle, Staffs. (Sept., 1911)
Blathwayt, A. P. ; The Grange, Northwood, Middlesex. (Jan., 1895)
Bonhote, John Lewis, M.A., F.L.S., F.Z.S. , M.B.O.U.; Zoological
Gardens, Ghizeh, Egypt. (Dec., 1894).

Borthwick, Alex. ; Vereeua, Canonbury Grove, Dulwich Hill, Sydney,
N.S.W. (Feb., 1909)

Boscawen, Townshend E. ; I, Old Burlington Street, Loudon. W.
(1913)

BoueT, M. Daniel, 27, Avenue de Suffren, Paris. (May, 1915)

40 Boughton-Leigh, Henry; Brownsover Hall, Rugby. (May, 190c)
Bourke, Hon. Mrs. ALGERNON; 75, Gloucester Place, Portman Square,
W. (Feb., 1911)

List of Members.

5

Bousfield, Miss M., 58, Southbourne Road, Bournemouth. (June,
1914)

Box, E. A. Granville ; 211, Rye Lane, Peck ham, S.E. (Nov., 1907)
Boyd, Harold; Box 374, Kelowna, British Columbia. (March, 1902)
Boyes, Frederick; Norwood, Beverley, Yorkshire. (Sept., 1907)
Brampton, Miss E. ; 31, Church Crescent, Church End, Finchley, N.
(Feb., 1898)

Brazil. Prof. ; Universite de Caen, France. (1913)

Bridgeman, Commander The Hon. Richard, O.B., R.N., M.B.O.U. ;

H.M.S. “ Hyacinth,” Cape Station. (Dec., 1904)

Bridgeman, Colonel The Hon. Francis C. ; 59, Ennismore Gardens,
S.W. (Oct., 1905)

50 Bright, Herbert; “ Lynton,” Eaton Road, Cressington Park, nr.
Liverpool. (June, 1914)

Brook, E.J.; Hoddarn Castle, Ecclefechan, N.B. (August, 1915)
Browning. William H. ; 16, Cooper Square, New York City. (March
1906)

Bufton. R. P. ; “ Caerlyn,” Llandrindod Wells. (Feb., 1914)

Burdon, Mrs. W.,; Hartford House, Bedlington, Northumberland.
(1913)

Burgoyne F., F'.Z.S. ; 116, Harley Street, W. (1912)

Burton, Walter; Mooresfoot, East Sheen, Mortlake, S.W. (Dec.,
1901)

Butler, Arthur G., Pli.D., F.L.S., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.; (Hon. Corres¬
pondence Secretary j ; 124, Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent.
(Orig. Mem.)*

Butler, A. L., F'.Z.S., M.B.O.U., Superintendent of Game Preservation,
Khartoum, Soudan. (August, 1906)

Butler, Arthur Larchin, M. Aust. O.U. ; Waimarie, Lower Sandy
Bay, Hobart, Tasmania. (July, 1905)

60 Buttikoffer, Dr. J., CJVI.Z.S., M.B.O.U., Director of the Zoological
Gardens, Rotterdam, Holland. (Oct., 1907). ( Hon . Member )

Buxton, E Hugh ; Fritton Hall, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. (June,
1909).

Byng, Hon. Mrs. Julian; Thorpe Hall, Thorpe-le-Sokeu, Essex.
(May, 1914)

Camps, H. T. T., F.Z.S. ; Linden House, Haddenham, Isle of Ely.
(Orig. Mem.)

Carpenter, The Hon. Mrs. ; 22, Grosvenor Road, S.W. (Feb , 1908).

Carrick. GEORGE; 13, King’s Terrace, Maryhill, Glasgow. (March,
1S98)

Castellan, Victor E. ; Hare Hall, Romford, Essex. (Orig. Mem.)
Cattle, C. F. ; Thurston, Bury St. Edmunds. (Jan., 1905)

CECIL, The Lady William ; Baroness Amherst of Hackney; Didlington
Hall, Stoke Ferry, Norfolk and 23, Queen’s Gate Gardens, S.W.

6

List of Members.

Chamba, H. H., Sir Bhuki Singh, K.C.S.I., Rajah of, Chamba, via
Dalliousie, Punjab, India. (Jan., 1908)

70 Chamberlain, Walter ; Pendock Grove, Cobham, Surrey. (1912)
Charrington, Mrs. Mowbray; How Green, Hever, Eden bridge, Kent.
(May, 1906).

Chawner, Miss; Forest Bank, Lynhurst, Hants. (July, 1899)
Christie, Mrs. ; Newton House, Bv Elgin, Scotland. (Sept., 1904)
Clitherow, Mrs. Claud STRACEY ; 20, Park Square, Regent’s Park,
N.W. (June, 1903).

Connell, Mrs. KnaTChbull, The Orchard, Brockenhurst, Hants.

(Nov., 1S97)

Constable, The Rev. W. J. ; Uppingham School, Uppingham. (Sept.,
1901)

COOPER, Sir Edward E.; Berrvdown Court, Overton, Hants. (1912)
Cooper, James ; Cayton, Scarborough. (Orig. Mem.)

Cooper, William; Aislaby Hall, Pickering, Yorks. (March, 1907)

80 Cory, Reginald, R. ; Duffrvn, near Cardiff. (August, 1905)

Craig, Prof. Wallace; Orono, Maine, U.S.A. (1912).

Cronkshaw, J. ; 193, Manchester Road, Accrington. (Dec., 1894)
Cross, W. Simpson, F'.Z.S. ; iS, Earle Street, Liverpool. (Jan., 1898)
CuninGham, Martin, Goffs Oak House. Cheslnint, Herts. (Oct.,
1908)

Curkky, Mrs. The Pit House, Ewell, Surrey. (Feb, 1906)

Cushny, Charles; (No permanent address). (June, 1906)

Davies, Claude G., M.B.O.U. ; c/o Miss Davies, “West Close,” Corton,
Upton Lovel, Wilts. (July, 1909)

Davies, G. ; 96, Greenfield Terrace, New Tredegar. (July, 1914)

Dell, Charles; 12, High .Street, Harlesdeu, N W. (July, 1900)

90 Denman, Arthur, M.A., F.Z.S , P'.S.A., 12, Harley Gardens, .South
Kensington, S.W. (Sept., 1909)

Dennis, Mrs. H. E. ; St. Leonard’s Park, Horsham. (March, 1903)

De Pass, Miss O. ; 6, The Orchard, Bedford Park, W. (March, 1914)

De Taintegnies, La Baronne Le Clement; Cleveland, Mineliead,
Somerset. (Feb., 1902)

Dewar, IX, I.C.S., Accountant General, Bombay, India. (Sept., 1905)
deWinton, William Edward, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ; Southover, Burwash,
Sussex. (Aug., 1903)

Director, The ; Zoological Museum, Tring, Herts. (1912)

Donald, C. H.; c/o The Alliance Bank of Simla, Ltd., Simla, India.
(March, 1906)

Douglas, Miss; Rose Mount, Pitlochry, N.B. (June, 1905).

Douglas, William C., F.Z.S. ; 26, The Boltons, S.W. (Nov., 1910).

100 Dowson, E. M., Cumberland Lodge, Uxbridge, Middlesex. (June,
1915)

List of Members.

7

Drelincourt-Campbele, a. C., 48, Rockliffe Road, Bailiwick, Bath.
Drewett, Frederick Dawtrey, M.A., M.D., F.R.C.P., F.Z.S.,
M.B.O.U. ; 14, Palace Gardens Terrace, Kensington, W. (May, 1903)
Duff, Lady Grant; Earl Sohani Grange, Framlingham, Suffolk.
(Aug., 1905)

Dunleath, The Lady ; Ballywalter Park, Ballywalter, co. Down,
Ireland. (August, 1897)

Dutton The Rev. Canon The Hon. ; Bibury Vicarage, Fairford. (Orig.
Mem.)

Dyott, R. A. ; Freeford, Lichfield. (1912)

Eckstein, F. ; Ottershaw Park, Ottershaw, Surrey. (1912).

Ezra, Alfred; no, Mount Street, London, W. (1912)

Ezra, David ; 3, Kyd Street, Calcutta. (June, 1912)

no Falkner, Guy; Westbouine House, Belton, Uppingham. (Oct., 1915)
Fasey, William R.; The Oaks, Holly Bush Hill, Snaresbrook, N.E.
(May, 1902)

Field, George; Sorrento, Staplehurst, Kent. (March, 1900).

Field, Miss Hilda; Ashurst Park, Tunbridge Wells. (1912).
Findeisen, A. G. ; Hallow Dene, Torquay. (May, 1914).

Finn, Frank ; c/o Grindlay & Co., 54, Parliament Street, S.W. (Hon.
Member.)

Firebrace, Mrs.; 28, Old Queen Street, Westminster, S.W. (Feb.,
1911).

Flower, Major .Stanley Smyth, F.L.S., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.; Director
Plgyptian Government Zoological Gardens, Ghizeh, Cairo, Egypt.
(Jan., 1913).

Flower, Mrs. Stanley; Longfield, Tring, Herts. (March, 1909)
Follett, The Lady Julia; Woodside, Old Windsor. (Oct., 1903)

120 ForTESCUE, Col. H.; Falmouth House, Newmarket. (Oct., 1908)
Foster, E. Hubert; Lower Bowden, Pangbourne, Berks. (1912)
Fowler, Charles; 26, Broad Street, Blaenavon. (Dec., 1S94)

Frost, Wilfrid; 13, F'airlawn Avenue, Chiswick Park, W. (July,
1908).

Galloway, P. F. M. ; Durban, Rectory Road, Caversham, Reading.
(March, 1907).

Ghigi, il Prof. Allessandro; Via d’Azeglio, Bologna, Italy. (March,

19H).

Gibbs, Mrs. H. Martin; Barrow Court, Flax Bourton, R.S.O., Somer¬
set. (April, 1904).

Gibbins, William B. ; Ettington, near Stratford-on-Avon. (June,
1895) *

8

List of Members.

Giles, Henry M., M. Aust. O.U. (Orig. Mem.;; Zoological Gardens,
Perth, Western Australia. (June, 1903).

Goddard, H. E. ; Rotlisay, Thicket Road, Sutton, Surrey. (Feb., 1899)
130 Godman, F. DuCane, D.C.L., F. R.S., F.Z.S.; President of the British
Ornithologists’ Union, 45, Pont Street, S.W. Oct., 1904).

( Honorary Member).

Goodall, A. A.; 64, Park Road, West Dulwich, S.E. (Nov., 1909).
Goodchild, Herbert, M.B.O.U. ; 66, Gloucester Road, Regent’s
Park, N.W. (Oct., 1912).

Gosse, Dr. Philip, M.R.C.S. ; Curtlemead, Beaulieu, Hants. (April,
19H).

Grabham, Dr. Oxley; The Museum, York. (June, 1914).

Gray, Henry, M.R.C.V.S.; 23, Upper Phillimore Place, W. (June,
1906).

Greening, Linn^us; Fairlight, Grappenkali, nr. Warrington. (Jan.
19U).

Gregory, Mrs. ; Melville, Parkstone, Dorset. (Dec , 1901).

Grey. Rt. Hon. Sir Edward, Bart, K.G., M.P. ; 3, Queen Anne’s Gate,
S.W. (1913)

Griffiths, M. E. ; Caizlev House, Temple Road, Stowmarket. /May,
1902).

140 Gronvold, Henrik; 26, Albert Bridge Road, Battersea Park, S.W.
(Nov., 1902).

Grossmith, J. L. ; The Grange, Bickley, Kent. (Nov., 1912).

Guilford, Miss H. ; 23, Lenton Avenue, The Park, Nottingham.
(March, 1903).

Gulbenkian, C. vS. ; 27, Quai D’Orsay, Paris. (Dec., 1908).

Gunn, W. Cecil ; The Red House, Bickley, Kent. (Jan., 1902).
Gurney, John Henry, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.; Keswick Hall, Norwich;
and Athenseum Club, Pall Mall, S.W. (Dec., 1904)

Haagner, A. K.,F.Z.S., M.B.O.U., Transvaal Museum, Pretoria, South
Africa. (Nov., 1905)

Haggie, G. E. ; Brumcombe, Foxcombe Hill, Oxford. (June, 1914)
Harcourt, Rt. Hon. Lewis, P.C. ; 14, Berkeley Square, W. (1913)
Harding, W. A., M.A., F'.Z.S.. Histou Manor, Cambridge. (Dec., 1903)
150 Hardy, Lawrence, M.P. ; Sandling Park, Hythe, Kent. (Nov., 1906)
Harewood, The Countess of ; Harevvood House, Leeds. (March, 1903)
Harley, Mrs. F. ; Brampton Bryan, Herefordshire. (190S)

Harper, Edward William, F.Z.S. , M.B.O.U.; 6, Ashburnham Road,
Bedford. (Feb., 1901)

Hartley, Mrs.; “Lynchfield,” Bishops Lvdeard, Somerset. (April,
1897)

Harvey, The Hon. Lady ; Langley Park, Slough. (Oct., 1906)

Hawke. The Hon. Mary C.; Wighill Park, Tadcaster. (Nov., 1900)
Hawkins, L. W. ; 206, Clive Road, West Dulwich, S.E. (Jan., 1899)

List of Members.

9

Hayes, Miss Phyllis ; Harcourt, Wetii., Salop. (1915)

Hebb, Thomas; “ Brooklea,” Tlie Downs, Luton, Reds. (April, 1914)
160 Hemsworth, The Rev. B., M.A., J.P. ; Monk Frvston Hall, South
Milford, Yorks. (June, 1901)

Herbert, Rdward G. ; Bonibay-Burmah Trading Co., Bangkok.
Hetley, Mrs. Henry, Beaufort House, 114, Church Road, Norwood,
S.E. (July, 1910)

Heumann, G. A. ; Strand Arcade, George Street, Sydney, New South
Wales. (Sept., 1913)

HEWITT, Harai.D, East Sooke, Vancouver Island, B.C.

Heywood, Richard ; Narborough, Norfolk. (Oct.. 1911)

Hill, Arthur W. ; Director, Royal Gardens, Kew, Surrey. (Oct. 1915)
Hir.u, Mrs. E. Stave LEY ; Oxley Manor, Wolverhampton. (Oct., 1905)
Hindlk, R. Franklin; 34, Brunswick Road, Liverpool. (Sept., 1S9S)
Hodgson, The Hon. Mrs. ; Clopton, Stratford. on. Avon. (March, 1903)
170 Holden, Ralph A., F.Z.S ; 5, John Street, Bedford Row, London.
(May, 1906)

Hopkinson, Dr. Emilius ; D.S.O., M.A., M.B., Oxon. ; Gambia, West
Africa; 45, Sussex Squaie, Brighton. (Oct., 1906)

Hopson, Fred C. ; Northbrook Street, Newbury. (March, 1S97)
Horsbrugh, Lieut. -Col. Boyd R., A.S.C. ; Tandridge Priory, Oxted,
Surrey. (Jan., 189S)

Housdkn, James B. ; Brooklyn, Cator Road, Sydenham, S.E. (Orig.
Mem.)

Howard, Robert James, M.B.O.U. ; Shear Bank, Blackburn. (April,

1903) -

Howaru-Vy.se, H. ; Stoke Place, Slough. (Nov., :go6)

Howman, Miss; 6, Essex Grove, Upper Norwood. ^Mar., 1897)
Hubbard, George; 112, Fenchurch Street. E.C (Jan., 1905)
Hutchinson, Miss Alice; Alderton Vicarage, Chippenham, Wilts.
(August, 1907)

1S0 Inchiouin, The Ladv; Diomoland Castle, Newmarket-on-Fergus,
County Clare, Ireland. (Nov., 1S97)

Ingram, Capt. Collingwood ; The Bungalow, Westgate-011-Sea.
'Oct., 1905)

Ingram, Sir WILLIAM, Bart. ; The Bungalow, Westgate-ou-Sea. (Sept.,

1904)

Isaac, Charles; Somerton, Bath Road, Slough. (March, 1906)

Jamrach, Albert E. ; 1S0, St. George Street, London, E. (April, 1913)
Jeakins, A. E., The Studio, Simla, India. (Oct., 1915)

Johnson, Major Frank ; Melrose House, Wilburv Road, Hove, Sussex.
(1912)

Johnstone, Mrs. E. J. ; Burrswood, Groomsbridge, Sussex. (May, 1908)

10

List of Members.

Keays. I)r. 0. Lovell; Park Lodge, East Hoathley, Sussex, (Aug.,
J9!3)

Kuskr, J. Dryden ; Faircourt, Bernardsville, New Jersey, U.S. A. (1912)

190 Lancaster, John ; Duuchurch Lodge, near Rugby. (March, 19041.
Latham, Miss Grach. 3, Trevaniou Roaci, West Kensington, W.
(April, 1915).

Leach, C. K. ; Vale Lodge, Leatherhead, Surrey. (June, 1914)

Lek, Mrs. K. D. ; Hartwell House. Aylesbury. (July. 1906)

Leeke, Miss Dorothy ; 9, Hertford Street, Mayfair, W. \Mav, 1909)
Leicester, The Karl of, G.C.V.O., etc.; 15, Hill Street, Berkeley
Square, W. (May, 1913)

Leigh, Chcii,; Lyburn Park, near Lyndkurst. Hants. (Nov., 1906)
Lemon, Frank K. ; Hillcrest, Redhill, Surrey.

LE Souef, A. Shhrbourne; Zoological Gardens, Sydney, New South
Wales. (Aug., 1913)

200 LE Souef. Dudley; Zoological Gardens, Royal Park. Paikville, Mel¬
bourne, Australia. (1912)

LlLFORD, The Lady; Lilford Hall, Oundle, Northamptonshire. (Jan.,

1S9S)

Lloyd, CaDt. A. M.; i/24th Regiment, Chatham Bairacks. Chatham.
(April, 1912)

Lockver, Alfred ; St. Monica’s Lodge, Elm Park Road. Winchmore
Hill, N. (Dec., 1905)

Long, Mrs. ; Sherrington Manor, Berwick, Sussex. (Feb., 1907)
Lovelace, The Countess of; Wentworth House, Chelsea Embankment,
London, S.W. (May, 1906)

LOVETT, C.; Route 3, Brentwood, Tennessee, U.S. A. (Dec., 1912)

Low, George E. ; 14, Royal Terrace East, Kingstown, Ireland. (Mar.»

I9I3)-

Lucas, Dr. N. S. ; 19, Westbourne Terrace, Hyde Park. W. (Jan., 1913)

Manchester Public Libraries; Reference Library, Piccadilly,
Manchester. (July, 1913)

210 McDonnell, Hon. Sir Schomberg, G.C.V.O. ; Dalness, Taynuilt,
Argyllshire. (March. 1914).

McGeagh, Dr. R. T. ; Mona Lodge, Lezavre. nr. Ramsey, Isle of Man.
(Aug., 1968).

McGee, The Rev. Father ; St. Laurences, Forbes, N.S.W. (July,
1908)

Malone, Mrs. M. L’Estrangh; West Lodge, Malton, Yorks. (Jan.,
1902)

List of Members.

11

Manners-Smith, Lieut.-Col.; The Residency, Nepal, India. (1911)
Mappin, Stanley; 12, Albert Mall Mansions, Kensington Gate, S.W.
(April, 1911)

Marlow, R. ; 115, Manchester Road, Denton. Lancs. (Jan., 1915)
Marshall, Archibald McLean ; Chitcombe, Brede, Sussex. (Jan.,
1906)

Martin, H. C. ; 147, Victoria Road, Old Charlton, Kent; and Saladero,
Liebig, Fray Bentos. Uruguay. (Jan., 1897)

Martorkli.i, Professore GiancinTO, M.B.O.U., etc.; Collezioue Turati,
Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Milan, Italy. (July, 1906).
( Honorary Member).

220 Mason. I)., 23, Prince of Wales Terrace, Kensington, W. (June, 1914)
MaThkws, Grkgory M., F.R.S., Edin.. F.L.S. , Foulis Court, P'air
Oak. Hants. (Dec., 1909)

Maud. Mrs. Charles E. ; Monterey, California. (July. 1913)

M eade- Waldo. E. G. B., F.Z.S.. M.B.O.U. ; Stonewall Park, Eden-
bridge, Kent. ( Jan., 1895)

Medland, Miss Lilian M. ; 10, Newcastle House, Northumberland
Street, W. (Oct., 1913)

Mercer, William; Doylestown, Pennsylvania, U.S A. (March, 1913)
Mills, The Hon. VIOLET; The Wilderness, Sevenoaks. (Oct., 1907)
Millsum. O. ; 79, Northdown Road, Cliftonville, Margate. (Aug.,
1909)

Mitchell, Harry; Haskells, Lyndhurst, Hants. (Feb., 1904)
MOERSCHELL, F. ; Elmcote, Watford. (June, 1S95)

230 Momber, Mrs. ; 77, Harley’ Street, W. (Sept., 1907)

Montagu, Hon. E. S., M.P., M.B.O.U.; 59, Bridge Street, Cambridge
and 12, Kensington Palace Gardens, W. (May, 1912)

Montgkon, Mdlle. de ; Covertside, Hasfield, Gloucester. (Oct., 1913)
MORGAN, Hon. Evan F. ; 37, Bryanston Square, W. (1912)

Morrison, Hon. Mrs. McLaren ; Queen Anne’s Mansions, St. James’s
Park, S.W. (Sept., 191 1)

Morshead, Lady ; Forest Lodge, Bin field, Bracknell, Berks. (Dec.,
1894) *

Mortimer, Mrs. ; Wigmore, Holmwood, Surrey. (Orig. Mem.) *
Mundy, Miss Sybil Miller ; Shipley7 Hall, Derby. (Jan., 1909)
Munt, Henry; 10, Ashburn Place, S. Kensington, S.W. (1912)
Mylan, Dr. Jas. George, B.A., M.B. (Univ. Col.); L.R.C.P. & L.R.C.S.
(Ed.) &c., 90. Upper Hanover Street, Sheffield. (Dec., 1901)

240 Newai.L, Mrs.; Red Heath, Croxley Green, R.S.O., Herts. (June,
1911)

Newman, T. H., F.Z.S., M.B.O U. ; Newlands, Harrowdeue Road,
Wembley. Middlesex. (May, 1900). f Hon. Sea e/ary J .

Nbwmarsh, C. T., at Gamages Ltd.; Holborn, W.C. (Aug.. 1915)

12

List of Members.

Nichols, Walter B., M.B.O.U. ; Stour Lodge, Bradfield, Manningtree
(Jan., 1907)

Nicoll, Michael J., M.B.O.U. ; Zoological Gardens, Ghizeh, Cairo,
Egypt. (1906)

Oakky, W. ; 34, High Street, Leicester. (March, 1896)*

Obkrholskr, Harry C. ; 1444, Fairmount Street, N.W , Washington,
D.C., U.S.A. (Oct., 1903)

Ogilvie-Grant, W. R., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.; British Museum (Nat. Hist.,)
Cromwell Road, S.W. (Dec., 1903)

Ogle, Bertram Saville, M.B.O.U.; Steeple Aston, Oxford. (Dec.,
1902)

Onslow, The Countess of; Clandon Park, Guildford, Surrey. (July,
1910)

250 O’Reilly, Nicholas S. ; 144. Eastern Road, Kemp Town, Brighton.
(Dec., 1894)

OstrkhaN, J. Kli.iott I). ; Bank House, Thame, Oxon. (April, 1903)

Page, Wesley T., F.Z.S. ; Glenfield, Gtaliam Avenue, Mitcham,
Surrey. (May, 1897)

Painter, K. V. ; 250S Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio. U.S.A. (Dec.,
1909)

Pam, Albert, F.Z.S. ; Wormley Bury, Broxbourne, Herts. (Jan., 1906)
Pam. Hugo, C.M.Z.S. ; 65, Bishopsgate, E.C. (Sept. 1911)

Parkin, Thomas, M.A., F.R.G.S., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.; Fairseat, High
Wickham, Hastings. (Oct., 1903)

Pier, P. ; c/o Taxation Department, George Street North, Sydney,
N.S.W. (July, 1903)

Pennant, The Lady Edith Douglas; Sohani House, Newmarket,
Cambs. (Sept., 1908)

Penrose, Frank G., M.D., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.; Athenaeum Club, Pall
Mall. S.W. (Dec., 1903).

260 Perreau, Major G. A.; 2/4 Gurkha Rifles, Bakloli, Punjab, India.
(Dec., 1903)

Percy, The Lord William; Alnwick Castle, Alnwick. (May, 1913)
Peering, C. S. R. ; 1, Claremont Avenue, New Malden, Surrey.
Phillips, John C. ; Kuobfields, Wenham, Mass, U.S.A. (March, 1910)

Phillips, Mrs. E. Lokt, F.Z.S. ; 79, Cadogan Square, S.W. (April,
1907)

Pichot, M. Pierre A.; 132, Boulevard Hausmanu, Paris. (Sept., 1910)
Pickford, Randolf John; Thorn Lea, Carmel Road, Darlington.
PiKE, L. G. ; Kingsbarrow, Wareham, Dorset. (1912)

Pocock, R. I., F.R.S., F.L.S., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.; Zoological .Society’s
Gardens, Regent’s Park, N.W. (Feb., 1904)

Portal, Maurice; High Sandhoe, Hexham. (April, 1913)

List of Members.

13

270 POTTER, Dr. BERNARD E. ; 5S, Park Street, W. (March, 1914I

PowiS, The Earl of; 45, Berkeley Square, W. ; and Powis Castle,
Welshpool. (April, 1902)

Princeton University, Library of; Princeton, New Jersey, U.S.A.
(Nov., 1907)

Pycraft, W. P., A.L.S., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U., etc. ; British Museum (Nat.
Hist.) Cromwell Road, S.W. (Nov., 1904). [Hon. Member).

Quincky, Richard S. de Q. ; Inglewood, Chisleliurst, Kent. (April,
1913)

Radci.iffk, Captain A. Delme, 105th Maratlia Light Infantry, Poona,
India.

RaThborne, Henry B.; Dreenan, Boa Island, Pettigo, Co. Fermanagh.
(May, 1901).

RaTTigan, G. E. ; Lanarkslea, Cornwall Gardens, S.W. (August, 1908.
Rkckman, Philip; Brookmead, Windsor Road, Bray, Berks. (July,
1915)

REID, Mrs.; Funchal, Madeira. (Feb., 1895)

280 Rknshaw, Dr. Graham, M.B., M.R.C.S.; Bridge House, Sale, Man¬
chester. (Jan., 1910I

Rice, Captain G. ; Persey House, Blairgowrie, N.B. (May, 1912)

Riley, Joseph H.; U.S. National Museum, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
(June, 1906)

Ritchie, Norman; The Holmes, St. Boswell’s, N.B. (Feb., 1903)
Robbins, Henry; ( Address Unknown) . (April, 1908)

Roberts, Mi s., C.M.Z.S., M. Aust. O.U. ; Beaumaris, Montpelier Street,
Hobart, Tasmania. (June, 1903)

Rogers, Lt -Col. J. M., D.S.O., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. (late Royal Dragoons);

Riverhill, Sevenoaks. (April, 1907)

RogerSOn, A.; Fleurville, Ashford Road, Cheltenham. (Dec., 1902)
Rothschild, Hon. Lionel de, M.P., 46, Park Street, W. (Nov., 1913)
Rothwell. James E. ; 153, Sewall Avenue, Brookline, Mass., U.S.A.
(Oct., 1910)

290 Royal Zoological .Society of Ireland, Phoenix Park, Dublin.
(Oct., 1905)

St. Quintin, William Herbert, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.; Scampstou Hall,
Rillinglon, York. (Orig. Mem.)

SclaTER, W. L., M.A., F.Z.S. ; 10, Sloane Court, S.W. (August, 1904)
SCOTT, B. Hamilton; Hamildean, Ipswich. (1912)

Segur, M. le Comte de ; 45, Avenue d’Jena, Paris. (Sept., 1913)
Seppings, Captain J. H. W. ; The Arm v Pay Office, Dover. (Sept., 1907)
Sargeaunt, A. St. George, Exbury, Padstow, Cornwall. (June, 1915)

14

List of Members.

Skth-Smith, David, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ; 34, Elsworthy Road. South
Hampstead, N.W. (Dec., 1894)

Skth-Smith, Lesmk, M., H.A., M.B.O.U.; Alleyne, Caterhani Valley,
Surrey ; and Kampala, Uganda. (July, 1912)

SkbaG-Montkfiore, Mrs. ; 2, Palace Houses, W. (1913)

300 Sich, Hkrbkrt Leonard; Corney House, Burlington Lane, Chiswick,
W. (Feb., 1902)

Silver, Allen, The Laurels, 7, Bampton Road, Forest Hill, S.K.
(August, 1904)

Simpson, Archibald; Oakfield House, Stanks, Crossgates, nr. Leeds.
(Feb., 1901)

Smalley, F. W., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.; Cliallan Hall, Silverdale, near
Camforth, Lancs. (1912)

Smith, C. Baknby; Woodlands, Retford. (August, 1906)

Smith, Miss Dorrien; Tresco Abbey, Isles of Scilly, Cornwall.
(August, 190S)

Smith, Norman ; Kilcreggan, Bowen Road, Hale, Altrincham, Cheshire.
(March, 1915)

Smith, O. C. ; 73, Audley Street, Reading. (March, 1915)

Southesk. I lie Countess of; Kinnaird Castle, Brechin, N.B. (Feb.,
1901)

Southport Corporation; Curator of; Hesketh Park, Southport.
(Jan., 1904)

310 Spence G. O. ; Elmwood, Hartburn, Stockton on Tees. (1913)

Sprankling, E. ; Brookland Cottage, South Road, Taunton. (Feb.,
1914)

Stansfield, Captain John ; Dunninald, Montrose, N.B. (Dec., 1896)
Staples-Brownk, R. ; Bampton, Oxfordshire. (August, 1898)
Stevens, II.; Gopaldara, Nagri Spur, P.O. Darjeeling Himal. Ry.
Sonada, India. (Oct., 1911)

Stockport Corporation ; Superintendent; Vernon Park, Stockport.
(Oct., 1902)

Stone, O. J. ; Cumnor, The Drive, Lawrie Park, Upper Sydenham, S.E.
(March, 1914)

Sturton-Johnson, Miss, Oratava House, Ore, Hastings. (May, 1S97 )
Suffolk and Berkshire, The Countess of; Charlton Park, Malmes¬
bury. (Feb., 1909)

Suggitt, Robert; Suggitt’s Lane, Cleeihorpes, Grimsby. (Dec. 1903)
320 Sutcliffe, Albert ; Fail holme, Grimsby. (Feb., 1906)

Sutton, Lady ; Brinsop Court, Hereford. (Dec., 1901)

SWAYSI.AND, Walter ; 47, Queen’s Road, Brighton. (Orig. Mem.) *

Taka-Tsukasa, Mr.; 25, Kaminibancho, Kojimaclii, Tokyo, Japan.
(Feb., 1914)

List of Members,

15

Tanner, Dr. Frank I,.; Vanvert House, Guernsey. (Jan., 1914)
Tavistock, The Marquis of ; 19, Hanover Square, Loudon, W. (1912)
Temple, IV. R. ; Ormonde, Datchet, Bucks. (June, 1907)

Terry, Major Horace A., M.B.O.U. (late Oxfordshire Light Infantry) ;

Compton Grange, Compton, Guildford. (Oct., 1902)

Teschemaker, W. E., B.A. : Riugniore, Teignmouth, Devon. (May,
1904)

Thom, Alfred A.; The Citadel, Weston, near Shrewsbury. (June,
1913)

330 Thomas, F. Inigo ; 2, Mulberry Walk, Church Street, Chelsea, S.W.
(June, 1914)

Thomas, Henry; 15, Ginning Road, Birkdale, Southport. (Jan , 1S95)
Thomas. Miss F. G. F'. ; Weston Hall, Towcester, Noithants, (March,
1S99)

ThomasSET, Bernard C., F'.Z.S. ; The Manor House. Ashmansworth,
near Newbury. 1 Hon. Treasurer) . (July, 1896)

ThomasSET, H. P. ; Cascade Estate, Mahe, Seychelles. (Nov., 1906)
Thompson, Mrs. F. F. ; Canandaigua, N.Y., U.S.A. (July, 1907)
Thorniley, Percy Wright ; .Shooter’s Hill, Wem., Shrewsbury,
(Feb., 1902)

Thorpe, Charles ; Selborne, Springfield Road, Wallington, Surrey.
(Dec., 1901)

Ticehurst, Dr. C. B. ; Grove House, Lowestoft. (1912)

Ticehurst, Norman Frederick, M.A., M.B., F. R.C.S., F.Z.S., 35,
Pevensev Road, St. Leonards-ou-Sea. (Dec., 1906)

340 Townsend, Stanley M. ; 3, Swift Street, Fulham. (Sept., 1898)
Trenow, Evelyn Henry, F.Z.S. ; Ivy Lodge, Epping, Essex. (Nov.,
1910)

Trestrail, Mrs. ; Southdaile, Clevedou. (Sept., 1903)
Trevor-Battye, Aubyn, B. R , M.A., F.L.S. ; Ashford Chace,

Petersfield, Hants. (July, 1898).

TuCKWELL, Edmund H.; Berthorpe, Comptou, near Guildford, Surrey.
(1912)

Turner, Mrs. Turner ; Abbey Spring, Beaulieu, Hants. (July, 1910)
Tweedie, Major W., Arg. and Suth. Highlanders; c/o Cox & Co., 16,
Charing Cross, S.W. (April, 1903)

Urwick, Douglas R. ; St. Cross Mill, Winchester. (March, 1913)

Valentine, Ernest ; 7, Highfield, Workington. (May, 1899)

Van Oort, Dr. E- D. ; Museum of Natural History, Leiden, Holland.
350 Van Someren, Dr. ; Nairobi, British East Africa. (June, 1915)

16

List of Members.

Wachsmann. A. E. ; “ Maitai,” Murray Road, Beecroft, New South
Wales, Australia. (August, 1914)

Waddeu,, Miss Peddie ; 4, Great Stuart Street, Edinburgh, N.B-
(Feb, 1903)

Wait, Miss L. M. St. A. ; 12, Rosary Gardens, S.W. (Feb., 1909)
Walker, Miss H. K. O. ; Chesham, Bury, Lancs. (Feb., 1S95)
Walker, Miss; Persev House, Blairgowrie, N.B. (Jan., 1903)
Wallace, Mrs. Williamson ; Kelton, Dumfries. (1912)

Wallop, The Hon. Frederick ; (No Address ) . (Feb. , 1902)
WaTERFIBLD, Mrs. Noel E. ; Blyburgate House, Beccles ; and Port
Soudan, Red Sea. (Sept., 1904)

Watts, R. J.; “Sunnvside,” St. Peter’s Road, Huntingdon. (Feb.,
1914)

360 Waud, Capt. P Reginald; Hoe Benliam, near Newbury. (May, 1913)
Wellington, Her Grace the Duchess of ; Ewhurst Park, Basingstoke.
(Oct., 1913)

Whitaker, Joseph I. S., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ; Malfitano, Palermo, Sicily
(August, 1903)

White, Stephen J. ; Lloyd’s, London, E.C. (Oct. 1913)
Whitehead, Mrs. Henry ; Haslem Hey, Bury, Lancs. (March, 1902)
Whitehead, Jeffery ; Mayes, East Grinstead, Sussex (1912)
Whitlaw, Miss Rosa M. ; Amerden, Taplow. (August, 1914)
Wiglesworth, Joseph, M.D., MB.O.U. ; Springfield House, Wins-
conibe, Somerset. (Oct., 1902'

Wilkinson, John ; The Grange, Kirkcudbright, .Scotland. (Dec., 1914)
WlLLFORD, Henry ; Upland View, Havenstreet, Ryde, Isle of Wight.
(Nov., 1907)

370 Williams, Mrs. C. H. ; Emmanuel Parsonage, Exeter. (May, 1902)
Williams; Mrs. Howard ; 24, Harley House, Regent’s Park, N.w.
(April, 1902)

Williams, Sidney, Jun., F.Z.S. ; Holland Lodge, 275, Fore Street,
Edmonton, n. (Feb., 1905)

Wilson, Dr. Maurice . ; Walton Lodge, Pannal, Harrogate. Oct.,

1905)

Wilson, T. Needham ; Harrow Lodge, Bransgore, Christchurch,
Hants. (Dec., 1901)

Winchelsea and Nottingham, The Countess of ; Harlech, Merioneth.
(April, 1903)

Wolfe, Miss Georgina; S. John, 57, Granada Road, E. Southsea.
(August, 1904)

Woodward, Kenneth N. ; 1, Madison Avenue, New York, U.S.A.
(March, 1915)

Wool ridge, Prof. G. H., F.R.C.V.S.; Ypsilanti, 13, St Andrew’s Road,
Golder’s Green, N.w. <1912)

List of Members.

17

Workman, Wm. Hughes, M.B.O.U. ; Lismore, Windsor, Belfast.
(May, 1903)

So Wokmau), Hugh ; The Heath, Dereham, Norfolk. (Dec., 1904).

Wright, R. N. ; Church Hill, Robert Road, Handsworth, near Bir.
mingham (Dec., 190S)

Yhau.and, James; Binstead, Isle of Wight. (July, 1913)

Younger, Miss Barbara Henderson; 4, Douglas Gardens, Edin¬
burgh. (July, 1909)

Y7UEE, Lady ; Hanstead House, Bricket Wood, Herts. (Feb., 1914)

18

Buies of the Avicultural Society

Rules of the Avicultural Society.

As amended January , 1008.

i. — Tlie name of the Society shall be The Avicur/ruuAh Society
and its object shall be the study of Foreign and British Birds in freedom
and in captivity. Poultry, Pigeons and Canaries shall be outside the scope
of the Society. The year of the Society, with that of each volume of the
Society’s Magazine, which shall be known as The Avicultural Magazine,
shall commence with the month of November and end on the 31st of
October following.

2 — The Avicultural Society shall consist of Ordinary and Honorary
Members; and the latter shall be restricted in number to six, and be elected
by the Council.

3. — The Officers of the Society shall be elected, annually if necessary,
by members of the Council in manner hereinafter provided and shall
consist of a President, one or more Vice-Presidents, a Business Secretary, a
Correspondence Secretary, an Editor, a Treasurer, an Auditor, a Scrutineer,
and a Council of fifteen members. The .Secretaries, Editor, and Treasurer,
shall be ex officio Members of the Council,

4. — New Members shall be proposed in writing, and the name and
address of every person thus proposed, with the name of the Member
proposing him, shall be published in the next issue of the Magazine,
unless the candidate shall, within two weeks after the publication of his
name in the Magazine, be objected to by at least two Members, he shall be
deemed to be duly elected. If five Members shall lodge with the Business
Secretary objections to any candidate he shall not be elected, but the
signatures to the signed objections must be verified by the Scrutineer. If
two or more Members (but less than five) shall object to any candidate, the
Secretary shall announce in the next number of the Magazine that such
objections have been lodged (but shall not disclose the names of the
objectors), and shall request the Members to vote upon the queston of the
election of such candidate. Members shall record their voles in sealed
letters addressed to the Srutineer, and a candidate shall not be elected
unless two thirds of the votes recorded be in his favour; nor shall a
candidate be elected if five or more votes be recorded against his election.

5. — Each Member shall pay an annual subscription of 10 - , to be due
and payable in advance on the 1st of November in each year. New Mem¬
bers shall pay in addition, an entrance fee of 10 6; and, 011 pavtuent of
their entrance fee and subscription, they shall be entitled to receive all the
numbers of the Society’s Magazine for the current year.

Buies of the Avicultural Societij

19 :

6. — Members intending to resign their membership at the end of the
current year of the Society are expected to give notice to the Business
Secretary before the first of October, so that their names may not be
included in the “ List of Members,” which shall be published annually in
the November number of the Magazine.

7. — The Magazine of the Society shall be issued on or about the first
day of every month * and forwarded, post free, to all the Members who
shall have paid their subscriptions for the year : but no Magazine shall be
sent or delivered to any Member until the annual subscription shall have
reached the hands of the Business Secretary or the Publishers. Members
whose subscriptions shall not have been paid as above by the first day in
September in any year shall cease to be Members of the Society, and shall
not be re-admitted until a fresh entrance fee, as well as the annual sub¬
scription, shall have been paid

8. — The Secretaries, Editor, and Treasurer shall be elected for a term
of five years, and should a vacancy occur, it may be temporarily filled up
by the Executive Committee (see Rule 10). At the expiration of the term
of five years in every case, it shall be competent for the Council to nominate
the same officer, or another Member, for a further term of five years, unless
a second candidate be proposed by not less than twenty-five members of at
least two years standing, as set forth below.

In the September number of the Magazine preceding the retirement
from office of the Secretaries, Editor, or Treasurer, the Council shall
publish the names of those gentlemen whom they have nominated to fill
the vacancies thus created; and these gentlemen shall be deemed duly
elected unless another candidate or candidates be proposed by not less than
fifteen Members of at least two years standing. Such proposal, duly
seconded and containing the written consent of the nominee to serve, if
elected, in the capacity for which he is proposed, must reach the Business
Secretary, on or before the 15th of September.

The Council shall also publish yearly in the September number of
the Magazine the names of those gentlemen nominated by them for the
posts of Auditor and Scrutineer respectively.

9. — The Members of the Council shall retire by rotation, two at the
end of each year of the Society (unless a vacancy or vacancies shall occur
otherwise) and two other Members of the Society shall be recommended by
the Council to take the place of those retiring. The names of the two
Members recommended shall be printed in the September number of The
Avicultural Magazine. .Should the Council’s selection be objected to by
fifteen or more Members, these shall have power to put forward two other
candidates whose names, together with the signatures of no less than

•Owing to the extra pressure of work, the October and November numbers are liable to

be late.

20

Rules of the Avicultural Societij

fifteen Members proposing them, must reach the Hon. Business Secretary
by the 15 th of Seplembct . The names of the four candidates will then he
printed on a voting paper and sent to each Member with the October
number of the Magazine, and the result of the voting published in the
November issue. Should no alternative candidates be put forward, in the
manner and by the date above specified, the two candidates recommended
by the Council shall be deemed to have been duly elected. In the event
of an equality of votes the President shall have a casting vote.

If any Member of the Council does not attend a meeting for two
years in succession, the Council shall have power to elect another Member
in his place.

10. — Immediately after the election of the Council, that body shall
proceed to elect three from its Members (ex officio Members not being
eligible). These three, together with the Secretaries and Editor, shall form
ia Committee known as the Executive Committee. Members of the Council
shall be asked every year (whether there has been an election of that body
or not) if they wish to stand for the Executive, and in any year when
the number of candidates exceeds three there shall be an election of the
Executive.

The duties of the Executive Committee shall he as follows :

(i). To sanction all payments to be made on behalf of the Society.

<ii). In the event of the resignation of any of the officers during the

Society’s year, to fill temporarily the vacancy until the end of
the year. In the case of the office being one which is held for
more than one year ( e . g. Secretaries, Editor, or Treasurer,
the appointment shall be confirmed by the Council at its next
meeting.

(iii). To act for the Council in the decision of any other matter that may
arise in connection with the business of the Society.

The decision of any matter by the Executive to be settled by a
simple majority (five to form a quorum). I11 the event of a tie on any
question, such question shall be forthwith submitted by letter to the
Council for their decision.

The Executive shall not have power

(i) . To add to or alter the Rules;

(ii) . To expel any Member ;

(iii) . To re-elect the Secretaries, Editor, or Treasurer for a second teim

of office.

It shall not be lawful for the Treasurer to pay any account unless
such account be duly initialed by the Executive.

It shall be lawful for the Business Secretary or Editor to pledge the
Society’s credit for a sum not exceeding ^15.

Hides of the Avicultural Society

21

Should a Member wish any matter to be brought before the Council
direct, such matter should be sent to the Business Secretary with a letter
slating that it is to be brought before the Council at their next meeting
otherwise communications will in the first place be brought before the
Executive.

A decision of a majority of the Council, or a majority of the
Executive endorsed by the Council, shall be final and conclusive in
all matters.

11. — The Editor shall have an absolute discretion as to what matter
shall be published in the Magazine (subject to the control of the Executive
Committee). The Business Secretary a.ul Editor shall respectively refer
all matters of doubt and difficulty to the Executive Committee.

12. — The Council (but not a Committee of the Council) shall have
power to alter and add to the Rules, from time to time, in any manner they
may think fit. Five to form a quorum at any meeting of the Council.

13. — The Council shall have power to expel any Member from the
Society at any time without assigning any teason.

14. — Neither the Office of Scrutineer nor that of Auditor shall be held
for two consecutive years by the same person.

15 — The Scrutineer shall not reveal to any person how any Member
shall have voted.

22

The Society's Medal

The Society s Medal.

RULES.

The Medal tnav be awarded at the discretion of the Committee, to
anv Member who shall succeed in breeding, in the United Kingdom, any
species of bird which shall not be known to have been previously bred in
captivity in Great Britain or Ireland. Any Member wishing to obtain the
Medal must send a detailed account for publication in the Magazine within
about eight weeks from the date of hatching of the young and furnish such
evidence of the facts as the Executive Committee may require. The Medal
will be awarded only in cases where the young shall live to be old enough
to feed themselves, and to be wholly independent of their parents.

The account of the breeding must be reasonably full so as to afford
instruction to our Members, and should describe the plumage of the voting
and be of value as a permanent record of the nesting and general habits of the
species. These points will have great weight when the question of awarding
the Medal is under consideration.

The parents of the young must be the bona fide property of the
breeder. An evasion of this rule, in any form whatever, will not only dis¬
qualify the breeder from any claim to a Medal in that particular instance,
but will seriously prejudice any other claims lie or she may subsequently
advance for the breeding of the same or any other species.

In ever}' case the decision of the Committee shall be final.

The Medal will be forwarded to each Member as soon after it shall
have been awarded as possible.

The Medal is struck in bronze (but the Committee reserve the right
to issue it in silver in very special cases), and measures 2^ inches in
diameter. It bears on the obverse a representation of two birds with a nest
containing eggs, and the words “ The Avicultural Society — founded 1894.”
On the reverse is the following inscription : “Awarded to (name of recipient )
for rearing the young of {name of species), a species not previously bred in
captivity in the United Kingdom.”

Breeding-place of Ibis abboti and Alectronias minor on Home of Alectrcenas pulclierrina. Waterfall, Cascade Estate

Aldabra Island, South Indian Ocean. PhotosbyMr. e.g. b. Meade-Waido Mahe, Seychelles.

THE

23

Avicultural Magazine,

BEING THE JOURNAL OF
THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.

Third Series. — Vol. VII. — No. 1. — All rights reserved. NOVEMBER, 1915.

THE RED-CROWNED PIGEON.

A lectrcenas pulcherrima.

By E. G. B. Meade-Waldo.

In the December number of the “Avicultural Magazine” (1914)
is an article on the pigeon hollanclais, by Dr. Graham Renshaw.
It interested me very much, as it referred to a pigeon that I, in
company with Mr. M. I. Nicoll, procured on the Island of Mahe,
Seychelles, in the spring of 1906, when cruising with the late Lord
Crawford on the yacht “Valhalla.” During this cruise we had the
good fortune to become acquainted with three out of the four exist¬
ing species of this group of pigeons. The fifth species ( Alectroenas
nitidissima) , of Mauritius, having become extinct, it was by far the
largest and most beautiful of all. The fourth species {Alectroenas
madagascariensis ) we did not see, although we were in Madagascar.
It is a large bird, the hackle much darker in colour, and has a dark
red tail, rump, and under tail coverts.

The bird referred to by Dr. Benshaw was one of three that we
brought home, and lived for some time in the Western Aviary. We
saw many of these birds on the Cascade Estate, which belongs to
Mr. Thomasset, who is a member of this Society, and where, in
common with others of the very interesting' peculiar species, they are
carefully preserved. Like all the native birds, this species is quite
fearless. Those we procured being caught by the simple method of
slipping a noose over their heads when sitting on a branch. Its
natural food consists of various fruits, principally small fig's.

We saw this bird also on Felicitd Island, and it is found also

24

on the crowned pigeon.

on the Island of Silouette, but we did not see it in Praslin, although
I believe it is there. We however saw the extremely rare parrot
( Coracopsis harkleyi). This pigeon is a bird of high forest and has a
loud coo, it rises and falls in its flight in the manner of our own
woodpigeon. Those we had alive throve well, so long as their native
berries lasted, but the cut up banana did not really suit them as it
is sticky and collects and dries on the angle of the gape. The best
food we found to be sultanas squeezed out once in hot water. So
long as the indigenous forest remains these beautiful pigeons are in
no danger of extermination, as there is a strong feeling in these
Islands for preserving all the native fauna ; the only danger is that
the planting of rubber will greatly restrict the area that is suited to
them. It is devoutly to be hoped that the wonderful fauna of these
Islands will in part he preserved for all future generations.

Of the other two species, we saw first Alectroencis sganzini,
on the Island of Mayatte, one of the Comoro group ; it appeared to
be rare, as there was not a great deal of the old forest left ; it was
quite tame and hard to see as it sat still in the trees.

The other species we saw was Alectrcenas minor, which is
found only on the Island of Aldabra, an island ever famous as the
home of the gigantic land tortoise. This pigeon is a small edition of
the Comoro bird, but is also a little lighter in colour on the back.

The day when we procured A. minor was one of the most
interesting I ever spent in my life. We made a long trip on the
launch to visit the home of Ibis abbotti, that very rare ibis that is
peculiar to this spot. We had a most interesting time with these
birds, which were so fearless that they had no objection to being
picked up, and when held in the hand sdid not struggle, but probed
with their bills round our belts. When on the ground they searched
inside our shoes. To photograph them was difficult, for they in¬
sisted on perching on the camera ; however, we got some beautiful
pictures of them later on.* When standing under their nesting trees
(some kind of ficus ) watching the cocoa-nut crabs ( Birgns latro)
some small pigeons came into the trees to feed on the figs. We
procured five of these ; they were Alectrcenas minor.

* See “ Avic. Slag.” March, 1907, p, 144.

25

On the breeding of the Lessor Saffron finch.

BREEDING OF THE
LESSER SAFFRON FINCH.

Sycalis minor.

By Maurice Amsler, M.B.

Most of us have kept and bred the common Saffron finch,
a few also have owned Pelselns Saffron finch ; personally I have
avoided the former species as they are inclined to be quarrelsome,,
and have, moreover, little beyond their colour to recommend them.
Pelselns , on the other hand, I have bred from a pair reared in Mr.
Teschemaker’s aviaries, these were, I believe, the first to be bred
in captivity ; they were quiet, unobtrusive birds, hut less handsome
than the common species.

Last autumn I was offered a pair of saffrons, which are the
subject of this article.

“ Lesser Saffron ” sounded attractive, and on arrival they were
quite equal to my expectations. The bird in size is about equal to a
linnet, and the female closely resembles this species in colour as
well as in size ; the cock, however, is in shape a much more
“reachy” bird and reminds one constantly of a Yorkshire canary,
being' long, thin, and elegant, with yellow head and underparts, and
olive green back and flights.

As long as they were caged they displayed no characteristic
or interesting traits, hut towards the end of January I gave them
partial liberty by turning them into the shelter of one of my aviaries
without access to the outer flight, and a month later they had the
surprise of their lives when the door was opened and they found
themselves amongst growing hushes and green sprouting grass.

I soon discovered that the male bird at any rate was not to
be done out of his courting season. With outspread quivering wings
and distended throat he followed the female in all her movements.
I am not one of those who can attempt to describe a bird’s song in
words, but this bird’s performance is an extremely pleasing trill,
very soft, and sometimes rising so high in the scale as to he almost
inaudible ; there is nothing monotonous about it, nor are any of the
notes “ scroopy ” and disagreeable like those of the common saffron
finch.

26

Dr. Maurice Amsler

In April I noticed the male carrying nesting material, but
could not locate the nest.

On May 23rd I discovered a huge nest, built amongst some
twiggy branches inside the shelter and almost touching the roof.
It was quite a foot in diameter and was composed of straw and
wood wool ; owing to the proximity of the roof it was difficult to
inspect, but by means of a ladder and some manipulation I was able
to look inside and found that this large collection of straw was really
the foundation of a cup some three inches in diameter, which was
neatly and solidly woven of roots and other fibres. The nest con¬
tained three eggs — the size of a Zebra finches’ — of a faint grey blue
colour, spotted especially at the blunt end with reddish brown.
Owing to the insecurity of the straw foundation the young hatched
some days later were thrown out.

On June 30th the nest had been mended and contained one
egg. No more were added, but, on July 12th, the hen was sitting
on four eggs, one of which may have been the original and probably
addled egg. As the hen was usually to be seen in the day time and
the cock made his appearance in the evening I presume that the
male does the incubation by day.

On July 22nd three chicks made their appearance ; they were
dark brown, covered with down of the same colour; gape, bright
orange.

On July 30th, to my dismay and disappointment, the hen
saffron was picked up dead, below the nest. I had little hope of
the male continuing his duties single-handed, and almost decided to
take the young to hand-rear. I elected however to give the cock
a chance, and placed a ladder in position so as to keep the young
under supervision : all seemed to be going well that day and the
next, and I realised that the widower was finding solace for the
loss of his spouse in the care of his offspring.

Had the hen died a day or two earlier the young birds would
never have survived, for the male bird had no idea of brooding at

night and the nestlings had to shift through the night and cold

hours of early morning as best they could.

Beyond the disappearance of one chick all went well, and,

on August 2nd, three days after the loss of their mother, both left

on the breeding of the Lesser Saffron finch.

27

the nest at the age of eleven days ; again the insecurity of the nest
might have caused a fiasco, for on inspecting the nest, which, by
the way, I had lately propped up, I found it hanging down and
almost inverted. The nestlings, however, appeared to be quite
vigorous and fitted for the outer world, one especially being quite
strong on the wing.

On the evening of this day I placed them both in a deep
wooden box in the shelter, where the male bird could feed them, hut
out of which they were not strong enough to fly ; here they spent
the night safely and out of the rain which was driving hard outside,
and on the following morning they were allowed to take their chance.

General colour at 14 days . back, head, and flights, dark
brown, with slight suggestion of olive ; dark huff tips to feathers of
mantles and tertiaries ; throat and chest, yellowish white, with dark
vertical streakings ; abdomen, light yellow ; irides and beak, dark
brown ; feet, flesh colour.

As to the food employed, I can only state definitely that the
male used a few mealworms, these he was quite eager about, although
they were never touched before the young were hatched. I believe
he also took hemp, maw, aird green wheat in the ear, beside the
ordinary stock millet and canary seed. Live ants’ eggs and “ soft
food ” were absolutely ignored.

At the age of six weeks, both young birds had lengthened
out and were much the same shape as their father, the streaking on
the breast had practically disappeared, but both still showed a
distinct tendency to yellowness on abdomen and chest. I fear,
therefore, that both are males, and that it will be impossible to
perpetuate what is, in my opinion, a very attractive and inexpensive
hard-bill.

I fancy that one or other of these birds is beginning to “tune
up,” as I have on several occasions heard a song which was vaguely
reminiscent of the old male’s love song.

Both youngsters are now independent and take very little
notice of their father.

I believe this is the first occasion on which this species has
been bred in captivity, which fact must be my excuse for inflicting
on my fellow-members the description of a breeding episode, which

28

Mrs. Ralph Holden,

was no more difficult or praiseworthy than the rearing of a nest of
canaries. * * *

Later. — Oct. 20th both youngsters and the old male moulted
during September, and I am glad to see I now possess a female and
two males ; the young birds are full coloured and the two males aro
indistinguishable.

REARING OF HYBRID

HYP II AS TORN IS CUCULLATUS * II. SPILONOTUS .

By Mrs. Ralph Holden.

Thinking it might be of interest to your readers, my husband
has asked me to write a short account of the early days of a young
weaver bird which I have just succeeded in rearing by hand ; so I
plunge at once into my subject by saying that “ Squeaks ” is quite
the most delightful little bird that ever sat upon a flannel-covered
hot-water bottle and shrieked for the food with which his unnatural
parents refused to supply him.

" Squeaks ” is a little hybrid weaver — his father is a very
handsome red-necked, red-eyed Hyphcintornis cucullatus — his mother,
a more sober and elegant Hyphcintornis spilonotus, and Squeaks
himself was hatched from a very beautiful long-shaped, sky-blue
egg about six weeks ago (July). I strongly incline to the opinion
that a little brother or sister of Squeaks entered this vale of woe at
about the same time he did, but alas ! after a few days he or she
mysteriously disappeared, along with at least seven or eight little
naked, squeaking relatives, who at one time tenanted the queer
woven nests in our weaver colony. One or two small corpses were
found on the ground, a few young ones were later discovered dead in
various nests ; the rest appear to have vanished into thin air.

Perhaps the insect food we supplied to the parents was not
exactly what appealed to them (I have been told that in a natural
state young African weavers are fed on grasshoppers), perhaps we
did not provide enough of it. It is not an easy task to dig up daily
a sufficiency of absolutely fresh ants’ eggs (the only sort they care
about) to supply eight or nine gaping throats.

rearing of hybrid Hyphantornis cucullatus x H spilonotus. 29

Whatever the cause may have been, nestful by nestful, tbe
poor babies faded away until, on going into the aviary one morning,
I was horrified to hear faint squeaks proceeding from only two of tbe
nests and the callous parents (three of them, for the cock was the
same in each case) turning deaf ears to the wails of their offspring'.
Obviously something must be done. I provided myself with a hat-
box, placed in it two hot-water bottles, covered these with several
layers of flannel and then proceeded gingerly to extract the young
weavers from their domiciles. This sounds a comparatively simple
performance, but, as one who has tried it, I may say it is nothing
of the sort. Inside and across the funnel-shaped entrance to the
nest (up which one has to worm a finger and thumb, and mine were
barely long enough for the job) tbe parent birds build a strong
barrier of woven grasses to prevent the eggs or young from falling
out. One has to surmount this, seize the young bird, haul it over
tbe barrier and guide its small body (which feels like hot jelly !)
down the little funnel ; no easy task with a tender, naked little
creature already exhausted by lack of food, and which one half fears
to touch. However, the operation was successfully carried out and
Squeaks and a still younger cousin from the next nest, dreadfully
feeble and pitiful, were safely deposited on their warm flannel. A
couple of fresh, squashed ants’ eggs were hastily thrust down their
gaping throats, (on the end of a match) they were cosily covered up
with more heated flannel and conveyed to my bedroom.

Then began an exceedingly strenuous time for me. The
second poor little bird died tbe next day — it never really recovered —
but Squeaks, after his first ant-egg, never looked back. At 4 a.m.
his first feeble chirp was heard (or at least heard by me, my alarm
clock being set for that unholy hour) and I leapt up to heat his hot-
water bottles over the Primus, for he was always dreadfully chilly
at that hour and could hardly be persuaded to eat anything until his
flannel had become thoroughly warmed and comfortable when he
“bucked up” amazingly and yelled for his food-laden match.

I fed him at first every half-hour on very, very tiny quantities
of squashed ants’ eggs and Egbisc-o ; later I got him on to Cecto
and considerably lengthened the intervals — to my soul’s comfort.
His next step in food stuff's was to boiled seed, and he is now at

30 Bearing of hybrid Hyphantomis cucullatus x H. spilonotus.

large in the aviary leading the ordinary life of a happy young
weaver-bird.

I sometimes fancy I catch a reminiscent look in the eyes of
his parents as they survey him, but Squeaks treats them both with
sublime indifference, as well he may. As I said before, he is quite
the dearest little bird that anyone could possess and his affection
for me is almost ludicrous. He knows my voice (and I believe my
step) and if I approach anywhere near the aviary he clings to the
wire shrieking a welcome.

His voice, by the way, is not the least amusing thing about
Squeaks at present. It is just losing its infantile quality and taking
on that peculiar, rasping note, characteristic of the weavers. He
retires by himself into a quiet spot and solemnly tries what he can da
vocally. The result is weird in the extreme and appears to astonish
even himself. It resembles more than anything the noise of a very
small, rusty and obstinate key being turned in an equally rusty and
obstinate lock.

One of his charming, if somewhat embarassing tricks, is to
perch on my head, and, firmly bracing both feet, tug furiously at a
piece of my hair, with which he desires instantly to begin nest¬
building, for he has the weaving instinct very strongly developed and
even before he could eat seed would seize on any little bit of wool
or grass and try to weave it into loops. My hair, being fair, strikes
him I presume, as a rich find of dried grass ready, so to speak, to
his beak.

I hope I have not made this account too long ; perhaps, in
conclusion, I ought just to describe the personal appearance of my
little bird, but on second thoughts will leave it to my husband who

is better at that sort of thing than 1.

* * *

[The above hybrid resembles the young of II. cucullatus.
It is, I think, a cock, and should it survive may show some variations
on assuming adult plumage. Until this appears 1 should not like to
assert too positively that the hen bird was II. spilonotus. 1 am as
positive however as one can be in the difficult matter of identifying
the hen, and, secondly, the more difficult task of assigning to her a
particular nest in a colony perhaps of fifteen others. M\ six weaver

on the Zebra finch.

31

hens have now hatched for the fourth time this season ; in addition,
shamas have twice hatched but not reared.

I am promised, by a friend in Siam, a collection of weavers
and bulbuls, some of which would appear to be new to aviculture,
but will refer to these upon their safe arrival. — R. A. H.]

THE ZEBRA FINCH.

Taniopygia castanotis.

By Dr. A. G. Butler.

In the Magazine for September 1915, Mr. L. Lovell-Keays
observes : — “ Zebra-finches die off in aviaries too. If it were not so
they would soon be as common as larks and linnets.” Of course he
means that they soon die off, but I think he should have said “ in
unsheltered outdoor — or in all-wire ornamental indoor aviaries”;
although, as will be seen presently, it was in one of the latter that
my last Zebra-finch beat the record for longevity.

I bought my first Zebra-finches I believe about 1890 and
bred the first youngster in one of my bird-room aviaries ; a year or
so afterwards I turned out my stock into flight-cages of about two
feet cubic measurement and therein I bred a few more, but not
many. Later I liberated three pairs into a covered indoor aviary
16 feet in length, about 6 feet wide, under a rather lofty slanting
roof of Hartley’s plate-glass. For several years one side of this
aviary was open to the air, merely being protected in winter by a
screen of canvas running upon rings, but in severe winters the
aviary was so cold that, whatever its occupants may have thought
about it, I sometimes found it anything but pleasant to enter it ; so
eventually I had the outer side glazed and introduced a radiator in
the outside passage to render it more comfortable.

The transfer of my Zebra-finches to this aviary was so
eminently satisfactory in its results, that I never again wished to
keep them in cages : they bred all the year round and the youngsters,
when only eight weeks old, began to set up housekeeping on their
own account ; yet although these very precocious infants built, laid
eggs and sometimes even hatched an egg' or two, I don’t think they

32

On the Zebra finch.

ever reared a family in their first year. I must have bred at least a
hundred of these little birds without the slightest trouble, the young
being sometimes reared upon dry seed alone : I tried them with soft
food containing egg and ants’ cocoons, but I came to the conclusion
that this was a mistake ; as the parents, owing to the stimulating
food, flung their young out of the nest and started all over again :
finally I gave them crumbled Madeira cake alone, slightly damped,
as soft food, and this answered admirably.

From time to time I got rid of pairs of this species to avicul-
tural friends who needed them, but I always had so many that they
were the prevalent feature of the aviary and their aggressive behaviour
when building rather interfered with the nidification of other and
much more interesting small finches associated with them. There¬
fore when (about 1900) a friend gave me an ornamental all-wire
aviary, measuring about five feet by three and perhaps averaging six
to seven feet high ; in 1902 I turned into its central and largest
division twenty pairs of young Zebra-finches.

I imagined that this toy-aviary, which still stands on the
floor at one end of my conservatory, would suit the little birds quite
as well as the larger enclosure ; but I discovered that, although they
seemed quite willing to breed, the hens gradually died off from egg¬
binding ; as a general rule such eggs as were deposited were not
hatched, and when they were, only one or two youngsters were
reared ; and even these proved constitutionally weak and died young.

By degrees the stock dwindled, the hens dying first and then
the cocks, until, at the end of three or four years, only three male
birds survived, and in course of time these followed suit, the last
expiring on the 23rd of October 1912. Before this time all my other
pairs had either been dispersed or had died, so that with the veteran
in the ornamental aviary my experience of Zebra-finches came to an
end.

Now although this species is evidently exceedingly hardy, I
came to the conclusion that it is naturally a short-lived bird and I
attributed this to the brevity of its period of incubation — eleven
days ; indeed I put the average duration of its natural life down as
about three years ; and so, for one of mine to have lived for ten
years, I regard as unusual.

On the breeding of the Chinese greenfinch. 33

Undoubtedly the Zebra-finch is pretty and the crouching
attitude of the young, with the beak turned upwards, when they are
being fed by their parents, is interesting ; but a species which in¬
creases so rapidly practically almost monopolizes an aviary, so that
other and more charming foreign finches cannot receive the undivided
attention which they deserve ; apart from the fact that they have
considerably less choice of breeding receptacles, and even when they
have selected a breeding-site stand a chance of being turned out of
it by the bolder and more impudent bird or of having their nesting-
materials stolen by it, whereas if they attempt reprisals they are
furiously attacked and driven away. The number of young Zebra-
finches reared in a brood usually averages from four to six, the
smaller number being most frequent.

I never succeeded in breeding hybrids with my Zebra-finches,
although I tried repeatedly both in cage and aviary ; but, as we all
know, some very interesting hybrids have been bred ; one of the
most pleasing being that with the Bicheno-finch, which has been
produced more than once : I tried to obtain it for several years in
succession but failed utterly. I thought I stood a good chance with
a hen Rufous-tailed or Star-finch, but she managed to tear her
abdomen against a tiny projecting fragment of the wire-netting of
her flight-cage and speedily died in consequence.

THE BREEDING OF THE CHINESE
GREENFINCH.

Chloris sinica.

By W. Shore Baily.

In the spring of 1914, I bought from Mr. Frostick two cocks
and one hen Chinese greenfinches, and when they reached me I was
very pleased with their appearance. They are very pretty birds,
somewhat resembling our greenfinch, but much smaller. Their black
and yellow wing bars and yellow rumps make them look when flying
as bright coloured as goldfinches, and I understand that they have
been exhibited at some of our shows as hybrids between Fringillci
chloris and Fringilla carduelis.

34

On the breeding of the Chinese greenfinch.

Their call note, when excited or alarmed, is more like that of
the chaffinch than that of any other English bird. I have never
heard them attempt to sing.

In the summer of 1914 all three birds were kept together in
an outdoor aviary, but no attempt whatever was made at breeding.
This spring a pair were turned into the same aviary and the odd
cock into an adjacent one with a hen goldfinch. At the end of May
I noticed the cock greenfinch chasing the hen, and on June 4th I
found that she had torn the top out of a rufous-necked weaver’s nest
and built herself a cup-shaped structure within. Five greenish -white
eggs were laid. These were slightly marked at the larger end, and
were, in fact, facsimiles of the eggs of our brown linnet. Things
went very well for a few days, when one morning I found the poor
cock greenfinch in a woeful state. One leg was damaged and a large
patch of skin and feathers was torn off his breast. He looked very
much as if he was going to pass in his checks, and my hopes of
breeding Chloris sinica fell to zero. However, the next day he was
better and he continued to improve from day to day. In the mean¬
time the hen sat steadily, and I still had hopes of at least seeing
young ones, even if she were unable to rear them unassisted, but on
going into the aviary on June 8th I found the nest and eggs on the
ground. I think that the cock weaver must have been the culprit.
There was certainly some excuse for his display of temper on this
occasion, as I have no doubt that he had hoped to persuade one
of the hen weavers to start house-keeping duties in this nest.

On the 12th of the month I saw the hen finch again building,
this time in a laurel. A neat cup-shaped nest was built entirely of
grey and white goat-hair ; this was lined with a few feathers and
two eggs were laid. Incubation commenced on June 15th, and three
days later, on examining the eggs, I found that they were fertile.
The hen alone did the incubating, and, on looking into the nest the
last day of the month, I found that two young were just hatched.
They were covered with white down and were queer little objects.
As the nest was within a foot of the entrance door and quite low
down I had every opportunity of watching their growth, as the hen
Hew off every time 1 entered.

On the 7th, feathers began to appear, and, on the 8th, their

The Avicultural Magazine.

Nest and Eggs of Chloris sinica, the Chinese Greenfinch.

Photos by W. Shore Baily.

Nest and Eggs in Weaver's Nest of the Chinese Greenfinch

(Chloris sinica.)

On Bar-breastecl firefinches.

35

eyes were opened for the first time. Both parents fed them assid¬
uously on a diet of seed, but a little bread and milk was also used
the first thing' in the morning. Insects I never saw them take and
no mealworms were supplied.

On the 13th one of the young ones left the nest, only to
return to it again at night, but the next day both birds left it for
good. From the first they proved very adept at concealing them¬
selves under the leaves of the laurel and other bushes, and as we
had at this time some very heavy thunderstorms, they probably owe
their lives to this fact. In colour the little birds were a pearly grey,
striated on the back : head and throat were a darker shade, the breast
and under parts being unmarked. Bars of black and yellow on the
wings and a yellow rump lent a touch of colour which was especially
noticeable when they were flying.

On the 21st they were quite strong on the wing, and, on the
22nd, were at the feeding-table with their father.

The greenfinch in the other aviary, although undoubtedly
mated to the hen goldfinch has, up to the time of writing, quite
failed to persuade his lady love to set up house-keeping'. I hope
that they will yet do so, as very pretty hybrids might be the result.

July 28th. The young greenfinches were practically indepen¬
dent of their parents, although I still see the cock finch feeding them
occasionally. He has again started chasing the hen. I think it is
likely that they may make one more nesting attempt this season.
I hope that they may do so as they are well worth breeding.

BAR-BREASTED FIRE-FINCHES.

By Allen Silver.

Although not quite so charming a bird as the common African
fire-finch, this small waxbill is always worth buying when examples
appear in batches of what are termed in the bird trade “ Senegal
birds.”

For several years now I have bought odd specimens that have
escaped the vigilance of the sorter and I have found them quite
easy to keep, if fed on small so-called “Indian ” millet, plus a little
“ spray ” and “ white.”

36

On Bar-breasted firefinches.

In this waxbill the sexes, according to the Museum authori¬
ties, are much alike, except that the male is larger, slightly more
brilliant and exhibits more pronounced speckling on the breast than
the female. I believe I have possessed both sexes, but I did not
hear the males sing, because the continual chatter and chirruping in
my bird-room would soon have totally eclipsed the performance. The
call note, however, resembles that of L. minor more than that of any
congener, but it is much louder and more frequently employed.

When at rest, L. rufopicta perches in a squatting' ” position
with the head low down and the tail elevated at an abrupt angle,
and, although not a wild bird, it is always more timid than a cordon
bleu or common firefinch. Its movements resemble those of a grey
waxbill but they are less elegantly executed.

Quite large mealworms were eaten by my birds and the hard
seeds of a Zulu cereal grass called “Nyuti” were successfully manipu¬
lated. Flowering annual grass seed heads were also relished. Every
specimen I have bought in good health, however rough, lived a
reasonable period ; the only two sound birds I lost died from drown¬
ing in one case and fracturing a leg badly in the other. 1 found that
separation was necessary to obtain perfect plumage in a cage, but 1
dare. say in a thinly populated aviary plucking might not (I say
might not advisedly) occur. There is no reason why the species
should not be bred easily, because it gives no more trouble to its
owner than a lavender finch, firefinch or cordon. When these birds
come to hand unsound one cannot expect to put them right easily,
but a deal of the trouble which arises with birds that are received
sound is largely due to the fact that no pains are taken with new
arrivals. One must not expect birds to do well if “ bundled ” among
a crowd of lusty associates just after a journey, late in the day or
during inclement weather.

Gardeners take care to separate and harden off plants and
manipulate them in a variety of ways to ensure success, and a some¬
what similar treatment should be carried out with birds. This,
however, does not bear directly upon bar-breasted firefinches, about
which I have little more to say except that they are mouse brown
little birds with wine-coloured breasts, eyebrows, and upper tail
coverts, and are speckled with white across, the chest. Their bills

Some notes on the transport ot birds.

37

rather favour in type those of the Melba finch than those of the
common firefinch, but the upper mandible is darker in colour. Their
eyelids and eyes are not the same colour as those of the common
African firefinch.

Coming from Senegambia and ranging from thereto the Niger
andWhiteNile (Upper), I should not advise “ refrigerator treatment,”
although they stand an unheated room without shivering in winter.
Butler, quoting Ussher. says: “They are one of the commonest
birds on the West Coast of Africa, being extremely tame and fre¬
quenting the vicinity of houses.” There is no need for me to waste
valuable space by employing an elaborate description of the species,
because skins can be seen at South Kensington, and possessors of a
fairly modern library of bird books are sure to find it fully described.

SOME NOTES ON THE TRANSPORT
OF BIRDS.

By Albert Pam.

Few members of our Society may have the opportunity and
good luck to bring back to this country a large collection of foreign
birds, but a few hints on the subject may be of interest and possibly
of use.

The three most important items to consider in this connection
are : (l) Cages ; (2) Feeding ; and (3) Cleaning. I shall deal with
.these in the order named.

(1) Cages.

These should be made of wood, strong enough to stand some
rough handling by being passed by crane over the ship’s side from
the wharf and vice versa. They should have battens at the top and
bottom so that, if necessary, one cage can be stacked on the top of
another, and so that a cage does not rest directly on the deck or
floor. Large cages should be provided with handles on their sides
to facilitate handling, and all should be provided with a canvas
screen fixed to the top ; this screen is necessary in very windy
w7eather and should be lowered at night, so that the birds are not
disturbed by burning lights or passing passengers or crew.

38

Mr. Albert Pam,

Perches should be provided for all birds, except vultures,
waders, waterfowl, and such birds as partridges, tinamous, etc.,
which live on the ground. These perches should not be fixed to
the cages but should be let into sockets at the sides, so that
they can be easily taken out and cleaned : they should of course
vary in thickness according to the size of the birds. For larger
birds one perch should be placed near the bottom of the cage, just
high enough to prevent the birds’ tails from touching the floor of
cage, while for smaller birds two or more perches should be arranged,
care being taken that they are not above one another. For very
small birds, like sun and humming birds, it is best to use natural
branches or twigs, leaving ample flight room for these as well
as for finches, tanagers, and such birds. It is therefore neces¬
sary that these cages should be fairly high, and a square shape
is very useful. For all larger birds the cages must be made low,
only sufficient head room being provided to allow the birds to
stretch themselves comfortably on their perches (when provided), as
they are otherwise apt to fly up when disturbed and injure their
heads ; this applies particularly to pigeons, doves, partridges, and
birds of similar habits. When a cage is fitted with perches it is
best to provide a false bottom made of wood, with a handle, so that
it can be withdrawn easily and put back ; the opening for this false
bottom should always be in front of the cage. If there are no
perches an opening should be left along tbe front, say one or two
inches from the floor, for cleaning and washing down, and it should
be made possible to close this opening, to prevent draughts, by
means of a strip of wood hinged from above.

For small birds the front of the cage should consist of very
small mesh thick gauge galvanised wire netting (I prefer the square
pattern to the round) and similar netting should be stretched about
two inches over the false bottom, as this tends to keep the birds’
feet and plumage much cleaner, the droppings falling through the
wire on to the false bottom and the food is thus not so liable to be
sullied. For large birds a cage front made of wooden slats or
laths about one or two inches apart, according to the size of the
birds, is usually best and cheapest, but care must be taken with
storks and others which are apt to peck and thrust with their beaks,

on the transport of birds.

39

as passengers and crew who go near the cages to look at the birds
are likely to be severely hurt unless ample protection is provided.

For small birds a wooden door should be made at the back of
the cage level with the wire flooring, and it should be large enough
to admit the hand and arm and also the food and water dishes. It
is best for the door to be let into slots so that it falls back by itself
and cannot he left open by mistake ; some arrcngement should be
made whereby all doors can be fixed and cannot fall open when the
cages are being moved ' about. For all larger birds it is best for
the door to he in front of the cage by arranging for part of the slats
to be fixed together and he movable upwards, care being taken that
this door runs easily and smoothly, as sometimes it may be neces¬
sary to close it quickly and without exertion. I think all swing
doors are dangerous, as many birds escape owing' to the impossi¬
bility of closing them quickly, and if they have a spring this interferes
with one’s freedom of action inside the cage.

(2) Food and Water.

Dishes should be provided for both food and water ; fairly
heavy shallow earthenware ones can be bought anywhere and will
be found useful for this purpose, but, as has been mentioned, care
must be taken that the doors are wide enough to enable them to be
placed where required without tipping them up. They must not be
placed under perches and must be cleaned out once a day at least,
especially the water dishes, as birds bathe in them and the water is
soon splashed about and dirtied.

Seed-eating and fruit-eating birds should not he placed in the
same cage, so that generally one food dish is sufficient, but for
fruitarians it is useful to attach pieces of banana, &c. to the front of
the cages by means of wire hooks. I have found it best to cut up
all fruit into fairly small pieces, as some birds like tanagers and
others very quickly eat off the exposed part of the fruit and are apt to
get a fatal inflammation of the eyes owing to the acidity of the fruit
juices if they insert their heads into the deeply hollowed out part of
say half an orange. Otherwise the feeding should be looked after
in the same way as in a bird-room, only, if possible, with greater
care. Fruit, bread, milk, raw meat, fish, rice, and vegetables can
always be obtained on board ship in any quantity, but all bird seed,

40

Notes on the transport of birds.

maize, and other cereals must be brought on board or purchased at
ports in sufficient quantities, allowing always for much greater waste
than would be reckoned with in a bird-room. For ducks, water-
fowl. and all larger birds, the food and water dishes should be of tin
and fixed to the front of the cages by means of a handle through the
slats, as otherwise, in a rough sea, the dishes are apt to get upset or
may be thrown about the cages and injure the occupants. Old
petroleum tins are very useful for this purpose and can be obtained
practically all over the world ; they can be cut to any size, are
water-tight and very easy to clean.

(3) Cleaning.

This must be undertaken regularly and thoroughly, at least
once a day. On board ship, for some curious reason, the butcher is
the official who is in charge of all pets and animals, and it is wise,
at the beginning of the voyage, to discuss with him the feeding and
cleaning, in order to find out at what time it is convenient for him
to help daily with these operations. This is essential, as he can
easily obtain the food required from the ship’s stores, and also pails,
sponges, fresh water, &c., in fact, anything that may be wanted.
I always make it a point to meet the butcher at the time fixed and
work wfith him ; generally he will be found to be an intelligent man.
fond of animals, and to be trusted to do what he is told, in case it
should not be possible to be present oneself every day. I usually
prepare a list before going on board, with the number of the cage as
stencilled on the side, the number of birds in each, and the food
required for every cage ; a copy of this list I hand to the butcher on
the first day and this enables him to requisition for the necessary
food every day.

Apart from the feeding hour, I always visit my birds at least
twice a day to see whether they require fresh water or more food,
the last time just before sunset, when I let down the canvas screens ;
these are raised at dawn next morning by arrangement with a
steward or a member of the crew, unless it is too windy, when they
are left down until the weather improves, or some re-arrangement of
the cages is possible to screen them or place them in a more shel¬
tered place.

The floor boards of the cages should he washed down when-

English Navies for the Parrots.

41

ever necessary with fresh water, after which they can be slightly
tipped forward to allow the water to escape through the opening at
the bottom which I have mentioned above. All false bottoms should
be scraped daily with a blunt knife or other instrument, and all stale
food removed at the same time. If this is done thoroughly it will
be found more sanitary than using a door covering. I have always
found hay most objectionable for this purpose, although it is in¬
variably recommended by butchers, whu think that cleaning is sim¬
plified by its use. Sand is difficult to obtain at sea, and saw-dust,
of which there is usually a large stock on board, is useful in some
cases, but should to my mind never be used except for seed and
grain eaters.

GENERAL. — It is always wise, when it is intended to bring
many and large cases of birds on board, to advise the steam-ship
agent at the port of departure of one’s intention to do so, so that
arrangements can be made beforehand to receive and house the cages.
It is also to be recommended to make friends on board with the
chief officer and boatswain, who can make matters much more
comfortable for the passenger and his birds if they are favourably
disposed, in the way of rigging up screens, washing down decks, and
moving the cages to more suitable places if a change is necessary.
The chief steward is also a useful man to know, as he can supply
delicacies otherwise unobtainable. With a little tact and care a
voyage with a large collection of birds should thus be made quite
easy and comfortable, and looking after the birds gives one an occu¬
pation on board which is very pleasant, as it breaks the monotony
of a long sea voyage.

ENGLISH NAMES FOR THE PARROTS.

By Dr. E. HOPKINSON.

{Continued from page 354. Vol. VI)

" Wellat,” native name of the KING PARROT.

West African Lovebird, the RED-FACED LOVEBIRD.

West Indian Green Parrot, see under AMAZON, BLUE-FRONTED.
WESTERMANN’S ECLECTUS.

WESTERN BLACK COCKATOO, see under COCKATOO.

Western BLOSSOM-HEADED Paroquet.

42

English Navies for the Parrots.

Western Ground-Parrakeet, the NIGHT-PARRAKEET.

Western Long-Billed Cockatoo, the next.

WESTERN SLENDER-BILLED COCKATOO, see SLENDER-BILLED
C.

White Cockatoo, the GREATER SULPHUR-CRESTED COCKATOO.

W'hite Cockatoo, Great, see tinder COCKATOO, GREATER WHITE-
CRESTED, and under SULPHUR-CRESTED.

White Cockatoo, Long-Billed, see SLENDER-BILLED C.

White Cockatoo, Red-Faced, the BLOOD-STAINED C.

White Cockatoo, Small, see under SULPHUR-CRESTED C., LESSER.

WrHITE-BELLIED CAIQUE.

White-Billed Parrot, MULLER’S ECLECTUS, see under ECLECTUS.

White-Breasted Parrot, an early name for the BLACK-HEADED
CAIQUE, see under CAIQUE.

WHITE-BROWED AMAZON.

White-Crested Cockatoo, same as GREATER WHITE-CRESTED C.
(q.v.).

White-Crowned Parrot, the WHITE-BROWED AMAZON, see under
A.

WHITE-EARED CONURE . = Pyrrhura leucotis. Native names, “ Tiriba
and “ Furamato.”

WHITE-FRONTED AMAZON.

White-Fronted Parrot, see under AMAZON, WHITE-FRONTED.

White-Fronted Parrot, Yar. B. (Latham). = SALLE’S AMAZON.

Wthite-Headed Amazon, see under AMAZON, WHITE-FRONTED.

White-Headed Lovebird, see under LOVEBIRD, MADAGASCAR.

WHITE-HEADED PARROT. = Pionus senilis. (2) An early name for the
WHITE-FRONTED AMAZON, see under AMAZON.

White-Headed Parrot, Var. A., see under AMAZON, RED-THROATED.

W'hite-Tailed Black Cockatoo, see BAUDIN’S COCKATOO.

White-Tailed Cockatoo.

WHITE-WINGED PARRAKEET. = Brotogerys tirescens, sometimes called
the Yellow-Winged Parrakeet, and Yellow-and-White-Winged
Parrakeet.

♦Widow Parrakeet, see QUAKER PARRAKEET.

♦Wilson’s Parrakeet, Latham’s name for the PHILIP ISLAND PARROT,
see under KAKA (2).

” Wtook-un-ga,” Australian aboriginal name for the BLACK-TAILED
PARRAKEET, the “ Rock Peplar.”

“ WrYLA,” native name for the BLACK COCKATOO.

“ Xaxabe,” same as “ Sassabe.”

Yellow and White-Winged Parrakeet, the WHITE-WINGED PARRA¬
KEET.

Yellow BUDGERIGAR, a cage-bred variety.

To be continued )■

Obituary.

OBITUARY.

43

CAPT. THE HONBLE. GERALD LEGGE.

We deeply regret the death of Capt. the Hon. Gerald Legge
who fell, on the 9th of September, in action at Suvla Bay. He was
one of the very best of field naturalists, a specialist on wildfowl,
and had a complete knowledge of ducks.

A correspondent in “The Field’’ writes: — “In disposition
“ Gerald Legge was one of those simple and modest natures that
“ appeal to men. The immensity of nature in his eyes was some-
“ thing to be reverenced. The rising sun, the beauty of a bird’s
“ wing or a lovely flower were things before which he stood hat in
“hand. . . . Such a man was at once ready to defend his

“ country. He was last seen lying mortally wounded on the ground,
and cheering on the men of whom he was so proud. That was
“ Gerald Legge.”

CORRESPONDENCE, NOTES, ETC.

A LONG-LIVED TANAGER.

Dr. BUTLER writes : — My second scarlet tanager (the last of my tana-
gers) died on the 4th of October ; it was getting very old and its appetite was not
so good as formerly, but it would have still been alive no doubt, only my man,
after cleaning out its cage yesterday omitted to give it back its food, and for a
delicate bird to be starved for twelve hours is decidedly risky. I have had this
bird for 1S£ years, which (I think) is a record.

HUMMING BIRDS IN CAPTIVITY,

Aviculturists will always be grateful to Mr. Albert and Mr. Hugo Pam
who were the first to attempt in latter years the keeping of humming birds,
and to Mr. A. Ezra who was the first aviculturist in Europe to be really
successful ; followed by our French member in Paris. What Mr. Ezra doesn’t
know, is not worth knowing about these birds ; and with the first two hum.
ming birds that he had, he brought them round from a dying condition into
perfect vigour, health, and plumage.

THE SWALLOW FRUIT-EATER ( Procnias viridis).

SIR, — I was much interested in the notes of Ecuador birds last month,
and noticed that among them there are examples of Procnias tersa or viridis.

This is not the first time we have received the bird, because several came
a few years back.

Mr. Maxwell had one which I identified for him on arrival, and I had it

44

Correspondence.

under observation until it died. It was a hen. The cock is a beautiful verdigris
blue bird with black throat, and I believe has one or two black bars on the
flanks. A male I have not seen alive, but I have frequently seen skins of this
bird in S. American cases of stuffed birds. Although it feeds like a tanager it
sits more bolt upright and resembles some of the S- American chatterers, our
waxwing and the manakins (Pipra), and of course has a frog-like rictal
arrangement. It is certainly as much at one end as Tanagridce, as Saltators
are at the other, the latter resembling cardinals more than anything else.
Euphonia as a group verges in the direction of this bird ( Procnias ), in as far as
outside appearances go.

The specimen I had under observation was a hen, although we waited a
year to see if it was in immature plumage. It was an enormous eater and a
distinctly uninteresting bird. ALLEN SILVER.

PREVIOUS BREEDING OF BEARDED TITS.

Dr. Lovell-Keays is after all not the first to breed the Bearded tit. Mr.
Richardson Carr has done so successfully for several years with three or four pairs,
and there has been apparently no difficulty about it. The aviary in which these
birds are kept is a large one with a pond ; reeds, etc., on the Tring Park estate.

TO THE MEMBERS.

The kind words that appeared in the October Magazine from the executive
council of the Society are very encouraging. Whatever harmful effects the great
and terrible war may have upon us in the future, we can at any rate congratulate
ourselves upon our coming of age, expressing the hope, as in the case of others
who do likewise, that we may be spared to live long and prosperously.

Then, too, those whose coming of age is celebrated, are accustomed to
receive gifts, and one wonders whether in spite of further taxation, some of our
members will think fit to make any offerings towards the heavy expenses of the
illustration fund ! That they will do all they can towards keeping up the
magazine by writing for it, I feel confident ; and if, as editor, I may be allowed
to personally thank those who have contributed in this way, I do so most
gratefully. Gentlemen of the medical profession who are always busy, but who
have had their work doubled of late, have set an example of what can be done,
and I feel sure the Society is especially grateful to Dr. Amsler and Dr. Lovell-
Keays. But it may be invidious to mention especial names, although I do it,
for there are other members, such as Lord Tavistock, with his long and interest¬
ing papers, whom one knows have been unceasingly working in connection with
the war.

Dr. E. Hopkinson we also cordially thank for his invaluable list of the
English names of the Parrots, a list which for some months has not only pro¬
vided us with a fund of lasting information, but has also saved me from many
a qualm and a sigh as to whether I should have sufficient ‘ copy ’ ! but the Society
thanks all those who help with their pens and purses.

Hubert D. astley, Editor.

The avicultural magazine.

i:Lm

TOWHEE

(Upper figure, female; lower figure, male)

Order — Passeres Family — Fringillid,®

Genus— Pi pilo Species— Erythrophthalmus

National Association of Audubon Societies

THE

45

Avicultural Magazine,

BEING THE JOURNAL OF
THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.

Third Series. — Vol. VII. — No. 2.— All rights reserved. DECEMBER, 1915.

THE TOWHEE.

By T. Gilbert Pearson.

[Reproduced by the kind permission of the Editor of “ BIRD-LORE:”]

Not all birds possess strong personalities. Just as among
persons there are many who are neither particularly good nor bad,
handsome nor homely, brilliant nor stupid. They play an important
part in life, to be sure, but they do not attract any great attention
nor arouse, on the part of the observer, any special interest or
enthusiasm. We all know such people, and I dare say most of us
have made the acquaintance of such birds now and then.

A Strong Character.

The above statement, however, does not serve to describe the
towhee, except in a negative manner, by calling attention to the
fact that it does not belong to the mediocre class, for it is a bird of
distinct personality, being endowed, in a very large way, with what
we may call “character.” The male is especially striking in appear¬
ance, and both he and his mate are filled at all times with an energy
and bounding activity that challenge the attention and admiration
of everyone who is so fortunate as to meet them.

One cannot watch the towhee long without imbibing some of
the purposeful energy which the bird imparts in its every move¬
ment. The ambitious and slothful alike may receive inspiration
and wisdom by considering its ways. I am particularly fond of the
towhee, and have long counted his friendship among my most
cherished possessions.

It is about the tenth of April when this bird is usually first

46

Mr. T. Gilbert Pearson

seen in the latitude of New York. In rare instances it has been
recorded in the winter as far north as Massachusetts, but such cases
are very exceptional. Virginia is usually the extreme northern
limit of its winter sojourn.

A Worldly-wise Bird.

As a rule it is not quite so trustful of mankind as are some
of our better-known lawn and garden species, as, for example, the
robin and house wren ; nor is it one of those shy denizens of
forests and open fields that rai'ely venture into a city. In fact it
occupies a somewhat middle ground, and to a more or less extent
flits between these two groups, and seems fairly well at home in
either situation, as might be expected of so well-bred a bird-of-the
world.

Its occurrence in town, however, would appear to be more
common in the autumn than the spring. It seems to prefer to
investigate the abodes of man during the period when it has no
pressing domestic duties and responsibilities. When nesting-time
arrives, therefore, it is best to seek for it along hedge-rows or beside
old fences half concealed by shrubbery, from the depths of which
often it will announce its presence by its sharp, clear cry chewink.
Abandoned fields, wherein briers and bushes have sprung up, are
also favourite places for the towhee.

Its Song.

One summer day, as a member of a Harvard botany class, I
journeyed some miles out of Cambridge, and afoot began a rather
laborious climb up the somewhat steeply sloping side of Blue Hill.
As we advanced, the trees decreased steadily in size until, perhaps
three-fourths of the way to the top, they became so scraggy that in
many places they had much the aspect of bushes. This change in
the condition of the vegetation must have been due largely to the
poor quality of the soil, as the altitude was not great. We studied
many plants that day, many of which I have forgotten, but I do
remember with great distinctness the songs of towhees, which with
marvellous clearness rang from the topmost bough of many a stunted
tree. This is the kind of situation it invariably occupies when
singing. The nightingale may sing from the depths of its myrtle-
bush, the veery from the bough of its favourite oak, and the gnat-

on the toiohee.

47

catcher from its nest, but, like the winter wren and the nonpareil,
the towhee must occupy the highest twig of its chosen sapling or
bush before it flings to the summer winds the melody of its notes.
Its song is not a remarkable performance when compared with the
singing of many birds, but it is vigorous and appealing. The song
of the towhee is the passionate cry of a love -sick bird, who will not
take “no” for an answer. Ernest Thompson Seton has told us
what it says. He asserts the bird plainly shouts, chuck-burr , pill-a-
will-a-will-a.

The Nest.

The towhee’s nest is often situated on the ground, though
sometimes we may find it in shrubs or low bushes. Even when
built in a bush it is always near the earth. In fact I have never
found one at more than a foot elevation. It is usually made of a
collection of dead leaves, strips of grape-vine or other bark, and
occasionally a few twigs. The lining appears always to be made of
fine, dead grasses. It is not covered over like the nest of the bob-
white, meadowlark, oven-bird, and some other ground-nesting species,
and is protected from the rays of the sun and the eyes of the
curious only by the twigs and leaves of the bush in which it is
hidden. Although fairly ample in size, it is in reality rather a frailly
built cradle, and usually goes to pieces during the rains of autumn
or the winter storms.

As may be noticed from the accompanying coloured illustra¬
tion, the female is less highly coloured than her mate. This is the
case with a great many kinds of birds, and it would appear that
when kind Nature made them she had in mind the fact that the
mother-bird would do most of the brooding ; and that while on the
nest her somewhat duller coat would not be so noticeable to enemies,
which, with claw and beak and tooth, are ever afield on the hunt for
little birds. She seems to know how well her colouring protects her,
and sometimes one may approach to a point where the hand may
almost be laid on her before she takes wing. Four or five white
eggs, finely and evenly spotted with dark red, are laid, usually in
May. When one approaches the nest, especially after the eggs have
hatched, the parents will immediately appear, and, flitting about on
the ground or from bush to bush, will anxiously voice their alarm.

48

Mr. T. Gilbert Pearson,

This will be kept up without intermission until the intruder has
departed.

The Parasite.

The towhee has one unfortunate weakness —it allows itself
to be imposed upon by the cowbird. The happiness and prosperity
of many a towhee home is ruined by this dark destroyer of wild-bird
domestic life. The cowbird, which makes no nest of its own, often
lays one or more of its eggs in the towhee’s nest, where they are
allowed to remain. The young cowbird grows rapidly, and often
crowds some of the young towhees from the nest. Later, when the
young leave the nest together, we may sometimes see a mother -
towhee engaged in the care of a young cowbird- impostor while giving
attention to her own young.

Its Food.

Some birds in the world seem to feed entirely on fish. In
winter, spring, or summer, it matters not, they must have fish.
Should the ice form over their usual fishing-places they fly away to
where the water is open and fish may be obtained. There are other
birds who eat only insects. Often they are not choice in the kind
of insects they have, but almost any kind that has wings and can
fly these air-feeding birds seize and devour. Our towhee, however,
is nearly omnivorous. Edward Forbush, who has spent a great deal
of time finding out just what birds eat, tells us that towhees are
fond of ants and of a great variety of beetles. They also eat hairy
caterpillars in great numbers. Those found in the neighbourhood of
gardens, or of fields under cultivation, frequently flit along the
ground among the vegetables or grain in search of cabbage-worms,
potato-bugs, and such other small creatures, many of which are
destructive to crops.

It will thus be seen that the towhee is a very useful bird to
mankind, and should receive the most careful protection by every¬
one. In fact, in most states where this bird is found, it is protected
by law, and anyone found killing a towhee is liable to fine or im¬
prisonment, and it is right that this should be so. They eat also
such things as grasshoppers, cockroaches and flies, and perfectly
adore the long juicy bodies of earthworms. Down South, where
they go to pass the winter months, they have another habit of

on the towhee.

49

eating which would appear to be a very unusual one for so ground-
loving a bird. Here, when early spring comes, they mount into the
higher branches of trees, where they feed on the swelling buds. In
the mountains of North Carolina some persons declare that towhees
(“Jorees” or “Joreekers,” they call them) go into the fields in every
spring and pull up the planted corn, just about the time it is sprouting
and beginning to show above the ground. The bill of the bird is
strong enough to crack a grain of corn, and it is probable that the
habit has been developed locally, as there would appear to be no
very widespread custom of this character. As a usual thing, how¬
ever, we find the towhee on the ground in a thicket, where we may
hear him scratching among the fallen leaves and throwing them
about with an energy and vigour surprising in a bird which measures
only about eight and a half inches in length.

What Audubon said.

John James Audubon, the great naturalist and artist, who
was such a close observer of birds, in writing of the towhee, said :
“ The young leave the nest long before they are able to fly, and
follow the mother about on the ground for several days. Some of
the nests of this species are so well concealed that in order to
discover them one requires to stand quite still on the first appear¬
ance of the mother. I have myself several times had to regret not
taking this precaution. The favourite haunts of the towhee bunt¬
ings are dry barren tracts, but not, as others have said, low and
swampy grounds, at least during the season of incubation. In the
Barrens of Kentucky they are found in the greatest abundance.

“ Their migrations are performed by day, from bush to bush,
and they seem to be much at a loss when the great extent of forest
is to be traversed by them. They perform these journeys almost
singly. The females set out before the males in autumn, and the
males before the females in spring, the latter not appearing in the
Middle Districts until the end of April, a fortnight after the males
have arrived. Many of them pass the confines of the United States
in their migrations southward and northward.

Although these birds are abundant in all parts of the Union,
they never associate in flocks, but mingle during the winter with
several species of sparrow. They generally rest on the ground at

50

Mr. Albert Pam,

night, when many are caught by weasels and other small quadru¬
peds.”

Besides the common towhee there are about fourteen other
kinds of towhees in North America, as, for example, the Oregon
towhee, Canon towhee, and Green-tailed towhee. The one which
most closely resembles that of the Eastern States is the White-eyed
towhee, found in summer from the coastal country of North Carolina
southward through Florida.

GRASS UNDER SWANS’ TONGUES.

By Albert Pam.

For some time past I had noticed that two of my black¬
necked swans were developing a curious pouch-like swelling under
their lower mandible. This “ pouch ” increased in size gradually
until it looked like a semi-circular distended sack of pink and veined
skin, having a depth of about one inch. I could not make it out :
it seemed quite natural and almost normal in appearance and did not
seem to affect the birds in any way ; yet my third black-necked had
no such “ pouch ” nor had any of my Coscoroba swans or other
waterfowl. I looked in vain for any similar swelling in the black¬
necked swans at the Zoo, and eventually discussed the matter with
Mr. Seth-Smith. I must confess that I thought I had imported
some variety of these swans having a natural “ pouch ” below the
beak.

Last week Mr. Seth-Smith came to look at my waterfowl
and I showed him the two swans, which are quite tame and regularly
walk up to the house for some special food. He examined them
with much interest and was as much at a loss to account for the
“ pouch ” as I, but said that he had never seen or heard of any
variety of the typical black-necked swan. We at last agreed that
the only thing to do was to catch one of the birds and examine the
swelling ; this was quite easy to do and in a few minutes we had
caught one and opened its beak. To our surprise, we found under
the tongue a hard black mass, which with some difficulty we ex¬
tracted and washed out the then empty “ pouch ” with boracic, as
it was slightly sore. We then treated the other bird the same way.

Crass under swans' tongues.

51

The mass we extracted weighed slightly less than half-an-ounce and
was nearly 1| inches long by 1 inch deep in each case. Mr. Seth-
Smith very kindly took the two lumps home and examined them
carefully by dissolving them ; he writes me that they consisted of a
fibrous grass or aquatic plant (the fibres being very fine indeed,
almost like fine cotton thread), matted into the two masses. He
adds that it is a wonder that they had not closed the windpipe
by pressing the tongue upwards ; anyhow it was very fortunate for
me that he was able to help me find out the cause of the “ pouch ”
in time, as otherwise I would certainly have lost both birds before
long.

These swans are of course great grazers, hut they eat grass
with all my other birds, and as I have said; none of these were
affected, although a fourth black-necked which died recently of
another complaint also had a similar “ pouch ” developing, which
may have contributed to his death. I shall now watch my swans
most carefully and on the first appearance of a pouch ” shall clean
it out immediately. I don’t think that I can prevent its formation
as I cannot stop the birds from grazing and I don’t know where
they pick up this particularly fibrous grass.

In the accompanying' sketch the position of the “ pouch ” and
its relative size is indicated.

52

The Marquis of Tavistock,

PENNANTS’ PARRAKEETS AT LIBERTY.

By the Marquis of Tavistock.

The sturdy, handsome broadtail, which has received the
rather unsuitable scientific title of Platycercus elegans — a name far
moi’e appropriate to the trim little Stanley — is, of all the true
Platycerci, the most vexatious to keep at liberty. Other parrakeets,
it is true, stray as badly, but the Pennant seems to take a peculiarly
fiendish pleasure in raising your hopes to the highest possible pitch
before he elects to desert you. Still, with perseverance, some
measure of success may be attained, the great secret with Pen¬
nants, as with rosellas, being to start with cocks which have been
many years in captivity and have passed through the taming ordeal
of the show bench.

My first Pennants were a lot of three young birds in patchy
red and green plumage and were said to be acclimatized. I lost two
almost at once from chills, probably through keeping them in an
aviary with a glass roof ; a glass roof is an abomination, causing
the temperature to vary to an extraordinary degree. The survivor
was released full-winged (it was winter at the time) and strayed
almost at once. It was caught and returned to me, stayed a fort¬
night, went away again and three months later was picked up dead
in a wood a few miles off. That it should have lived so long was
rather remarkable, for Pennants can seldom do without artificial
food when first released, although they ultimately become quite
independent even during the cold months of the year.

I next bought a pair of adult bii'ds in fine condition. I let
the cock out full-winged, but neglected to put his mate in a place
where he could easily see her, consequently I lost him the first day.
Then I got four pairs of newly-imported adults and turned them
into an enclosure with cut wings. Half of them left as soon as
they could fly, leaving two cocks and two hens behind. One of the
latter nearly drowned herself in a pond and we put her in a cage to
recover ; being apparently bent on suicide she got her head through
the bars and “ hanged herself by the neck until she was dead.” The
odd cock mated with a Port Adelaide parrakeet, but disappeared in
the spring. The pair stayed through the winter and in March began

on Pennants parrakeets at Liberty.

53

to look for a nesting-site. After examining several trees ancl finding
them not to their taste, the cock became convinced that a rain-pipe
satisfied all the requirements of a nursery and spent several days
“ puffing ” his useless find with all the energy of a promoter of a
bogus mining company. Finally, I suppose his wife told him not
to be such an ass ; anyhow he left the rain-pipe and cleared out of
the neighbourhood altogether and I never saw him again. The hen
was caught some miles away, but she did not stay long when again
given her freedom.

I had the same bad luck with yet another lot. Most of
them stayed through the winter, one even returning after a three
months’ absence, hut in April two died of chills — goodness knows
why — and the rest completely vanished.

Then, at last, I got a steady old cock, of the type I have
mentioned as being the most promising for acclimatization purposes,
and having provided him with a mate I turned him out with a cut
wing in the usual way. The pair stayed well after they had moulted,
but in the autumn the hen was appropriated by a yellow-rumped
parrakeet, for the male pennant, though a very fine bird, was an
extremely poor fighter. He had two principal call-notes, one of
three syllables and one of four, which so took the fancy of a Port
Adelaide who was also flying at liberty, that he soon learned to
imitate them so accurately that it was impossible to tell by the
sound which bird was whistiing. The plagiarist Adelaide was not
however in the least grateful to his instructor in music and treated
him with scant courtesy when they happened to meet.

As the yellow-rump— a most savage and aggressive bird —
showed every intention of retaining his ill-gotten bride, I made
enquiries for another hen pennant. A cock was sent by mistake
and I would have returned him if I had not been attracted by his
peculiarly beautiful soft whistle, which was quite unlike any of the
ordinary calls of his species. He was also very steady and had a
curious line of blue feathers running down the centre of his breast,
so altogether he seemed worth keeping and keep him I did, which,
as it turned out in the end, was really lucky. When I let him out he
joined the first cock, and for a time the two were very good friends.

At length I succeeded in obtaining a genuine hen ; quite a

54

On Pennants' parrakeets at liberty.

nice bird, except that she was tailless. I released her in the
presence of the old cock who took to her at once, but a few days
later he was ousted by his blue-breasted companion and again was
left a bachelor. Poor fellow ! he was really very unlucky and I
always believe he would have stayed and nested if he had had a fair
chance. But try as I might I could not get him another mate, and
one April morning I was only just in time to rescue him from the
yellow-rump and his first faithless wife, who were pitching into him
in murderous fashion and would certainly have killed him if I had
not driven them away in time. For some days previous he had
been getting more and more restless, calling incessantly, and I sup¬
pose he had ended by throwing caution to the winds and, after telling
the yellow-rump exactly what he thought of him, had fought until
too exhausted to fly. His defeat proved too much for him and he left
very soon afterwards. I regretted his departure but could not in
justice blame him for going.

Ill-fortune also attended the vellow-rump — perhaps he de¬
served it ! His mate nested in an old beech-tree, where he was seen
feeding her, but after a short time she mysteriously vanished and he
left before we realized that anything had gone wrong. Some weeks
later I had the branch cut down to see if we could solve the mystery.
There was no trace of the pennant at all, but there ivas a clutch of
half-incubated rosella eggs, whose unfortunate owner turned up just
in time to see her home fall crashing to the ground. Of course we
had no idea that the hollow bough had a second tenant or we should
never have thought of interfering with it. That the rosellas had
evicted the Pennant is most unlikely, for she and the yellow-rump
were the master pair in the garden.

Better luck however was in store for the blue-breast and his
mate. After inspecting a nest-box in a tree for some days, they
removed to a barrel which I had had let in under the roof of a
building, and there, only a few yards from the rain-pipe which my
first pair had so fruitlessly inspected, a brood of six were safely
reared. To my great surprise the young left the nest in adult
crimson plumage, a fact for which I can offer no explanation,
especially as the nearly -related Port Adelaide parrakeet, always with
me, wears its immature green dress for the full period.

Some grassfinches and other Gambian birds. 55

After this my luck with Pennants again waned. Two of the
young birds died, others wandered and the old pair failed to rear
their second brood. During the winter the old hen managed to enter
a building where she either starved to death or killed herself by
flying against a window and the cock and a young hen are the
only survivors. They have been occupying the same barrel under
the roof, and if they should succeed in rearing their young it will
be interesting' to see whether they are red or green on leaving the
nest.

SOME FIREFINCHES AND OTHER
GAMBIAN BIRDS.

By Dr. E. Hopkinson.

This year I had the opportunity and the luck to catch and
get home quite a number of interesting African birds, such as quail
finches and two of the rarer firefinches ( L . rufopicta and vinacea ),
These have revived an interest I have always felt, and have provided
material for the following notes on them and some other Gambian
birds. These with stray recollections and reflections, which crop up
as I write, may be of interest to readers of the magazine.

The Spotted or Bar-breasted Firefinch.

Lagonosticta rufopicta.

This beautiful little firefinch, so rarely imported, except as an
occasional odd one among a consignment of ordinary “ senegals ” I
have always considered nearly as rare in nature in the Gambia,
though in other parts of the West Coast it must be common ;
Shelley describing it as “extremely abundant during the spring”
on the Gold Coast, and giving its range as “ Senegambia to the
Niger and Upper Nile Districts. ”

In the Gambia, too, longer experience has made me alter my
opinion as to its rarity there. It is so very local in its haunts
that for years I looked upon it as rare, never having seen more than
a dozen individuals, as until recently I had never happened on to
one of the sites it affects. Now I realise that in places, few and
far between it is true, it is quite common, as this year I have found
one locality, where it is quite numerous and almost the only waxbill

56

Dr. E. HOPKINSON,

met with, while in two others it is found associating in about equal
numbers with the common firefinch.

This discovery, which has taken me thirteen years to make
and which came too late to allow much catching this season, enabled
me nevertheless to bring home ten examples. Another year, if
circumstances permit my visiting and spending sufficient time at one
of these places, I feel sure I could get as many as I wanted.

The places where one finds these birds are also close to fresh
water, but, in addition to this, there must be some other attraction,
although one cannot exactly say what that may he, unless indeed it
be the absence of long grass, so beloved of most of our little birds,
both seed and insect eaters, but which apparently is disliked by
these firefinches. The common firefinch one may meet with almost
anywhere, near water or away from it, in the villages, on the farms,
or in the “bush,” but rufopicta is only to be found in those very
few localities which completely fulfil its requirements, whatever
these may be.

I now know the general look of such a place so well, that I
can usually spot one at once on the march, and have my surmise
justified after a short halt to watch, by the appearance in the open
of some of these birds. Such a spot has a gentle slope towards the
river or to a line of shallow swamp-pools ; the vegetation consists
of low thorns and other small bushes, particularly a small leaved
evergreen, commonly known as the * Mandingo tea-bush,’ while the
ground itself is free from the usual long tropical grass, but sparsely
covered with a sort of twitch and other straggling grass-like plants.
If, in addition, a bare and rocky ironstone ridge overhangs such a
place on at least one side, one may feel sure that one has found a
haunt of these firefinches. It was in a place which fulfils all these
requirements, that I found them practically the only waxbill pi’esent.
It is quite a small area, as less than a hundred yards away on either
side, without any very obvious change in the general character of
the surroundings, except perhaps that the grass becomes rather
coarser and taller, not a single rufopicta will be seen, though common
firefinches, cordons and other waxbills abound.

Some years ago, in “ Bii'd Notes,” in an attempt at a trans¬
lation of Dr. Russ on the firefinches, I gave his very full desci'iption

some grassfinches and other Gambian birds.

57

of the plumage of this bird, modified by a few necessary corrections
and additions, which I was able to make from the British Museum
Catalogue description or from observation of some specimens I had
at the time. This, on the whole, was I believe fairly accurate, but
as such lengthy descriptions of plumage usually mean very little or
nothing to most people, to myself particularly, as it is so difficult to
visualise exactly what the words mean, that I will not attempt any¬
thing of the sort here, but be content with a short general description,
referring any seeker after fuller details to Shelley’s description on
page 262 of Volume IV. of the “ Birds of Africa,” or to the more
accessible “ Foreign Birds for Cage and Aviary,” (A. G. Butler),
part I., page 152, where Shelley’s account is quoted.

Slightly larger than the common firefinch, the spotted in place
of the complete scarlet-red colour of the male of its relative, has
brown upper and pinky-crimson under parts with very distinct white
spots or short bars on the sides of the breast ; the eye-ring is
narrower than that of L. senegala and grey not yellow. At first
glance the difference between the sexes is not marked, the adult
female (as described by Shelley) only differing from the male “ in
having no trace of red on the wings and a less amount of white
markings on the breast.” I think, too, one can say that the
crimson is slightly less bright. This red-on-the-wing difference
seems a really good diagnostic point, though it might not differen¬
tiate between a young male and the adult female. I believe I can

pick out a true pair from several seen together, but should not like

to attempt to sex any single individual, except by this wing-mark,
which though slight, is quite a distinct one, and then only with
a reservation as to young males. This point can only be made
out by handling the bird ; then, when the wing is spread out, one

sees in the male that the edges of the upper wing-coverts ( i.e , just

within the angle of the wing on the upper surface,) are faintly washed
with dull crimson, while, on the other hand, in the female not a
trace of red is visible on the general brown colour here.

I know of no good coloured plate of this bird. In Reichen-
bach’s “ Singvogel,” there is a coloured figure (pi. 14, fig. 38), but
this does not in the least resemble the bird it purports to portray,
or indeed any bird at all, except perhaps the Christmas cake robin, var.

58

Dr. E. HOPKINSON

papier- mach A This is one of the very few exceptions in this most
useful book, which contains 50 coloured plates, giving coloured
figures of at least four times as many weavers, whvdahs, and wax-
hills, most of which, considering the date of publication (186- ) and
the general character of the book and plates, are accurate and readily
recognisable. With this particular bird, however, the author has
not been fortunate in his artist, or perhaps it was a case of the
latter having to make bricks without straw and do the best he could
without a bird or its skin before him. If that was so and he had
to rely for his inspiration entirely on the short and anything but
accurate description given on page 19 of the letterpress, one need
not wonder at its failure, for this description would almost fit a
confectioner’s robin as well as, or better than, any living bird.

For some reason (perhaps the influence of the last paragraph
of Dr. Butler’s account of this species, where he gives Mr. Abrahams’
unfortunate experience with a consignment of these birds), I have
always at the back of my mind kept to the idea that these birds
were more delicate than even the common firefinches. My records
however of those I have kept by no means bear out this belief.

The first I ever saw were three I brought home among a large
collection (some hundreds) of Gambian seed-eaters in July, 1902.
These, the only three obtained, were turned into an outside aviary,
where one died in the following September. The other two I kept,
outside during the summer months and indoors in a cage in the
winter, till 1903. In October of that year I exhibited one at the

* Directly I had written this down I realised that I had got right on to
one of the many debatable grounds of present day aviculture, and feel certain
that it will call forth some rejoinder that firefinches are not delicate if properly
treated. Anyhow, I will warn any corrector, that although I have had to change
my opinion regarding the spotted firefinch’s delicacy, I shall never be able to
believe the same of the common firefinch or that ‘ hardy ’ is an epithet that
suits them.

The whole question of the hardiness or the reverse of any particular
species, and also the possibility or ease of breeding in confinement, depends so
much, it seems tome, on the individual, not only of the bird but of its owner,
that any generalisation from a pair or two, or from one man’s experience (such
as I am writing now) is of little value as regards the species as a whole. One
pair, out of several, all apparently in the same excellent condition, will survive
to old age (or breed, as the case may be), and one aviculturist will succeed where
others fail.

some grasstinches and other Gambian birds.

59

Crystal Palace Show, where, in a good class, he won a first, perhaps
luckily, as he beat a Lagonosticta niveoguttata and two Melba finches
Pytelia afra and melba. In the following November I sold him and
the other survivor well, the show bird still in perfect condition,
though the other, my notes say, was 11 bald on the head and rough
round the neck, but very lively.” In 1906 I brought home six
more, bought at different times from various catchers ; three of
these I gave away at once (one pair to the Zoo., where they lived
at least a year), while of the remaining three, two lived in the aviary
at Brighton till 1908 and 1909 respectively, and one of these was
never brought indoors at all the whole of one winter. This year I
have ten, all in practically peifect fettle. I have never had results
anything like this with ordinary firefinches and never expect to, at
any rate while my accommodation is limited to a small and usually
crowded out-door aviary and indoor cages.

Again, I have never lost one of these birds immediately after
catching, though this fact does not mean very much as an indication
of hardiness or the opposite, for most of the small African seed-
eaters appear to be ready-made cage-birds. One can catch a couple
of dozen in the morning, put them in a cage and see them settle
down at once and be feeding and even bathing within a few hours.
One really is quite surprised if one does die. For example, this
year I got some 50 to 60 firefinches (common and others), cordons,
etc. during April and May ; the whole lot survived to reach home — -
not a death from the trap to arrival, and (more wonderful still) not
one up to date, a fortnight after landing, either among those turned
into the aviary or those still indoors. I have never been so fortunate
before. Tbe casualties which have been nil or insignificant in Africa
and on the voyage, usually commence as soon as rail and cab trans¬
port is necessary and continue after the destination is reached.
These little birds can apparently stand any amount of land travelling
(head-porterage) in Africa and even the turmoils of the sea-voyage,
but English railways and their porters, combined with the change to
the delights of an English July, are often more than they can stand
and prove too much for a good few.

This year there was just one condition of travel differing
from what is usually the case on my journeys home with birds, and

60

Some grassfinches and other Gambian birds.

this may have been the reason, or one of the reasons, for the absence
of mortality. As a general rule the birds are kept on deck till
about the Canary Islands and then put down below when we get
into colder weather. This year, however, no live stock was allowed
on deck at all, but had to go at once right down into the bowels of
the ship to some place in the butcher’s domain and in the immediate
neighbourhood of the refrigerator. I was horrified at this in Bat¬
hurst when I came on board, it seemed so cold and dark, though
immediately under an always open hatch, and as the place was only
open for a short time at midday, one had to be most rapid and
punctual in one’s attendance for feeding, and if one missed the
proper time, the only means of access was down a long vertical
ladder, about as high as a four-storeyed house, the descent of which
would have been beyond me at any time, let alone on shipboard. A
refrigerator (and its products) is a thing of joy to the white non-African
non-feathered biped, but hardly the neighbour one would select for
African feathered dittos, but the results seem to have proved its
suitability as a temporary home for travelling birds, at any rate
mine all arrived in wronderful condition and without loss. Every¬
thing else it was true was in their favour. The voyage was the
quickest I have ever made, for even an African boat hurries herself
when submarines are about, and we landed in bright sun on what
was apparently the last warm day of this particular summer, while
the temperature of the place where the birds were kept, which
seemed so chilly in Africa, remained practically the same, about
70° Fahr< all the way.

How different it would be with most fresh-caught British
birds? What rate would be asked to insure the survival of any
fifty of these for three months even in their own country, leaving
out altogether any travelling risks ? Nor does it hold good for all
African seed-eaters, for some of these, for instance, quail finches
are particularly fragile and need most careful handling and treatment
until accustomed to their caf6 and new surroundings. Even bishops
and weavers, I find, when caught in colour, are not good livers,
though when captured out of colour do well, but even then with
them one has to expect some loss among fresh-caught birds. How¬
ever, this is generally slight and it is never long before these birds

Observations on the birds in a suburban garden.

61

settle down, after which they stand almost anything in the way of
travelling and roughing it.

A page or two back I called these little Africans 11 ready-made
cage-birds.” In addition to their general adaptability to circumstances,
an almost incredible happening this year gives me good reasons for
so saying. At one time I had in camp in one cage twenty-five birds,
including the ten spotted firefinches. One morning the “ boy” left
the door open and out they all got. Before sundown all, except
two, were back again, the exceptions being a couple of orange-
cheek waxbills, which went right away at once. All the rest came
back to their cage sooner or later and were easily recaptured without
any trap, merely by leaving a cage containing seed and water with
an open door, and shutting this as soon as a bird or birds went in.
This, too, in their own country and close to their native bush.”
The fact seems to be that after a little time in captivity, the birds
get so accustomed to the constant supply of food and water, that
having once got into the habit of eating and drinking, particularly
the latter, at all hours, they cannot easily do otherwise again, if they
happen to escape. In freedom, most of our birds only drink morning
and evening, some indeed only at one of these times, and spend the
rest of the day foraging for food, very often far away from any water.
Under the easy conditions of cage-life, as far as victuals are con¬
cerned, they soon lose their regular habits.

OBSERVATIONS ON THE BIRDS IN
A SUBURBAN GARDEN.

By 0. J. Stone.

The suburbs are often considered to be exceedingly dull places
and it may therefore be of interest to some to know that more bird-
life can be seen in them than is generally supposed.

In giving a short account of the birds noticed in a Sydenham
garden, I lay myself open to criticism, as my observations are only
casual ones and I do not pretend to have made a systematic study
of the subject.

62

Mr. 0. J. Stone,

Taking the birds in rough groups, and the commoner ones
first, we have the sparrows and ordinary finches. Greenfinches are
regular inhabitants, though more often heard than seen, and we have
seldom found their nest. This by no means applies to the chaf¬
finches, which build fairly freely in the garden, and are heard and
seen in large numbers. I remember once letting a hen escape, when
from every direction cock birds arrived, till within a few minutes
there must have been more than a dozen round the hen in a small
fruit-tree.

The most interesting nest of this bird which I have found
occurred in the ivy, on a low fence, just near the gardener’s shed.
We generally come across several in the fruit or May-trees, and one
pair nearly always nests somewhere near the house and becomes
tame when feeding young. The parents then come to beg at the
tea-table in the garden.

The contrast between the manners of the chaffinches and
sparrows is noticeable. The former come confidently, and with a
very superior hop ; the latter approach suspiciously and in a common
way, and, after much beating about the bush, fly off triumphantly
with a crumb, evidently pleased at having outwitted us. It always
reminds me of a boy stealing apples from a garden to which he has
been invited to pick the fruit. It seems to me very curious that
the rather dainty chaffinches should condescend to crumbs, while
the greenfinches, which, in an aviary at any rate, are such general
feeders, never beg and are, in fact, never seen near the ground at all.

Occasionally we see bullfinches, and once I caught a nice
young cock, but this year is the first in which I remember seeing a
pair together. They were sitting together on the bean-sticks.

Yellow-hammers have only been noticed once, when we
caught two hens in a cage-trap near the aviary. Coming now to
the commoner soft-bills we find- a larger assortment. I have always
looked upon thrushes and blackbirds as being a part of the garden,
so that I was quite surprised when a friend of mine remarked on the
number of blackbirds seen at one and the same time on the lawn.

The Starlings, also, work the garden systematically, in small
flocks, and used, I am afraid, to form the readiest game for catapult
and airgun.

Observations on the birds of a suburban garden.

63

There seems to be a robin for every clump of bushes, and
occasionally, as last year, one finds a young bird tame enough to
take a mealworm or caterpillar, especially a bright green one, from
the fingers, without previous coaxing. I believe these extra tame
ones generally fall victims to the cats which populate this neighbour¬
hood very thickly. There is always one robin to be found in the
rhododendrons near the aviary, and he seems to be always on the
watch, for, as soon as I come out, he is there, in case there is to be
a distribution of mealworms. He will tackle a cockroach, large
enough to strike fear into the heart of a cardinal or a wagtail. This
spring I was glad to notice his unselfishness in preparing these
delicacies for his mate, and this is especially satisfactory in the case
of a bird which can only be regarded as self-centred, naturally.

Hedge-sparrows occur in large numbers, but go quietly about
their business for the most part.

Wrens, blue and great tits are common, and I believe the
cole-tit occurs frequently. The long-tailed I have only seen once
personally and then they were high up in an elm tree.

Up to last year I had no idea that garden- warblers were to
be found in these parts ; but last summer one was found on the
lawn, apparently in some sort of fit. She turned out to be a hen
and revived in a cage, taking well to artificial foods, and after sur¬
viving through the winter, died soon after being turned into an
aviary in the spring.

Every year we see a few birds, which we take to be willow-
warblers, although they are not heard to sing. They are seen
especially about September ; a good many are very bright yellow
and may be young ones. Sometimes they are fairly tame and sit
on top of the aviary. I have also seen them, together with blue-
tits, taking a bath under the lawn-spray. Another bird, which is
fond of a bath, is the spotted flycatcher, a great favourite of mine.
They may generally be seen at the right time of year and nearly
always in the same place, on a low iron railing, from which it is
very pretty to see them catching flies. The gardener tells me that
he has sometimes so drenched these birds when they have come for
a bath under the hose, that he has picked them up and placed them
in the sun to dry. The birds evidently like him (the gardener) as I

64 Observations on the birds of a suburban garden.

have seen a robin sit on his boot while he has been digging, and
also on the barrow taking a ride.

We generally count on having at least one pair of golden-
crests about, they mostly frequent the rose-beds after the green-fly,
and I have never found their nest ; probably they come from a
distance.

There is one small soft-bill which we have not seen now
for some years and that is the tree-creeper; it used however to be
seen here at times. Blackcaps seem to come more frequently than
one would expect in such a neighbourhood. Three years ago I saw
them for the first time,— about August or September — a nice pair in
an elderberry tree quite close to the house. Next year they were
there again for two or three days, so that it is probable they were
getting restless about migration. Last year I heard one calling, but
this year, about June, I heard one singing well in a garden close by,
and only last Sunday, while engaged in hunting caterpillars for my
aviary, I saw a beautiful cock in an apple-tree within a few yards of
me. This brings me to the end of the small birds, and it only
remains to mention the crows and woodpeckers, and last, but not
least, the woodpigeons, much hated by the gardeners about here.
The woodpigeons nest in several places in the garden, especially in
an ivy-covered oak-tree.

We have not seen the green woodpecker here for some
years now, but we have had quite a rarity this year in the person
of the lesser spotted. I heard one tapping away constantly in a big
oak-tree, but never saw him till Mr. Staines came in one day and
pointed him out on a top dead branch. After that I frequently
watched him with and without the aid of glasses. He then moved
to another tree, so he may come back day after day till he has
exhausted the stock of insects in that dead branch. We are really
rather pleased at being able to boast of this bird in a suburb.

Of the four crows which have been seen here, two have been
known to nest, and two years ago a pair of jays, which frequented
the garden, were supposed to have done so too. The rooks never
will stay, though they often examine our elm trees for suitable
nesting-sites. There is a rather curious point in connection with
this nesting question. Almost every year rooks are seen about the

Review.

65

trees, and one year a large party of them stayed about two hours.
However, they did not like the place and it remained for a pair of
crows to try their luck three years ago. The pair nested in some
tall elms with hollow trunks and all seemed well ; but, later on, we
found three dead youngsters fully feathered in various parts of the
garden. The following year they tried again in the next tree, and
this time one live youngster was found below the tree and its parents
fed it for some days in a cage, and then it died. This year the
parents have moved to a tree at some distance. Now it seemed to
me that the rooks in council were wise enough to avoid those trees
while the crows were not. But lately Mr. Kay Robinson told me
that the matter is probably attributable to the brown owls, which
we have for some time suspected of living in these trees, and their
presence may also account for the desertion of this place by the
jackdaws which always used to nest there.

I fancy, however, that the owls are not completely happy, as
1 turned out a pair of squirrels two years ago, which reared a family
of three. It seems that they also took a fancy to these hollow trees,
for the owls now frequently hoot during the day, which may be a
sign that all is not peace at home, and there is little doubt that this
is due to the squirrels, who, as everybody knows, are selfish enough
to sacrifice the convenience of others to the gratification of their own
small wishes.

I find that I have forgotten to mention the cuckoo, which is
generally heard, but, as far as I know, has not been seen in our
garden. _

REVIEW.

BRITISH BIRDS. Thorburn.

[BRITISH Birds, written and illustrated by A. Thorburn, F.Z.S. With 80
plates in colour, showing over 400 species. In four vols. Vol. II.
Longmans, Green & Co., 39, Paternoster Row, London, 1915].

The second volume has been published (£1 11s. 6d.) maintain¬
ing the excellency of the first, and deals with crows, larks, swifts,
nightjars, woodpeckers and cuckoos : whilst owls and other birds of
prey occupy an important portion. The frontispiece of the golden

66

Dr. E. Hopkinson,

eagle is thoroughly up to the high standard of Mr. Thorburn’s paint¬
ings, the splendid bird being depicted in flight, skirting a snow-clad
mountain slope and carrying in its talons a hare in winter pelt.
The eagle owl is also honoured by a full-length portrait, solitary,
except for his mate with wide-spread pinions in the distance, amongst
the pine woods of the higher altitudes of the continent where this
fine owl is found.

One wishes the white-tailed sea-eagle and others could have
also figured by themselves, but the allotted space prevents this.
The paintings of the Greenland and Iceland falcons gives one how¬
ever another beautiful picture, which is difficult to obtain in the
case of most of the plates where one has a pot-pourri of a genus.

If one is to criticise at all, perhaps it may be that the figure
of the male cuckoo is not so convincing, for the bird does not seem
to be grasping the bough on which it is perching, and the eye is
slightly languid in expression. Mr. Thorburn might have depicted
our spring favourite as uttering its sonorous call, giving the eye that
glitter of gold which it has. By-the-bye, do our kingfisher’s crown-
feathers stand away from the nape of the neck in a crest-like forma¬
tion ? and the blackbird in the talons of the sparrow-hawk looks too
large compared with the slayer thereof ! But such criticism should
not prevent aviculturists and lovers of our native birds in their wild
state from adding Mr. Thorburn’s fine work to their ornithological
library. H. D. A.

ENGLISH NAMES FOR THE PARROTS.

By Dr. E. HOPKINSON.

( Concluded from page -il).

YELLOW CONURE, Conurus solstitialis. Old names, * Angola Yellow
Parrot, *Mexican Yellow Parrot, ^Brazilian Yellow Parrot,
Var. B. (Latham) ; Solstitian Parrot , *Yellow Parrot. Native
name, “ Kessi-kessi.”

*Yellow Maccaw-Parrot, Latham’s name for the GOLDEN CONURE.
♦Yellow Parrot, see YELLOW CONURE.

♦Yellow Parrot, Angola, see YELLOW CONURE.

♦Yellow Parrot, Brazilian, see GOLDEN CONURE.

♦Yellow Parrot, Var. B., Brazilian, see YELLOW CONURE.

English Names for the Parrots.

67

*Yellow Parrot, Mexican, see YELLOW CONURE.

Yellow-Banded Parrakeet, BAUER’S PARRAKEET.

YELLOW-BELLIED AMAZON.

Yellow-Bellied Broadtail, the next (i).

YELLOW-BELLIED PARRAKEET. (i ) = Platycercus flavivsntris, also
known as the Yellow-Bellied Broadtail. The “ Green Parrot ”
in Tasmania. Old names • *New Caledonian Parrot (Latham),
? his *Sulphur-Headed Parrot, *Van Dieman’s Parrot, and *Van
Dieman’s Parrot, Var. A. ( = the young bird). (2) See DWARF
CONURE.

" Yellowbill.” I

" Yellow-Billed Parrot,” 1 see un^er AMAZON, RED-THROATED.

” Yellow-Breasted Conure,” a common dealers’ name for the GOLDEN-
CROWNED CONURE.

YELLOW-CHEEKED AMAZON.

Yellow-Cheeked Conure, see SAINT THOMAS’ CONURE.

Yellow-Cheeked Parrakeet, the STANLEY PARRAKEET.

Yellow-Cheeked Parrot, (i) Latham’s name for the above. (2) Also
used by him for an Amazon, probably the Orange-Winged ; see
under AMAZON.

Yellow-Collared Parrakeet. (i) The YELLOW-NAPED PARRA¬
KEET. *(2) Latham’s name for the BLOSSOM-HEADED PARRA¬
KEET.

* Yellow-Crested Cockatoo, see under SULPHUR-CRESTED C. (2).

* Yellow-Crowned Parrot, a name of Latham’s; applied to two species

of Amazon, the YELLOW-FRONTED, and the common BLUE-
FRONTED A. See under AMAZON.

Yellow-Eared Black Cockatoo, see BLACK COCKATOO (1).

♦Yellow-Faced Parrakeet, see SAINT THOMAS’ CONURE.

YELLOW-FRONTED AMAZON.

Yellow-Fronted Parrakeet, see GOLDEN-CROWNED PARRAKEET

(2).

YELLOW-FRONTED PARROT. — Poeocephalus flavifrons, a near relative
of the SENEGAL PARROT.

♦Yellow-Headed Amazon Parrot (and Vars. A. & B.), see under AMAZON,
YELLOW-FRONTED.

" Yellow-Headed Amazon, Single,” see under AMAZON, YELLOW¬
SHOULDERED.

YELLOW-HEADED CONURE. = Conurus jendaya, also known as the
Jendaya Conure and Jendaya Parrakeet, from its native name
“ Jendaya.” The Yellow-Headed Parrot of Latham, whence an
occasional book name, Yellow-Headed Parrakeet.

♦Yellow-Headed Creature, see under AMAZON, YELLOW-SHOUL¬
DERED.

68

Correspondence.

*

Yellow-Headed Macaw, the TRICOLOUR MACAW, see under MACAW.

Yellow-Headed Parrakeet,
Yellow-Headed Parrot.

the YELLOW-HEADED CONURE.

Yellow-Headed Parrot, Var. A., see under AMAZON, BLUE-FRONTED.
YELLOWISH-GREEN LORIKEET. = Trichoglossus flavicans.
YELLOW-LORED AMAZON.

YELLOW-MANTLED PARRAKEET. = Platycercus splendidus, Splendid

Parrakeet (Gould).

Yellow-Naped Amazon, the GOLDEN-NAPED AMAZON.

Yellow-Naped Giant Amazon, ditto. See under AMAZON.

YELLOW-NAPED PARRAKEET or Yellow-Collared Parrakeet. =
Barnardius semitorquatus. In Australia known as “ Twenty-eight,”
“ Twenty-eight Parrakeet,” " Twenty-eight Parrot,” and
sometimes as “ Ringneck.”

“ Yellow-Necked Amazon,” see under AMAZON, GOLDEN-NAPED.

Yellow-Rumped Broadtail, the next.

YELLOW-RUMPED PARRAKEET. = Platycercus flaveolus, also known as
the Yellow-Rumped Broadtail.

Yellow-Shouldered Parrot, see under AMAZON, ORANGE-WINGED.

YELLOW-THIGHED CAIQUE.

Yellow-Throated Hanging Parrakeet, the JAVAN HANGING PARRA¬
KEET, see under HANGING PARRAKEET.

Yellow-Throated Parrakeet (Latham), the TOVI PARRAKEET.

YELLOW-VENTED BLUE-BONNET PARRAKEET, see under BLUE¬
BONNET.

Yellow-Vented Parrakeet, ditto.

Yellow-Winged Parrakeet, see WHITE-WINGED PARRAKEET.
Yellow-Winged Parrot, see under AMAZON, YELLOW-SHOULDERED.
” Zebra Grass-Parrakeet,”

“ Zebra Parrakeet,” old fashioned popular names for the BUDGERIGAR.

CORRESPONDENCE. NOTES, ETC.

HUMMING BIRDS IN CAPTIVITY.

A member writes to correct the remarks as to humming birds in captivity.
To begin with, it appears that Mr. A. Ezra was not the first to be successful,
but our French member who has a wonderful collection of these birds in mag¬
nificent condition. He however attributes a large amount of his success to Mr.
Ezra’s original treatment of sunbirds, whose food is the same as that of the
humming birds.

It was in February of 1914 that our French member set out to bring back
his first hummers, which he successfully did. But long before this they were
imported.

Correspondence.

69

In 1878 there were numbers exhibited at the Paris Exhibition and offered
for sale in small cages.

Monsieur Chiapella was partly successful seven years ago. Some twenty
humming birds were kept by a woman in Paris, perhaps some of those that were
in the 1878 exhibition ; and six years later 17 out of the 20 were still alive.
As far back as June, 1876, Milne Edwards quoted the case of Monsieur Vallet
who kept about 50 humming birds, including five to six species, flying in a large
aviary, but he refused to divulge the secret by which the birds were fed.

One of the members of the family of Rothschild in Paris also received
some, but they only lived a fortnight ; that was again in 1878.

In 1885 a French lady received two from Vera Cruz, one of which lived
for a year, and the other a little over that period. As is known, the late Mr.
Cholmondeley, of Condover in Shropshire, had a lot of humming birds about
the year 1878, which were kept in a conservatory, but as their food was not then
understood, they died after a while ; being given insects, the supply of which
could not be sufficiently maintained.

It seems a pity that when Mr. Pam imported some a few years ago, it was
apparently not known at the London Zoological Gardens how these lovely birds
had been successfully kept in captivity in Paris many years before.

H. D. A.

ADULT SPOTTED EAGLE IN HEREFORDSHIRE,

A fine specimen of an adult spotted eagle ( Aquila ncevia) was found on
the Brinsop Court estate (near Hereford) by the Editor’s gamekeeper, on the
12th of November. The bird had been wounded, evidently by a neighbour’s
keeper, for it was close to the boundary line in one of the woods which crown
the hilly ground. The eagle lived for two days but in addition to one wing
being shattered near the body, it had evidently received internal injuries. There
have only been about a dozen instances recorded of this bird’s presence in the
British Isles, and it is to be deplored that such a rare visitor should be ruthlessly
and stupidly destroyed. It would probably have preyed chiefly on the numerous
rabbits, and must have been a fine sight on the wing, although not so large as
the golden eagle. The Epirus, Turkey, etc., seems to be one of the chief habita¬
tions of this species. The specimen in question was a rich dark brown in colour,
with whitish spots, not numerous, on the secondaries, etc. and whitish upper
tail-coverts. Probably the bird was blown out of its course in the gale that
occurred at the time it was found ; from France may be.

PROLIFIC GOULD’S FINCHES.

Mr. BERNARD THOMASSET writes word that a pair of his Gould’s
finches have reared seventeen young ones this season, the same hen having
brought off thirteen in 1914. Mr. Thomasset suggests that these numbers are
quite exceptional.

70

Correspondence.

VICTORIA CROWNED PIGEONS.

SIR, — Would some member kindly answer these questions ?
i„ What sum would purchase a pair of Victoria Crowned pigeons?

ii. Where could they be obtained?

iii. Do they need artificial heat in winter time, and what food, etc.?

Yours, etc., GUY FALKNER.

The following reply is given.

It is doubtful if there are any Victoria Crowned pigeons to be obtained
now. Their price would be about £15 15s. a pair, or even £20. They do best in
a large aviary with grass, and need a snug shelter in winter time with peat moss
litter and bracken on the floor, although they can endure a good deal of cold.
Their food is grain of various kinds, but like many of their family, they are
fond of earth and mealworms, as well as different berries. They are ground-
lovers, but perch for roosting.

BREEDING OF THE OCCIPITAL BLUE PIE.

We regret that Dr. AMSLER’S hopes of having been the first to breed the
Occipital Blue Pie ( Urocissa occipitalis) have not been realized. This species has
already been bred in Lord Lilford’s aviaries in 1914.

FEEDING A KINGFISHER.

SIR, — I had a Kingfisher sent me about eight weeks ago, he was caught in
High Street, Maidenhead ; it appears he flew about the street and settled on
some iron railings and a cabman put his hand upon him. I suppose the bird was
dazed and frightened, for this species is generally gone like a flash when anyone
approaches it closely. However, he is in excellent health and has become quite
tame. I am trying an experiment and that is to see if he will do on any other
food besides live fish and I have got him to eat mealworms and he really likes
them and does well on them ; he has about ten large minnows or bleak per day
and also a dozen large mealworms, sometimes only half-a-dozen fish per day,
and then I give him two dozen or more mealworms and he is as bright and
smooth in plumage as if out wild. If he continues to do well and keep in
perfect health on a diet of mealworms, then anyone who has a Kingfisher need
not worry about its food when the rivers are in flood and no fish to be had for a
few weeks. P. F. M. GALLOWAY.

A BEAUTIFUL SUGAR-BIRD.

Dacnis berlepschi, described and figured in colour in “Novitates Zoologicse”
Vol. VIII., 1901, is a bird much to be desired. Its size appears to be that of a
British hedge accentor, the male having the whole of the upper parts, including
the upper breast, a gorgeous hyacinthine blue with shaft-stripes of silvery tur¬
quoise blue on back, rump, and front of breast.

Correspondence.

71

The lower part of the breast is brilliant fiery-red merging into yellowish
buff on the abdomen.

Hab. : N.W. Ecuador (Lita, Carondelet, etc.)

Perhaps "Mr. Goodfellow knows it.

COLOUR IN HYBRID DUCKS.

I lay no claim to being scientific in the sense in which, I take it, our
Editor meant in a recent number of the magazine, but I am writing this in
the hope that somebody who is scientific may be able to expound some theory on
colouration in hybrid ducks, which I frankly admit defeats me.

If one crosses a pintail drake with a wild duck, the result is, what I think
most people would expect, i.e. a bird just about half-and-half (lam speaking only
of male hybrids) the white of the pintail’s breast crossed with the chocolate of
the mallard’s produces a pale pinkish brown, in most cases white at the bottom
of the neck running up into a point at each side of the neck as in the pure
pintail ; the rest of the plumage is half mallard and half pintail, to such an
extent that anyone with any knowledge of ducks could tell at a glance how the
bird was bred.

Thus in the hybrid pintail X wild duck we get chocolate crossed with
white producing pale pinkish brown.

Now if we cross a rosybill drake with a wild duck, which colour should we
expect to get on the breast of the male hybrid? A rosybill’s breast is jet black
and a mallard’s chocolate, so surely we might expect some colour darker than
chocolate, yet the colour of the hybrid’s breast is a very pale brown, several
shades paler than a mallard’s, fading down to nearly white towards the belly.
Thus black crossed with chocolate produces pale brown. This is the same in the
hybrids between common pochards and wild ducks.

Now take the hybrids produced by crossing a common shelldrake with a
ruddy shellduck. The hybrid’s head and neck is what one might expect, black
with a buff patch on each ear ; but take the upper part of the breast, which, as
everyone knows, is pure white in the common shelldrake and chestnut in the
ruddy shelldrake, so judging by the result of white crossed with chocolate (as in
the pintail hybrid) we might expect a pale buff running into pure white at the
base of the neck. Yet the colour we do get is a fine rich chestnut, considerably
darker than in the pure ruddy shelldrake and with the tiniest white ring round
the base of the neck, and even this is absent in about 50 per cent. Then on the
lower breast and sides, where the chestnut ring goes round the common shell-
drake’s body and is also chestnut in the ruddy sheldrake, the colour of the
hybrid is paler than in the upper breast ! The flanks (again white crossed with
chestnut) are palish brown with tiny black pencillings on the outer edges of the
feathers ; also in the hybrids there is no sign of the black shoulders, so con¬
spicuous in the male parent, the upper parts of the body being practically the
same uniform chestnut as in the female parent, though in female hybrids the
feathers on the back are tipped with black pencillings. Taking the under tail

72

Correspondence.

coverts of the hybrids between rosybill (white) a mallard (black i one gets a dirty
white interspersed with brown. So also are the undertail coverts of hybrids
between pintail (black) a white-eyed pochard (white), again the same dirty white
interspersed with brown.

Thus to sum up, we have white crossed with chocolate produces pale
pinkish brown. Black crossed with chocolate produces pale brown. White
crossed with chestnut produces a darker and richer chestnut. Black crossed with
white produces a dirty white mixed with brown.

These results, to an unscientific person like myself, appear rather surpris¬
ing, and I hope some scientist among our members may be able to give an
account of the rules governing colour in hybrids. HUGH WORMALD.

PREVIOUS BREEDING OF BEARDED REEDLINGS IN CAPTIVITY.

SIR, — With reference to your note concerning the breeding of bearded
reedlings by Mr. Richardson Carr, may I suggest that in the awarding of a
medal to a member, some reasonable limit be considered as to what constitutes
an aviary ? When one can enclose a very large area where practically a full
supply of the necessary live food used in rearing young is obtainable by the
parent birds themselves, there is but little credit attached to the success. It is
quite a different matter when such food has to be frequently supplied in the first
instance by the owner of the birds.

This, as everyone knows, entails a large amount of attention and expense,
and is fraught with difficulties that do not present themselves in a place
sufficiently large in area as to teem with live food.

In considering such a matter, of course the species and size of the bird
would have to be taken into consideration, but when the average small passerine
is turned loose in an enclosure in half a meadow or large shrubbery garden, the
main commendation seems attached to the enterprise of the owner in spending
enough money to enclose such a place for the purpose.

Yours, etc., ALLEN SILVER, F.Z.S.

* * * #

We agree that Dr. Lovell-Keays has most fully merited the award of a
medal, and it is certainly a moot point as to whether he has not really bred the
bearded reedling for the first time in what can be properly termed captivity, a
point which should be, if possible defined. If no food of any kind at any season
of the year has to be placed in the enclosure that might make the distinction.

We hope that members will give us their opinion on the subject, and that
the matter will also be discussed by the Council.

As Mr. Silver truly says, the species and size of the bird would have to be
taken into consideration, wherein lies one of the difficulties as to a medal being
awarded ; for instance, supposing Mr. Ezra breeds humming birds in a London
flat, a medal is awarded him, and then a member writes that he or she has
already been successful with them in a vast conservatory where amongst many
flowers they found their own food, what then? EDITOR.

The Avicultural Magazine.

THE AFRICAN WHITE-EYE

(Zosterops capensis.)

Photos by Geo. Love.

THE

73

Avicultural Magazine,

BEING THE JOURNAL OF
THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.

Third Series.— V ol. VII.— No. 3. — All rights reserved. JANUARY, 1916.

THE GENUS ZOSTEROPS.

WHITE-EYES.

By Dr. ARTHUR G. BUTLER.

This group of dainty warbler-like birds was originally char¬
acterized by Vigors and Horsfield in the fifteenth volume of the
Transactions of the Linnean Society ; it was placed by different
authors among the bulbuls, tits, honey-eaters and sunbirds, and
eventually separated from all as a distinct family Zosteropidce :
its numerous members occur in the Old World “ from Africa to
most of the islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, and north¬
ward in Asia through India and China to Amurland and Japan ”
(Newton).

The term white-eye is used as the trivial name in scientific
works, but the dealers of England, adopting a translation of the
German appellation — brillenvogel, call the species “ spectacle-birds,”
a very apt term when one notes that the eyes are not white but
surrounded by a white ring : nevertheless the name has before now
led to confusion between the White-eyes and the so-called Spectacle-
finch of the genus Sporophila.

The prevailing colour of the upper parts in Zosterops is
greenish olive or mouse brown, the lower parts being yellow, some¬
times with the throat white and more or less tinted with bay on the
flanks ; the length of the bill varies a good deal in different species :
the wings are moderate in length, the tail short, the legs fairly
slender, but the toes strong. In its movements it is active and
lively and in some of its actions much resembles the tits, for which

74

Dr. A. G. Butler,

reason probably Horsfield called the Indian species the white-eyed
tit, though he placed it in the Leiotrichince.

Considering the number of species (Dr. Sharpe indicated 88
in his Museum Catalogue in 1883) it is remarkable that so few have
been imported into Europe : excepting during the breeding season
they are sociable in their habits, moving from place to place in small
companies,* perhaps family parties, and therefore should not be
difficult to secure in fair numbers, yet the four better known white-
eyes of Australia, India, China and the Cape are those generally
offered for sale by the British and Continental dealers.

In their flight the white-eyes are quick and darting according
to Gould ; I kept my pair of Chinese birds in a flight-cage where it
was impossible to form a just estimate of their speed when on the
wing. When flitting from twig to twig examining the under surface
of leaves or the tubes of various blossoms in search of insects they
assume similar attitudes to those of the titmice. In addition to
tiny insects and their larvae these birds feed largely upon soft fruits
and berries : Messrs. Stark and Sclater state that the Cape white-
eye visits various flowers for the sake of the honey, hut it seems
more probable that it seeks for the small insects attracted to the
honey.

The nest of Zosterops is always a beautiful object, though
like most cup-shaped nests it varies considerably both in depth and
in the materials of which it is formed ; more often than not it is
formed largely of moss, wool, and fine grass, ornamented outside
with lichen and lined with horsehair, or with fibrous roots and
grasses, but at other times it is more flimsy in construction and
consists chiefly of dry grasses and attached to the supporting twigs
by spiders’ web. In some cases it is placed in a fork, in others it
is suspended like a hammock between a forked twig and occasionally
it appears to be firmly bound to a single twig.

The eggs are pale blue, greenish blue, or bluish green and
unspotted, their number appears to vary from two to five in a clutch,
although most accounts lead one to the conclusion that two or three
is the more usual number. The situation of the nest is usually in a

* ADparently when they migrate these birds collect into large flocks,
sometimes associating with tits.

oil the genus Zosteropis.

75

bush or low-growing scrub. Both parents take part in the work of
incubation but not simultaneously, each therefore is able to cater
for itself, and consequently there is no need for the cock to feed the
hen on the nest.

The songs of these birds are not loud but are pleasing :
Campbell describes that of the Australian species as a soft, sweet
chattering warble, as if singing inwardly or to itself ; Buss says
that the song of the Indian species resembles that of the Grass-

Photo by Geo Lowe

hopper warbler; my Chinese bird sang a Cicada -like trill, Dr.
Brauns says that the Japanese species sings not very loud, but
charmingly : the call-note is a tiny staccato chirp, which I rendered
tsip-tsip-tsip in the case of Zosterops simplex ; it reminded me some¬
what of the note of our gold-crest.

Zosterops has been accused of being an orchard pest, because
it ruins a certain amount of fruit, such as cherries for instance, by
piercing the pulp with its bill ; but if it does take toll of the fruit,
no doubt it more than pays for it in the scale-insects and other
forms of blight which it devours : on this ground therefore it un¬
questionably deserves protection.

76

On the genus Zoster ops.

The white-eves are by nature tame and confiding birds, :: but
they resent interference with what they regard as their rights, and
Mr. Campbell’s account of the manner in which one of these delicate
little creatures stabbed an interfering Sparrow to the heart with its
bill proves that Zosterops is quite as quick at bayonet practice as
its human compatriots : perhaps it might be well to bear this in
mind before associating it in an aviary with meddlesome birds, it
might be disastrous for any who attempted to rob it of building
material when nesting.

After the breeding -season these birds visit orchards and
gardens where they regale themselves chiefly upon fruits and berries,
though they doubtless still continue to pick up such small insects and
caterpillars as they come across during their rambles. In captivity
a good insectivorous mixture with soft fruit, green fly and small
smooth caterpillars or living ant-cocoons seem to suit them well ;
potato chopped up with yolk of hard-boiled egg and moistened
sponge-cake make a pleasant variety in diet.

Like others of the smaller insectivorous birds the white-eyes
prefer not to settle on the ground, but they will alight on the edge
of a food-pan to feed although it is natural for them to obtain their
food while clinging to a twig, either above or below it. When
roosting at night a pair will sit close together in the most affection¬
ate manner like many other little birds, in which respect (according
to my experience) they differ entirely from at least some of the tit¬
mice.

Various essays have been made both on the Continent and in
this country to breed different species of Zosterops , but not always
with success. To my mind the most delightful account of the suc¬
cessful breeding of an African species {Z. viridis) was that published
in last year’s volume of our Society by Dr. L. Lovell-Keays, and I
was exceedingly sorry when I heard that the author had recently
put his collection of birds upon the market ; I only hope that this
does not indicate that we shall have no more interesting articles
from his pen.

Our Editor wrote to say that he had acquired a lovely pair
of the Australian species from the above collection, and as he
* See Journ. S. Afr. Ornith. Un., Yol. 3, p. 18.

The Avicultural Magazine.

Hill Tit (Leiothrix) and Zosterops capensis.

AFRICAN WHITE-EYE.

(Zosterops capensis.)

Photos by Geo. Lowe.

Spring in New South Wales.

77

possessed some most charming photographs of Z. capensis by Mr. G.
Lowe, which he wished to publish in the Magazine, he thought I
might like to write an article on the genus to accompany them :
of course I was only too glad to do so.

SPRING IN NEW SOUTH WALES.

A DAY IN THE BUSH AMONGST THE BIRDS.

By G. A. Heumann.

A day out in the bush on a fine spring day is truly a great
treat for the naturalist, especially for him who loves to observe
bird-life during the mating season. The Australian spring set in
very early this year ; wild flowers are plentiful, shrubs and flower¬
ing trees well forward and the birds have commenced breeding early.
It is said “ the early bird catches the worm,” which may be applied
to anyone wishing to see Nature at its best. One must get up early,
when the lawns and shrubs are still heavy with a fine greyish dew
and the spiders’ webs, busily prepared during the night, appear to be
studded with thousands of diamonds as the sun slowly rises from
behind the hills. To me it seems as if the earth is bathed in
torrents of tears, shed so profusely at present. Nearly all the birds
which have been away during the colder months are now with us
again.

The lovely notes of the thickheads, both the rufous and
yellow-breasted, are floating up from the gully to the hill upon
which my home stands. The melancholy call of the fantail cuckoo
is now heard everywhere. Upon the telephone wires the grey fly¬
catcher whistles its love song' to his mate. Birds everywhere, and
one often wonders where they all come from. x\s the sun rises
they become more animated. The love of life and delight of living
seems to permeate them. Now the spinebills are coming to hover
like big moths over the scarlet Salvia blooms until discovered and
chased by one of their species. The yellow-tufted honey-eaters,
a very- plentiful bird about here, are chasing, with vociferous pro¬
testations, a fantail cuckoo, their natural enemy. It seems to me
these birds are fully aware of the identity of this bird with the

78

Mr. G. A. Heumann,

culprit that lays his egg in their nest. The peaceful doves are
much in evidence, their cooing call from the top of trees sounds
from everywhere. In one of the big gum trees in my paddock
a peewit is already setting, and a pair of black - faced cuckoo
shrikes are every morning busily inspecting which tree might suit
them best for their home. A pair of little ground diamonds are
just beginning to make the burrow for their nest in one of the
trenches in my garden. These are exceptionally sweet little birds,
their call note is very sad. A pair of them have for years made a
nest in a staghorn hung up under the verandah in the house of a
friend and never minded people coming and going by them. The
curlews on my lawn are now mournfully screeching their love song,
and the spurwing and little black-breasted plovers join them in the
concert. The cries of the cagous could raise the dead, and it is a
good thing that we have no immediate neighbours. Wild jackasses
come to visit our tame ones and to laugh with them from fence and
trees. The little blue wrens, up to lately travelling in big families
of a dozen or more, are now split up into pairs. One pair has
stayed in our shrubbery and we know where their nest will be.

Already the beautiful note of the blood-bird high up on the
gum trees, where the first spring blossoms have opened, floats
through the air. Sometimes the mating call of the mistletoe birds
reach the ear as they fly high up almost invisible to the eye and
give proof of how far reaching these mating calls are. Watching
a number of honey-suckers in the garden of my friend the other
day I was interested in a number of New- Hollands which had come
probably from quite a long distance to inspect the Warratahs which
usually bloom in September. Not being out yet I noticed one of
the birds trying to assist the flower petals to open out by manipu¬
lating them by his long slenderly curved bill. The remarkable thing
is that Warratahs are wild flowers, indigenous to the Australian
scrub, seldom cultivated in a garden. Around Sydney — within
many miles — they are destroyed, and yet, when this little patch
which I speak of is in bloom, quite a number of species of honey-
suckers come to have a drink. What memory these birds must
have to recall that last year this time they had visited this spot,
found it good and so come again and again as the season comes

Spring in Neiv South Wales.

79

round. Day after day they pay their visit of inspection, im¬
patiently awaiting the time when the flowers are open at last.

But not only the birds and flowers give evidence of this
early spring. The ants, kept underground during the winter, have
come out, and the large blue-tongued lizards, eight in number, pets
of my little daughter, after sleeping these last four months between
bags in a cardboard box, have left their recent home and may now
be seen daily basking in the sun. It is a lovely time, springtime in
Nature, and how happy one might be were it not for the awful
catastrophe which has befallen the world.

As is usual with me, I spent again last Saturday in the bush
with my boy. Taking the western train early in the morning we
alighted at a small platform about 40 miles from Sydney. It was
an ideal, a glorious morning. Unfortunately, little original bush
is left in this district, farms and cultivation are dotted all over the
plain, but the few acres of rough country harbour all the birds
originally found in these localities. Here were still a few rosella
parrakeets chattering away in the trees, in spite of the persecution
of the so-called sportsmen. We noticed soldier birds carrying nest¬
ing material, and once in a way we flushed a pair of Australian
quail. A nest of yellow-tufted honey-eaters with a clutch of three
prettily-marked eggs we passed on the way, the old birds making a
dreadful fuss because we peeped into their nest. Occasionally we
came across a complete or half complete nest of tits, some already
with young, whilst the nests of the Sydney waxbill (redhead) or the
diamond sparrow could escape nobody’s attention ; they were very
plentiful, but generally high up compared to the tits, which built a
lovely little hanging nest, beautifully lined ; the redheads and dia¬
monds build a clumsy ugly structure. A pair of crows had built
their home high up upon a big gum tree and I dare say many a little
bird in that locality will suffer from their attention.

Whenever we met an interesting sight we stopped to observe
the habits of the birds, and to enjoy a sun bath like the birds them¬
selves on this glorious spring morning. On these occasions we
watched the building of the nest of the tiny red-capped robin, very
low in the fork of a tree. Once in a way the little hen, after having
put a few touches to it, would sit in the nest to make it a good fit

80

Mr. G. A. HEUMANN,

for its shapely little frame. For an outside covering she had brought
along tiny bits of hardened white moss, such as one finds on old
trees. To an unobservant eye the nest was absolutely safe. While
this little hen was busily working, her mate in his gorgeous attire of
scarlet breast and red cap was enjoying himself in the sunshine
catching insects. I could not help thinking how alike Nature is in
man or beast ; in many countries even now the women do the hardest
share of the work, the British race being pretty well the only one
where women enjoy the liberty and respect due to them. Perhaps
even amongst the bird- world some day a suffragette movement may be
inaugurated, and then there is no telling what will happen to the
cock birds. The yellow robin (popularly known as “ yellow Bob ”)
was already setting ; they are birds I always liked well, silver grey
head and back and bright yellow front. They are very cheeky
little birds, coming to the garden and are not afraid to catch up a
mealworm thrown to them.

Transgressing a little, I must tell you that whilst I am writing
now, a melodious grey thrush is sitting on the railings just outside
my verandah whistling gloriously. This pair is always round my
house, though they are plentiful everywhere, and I noticed them
carrying sticks into one of the turpentine shrubs at the back. Of
all the singers in the Australian bush they and the butcher birds,
the worry of my life, are decidedly the finest and inost pleasant to
listen to. However, to return to our excursion. It is strange how
one learns to look for and to find birds’ nests ; anyone interested in
Nature seems to possess the gift to put one’s hand on them as it were.

Leaving this bird sanctuary we travelled five or six miles back
towards Sydney to a flat part of the country where all bird-life seems
to have vanished. I remember this pla.ce to be an ideal one for hare
shooting, one could always make sure of half-a-dozen in a morning.
That day we never saw one. The unfortunate drought which has
passed over this lovely land last year has left its awful evidence,
even in so close a proximity to Sydney. Every few yards one would
come across the bones or the carcass of a sheep. They looked as
having died but a day ago, the fleece being held up by the ribs
which still remained in their natural position. It seems strange
that not even the skins were collected for they were heavy with

Spring in New South Wales.

81

wool. We also noticed lying close together two huge eagle hawks,
dried and just like the sheep. A brighter scene awaited us in a
little scrub a mile away, where a scarlet-breasted robin swooped
past us again and again, a sure indication that his nest was not
far away. We soon located it, and it was delightful to observe
them in their anxiety. The cock was one of the most exquisitively
coloured birds of this species I have ever seen. The chest a deep
red scarlet, the forehead pure white, glistening like a soldier’s helmet.
They are about twice the size of a red-capped robin and their nest
similar. This reminds me of an incident a good few years hack but
still alive in my memory. Riding leisurely on a hot afternoon
through the hush of the western district of N.S.W., suddenly a
magpie (piping crow), which had its nest just above in the tree
under which I passed, swooped down upon me, the hill and head
penetrating my hat. The pain inflicted upon my head and the horse
shying prevented me from ascertaining how the magpie behaved with
the cumbersome collar round his neck.

Crossing a paddock on our way to the railway siding my boy,
who was a few steps ahead of me, called out to take care, and stepping
swiftly aside he narrowly missed being bitten by a large black snake.
This is always the danger in the bush, many narrow escapes have
we had. This one was about six feet, of the thickness of a man’s
wrist, beautiful shining black, the belly and flanks fiery red, usual
only orange. Perhaps this was its first outing this spring, enjoying a
sun bath until probably trodden upon on its tail. It curled up again
immediately, and watching it lying there with head erect ready for
another spring the thought came to me that this snake was in the
right, I in the wrong, we w7ere the aggressors, the snake only defended
itself. It had the same right to live as I have. This country or the
world was not made only for one species of animal or reptile to live
in, and as if deriving my contemplations the snake uncoiled and passed
by us within 2-3 feet ; we never moved, she watched us closely. We
watched its trail for a long while till it disappeared below a fallen
tree. My boy would have dearly loved to kill it ; personally I coveted
the lovely skin, yet live and let live ! We felt happier as we talked
the matter over, that of the number of living creatures at our mercy
that day we never destroyed or even blighted the life of a single one.

82

Dr. Graham Renshaw,

CASSOWARIES.

By Graham Renshaw, M.D., F.R.S.E.

To those avieulturists who are fond of strange pets the writer
cordially recommends a tame cassowary. Not only are these noble
birds handsome in appearance, of marked intelligence and compara¬
tive rarity, but their nidification and breeding habits are practically
unknown. Ostriches, emus, and rheas multiply by the dozen under
European skies, but a successful breeder of cassowaries is rare in¬
deed. Tins is unfortunate, for the bright hues and shining sable
plumage of most species of Casuarius render them highly interesting
subjects for aviculture.

Cassowaries are hatched from eggs which in their coarsely
granulated surface much resemble those of emus ; but cassowary
eggs are lighter in colour, being first of a pale green tint, becoming
bluish and finally greyish on exposure to light. The chicks are
yellowish or rufous, and longitudinally shaped with black : as they
grow older they become entirely yellowish or rufous. When about
half-grown a ridge or keel appears on the head : the bare parts
of the head and fore-neck are of a dull leaden hue, the hind-neck
is dull red or dull yellow. With increasing age all these characters
grow more pronounced. The head and neck become brilliant with
gaudy tints — blue, scarlet, orange, lemon yellow or golden yellow ;
the keel rises above the head like a regular helmet, differing in
shape according to the species ; scarlet or violet wattles appear
on the throat. The plumage gradually becomes suffused with
black, until the rufous has been entirely replaced by sable : the
change from rufous to black appearing first about the breast and
neck, and passing gradually from before backwards. Some casso¬
waries have two wattles, others only one : a third small group has
none at all.

Coincident with these structural changes there is a marked
mental development. Young cassowaries are always tame, inquisi¬
tive, and good tempered. The smallest seen by the writer was about
one-quarter grown, it wras a funny little creatui’e, of a rufous brown
hue all over, without either helmet or wattles ; it was inquisitive
almost to a nuisance, and quite tame. This trait of inquisitiveness

on cassowaries.

83

is retained throughout life ; it is amusing to see one of these great
birds careering over a lawn, rushing forward with plumage bristling
and neck outstretched, to examine something which has aroused
its interest.

Cassowaries are playful when young, dancing and running
most absurdly. Sometimes they utter a ridiculous “song” composed

of a few grunting notes. Curiosity is also indicated by croaking
and grunting. Unfortunately most adult cassowaries are spiteful
and quarrelsome, kicking savagely and fighting each other, and
are vicious towards dogs and cats

A few of the more remarkable forms may be briefly men¬
tioned. In the two-wattled group, the Ceram cassowary ( Casuarius
casuarins ) has been the longest known, having been discovered as long
ago as 1596. It is a fine handsome species, which has often been

84

Dr. Graham Renshaw,

exhibited alive in Europe. The Australian cassowary (C. australis)
is another well-known species, of large size and striking appearance :
it is remarkable for the great development of the helmet and wattles.
Amongst one-wattled cassowaries the Casuarius uniappendiculatus
is the best known ; the first recorded specimen was a captive bird
living at Calcutta in 1859. The single wattle is situated in the
middle line of the neck, the hare skin contiguous being of a fine
golden yellow colour. The first example to arrive in Europe was a
young bird, exhibited in 1860 at the Amsterdam Zoological Gardens ;
it laid an egg which is now in the British Museum. In 1911
another specimen was living in the collection at Rotterdam. The
Bennett cassowary or mooruk (C. bennetti) is a good example of the
non-wattled group : although not so handsome as most of its con¬
geners, the tameness and good temper of this species render it a
very desirable pet.

The writer has recently studied a subadult female of the
violet-necked cassowary (C. violicollis)— a small but local species
supposed to inhabit the island of Trongan. The bird was about
three-fourths grown : the bare parts of the head were bluish like an
emu’s, brighter at the outer canthus of the eye and immediately
below the ear. The helmet appeared as a grooved keel on the
summit of the cranium : posteriorly it already showed the peculiar
yellowish horny hue characteristic of the species. The wattles
though small were recognisable, united at their bases and of a
fleshy colour : a bare tract of purple skin was seen amongst the
long feathers of the neck. This bird well exhibited the position
of the legs which characterises cassowaries and emus : the body
seemed as if accurately balanced on the top of two supple columns.
The specimen was curious and inquisitive, like all its race : it uttered
croaking notes and also a choking, coughing grunt. When squatted
down it still grunted, as if talking to itself, and pecked playfully at
the earth on which it crouched. The croaking grunt of this species
is uttered by forcibly expelling air through the almost closed beak.
The violet-necked cassowary feeds in the usual manner of struthious
birds — by seizing the food as with a forceps, and jerking it back¬
wards down the throat. The present example was in fine condition
and apparently acclimatised, since it would stroll unconcernedly

on cassoiuanes.

85

about its yard in a cutting east wind. The plumage (fulvous suffused
with black) was very curious. It looked as if the black was being
worn off, exposing a fulvous ground colour beneath : whereas it was
really the fulvous and not the black which was being replaced.

Cassowaries are vegetarians, and can easily be kept on a diet
of chopped bread, carrots, and dates. On the Continent at any rate
they can be wintered like rheas without artificial heat. In the
Berlin Zoological Gardens, however, they are kept in a superb
ostrich house, built in ornate style like an Egyptian temple, and
gay with mural paintings. The series at Berlin is very good : in
1903 it included Casuarius casuctrius (Ceram) and C. australis (N.
Queensland), with a two-wattled chick of undetermined species : also
C. uniappendiculatus (N. W. New Guinea) and two subspecies
named occipitalis and a urantiacus respectively. These two latter
are very handsome forms, the bright yellow hues of the neck being
set off by vivid patches of blue and bluish green. There was also
a Bennett cassowary or mooruk ( C . bennetti ) and the rare Heck’s
cassowary (C. hecki), the latter being the only known example of
its species. In Amsterdam the birds are merely housed in roomy
sheds, with free access to outdoor yards. At Rotterdam their
installation is very tasteful, consisting as it does of a pretty rustic
house, with ornamental roofs and gables, and yards for exercise in
front.

Although the high price and comparative rarity of all casso¬
waries is a great hindrance to a full study of their life history, some
small success has been obtained in breeding them. For this purpose
the best species is the Bennett cassowary or mooruk, which is not so
savage .and quarrelsome as its congeners. Thus a pair received at
the London Zoological Gardens in 1858 bred several times, the male
incubating the eggs. After seven weeks sitting a chick was hatched
on September 4, 1862, but it was unfortunately killed by rats the
following night. On June 17, 1863, another chick made its appear¬
ance, after an incubation of fifty-two days : this was weakly and
only lived twelve hours. On June 20, 1864, a third chick was
hatched, being joined on June 22 by a fourth, and both of these did
well, being looked after by the male parent.

86

Mr. F. E. Blaauw,

HUMMING BIRDS IN THEIR NATIVE
HAUNTS.

By F. E. Blaauw.

In 1911 I made a trip to South America, landing in Buenos
Ayres, after having spent a day on the way at Rio de Janeiro, where
I had seen wild sugar birds in the wonderful Botanical Gardens of
that town.

From Beunos Ayres I took train across the pampas to Puente
del Inca, high up in the Andes. From Puente del Inca I rode over
4000 metres high cumhre or pass, where “ El Christo de los Andes’’
watches over the frontier line between the Argentine Republic and
Chile, and having descended on the Chilian side I retook the train
where it leaves the tunnel at Canicol^s, going on in it until it reached
Santiago, the capital of Chile.

In Santiago there is in the middle of the town a rock or small
mountain, which has been planted as a public garden and is called
the Santa Lucia. On the Santa Lucia I was destined to make the
acquaintance of the old-gold-capped humming-bird ( Eustephcinus
galeritus.)

The Santa Lucia is at one end of the wide central boulevard
or ’Avenida” which traverses the town, and from where one has
occasional glimpses of the snowclad Andes. Facing the Avenida
gorgeous stairways of cut stone lead up to the Santa Lucia, hut in
other places little winding stairs cut in the living rock and overhung
by luxurious vegetation give a more private access to its heights.

One morning, during my stay at Santiago, I took one of these
little paths, and at about half way, following a stone balustrade,
the stairs formed an angle. In that angle a thin stream of water
splashed into a shallow stone basin, whilst Eucalyptus and Cypress
trees were growing near. The stone balustrade was overgrown with
scarlet geraniums and some fuchsias formed the underwood. As
I was leaning over the balustrade looking at the dowers I suddenly
heard a shrill scream, and behold in front of me hovered in mid-air
not four feet away from me an old-gold-capped green humming-bird.
It remained in the air for a while, then suddenly dropped into the
shallow water of the basin and began to splash to its heart’s content,

on humming birds in their native haunts.

87

all the time playing with the gorgeous old-golcl-coloured feathers of
its head. And as it was washing I heard another scream and a
second humming-bird hovered in the air over the basin. And as
the first one saw this it stopped washing and darted up into the air
and furiously attacked the intruder ; whilst they were fighting the
golden head feathers were in constant play, the yellowish spots
near the eyes seeming to sparkle from excess of colour.

And now another bird of the same kind appeared and began
to splash in the basin, and from all sides they were coming and
there was great warfare and a great washing ; sometimes as
many as seven were all bathing, whilst above the basin tbe little
warriors fought their battle, to interrupt it occasionally by suddenly
dropping into the water.

It was all not four feet from my face and it was a sight never
to be forgotten, and I thought that if I should see nothing else that
might interest me in Chile this sight would have been worth coming
for over land and sea all those weary miles. And after they had all
washed to their hearts’ content they one by one darted into the air
and disappeared. But they were not far away, for they sat in the
Eucalyptus and Cypress trees and dried their feathers, so that all
the beauty which had left them came back to them. And after
this they one by one uttered a sharp shriek and were gone.

I continued my way to the top of the Santa Lucia and
admired the view, but not all the glories of the snow-clad Andes
could efface the delightful sight of the home-life of the old-gold-
capped humming-bird.

From Santiago I took train to travel to the south and,
stopping at a small place called Angol, I had a twelve hours’ ride
to visit woods of Auracaria imbricata, which exist to the west of
that place. During this ride I constantly met humming birds of
the same species which I saw at Santiago, in fact I met no other
species during the whole of my trip to the south (March, April,
May, 1911).

The birds were apparently very fond of the wild fuchsias
which flowered profusely and often grew in big bushes in the forest.
They also visited the scarlet flowers of a parasitic plant, not unlike
our mistletoe which was often seen on the branches of the forest

88

Miss Innis Dorrien-Smith,

trees. The birds would take very little notice of my presence, would
hover before the flowers, disappear like a flash and reappear as
suddenly.

More to the south, on my way to the Nakuel Huapi lake,
crossing the Cordilleras again, I fell in constantly with humming¬
birds of the same species. Thus for instance they were quite common
on the fuchsias near the torrent behind Peulla on the lake Todos
los Santos.

In the splendid mixed forest vegetation between Puerto Montt
and Puerto Yaras I again met the same bird and, later on, one day
taking' a walk along the rocks which border the sea near Corral I
was surprised to see these birds as active as ever during an icy cold
windy evening amongst the flowering bushes.

Iii North Western Tierra del Fuego, where there was not
much vegetation of a kind to attract humming-birds, I did not meet
any, nor do I remember having seen them along the Smith Channel.

A little south of Queilen, on the east coast of Chilae, they
were very conspicuous near the big fuchsia bushes which grew there
near the sea-shore. It being the beginning of winter, the weather
at the time was very cold.

THE AMERICAN BITTERN IN CAPTIVITY.

By Innis Dorrien-Smith.

I kept an American bittern in an aviary at Tresco, Isles of
Scilly, for six years, from 1903 to 1909. The bird was caught in
the island of Bryher, the most westerly of these islands, and was
picked up by one of the inhabitants in an exhausted condition. A
strong south-east wind had been blowing here for some days, but,
in spite of that, it had struggled on to land from its long journey
across the Atlantic from America. No wonder it was exhausted
after a flight of 3000 miles !

Knowing I had various tame birds, the man who found it
sent over to let me know, thinking it must be one of my birds that
had escaped, and soon it arrived in a basket, having done its best to
peck out the eye of the rescuer.

on the American bittern in captivity.

89

The difficulty was to find food for it, there being' no fish to be
had owing to the rough weather. We tried mealworms and snails
with no effect, finally limpets off the rocks, and these it ate with
joy, and then some small conger eels were caught for it at low tide,
also fresh water eels in the pools, and then it began to recover its
strength, and on this food and also tench, caught in the fresh- water
pool, it thrived for six years, with occasional mice and rats. It
became very tame after its long starvation and remained so always.
Limpets were only given it when other fish were not forthcoming,
as it would only eat them when there was nothing else for it. It
had the most extraordinary long thin tongue, which it stuck out
like a long hat pin when it was hungry, and also made a strange
croaking noise, which seemed to be its only sound, and never the
booming noise of the common bittern.

The American bittern is a smaller bird than the common
bittern and a more chocolate colour on its back, with a long dark
patch on each side of its neck. It had a wonderful habit of stand¬
ing as if it was stuffed, with its eyes fixed as if contemplating
making a dart at one’s own ; indeed it did one day at the boy who
fed it, but luckily without hurting him. It also had a most sedate
walk, picking up its feet very carefully at each step, and, like the
common bittern, had a wonderful power of elongating its neck like
a telescope and then hunching its shoulders and looking as if it had
no neck at all. It died the death so many birds seem to die, eating
heartily but getting thinner and thinner, till at last they drop off.
I was very sorry indeed to lose him as he was such a curiosity and
a bird with much character. He is now stuffed and in a glass case,
but he looks so natural I expect to hear his croak and see his long
tongue come out asking for food.

One day he had escaped from the aviary he was kept in, the
door having been somehow left unfastened, a tremendous hue and
cry took place as soon as the empty aviary was discovered ; the
bird not being pinioned nor its feathers cut, but having been in
captivity for some time it, could not fly well. My brother rushed
for a gun, but I was determined to catch it alive somehow, and as
it attempted to rise at the edge of the fresh water pool I just

90

Our winter breakfast guests.

managed to get a landing net over its head before it got out of reach
and took it safely back to its old home.

I found they had an American bittern at the Zoological
Gardens, which oddly enough had been caught about the same
time, but a long way from here, down near the Azores. It was
caught I understand on a passing steamer. Possibly it left America
when mine did, as it was strange they should have appeared so
far from their home in a westerly direction about the same time.

OUR WINTER BREAKFAST GUESTS.

By Katharine Currey.

After enjoying the society during last winter of our friendly
pair of great tits, who came regularly every morning to the window
for monkey-nuts, as the spring advanced their visits became less
regular, till, as spring gave place to summer, neither came. With
the change of seasons of course their dietary changed, and the
garden furnished sufficient variety of delicacies for the greatest of
avian epicures. The old monkey-nuts were quite a thing of the
past. Sometimes in the daytime the tit called at the window, but
when a nut was laid out he sniffed at it, called again and was gone :
the garden was soon full of tits. One day in summer one of them
appeared at the window bedraggled and worn and came for nuts,
On the Ilex branch opposite sat a most beautiful young tit in grand
plumage, who was evidently being introduced to the larders. The
parent bird carried off' the nut laid out on the window-sill and the
young one ffew after him or her, I do not know the pair of great
tits apart. The young one was now often brought to the window
and waited for nuts, but I never saw him take one. One day I
strewed some bread on the window-sill for them ; they came, called,
peered at the bread, called again, and finally darted off uttering a
loud cry, probably of disgust.

It remains to be seen as harder weather sets in, whether
our little breakfast guests will resume their visits. One curious fact
in connection with them is worth mentioning : a hen sparrow used
to haunt our little pair, dodging their ‘ footsteps ’ and pushing her

Notes.

91

way in to get the nuts first. Then a cock sparrow appeared and
asserted himself to the obvious annoyance of the tits. If they
appeared on the Ilex bough the sparrows would be on a branch
above ; sometimes the sparrows would arrive first, or the hen alone
(she was the most persistent) and became bolder and bolder. Then
one morning the hen sparrow fluttered at the window in imitation
of the tit, and having once done so she perpetually repeated the
performance till the tits were fairly driven off the field for a time,
but as the wretched poachers got nothing, and after a time left off
coming, the tits returned. The sparrow is a consummate actor, and
it would be hard to find a more vulgar bird, no amount of snubbing
ever has any effect on him.

NOTES.

The Lesson’s amazon ( Chrysotis lilacina ) which Mr. Astley
has, is an extremely gentle bird, but beyond uttering a low chuckling
laugh, never makes any other sound. Amazons usually scream more
or less at times ; whether all Lesson’s amazons are equally quiet, one
doesn’t know. This particular bird delights in coming out and in
sitting on a knee or a shoulder, and will nibble gentle at his owner’s
ears until its head is scratched,

This bird was brought by Mr. Goodfellow from Ecuador in
Mr. Brook’s collection. As yet it seems to have but poor powers of
mimicry. The cleverest species of amazon is perhaps Levaillant’s,
the double-fronted, which often learns to sing songs, etc.

Mr. Astley has one in Italy which will sing parts of Italian
operas in a soprano voice, ending in high notes, quite & la Melba !
The bird really improvises, and also sings a well-known Italian song
‘ Canta Carmel,’ most beautifully, and does it when told to.

The imitation of an Italian child falling down, and bursting
into tearful screams, calling for its mother, is wonderful ; the sobs
gradually dying down as the child finds comforts. Amazon parrots
do not as a rule enunciate words so clearly as grey parrots, but at
singing and crying, etc., they are perhaps more adept.

''f- 'l' 'i' 'l'

92

Notes.

During the hard and continuous frosts in November, when
there were as much as 17 degrees at the very least, cordon bleus and
African fire-finches (common) seemed perfectly happy in Mr. Astley’s
outdoor aviaries, although of course they are in a warmed shelter,
with the windows open however, of a night. But as soon as it is
light theyare flying about in the open, and bathe later on in icy-cold
water. And a pair of violet-eared waxbills is equally well-to-do.

:K * '.'fi *

When the birds do become acclimatized, they are far better
out, than in.

A Cape robin-chat ( Gossypha caff r a ) sings most sweetly on
winter mornings, when one feels anything but song-like oneself !
And pink-crested touracos look none the worse either. They bathe
in pools from which the ice has just been removed ! and seem to
feel the cold less than the American blue-birds.

* * * *

One day in December, when a stiff north-westerly wind was
blowing, and the sun shining really brightly for the time of year,
Mr. Astley, busily planting box-bushes in his aviaries, attracted the
curiosity of six Queen Alexandra parrakeets, three male hooded
(golden-shouldered), two Barrabands, and a pair of King parrots,
all of which were running about on the lawn close to him ; a galaxy
of colour well worth seeing. Bose-pink, mauve blue and bright
yellow-green on the * Queen Alexandras,’ vivid verdigris blue-green
and daffodil-yellow on the hooded parrakeets, intense scarlet and
rich green on the King, and the male Barraband with his resplendent
green body, and golden-yellow throat edged with a scarlet band.
And all in the pink of condition,

* ^ 5K *

On a bare tree, close by, in the larger aviary in which the
owner was at work, sat a red cardinal, as red as red could be, and
just behind him, so that the two patches of colour touched each
other, was a male bluebird.

Review.

93

REVIEW.

VIGOUR AND HEREDITY.*

In commenting upon this extremely interesting book, we can
only touch upon certain points and theories which are especially
connected with aviculture, although probably many of our members
will peruse the chapters dealing with mammals with equal zest.
The theory that has in part brought Mr. Bonhote’s book into being
is, having regard to birds, that their song, their colouring, their
fertility in reproduction, etc. is due to “ vigour,” and that fluctuations
of this inward force are caused by environment, of which the main
factors are temperature, humidity, and food. The writer claims that
the general colouration of mammals and birds throughout the world
is governed by these factors.

In this one cannot altogether agree. Surely changes in colour¬
ation in summer and winter are greatly due to outward surroundings
for causes of concealment. Is the Snowy owl or the Iceland falcon
less vigorous than the raven, and do not the two former assume
white to conceal themselves from their prey, which, as in the case
of the ptarmigan or the hare, also happens in order to be less visible
to the enemy ; whilst the raven, a carrion-feeder and not preyed
upon, finds no need to change his black coat. The British king¬
fisher, although finding his food with difficulty in a hard winter, has
not yet become less tropical in colouring, although for many genera¬
tions his kind would frequently suffer more privations than let us
say, the common sparrow, and therefore decline in vigour. And is
colouring “ largely an index of vigour,” and not more chiefly for
protection from enemies and for asthetic objects? We can under¬
stand that through loss of vigour there follows a loss of colouring,
but we feel that the colouring, although the result of vigour, has
FOE ITS FINAL' OBJECT something beyond that.

We take as examples the females of pheasants and ducks,
wThose colouring closely resembles the surroundings when on their
nests ; and the gorgeous colouring of the males, as in the golden

* Vigour and Heredity, by J. LEWIS BONHOTE, M.A., F.L.S., F.Z.S.,
with coloured and uncoloured plates, and diagrams in text, price 10/6.

London. WEST, NEWMAN & Co., 54, Hatton Garden. 1915.

94

Review

pheasant, the peacock, the Mandarin duck and so on, which beauty
is so evidently used as an attraction to the females.

Mr. Bonhote says : “ More heat, better and more abundant
“ food, more time between the periodic breeding season and the cold
“ of winter, or the gentle advent of spring ; all these are causes
“ which may and do affect the ‘ vigour ’ of the individual, and it is
vigour ’ which we are suggesting as the main factor by which
“ colour is influenced, and not the direct act of environment.” Yet
there seems no rule to this theory, for the European male bullfinch
in a wild state, and we quite realize that a decline in brilliancy of
the red breast in captivity is due to a lack of vigour, is just as bright
in colouring in winter as in spring, whilst the common sparrow, and
never was there a more vigorous bird, remains what we see it. Is
the bullfinch more full of “ vigour” than the linnet, that the former
keeps his brilliant colour throughout the year, whilst the latter dons
it in the springtime ? All this is puzzling. If the duller colouring
of female birds in many species is due to the fact that their “vigour”
is used up in the cares and strain of maternity, why do we find that
in the case of birds nesting in holes of trees and banks, where they
are entirely concealed from sight, the females are often quite as
brilliant as the males ? for instance, kingfishers, and some of the
parrots and bee-eaters, titmice, nuthatches, etc. Incidentally, why,
and perhaps Mr. Bonhote himself would very kindly suggest an
explanation, why does the pigment which produces red, fade so much
more easily in captivity than green or blue, etc. ? as in the case of
the red cardinal, red sunbird, the linnet, the sepoy finch. Yet the
golden pheasant’s breast retains its brilliancy. Some of our mem¬
bers might make more of a study of these facts As Mr. Bonhote
says : “ The keynote of the fanciers’ method is “ individuality.” . . .
“ To be able to draw any deductions or formulate any hypothesis
“ from the study of individuals entails the making of numerous
“ notes and observations over a considerable period of time ; and is
“ work which should be undoubtedly done by zoological gardens.
“ . . . We are generally told the number of visitors, the amount of
money received (and so on). We are not told the sexes of the
“ animals bred, the period of gestation or incubation, any peculiar
“ mating or nesting habits, etc., etc.”

CorresjJondence.

95

The Avicultural Society has to a certain extent striven to do
this in accounts of the breeding of species in members’ aviaries,
and we might attempt more thoroughness on these lines, for how
greatly interesting it would be if we had such a detailed account of
how the blue variety of the budgerigar, of which alas ! so few in¬
dividuals remain, came into being. No doubt, as Mr. Bonhote would
ably tell us, owing to a lack of “ vigour,” so that the pigments of
blue and yellow which produce green became weakened, and the
yellow subsided, whilst in the case of the yellow variety of the
species, the blue pigment was in abeyance.

In conclusion, we thoroughly recommend “Vigour and Heredity”
to those who are interested in the subject, for the whole book gives
one cause for deep thought and for increase in learning. The chapter
on ducks, illustrated with three finely coloured plates of Pintail-
Mallard-Spotbill hybrids, will especially appeal to those interested
in the family, whilst other chapters such as “ Coloration and index
of vigour,” “ Colouration in mammals and birds ” will most certainly
appeal to those of our members who wish to be more scientific, that
is, to know more than they already do. H. D. A.

CORRESPONDENCE, NOTES, ETC.

THE ENGLISH WATER RAIL (Rallus aquations).

SIR, — Even in this dismal war time I am tempted to write to urge mem¬
bers of the Society who love British birds to make an effort to get water rails to
breed in captivity. If this has been done before, I am not aware of it, and at
any rate a new and detailed record of nesting would be a very interesting thing
to many of us.

I have in years past had several odd water rails in captivity, and found
them quite easy to keep in a medium-sized grass run with small waders. They
are —like many other rails — exceedingly fond of hiding, but this does not say
that if a pair could be obtained they would not breed readily.

The land rail, or corncrake, has several times nested in captivity, although
it is naturaily a very shy bird. I have just obtained a fine pair that have been
reared by Mr. W. E. Rattigan at Stonehouse. My own experience with rearing
Australian pectoral rails was not long since recorded in the magazine, and I find
these birds, except when breeding, quite as shy as the English water rail.

96

Correspondence.

During the breeding season, however, their conduct entirely changes and they
become quite ferocious.

When I refer to such books as I have on natural history, it seems to me
that there is a good deal to learn about the habits of the English water rail when
nesting. Details of the period of, and habits during, incubation, and as to how
incubation is shared by cock and hen, would certainly be interesting to many
people, as also particulars as to the “sharming” and “purring’’ noises.

The main difficulty appears to be to get a pair of birds at one time.
Personally, I have not many sporting friends, but several of them have promised
to let me have a water rail if they can get hold of one. In this district they
are by no means common ; indeed, I have only seen one in my life, but in some
districts they appear to be fairly plentiful, and I am told that in winter or very
early spring, when they are flooded out of their usual haunts and run up dykes,
they can be caught with a soft-mouthed retriever.

If I get hold of an odd bird I shall be delighted to give it to any other
member of the Society to make a pair, if there is any reasonable prospect of the
birds having a run in which they would be likely to nest. A fair-sized run, with
some big grass tussocks or other cover, would, I think, be essential, though the
water supply might be quite small. The sides of the run near the ground
should be of small mesh wire, to prevent the chicks getting through. I had
trouble several times with my Australian rails owing to their squeezing through
the wire and not being able to get back.

The effort of any one individual to bring about such an interesting result
as rearing young water rails would not, as I have above indicated, be likely to
succeed unless a good many members of the Society co-operated in attempts to
get nesting birds for a subject of common interest, and I hope the publicity
which you will give this letter by insertion in the Magazine will ensure some¬
thing being done. C. BARXBY SMITH.

Woodlands, Retford.

PHOTOGRAPHING A SATIN BOWER-BIRD.

In “ The Emu ” of July, 1915, a most excellent photograph is reproduced
of a male Satin bower bird with a twig in its bill, in front of its bower, and Mr.
James Ramsay writes ; —

“ As regards difficulty, either the Podargus or the Shrike-tit gave me more
trouble, but the Satin-bird easily eclipsed these as a test for patience ; he was
indeed a wily old bird. The first day I lay under some straggling grape-vines
from 10 o’clock till 3.30, when a heavy shower put an end to any hope of securing
an exposure. The second day I was ready earlier, and had everything in readi¬
ness by 9 o’clock, and never left my hiding-place till 3.45, when I exposed one
plate just as the rain came down. The shutter, however, which had been set in
the bright sunlight, proved too fast for the greatly reduced light, and I was not
able to de\elop a good picture. During almost all the second day the old Satin-

Correspondence.

97

bird was in sight, either in the casuarinas by the creek or actually in the old
mulberry tree above the bower, and I dare not either alter the shutter or rise
and stretch my legs. Luckily, I had gathered a supply of mulberries and had a
pocketful of biscuits, so I managed to put in the day with only the inconvenience
of a little stiffness. The last day (on which I stayed simply as a last hope of
securing a picture) I made more of a shelter for myself, both to guard against
the sun and to hide me from all sides, for inquisitive rosellas (which came to
feed on the dead thistles round the bower) and leatherheads and numbers of
Strepera used to peer at me from a distance of a few feet, and I fancied that
they somehow alarmed the Satin-bird, for he used to investigate on all sides
before coming into the mulberry tree, although the two females with him were
far more trusting ; but I never saw them take the slightest interest in the bower.
There were many opportunities on the third day, but I only managed to expose
three plates, as, after each exposure, I had to let the bird leave the bower,
naturally, and it would be hours sometimes before he again got in focus. My
great regret was that I had no cinematograph, as there were times when the
bird was playing round the bower, rearranging feathers, etc., for as long as
five minutes at a stretch.”

AN AGED DIAMOND DOVE.

This morning I discovered to my disgust that my sole remaining Diamond
dove had disappeared from my birdroom : it must have got through a hole in the
wire-netting close to the floor, made its way into the conservatory and escaped
through the top light which has been left open on one or two warm nights
lately. Speaking of this bird in the Magazine for October 1913, I say — “ Male
still living after over nine years,” but I evidently confounded it with a bird
purchased in 1903 which (as recorded in my “ Foreign Birds ”) died in 1907, so
that I was left with only the male of my original pair of more vigorous birds
purchased in 1S96 ; it is this bird which has now got away after being nineteen
years in my possession, a pretty good record for even so long-lived a bird as a
dove : I expect it is dead now from want of food and cold.

12th Dec., 1915. A. G. BUTLER.

TWO CIVILIZED SANDHILL CRANES.

From “Bird-Lore” we cull the following account (by Minna Moore
Willson): — “Betty and Dixie are two pet Sandhill cranes that have lived
happily on the large lawn of our home at Kissimmee, Florida, even since they
were downy youngsters fresh from the Everglades.

Economically they have few rivals, for, with their never-ending appetites
and great capacity for food, they dig from the first streak of dawn to the falling
of the evening shadows. Worms, bugs, larvte, and grasshoppers, all disappear
rapidly down their long necks. They will eat readily from the hand.

Our pets, now being advanced somewhat in the scale of civilization, have

98

Correspondence.

learned to intersperse their natural food with wheat, corn, and scraps from the
table. How much insect-food they would consume if left entirely to their own
devices it is difficult to say. When the wheat- can hanging from a wire on the
back verandah is empty, a message is quickly telephoned to the housekeeper, by
a petulant ringing of the can, which unmistakably means ‘empty dinner-pail.’

During the tourist-season, Betty and Dixie are much in the lime-light.
They have developed a certain amount of vanity, and seem to understand the
exclamations of praise and admiration given by visitors, who frequently stop
at the fence to admire them.

The use of kodaks they look upon as qnite proper, and stand with a dignity
that is very gratifying to the photographer. They have learned, at the behest
of their master, to carol a greeting, as many times as it is requested ; and their
dancing is no longer the hesitation nor the turkey-trot, but the real, rioting,
Kissimmee prairie-dance, bowing and running with widely outstretched wings,
circling, jumping, and then darting back to their master for new orders and a
piece of moss. This they throw into the air and catch, and then dance about
again with great animation.

When these performances begin, Efan, the ambitious collie, hurries for
his ball and bat, and the scene becomes most interesting, with the two cranes
dancing and jumpiing, apparently vying with the dog for honours and applause.
There is a grey squirrel that takes great pleasure in teasing the cranes. He
chatters to them in mischievous delight, and runs down the trunk of the tree,
where Betty and Dixie stand playing hide-and-seek. He taunts them by leaving
the tree and darting across the ground to a palm, where he makes the fronds
rattle and shake, then back again to his quarters in the hickory.

Last winter we had as Christmas guests six Seminole Indians from the
Everglades. In the party were Martha Tiger, a very old squaw, and her two
grandchildren, youngest descendants of the heroic old chieftan, Teliahassee.
Wilson Tiger and Lewis Tucker were also here, escorted by Chief Billy Bowlegs,
who acted as friendly guide and interpreter.

The cranes insisted upon being with this forest group, and, on several
occasions, when the library was full of visitors who had come to see and meet
the Seminoles, Betty and Dixie showed a determination to be in the room also.
As quickly as they were driven out, back they would come. Did they recognize
in these wilderness people a comradeship for their native haunts ? Did they
long to be back in the Everglade country ?

The march of civilization has made sad havoc with the large numbers of
Sandhill cranes that once belonged to the Florida prairies. They have been
systematically shot for food and for so-called sport, and only occasionally are
these beautiful and sensible birds seen now in the more thickly settled districts ;
and unless better protection is given, these cranes are doomed to speedy exter¬
mination in Florida.

The Avicultural Magazine.

THE GOLDFINCH
(Carduelis elcgans).

Photo, by J . H. Symonds.

THE

99

Avicultural Magazine,

BEING THE JOURNAL OF
THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.

Third Series. — Vol. VII. — No. 4. — All rights reserved. FEBRUARY, 1916.

THE EUROPEAN GOLDFINCH.

Garduelis elegans.

By Dr. A. G. Butler.

Our editor has asked me to write an article on this bird and
therefore I have consented, although I am afraid that I can say little
if anything respecting it which has not already been published else¬
where. I regard it as the most beautiful of our English finches, and
consequently (since I first began to keep living birds) I have rarely,
if ever, been without at least a pair of the species.

The geographical distribution of the Goldfinch and its color¬
ation have been so often described that there is no necessity to
repeat them here, but it may perhaps he useful to state once more
the characters which distinguish the sexes : — the male is slightly
larger than the female, slimmer in outline, usually with a straighter
beak ; he appears to stand more erect and is certainly more alert
than the female. In colouring he is altogether brighter, the crimson
of the face more intense and extended slightly farther back, the
white areas much purer (less stained with brown), the rump always
more or less white (a character especially pronounced in the larger
Siberian race), in the female there is sometimes a trace of white on
the rump, but in some examples it is wholly lacking ; the rufous-
brown patches on the breast of the male are larger and more richly
coloui’ed and the yellow belt across the wing decidedly broader, of a
deeper colour and much more regular in outline ; in the female the
division on the eighth (formerly described as the third) primary

100

Dr. A. G. Butler,

frequently, if not invariably, distinctly shorter than the others ; *
the black colouring of the wing and especially at the bend, upon
which bird-catchers usually rely in distinguishing the sexes, some¬
times leads experts astray when dealing with young birds (grey-
pates) ; but, in fully adult birds, the bend of the wing in the male
is either intense black or glossed with green ; whereas in the female
it is rusty black : my little hook “ How to sex Cage- Birds ” with
coloured plate facing p. 38 and the block illustrating the wings on
p. 40 clearly shows these distinctions.

In disposition the Goldfinch is a restless bird and he delights
in picking things to pieces ; if he cannot utilize this impulse in ex¬
tracting the seeds of thistle, teazle, sow-thistle, groundsel or dande¬
lion, it is well to provide him with millet sprays and flowering
grasses, which are an equal attraction to him ; otherwise he will
occupy his time in picking off the buds and leaves from shrubs
or trees growing in his aviary. I think it is chiefly the lack of
such means of employing his restlessness which induces a cock
goldfinch when confined in a small breeding-cage to interfere with
its wife’s nest and pierce her eggs. In a fair-sized flight-cage, where
groundsel could he twisted in the wires at a distance of only about
a foot from the nest, I did not find that the nest or eggs were
interfered with.

It is not a spiteful bird, and although it is selfish enough
when feeding to attempt to drive away all others from the food-pan
by springing at them with open beak, fluttering wings, and the
opprobious term — “ chit,” it does not actually attack them, and if
they resist, it flies away until the place has again become vacant,

Although less easily tamed, because not quite so confiding, as
the European siskin, the goldfinch is not naturally a nervous bird ;
and though confinement in a small cage soon renders it very wild
and timid I find that where it has plenty of space for flight it shows
less fear of a human intruder into the enclosure where it lives than
many other birds ; indeed I discovered some years ago that whereas
goldfinches purchased from a shop, which had been confined in small

* I think this is a constant character, but considerable variation in the
abbreviation of the yellow streak raises a doubt as to its value without further
confirmation.

on the European goldfinch.

101

cages, were wild and clung to the wirework near the roof for weeks
after their liberation in an aviary, some which I turned out on the
afternoon of the same day in which they had been captured settled
down quietly at once and showed not the slightest fear of me when
I passed underneath them.

The wildest goldfinch I ever possessed was one which I pur¬
chased out of pity from a bird catcher. He kept it in a little cage
measuring about three inches by six and six or seven inches in
height, with one perch only, and used it as a brace-bird when he
went out with the nets. The man called it a wonnerful tame
bird ” and informed me that the proper way to tame a finch quickly
was to swing it about in its cage and when moving from place to
place always carry the cage under your arm. Poor little mite ! such
treatment by a frowsy red-haired man verging on fifty years of age
was awful to contemplate, and if utter depression and nervous shrink¬
ing indicated tameness, most assuredly the birdcatcher’s plan had
been eminently successful : I never saw any creature look more
scared and utterly dispirited ; but when I turned it into a flight the
little beggar was so frantic that I was greatly tempted to set it at
liberty in the garden ; yet in time it somewhat quieted down,
although it never became so trustful as other members of its species
which I have possessed.

The wild life generally and the character of the nest and eggs
of this bird have been rendered so familiar to bird-lovers in the ever
increasing number of works dealing with British birds which have
been published that I can see little use in describing them here.
Host of my readers know by sight the soft neat little cup- shaped
nest, often placed on the lichen-covered branch of some venerable
fruit-tree, or much more rarely in a hedge. The lively jerky little
song of no great merit I indicated in words (written down as they
were being sung) in my account of the Goldfinch in “ British Birds
with their Nests and Eggs” as also (of course) in the somewhat
modified reprint of the Passerine portion of that work illustrated
with coloured plates, entitled “ Birds of Great Britain and Ireland.”

Now before leaving the goldfinch I think I ought to advert to
a somewhat disputed point touching its decrease in numbers in this
country. It has been assumed and even positively asserted by some

102

Dr. A. G. Butler.

ornithologists that the goldfinch has actually decreased in numbers
owing to the activities of birdcatchers : of course to any reflecting
person such a notion is ridiculous, for it is still as abundant as
ever on the Continent, and anybody who has read with interest
Gatke’s remarks respecting the migration of birds in his “Heligoland”
must be convinced that not all the catchers in Europe could possibly
appreciably affect the numbers of the species : moreover it must not
be forgotten that in the middle ages when every man, woman and
child, at all seasons, by every means which ingenuity could suggest,
secured birds of all kinds for the cooking-pot, so that one might
marvel that any species could survive ; birds were nevertheless far
more numerous than at present, and the number of species repre¬
sented in the British Isles was probably far greater ; nor is the reason
for this far to seek. '

I am not a bigoted person and have no axe of my own to
grind, but I do dislike to see kind-hearted and bird-loving individuals
led astray by ridiculous statements. It is undoubtedly true and
greatly to be regretted that in some counties the goldfinch has be¬
come much rarer than it formerly was in spite of protective laws :
but there is not the faintest shadow of doubt that the cause for the
retirement of this and many other abundant species from their
former haunts is the reclaiming of so-called waste land and the
consequent destruction of the favourite seeds of weeds upon which
they subsisted as well as suitable nesting-sites.

When I first commenced birdsnesting in Kent in 1871 it was
not at all unusual to see goldfinches and sometimes come across
their nests during a morning ramble ; but, some years later, although
then protected, one might pass a month in the country and not once
catch sight of a specimen, yet I heard of them being abundant as
ever in other counties.

The disappearance of the Kentish goldfinches synchronised
with the cutting down of numerous large woods and plantations
covering hundreds of acres, together with the grubbing up of all the
rough scrub along their margins where various forms of thistle and
sometimes teazle grew abundantly. All this land was ploughed up,

* An enlightening book for the student is Macpherson’s “ History of Fowling,”

1897.

The Avicultural Magazine.

Photo, by J. H. Symonds

GOLDFINCHES ON TEAZELS.

on the European goldfinch.

103

cleared of stones and converted into hop-gardens and orchards.
One landowner, whom I knew personally, levelled a hundred acres
of wood in a single year and subsequently planted it with serried
rows of young cherry and apple-trees with currants and gooseberries
planted between to supply the market while the more profitable
trees were maturing. Year after year I saw beautiful woods cut
down, banks and hedgerows covered with weeds beloved of birds
swept away, and it did not in the least surprise me that goldfinches
no longer elected to settle there as aforetime, but strayed farther
afield in search of what they needed.

It is many years now since I went birdsnesting : indeed my
great object in collecting nests and eggs was to enable me to wrfte a
much needed book on the subject, illustrating not one or two but
many varieties of the eggs of our commoner birds, so as to enable
young naturalists to identify any eggs which they might come across,
which from personal experience I had found impossible with the
help of the books previously published in this country. When my
object had been attained I at once gave up birdsnesting and have
never resumed it : yet undoubtedly the occupation is most fascina¬
ting and instructive: it not only teaches one much about the habits
of birds, but it trains the eyesight and judgment, so that as one
becomes expert one knows just where to look for a nest and at once
detects it when present ; whereas the ordinary wayfarer, even though
keen -eyed in some matters, entirely overlooks it and even fails to see
it when it is pointed out to him.

We none of us wish the British avifauna to decrease ; but if
we are to retain many of our birds the only chance is to set aside
more and more enclosures of wild and well-timbered land for sanc¬
tuaries and give them every encouragement to settle there, not only
by providing numerous building-sites but abundance of the food
which they most delight in. You cannot bind birds to the land by
law, nor in my private opinion does the taking of a few nests make a
halfpenny-worth of difference numerically to the species of any
common or prolific bird, although undoubtedly in the case of rare
birds, such for instance as the golden eagle, it matters a good deal.

104

Mrs. Staveley-Hill,

One wonders whether the roccoli in Italy have been less
worked on account of the war. I fear not, for there are always
old men and boys left at home. But if the toll on the poor birds
has been less, what a blessing ! The roccoli are everywhere, and
the goldfinches are netted in thousands, so that one wonders how
they manage to keep up at all. How horrid it is, this perpetual
slaughter of living things, from man downwards ! Members will
recall my account of an Italian roccolo, with illustrations, in the
1912 magazine (January). Two pairs of goldfinches always nested
in the tall cypress trees in my garden, which overhung the lake of
Como at Varenna, but I never saw the birds anywhere in the garden
itself, and I imagine they resorted to the rough ground on the
mountain sides at the back of the town, although, often as I
walked there, the goldfinches were not to be met with. — Ed.

MY PIPING CROW.

By Mrs. STAVELEY-HiLL.

I bought my crow five years ago and call her Chips ; she
was then quite a young bird not full grown, was very tame and soon
became devoted to mebut took a violent dislike to my children and
all men, flying at them and snapping her beak with a loud crack.

I fed her on a little raw or cooked meat twice a day, insects
of all kinds and any scraps she cares to eat, such as cake, bread and
butter, &c., and, as a great treat, a mouse (when obtainable).

I used to take her to London with me, when she always
travelled in a box with a hole at the top, out of which she would
stick her head, taking great interest in everything and calling out
“ hullo ! ” to the passengers. If I had the carriage to myself I let
her out of the box when she would sit on the window-ledge or on
my shoulder watching everything that passed. Chips soon learnt
to say a few words and now whistles whenever I speak to her. She
has a wonderfully powerful voice. I do not take her away now
unless I am going to the seaside for a month or more with the
family, when Chips comes too, and thoroughly enjoys a walk in a
field when there are ants’ nests to be found, which I dig up, Chips

my piping crow.

105

standing by and devouring the eggs, but she is most particular not
to allow the ants to crawl on her, drawing herself up very erect and
stamping her feet if they crawl on her legs, making a queer croaking
noise meanwhile.

She lives out here, quite free, flying away as far as she likes,
hut always returning when called, and follows me about the garden
like a dog. When I am gardening she stays close beside me picking
up insects, but does not care for worms unless they are small red
ones. She also eats seeds and sometimes (like an owl) throws up a
pellet about the size of a sparrow’s egg. When this is going to
happen she looks ill and stands sulking and puffed out, shutting her
eyes and shaking her head.

She began to build a nest last year on the back of a chair in
the conservatory where she roosts, hut the nest was never properly
finished. This year I noticed another nest being built on the top of
the aviary so I put up a cardboard box and procured a tame jackdaw
hoping they would mate, hut “Chips” only drove the bird about and
very much objected to being shut up in the aviary with a stranger.

“ Chips” is now more devoted to me than ever, and when she
sees me gives a peculiar call and likes me to stroke and kiss her (as
a rule she does not like to he handled). She was delighted when I
got a ladder and took some sticks up to help her build the nest
which was finished, being made of sticks roughly put together
and lined with dried grass, cotton, string, bits of paper, &c.

Soon afterwards she did not come down out of her nest but
kept calling to me, so getting a ladder I climbed up to look, raising
“Chips” off her nest and found two eggs, measuring lA- inches long
and 3i inches in circumference ; one is a greenish blue with faint
spots and the other a greyish green with brown spots. She liked
me to get up and pet her whilst on her nest, croaking and lifting
herself up on one side for me to see the eggs. I fed her with tit¬
bits while she was sitting. I wish I could find a mate for her ; she
is one of the most interesting pets I have ever had.

106

Mr. F. E. Blaauw,

SUNBIRDS IN THEIR NATIVE HAUNTS.

By F. E. Blaauw.

When I landed at Capetown in the spring of 1914, which of
course was autumn in South Africa, I was curious to see what one
might call the South African humming-birds, which however are
known under the name of sunbirds, and which Levaillant called
“ petits sucriers.” I had not long to wait before I saw a specimen.

I stopped at the Mount Nelson Hotel, and the day after my
arrival, sitting in the charming garden which surrounds it, my atten¬
tion was drawn by the trembling movement of some twigs of a fine
scarlet flowering hybiscus bush. The reason of the movement was
soon apparent, for a little golden green, blue and scarlet bird followed
the branchlets until it reached the flower and then put its long bill
sideways between the scarlet petals, probing the centre of the flower
for honey or insects. This was quite a different thing from what a
Chilian, or I believe any other species of humming-bird would have
done. Those would have come flying ; coming from somewhere,
without it being almost possible to see them come, and hovering in
the air in front of the flower, they would have examined the con¬
tents in that position and would be gone a moment later.

My sunbird, and, I may say at once, the seven species
which I watched, almost invariably acted in the way described
above. Only when the structure of the bush or the flower made it
impossible to follow this custom, they would hover in front of the
flower like a humming-bird.

After having hopped from branchlet to branchlet and examined
all the likely flowers the little bird flew away, and also in its flight
showed itself quite distinct from the humming-birds, which fly like
a flash so that the eye can hardly follow the movement. Never did
I see a humming-bird jump from branch to branch, they sit or else
they fly.

The bird in question, which I saw in the garden at Capetown,
was a male Cinnyris chalybcus , and this species is, I am glad to say,
quite common there. A couple of weeks later I was stopping a day
at Caledon, also in the south of Cape Colony. The hotel in which I
stayed was built against the slope of a volcanic mountain, where

on sunbirds in their native haunts.

107

plenty of olcl lava was lying about and where a hot spring had its
source. Above the lava field a great number of protea hushes grew
and, whilst I was admiring the beautiful vegetation and was listening
to the sweet song of a Totta finch, I saw a grey bird with a long
tail fly up above the hushes and accomplish a dance in which the
long tail feathers played a conspicuous part. After the dance he
perched on the top of a protea bush, drinking from the honey which
is abundant in the big flowers, which resemble those of a phylocactus.
It was a male Promerops cafer, and it was a delight to watch its
graceful movements.

In the same place there were lots of double-handed sunbirds,
which all feasted on the honey of the protea flowers, and were
singing lustily. It is quite remarkable the amount of honey a single
protea flower will hold. When at their best they will hold quite a
tablespoonful and not counting the caffir boys they are, I was told,
in great demand with the baboons.

I now mounted a kind of steep rocky wall, and after that,
following the slope of the mountain, sat down near the top in a
very wild-looking place full of rocks and stones, enjoying the view
of the country below me. I had not been there very long when my
attention was drawn by the little song of a bird which seemed to be
in my immediate proximity, and looking round I saw quite a small
bird gorgeously attired, which was sitting on a sharp piece of rock
almost within reach of my hand. Close by it, was its sober-looking
female, which, apparently having just bathed, was cleaning her grey
feathers, sitting in an erica bush.

The little male of this species ( Anthrobaphes violacea ) is
certainly one of the finest birds one can imagine. The head and
mantle are of a metallic green : the throat is black ; the back is
brownish ; the underside is of a beautiful reddish orange ; and the
two middle tail-feathers are lengthened considerably ; the bill is
long and slender. Now and then the bird stopped singing and went
to join the female in the erica bushes, probing the flowers for honey
or insects. Occasionally, having had enough of singing and feeding,
the male would leave its rock and fly straight up to perform an aerial
dance, returning afterwards to the female. And thus, without taking
the slightest notice of my presence, they followed their mode of life

s

108

On sunbirds in their native haunts.

whilst I sat still and admired. When, to my regret, I had to go
home and leave them, the little birds followed me for a while and
then disappeared. This is the sunbird of the rocks.

In Port Elizabeth I made the acquaintance of a fourth species
of sunbird ( Cinnyris amethy stinus) . This bird is larger than either
Cinnyris chalybeus or Anthrobaphes violacea, and of a heavier
build. It is a living gem, like the birds described ; it is of a shining
velvety black with a metallic green cap and a metallic purple throat.
It flies in a straight line, uttering sharp shrieks, reminding one of
our kingfisher at home when he flies.

In Port Elizabeth I saw this bird for the first time in a villa
garden, and, later on, I saw several in a park at Mossel Bay. This
park is against the slope of a mountain. Part of it has been planted
but the greater part contains its natural vegetation, and it is full of
interesting birds. In this last part the protea bushes were quite
numerous and full of flowers, and, at the time of my visit, there
was a nice gathering of sunbirds. The double-banded one was
there, of course, and then, from different directions, black ones
would come to drink from the sugar-water of the flowers, sitting on
the edge as on a cup. Some were in colour and some were partly
grey. Also Malachite sunbirds ( Nectarinia famosa) would come to
feast. This is a largish bird in a wonderful shining green and black
dress, with two very much lengthened tail-feathers. I met with this
same bird near Oudhshor'ra, the great ostrich-hreeding place, and
one could find it amongst the flowering bushes along the roads.
Near the Cango Caves in the Zwarte bergen in this same district
the Malachite sunbird was quite a common sight.

Along the road grew tall meagre-looking slender bushes with
long pale, yellow pipe flowers, so-called “wild tobacco trees.” 3 n front
of the flowers of these bushes the birds would hover like a humming¬
bird, the slender stems not allowing them to perch on them.

A sixth species of sunbird I met in Natal around Durban.
The town is surrounded by low thick woods, which grow against
the mountain side, and Mr. Casey, the director of the Durban
Zoological Gardens, was my kind guide, to find me open spaces
where it was likely to meet with birds. In those open spaces of the
wood I often saw a metallic green sunbird ( Anathrephes collaris)

V

Wonders of the birds' nests.

109

with yellowish underside, and generally there were several specimens
together.

In that same wood I met numerous examples of the curious
black-brown thick-billed finch ( Amblyospiza albifrons ), also little
families of Colins striatus, and, occasionally, sitting in a conspicuous
place, a white and black Lanins collaris.

But I am straying away from the sunbirds, and if I shonld
begin to tell about all the interesting birds which I saw in S. Africa
the editor would soon call me to order ; * and about the sunbirds in
their native country I have told about all my experiences. About
tame specimens of Cinnyris chalybeus, which I brought home, I will
only add that they are the most charming pets one can imagine ; I
ought to say, were , as alas ! they have died, generally very suddenly •
one day full of life and full of song, the next sitting fluffy and
showing the yellow side tufts, and dead during the evening or the
night following.

Gooilust, Sept. 19th, 1915.

P.S. — I have not made a distinction between the greater and lesser
double-banded sunbird ( Cinnyris afer and chalybeus) . Those
I saw at Capetown certainly belonged to^the lesser species,
as Cinnyris afer does not occur there. As in other places
where I saw double-handed sunbirds, both forms may occur,
I wish to say that I am unable to say positively which form
was seen.

WONDERS OF THE BIRDS NESTS.

By Felix J. Koch.

“ Don’t know what to do with yourself some splendid late
autumn or winter afternoon, when the sun is shining brightly in at
the window, calling for a ramble?” Then, why not go out and
study birds’ nests ?

Birds’ nests in winter, with the trees banked with ice ! Yes,
indeed, and for many reasons, To begin with, ■ you can find birds’
nests from afar in the winter-time, when the leaves are off tree and

— *On the contrary, we hope very much that we may have many more
articles. — ED.

110

Mr. Felix J. Koch,

shrub, as you never can in the summer, for Nature has taught the
birds the necessity of concealing their nests, and, rest assured, they
learned their lesson well. Then again, where a nest is within reach,
it may be taken out or down, examined, and this without harm to
the little ones or even the frightening away of the mother-bird
thereafter.

Infinite are the varieties of the nests of the birds of this
country. Swinging away out at the end of some limb, the oriole
builds her nest. You could’nt climb out there to get it if you tried,
nor could you reach it from below, for Madam Oriole knows many
of the cat tribe would soon get her fledgelings, if you could. The
only way to reach this deserted nest is to do as the orchid-hunters
do, climb up above and then drop a noose, manoeuvering until you
catch the end of that bough and pull it off.

Nuttall, the famous naturalist, has given much space to these
oriole’s nests in his books, interesting because hardly any of us but
have seen the little pouch swinging, back and forth and forth and
back from the very top of some deserted limb, in the winter.

It is a pendulous, cylindric pouch, of five to seven inches in
depth,” he tells us, “ usually suspended from near the extremities of
the high, drooping branches of the trees, such as the elm, the pear
or apple-tree, wild cherry, weeping willow, tulip-tree, or button-
wood. It is begun by firmly fastening natural strings of the flax,
of the swamp weed or the swamp holly-hock, or stout artificial
threads, round two or more forked twigs, corresponding to the in¬
tended width and depth of the nest. With the same materials,
willow-down or any incidental ravellings, strings, thread, sewing-
silk, tow, or wool that may be lying near the neighbouring houses
or round the rafts of trees, they interweave and fabricate a coarse
sort of cloth into the form intended ; toward the bottom of which
they place the real nest, made chiefly of lint, wiry grass, horse
and cow-hair ; lining the interior with a mixture of slender strips of
smooth vine-bark, and rarely, with a few feathers, the whole being
of a considerable thickness and more or less attached to the external
pouch,

“ Over the top, the leaves, as they grow out, form a verdant
and agreeable canopy, defending the young from the sun and rain.

on wonders of the birds' nests.

Ill

There is sometimes a considerable difference in the manufacture of
these nests, as well as in the materials which enter into their com¬
position. Both sexes seem to be equally adept at this kind of labour
and I have seen the female alone perform the whole without any
assistance, and the male also complete this laborious task nearly
without the aid of his consort, who, however, is, in general, the
principal worker. I have observed a nest made wholly of tow, which
was laid out for the convenience of a male bird, who, with this aid,
completed his labour in a very short time and frequently sang, in a
very ludicrous manner, while his mouth was loaded with a mass
larger than his head ! ”

Where the birds whll build, however, and what they will use
embraces a catalogue of almost everything under the sun. We are
all of us familiar in the United States with Alice Cary’s charming
poem, “The Nest in the Pocket,” long included in all public-school
readers. You remember, of course, how a farmer, coming to the
barn in the spring to resurrect an old coat left there over the
winter, found that a bird had made its nest in the pocket. So he
let the coat hang and the birds reared their brood, then he took
possession again of his garment. The barn where this actually
" occurred stands near College Hill in Southern Ohio.

In this same State, near the village of Cheviot, we ourselves
chanced on a curious nest at one time, around which a clever story
might be written. ‘ Jack Roosa was advised by mother to study his
spelling,’ teacher would be quite apt to hold a “test” to-day. But
Jack was in a hurry to meet Martha at the cross-road and carry her
lunch-basket and books to school, so he neglected to give the time
to the “ boning.” The test came and Jack failed miserably. When
the papers came back he was so ashamed he tossed his in a crumpled
ball in the bushes. There a meadow-lai’k found it and worked it
into a nest, which we have kept to this day. To suit the story,
however, suppose that bird had built her nest where Mrs. Roosa
had found it, seen the paper as well — and well, you can imagine for
yourselves the conclusion !

As stated, there isn’t a place where birds will not build. Our
friend Bob White, bob-o-link, reed-bird, rice-bird, quail, as he is
known in the different places he comes to, makes his nest on the

112

On wonders of the birds’ nests.

earth itself almost, and you’ll find these nests again and again as
you tramp the fields in the late autumn or before the snow has
come. These quail are polygamous and one bob-o-link v may be
master of a number of these ground-nests, each with its twelve to
eighteen eggs, in proper season.

Our friend the magpie — dear to all for his ability to talk,
plainer even than the parrot does — will build his nest in a high tree or
lofty hedge if he can. This nest is formed on the outside of sharp,
thorny sticks, within of fibrous roots and dry grass. The top is
covered, with an entrance at the side, and the eggs are six or seven.

Like many of the crow family, Goodrich discovered “the mag¬
pie has a strange desire to pilfer and secrete small, shining objects,
especially pieces of money,” if the farmer tor a moment lay these down
within reach. The affecting story of the magpie and the maid, in
which the latter was charged with theft, while the magpie was the
culprit, is founded on fact, and is familiar to all : and these brilliant
objects picked up here and there, are usually to be found in its nest.

Birds, great and small, each take all the pride in their nests
that the most aristocratic American may find in trimming his home,
and the nests invariably reflect the habits and needs of the birds.

Tinest perhaps of all the nests you may find on your winter’s
ramble are those of the humming-bird, often a little sack of thistle¬
down and milk-weed puff, edged with dainty lichen.

Interesting, by way of contrast to these, is a nest that the
tourist is shown ever so often, on the great ostrich-farm near
Pasadena in California. It is the nest of the largest bird in the
world and interesting are the facts connected with it. The African
ostrich it seems is polygamous, the male usually associating with
from two to six females. The hens all lay their eggs together — ten
to twelve apiece in one nest — this merely a shallow cavity scraped
in the ground, of such dimensions as to be conveniently covered by
one of the gigantic birds, in incubation. An ingenious device is
employed by Nature to save space here and give at the same
time to all the eggs their due share of warmth. Each of the
eggs is made to stand with the narrow end on the bottom of the

* We were not aware that the Bob-white quail is called bob-o-link. The latter
is the name for a well-known bunting-like bird in the U.S.A. — ED.

Some firefinches and other Gambian birds.

113

nest and the broad end upward, and the earth which has been
scraped out to form the cavity is employed to confine the outer
circle and keep the whole in proper position. The hens relieve each
other in the task of sitting during the day and the male takes his
turn during the night, when, in the wild state, his superior strength
is required to protect the eggs or the newly-fledged young from the
jackals, tiger-cats, and other enemies. Some of these animals, in¬
formant advises, are not unfrequently found lying dead near the
nest, destroyed by a stroke from the foot of this powerful bird.
The eggs weigh about three pounds and, being quite a delicacy, are
served now and then at the great hotels in Pasadena.

SOME FIREFINCHES AND OTHER
GAMBIAN BIRDS.

By Dr. E. HOPKINSON.

[Continued from Vol. VII., No. 2, p. 61.

The Yinaceous Firefinch ( Lagonosticta vinacea ).

This is another of the more uncommon West African ‘ wax-
biljs,’ and a particularly attractive one. In Gambia it is distinctly
the rarest of our firefinches, and like the spotted firefinch (but to a
greater degree) very local and restricted in its distribution. In my
own Province I think I know every place where it is to be found,
and they are but few ; elsewhere throughout the Protectorate, except
near the coast, I have met with it in various places, but nowhere in
any numbers and always among or in the immediate neighbourhood
of bamboos ; sites, which in this country are practically ahvays the
ironstone ridges and the valleys in between, as our bamboos are of the
upland variety. When thinking then of Gambian bamboos, one must
not imagine a mass of dense water-side growth, such as one usually
associates with the word ‘ bamboo,’ and which would be correct for
the larger water-loving' plant of the East and elsewhere, but on the
other hand, always bear in mind some of the driest possible places
in this, the driest part (except the Sahara itself) in what is, I sup¬
pose, the driest of all the continents. Such places are low rocky
ridges covered with a shallow and irregular amount of soil, which

114

Dr. E. Hopkinson,

supports a growth of bamboos interspersed in places with low
straggling thorns, hone-dry during the dry season when the thin
grass they support is burnt oft', and only wet, even during the rainy
season, while the rain is actually falling. It is in such situations,
and in these alone that one will find Vinaceous firefinches, searching
the ground for seeds or flitting among, the bare bushes, rarely more
than half a dozen or so together, sometimes by themselves, but
generally associated with common firefinches, cordon bleus and
grey-headed sparrows.

Although from habit I speak of these birds as ‘ firefinches,’
they are much more ‘waxbills ’ both in looks and demeanour, and
by recent authorities (e.g. Shelley in his Birds of Africa and Bowdler
Sharpe in the British Museum Hand-List) are placed with them in
the genus Estrilda (as E. vinacea ) near the Lavender finches, which
are the waxbills they most resemble in all their ways, and which
also were formerly included in the genus Lagonosticta.

The exact colour of this bird is rather difficult to define. I
do not know that ‘vinaceous ’ or ‘vinous ’ are particularly good or
sufficiently accurate epithets, — the thought of a wine of this bird’s
shade of “vinous” does not exactly suggest a vintage brand or
indeed any particularly pleasing tipple. Some time ago in a des¬
cription of this species, I used the word ‘ puce ’ as the nearest

colour-name I knew, and although I must own that in my own
mind I do not visualise exactly what ‘ puce ’ is, unless it is this bird’s
colour, I will repeat that description here.

Male: a puce-coloured bird with a black face; female: the
same colour but rather paler and with no black on the face ; both
sexes with a few white spots on the side of the breast. In size they
are about the same as a lavender finch, but slimmer in build, more
the shape of a cordon bleu and the bills somewhat like that of the
aurora finch. The young male is like the female and gets his black
face at the first moult. I have had several birds, which at first I

thought were females, but which soon assumed the black mask and

thus declared their true sex. With these, as is the case with so
many of our African birds, in which one can distinguish the sexes
by their looks, one always seems to catch (for some reason, which it
is difficult to understand) a good many more males than females.

some firefinches and other Gambian birds.

115

I know of two good plates of this species, one in Yol. III. of
“ Bird Notes,” p. 117 ; the other in Shelley’s “Birds of Africa, ” Vol.
IV., pi. 32. Both depict the two sexes, and of the two I consider
the first the more accurate and much the happier in every way.

As a cage or aviary bird I have found the vinaceous firefinches
fairly hardy, that is, as compared with many of their relations, while
apart altogether from their rarity they have much to recommend
them as desirable additions to a collection. I have had some two
dozen at different times, all but one from the Gambia. There were,
I think, nine among the first lot of birds I ever brought home (1902)
from here, and since then I have brought two or three at a time in
different years, the last being a single cock, which I brought home
last July, one of the only pair I caught that season, both on the
same day at Lamin Koto, at the very spot where the 1902 birds
were obtained. The hen unfortunately escaped while being trans¬
ferred from trap to cage. During 1910-11 I must have had quite a
dozen, but that year, being prevented from coming home at my usual
time, I set free or gave away my birds, as I could not keep them an
extra twelve-month out here, or if I did attempt it, expect them to
remain in good condition and health all that time. The one non-
Gambian bird was a cock I bought for 2/- at Luer’s a good many
years ago out of a cageful of other Africans, one, which had some¬
how escaped the eagle eye of the Marseilles dealers, through whose
hands most of these birds pass, or at any rate used to. I occasion¬
ally see odd ones out here in the catchers’ cages and know of others
which have been picked up at home as mine wras, and as Mr. Silver
in his interesting article in our November number (p. 35) tells us,
he has at different times obtained specimens of the spotted (or as he
preferred to call it, the bar-breasted) firefinch. This number has
only just reached me in Africa, long after my notes on the same
bird were faraway in the Editor’s hands ; otherwise for uniformity’s,
or at any rate the indexer’s sake, I might have used the same popular
name as he has.

While on the subject of names, I may mention that on the
few occasions on which I have known this species named in adver¬
tisements or elsewhere, it has usually been under the name ‘ Masked
firefinch,’ a title which would suit it well, but to which it should

116

Mr. Hubert D. Astley,

have no claim, there being a true ‘ Masked firefinch ’ ( Lagonosticta
larvata), which is the East African representative of our bird, from
which it really differs very little, being only a shade larger and perhaps
rather darker in colour than it is. There is a good coloured figure
of this species ( larvata ) in Eeichenbach’s “ Singvogel,” to which it
is only fair that I should refer, after my remarks above on the Sing¬
vogel figure purporting to represent the spotted firefinch. This one
of larvata is as good as that of rufopicta is bad. Like other East
African birds the masked firefinch can have been but rarely imported
in the past, and it is well within the bounds of probability that
Eeichenbach’s figure was drawn from the East African vinacea ; at
any rate the drawing might well represent that species.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES.

By Hubert D. Astley.

Amongst my geese are two females which are hybrids between
the Magellanic and Ruddy-headed, given me some three years ago by
Lord Tavistock.

Odd birds in every sense of the word ! We call them the
ladies-in-waiting', for one of them is in constant attendance upon a
pair of Sarus cranes who live in one meadow, and the other never
leaves a pair of Australian cranes in another meadow. Yet there are
other geese, some of their own species, and some of several different
ones. It would be very out of the way for one bird to do this, but
for two to take up such a fancy is most extraordinary. Both of
them are full-winged and often fly, but they never leave their res¬
pective meadows and are never far from their respective sovereigns.
In the case of the Sarus cranes, their lady-in-waiting is alivays just
a few yards behind them, and when they throw up their heads to
utter their loud and far-reaching calls, the goose at once joins in
the chorus. If the cranes walk too fast, the goose catches them
up by flying after them, the Maharajah and Maharanee as I call
them, for they were presented to me by the Gaekwar ("of Baroda).
As a mere lady-in-waiting, perhaps but a woman of the bedchamber,
she is not permitted to feed at the same table, and if the goose

Miscellaneous Notes.

117

approaches too closely, their highnesses quickly show her her place,
when she humbly retires to stand about four yards away. This
attendance has been going on now for more than a year, and there
on the other side of the hedge is an exact replica in the case of the
Australian cranes, but they are less haughty, permitting their lady-
in-waiting to eat of the crumbs which fall from their table.

Other geese come up to feed and depart again, but each of
these geese-in- waiting remain with their respective lords and ladies.
I have seen the Sarus attendant busily grazing, and not having
noticed that the cranes have walked away ; then, when the discovery
is made, there is a fuss. Away she goes, flying off to overtake
them, as much as to say — Goodness me ! I shall catch it.” It is
really an absurd sight, the great stately grey birds stalking along,
very devoted to one another : and humbly following, there is always
the goose.

a- * *

Bye-the-bye ! these hybrid geese are very handsome and
might easily be mistaken for a pure species of their own. There
are six in all : the males showing slightly the Magellanic blood,
the females darker coloured Buddy heads. In size they are nearer
Magellanic than Buddy head. One pair generally lives where the
Manchurian cranes are kept, but they take wing elsewhere at times,
some mornings coming past my bedroom windows, their snow-white
shoulders and secondaries very conspicuous with the dark green bar
dividing the white, as they fly. The two males exactly resemble
one another, as also do the four females.

* * *

Geese are wonderful homers. A Boss’ goose that I have,
although full-winged, seldom ever flies, and if it does, will only
circle round to settle again within the large wired enclosure, seeming
almost afraid to be outside its protection. True ! its mate is always
there, and pinioned.

# a-

We ought to take notes as to when the cranes call constantly
and loudly. I think it sometimes means fine weather. I have
noticed that after a day of rain, when the clouds begin to grow

118

Mr. Hubert D. Astley,

more sparse and a gleam of light appears towards the sunset, then
the cranes shout and loudly call from meadow to meadow. This is
in the winter on mild days. When it is cold they are mostly silent,
but as the days lengthen out in February, then their trumpeting
voices are heard, with a more joyful and triumphant timbre. The
Manchurians’ notes are very loud and powerful, but those of the
white-necked cranes are more musical ; fuller and rounder. At least,
so it seems to me.

I think these crane-calls are very inspiring. I delight in
standing still by the moat with the light of the setting sun shining
behind the dark boughs of the big cedar" and reflecting glories of
red and gold in the water, and I take great pleasure in hearing at
such moments the powerful sonorous cries of the cranes ; ringing out,
first from one point and then from another, seeming to fill the sky
with sound.

* ■»

I was greatly troubled in October and November last by a
hawk which regularly came after and preyed upon my Palm doves.
One evening I was in one of the orchards, one which is close to the
aviaries, when the culprit, hearing me whistle in order to feed the
doves, deliberately came along and settled in an apple tree within
fifty yards of me. I shouted ; clapping my hands ; but there she
sat saying “Go along with you,” “Where’s your gun?” and not
until I was almost at the foot of the tree, did that wicked marauder
depart.

She departed altogether two days afterwards, for on the fol¬
lowing day, she was seen to stoop at a dove, luckily missing it ; and
I was told that she came every day regularly, and that doves’
feathers had been found in several places where the birds had been
struck down.

So the gamekeeper lay in wait. “ I’d have shot her before
Sir,” was his excuse, “ but you told me not to kill kestrels.”

* Alas ! since writing this, the magnificent tree (planted by the poet Wordsworth
in 1827) was entirely uprooted by the hurricane on December 27th, and
never again will the blackbirds flute on the topmost branches by day, or
the owls hoot in its spreading boughs by night. The spirit of the ancient
house seemed to dwell in it.

Miscellaneous Notes.

119

“ Kestrel ? ” for I hadn’t in the rather dim light been able to
discern the species when she came so boldly to the apple tree.
Sure enough, kestrel it was, of the female sex. I shook her corpse.
“ So this is what comes of sparing such as you.” Hateful bird !
and the whole place alive with field voles. She must have devoured
at least a dozen of my poor palm doves, hut I counted twenty-seven
feeding together, after her demise, which was more than I had hoped
for.

* *

I spend many hours in digging and forking. There is still a
good bit of ground where docks of vast size and clumps of nettles,
with matted roots which spread like peacock’s tails, are to he found.
The roots of the docks seem as if they might go through to the
antipodes. And in working thus, I accomplish at least three things.
I keep in health, I clear the ground of vile growths, and I collect
worms and large white grubs with brown heads for the birds : the
sun-bittern, the motmot, and such-like ; and so often, as I laboriously
heave up the clods, tied down by these docks and nettles for many a
day, I hear close to me a loud “ mee-ow ” followed by a very small
voice as if but a far-off echo of the other.

They always find me out, my pair of Australian wood duck
(maned geese as we less euphoniously call them). They don't seem
to want any food, but really take pleasure in one’s company, which
is refreshing to one, and gratifying, for how many a bird just
approaches to hob-gobble its dinner, and looks upon one as a mere
caterer. Not so these little maned geese, so determined to let me
know they’re there ; I, digging and digging, and then just behind me,
within three feet — “ Me-ow ” from the lady and from him.

Sometimes it sounds as if he was correcting her — “ My dear, not so
loud, but more like this ” — and so there comes that tiny and gentle
echo of her loud cat-call. It’s very entertaining !

120 Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE, NOTES, ETC.

A FRENCH A VICULTU RIST IN THE WAR ZONE.

Mrs. JOHNSTONE sends a letter from M. Delacour in France, in which he
writes that although his chateau was invaded by Germans in September last, he
only lost a few birds ; amongst which were some rare waxbills ; through the
aviary doors being left opened.

M. Delacour successfully bred Buffon’s touracos last year, and also
Columba speciosa, as well as a great many hybrid Mikado-Elliott pheasants.
He remarks “ Je crois que personne n’avait jamais eleve de touracous ; les
“ jeunes sont maintenant pareils aux parents.”

Of course M. Delacour is mistaken, for Mrs. Johnstone herself was suc¬
cessful in breeding touracos at Burrswood.

FOREIGN BIRD EXHIBITORS’ LEAGUE CLUB SHOW.

SIR, — This society will hold its annual club show on Feb. 2nd and 3rd,
1916, at the Holborn Town Hall. The section will be entirely controlled by the
League and about 32 classes have been provided for exotic birds. In spite of war
I think British aviculturists still possess some excellent collections and a number
of rare and beautiful birds should be benched. Messrs. S. M. Townshend, R. J.
Watts and Chas. Cooper, all experienced and successful exhibitors, have been
engaged to judge. ALLEN SILVER.

“ VIGOUR AND HEREDITY.”

DEAR SIR, — I have just read your review in the ‘‘Avicultural Magazine ”
for January of Mr. Bonhote’s book on ‘‘Vigour and Heredity.” As you will
gather from the book, I took a very active part in much of the work, especially
that in connection with the experiments relating to “ Colour and Colour Inherit¬
ance” in pigeons.

The idea of ‘‘Vigour” and the theory of ‘‘Vigour” has always held me,
and I can, personally, see ‘‘Vigour” working all throughout Nature, and many
were the talks Mr. Bonhote and I had together concerning the subject. I would
go so far as to say this, that the first human being who can absolutely control
‘‘Vigour” has the world at his feet.

I am sorry you cannot altogether agree with the idea that “ colouring ” in
birds is due to ‘‘Vigour,” * and that fluctuations of this inward force are caused
by environment, of which the main factors are temperament, humidity and
food.

* We wrote that we can understand that through loss of vigour there follows a
loss of colouring, although the RESULT of vigour has for its final object
SOMETHING BEYOND THAT.— ED.

CorresjJondence.

121

You say “Surely changes in colouration in summer and winter are greatly
due to outward surroundings, for causes of concealment.” Are not “ outward
surroundings ” cases of environment? and as to the “concealment” idea, I am
not in favour of holding too much to such a theory. You proceed to quote
examples in the bird world to substantiate your idea of winter colouration from
a “ concealment ” point of view and you unluckily choose two very poor examples
to illustrate your point, namely the Snowy owl and the Iceland falcon, and you
compare them to the raven. Of course the Snowy owl and the Iceland falcon
possess quite as much “ Vigour” as the raven, perhaps a stronger vigour even ;
but your remarks would lead the general reader to suppose that the owl and
falcon named by you ‘ 1 assume white feathers in winter to conceal themselves
from their prey.” * In other words that these two species of birds possess a dark
plumage in summer and a white plumage in winter. To put the matter quite
briefly, I may as well say at once that the Snowy owl is a white ” bird all the
year round, and that the males are “ whiter” than the females, and that the
degree of “whiteness” is assumed with age, because young birds of both sexes
are heavily ticked with black during their first winter, and as they grow older the
black marks gradually become less at each succeeding moult.

As regards the Iceland falcon, I am afraid you have mistaken the Iceland
for the Greenland ! The Iceland falcon (Falco islandus) is always a brown bird
all the year through, f The Northern falcons have been one of my pet subjects
for some time, and I consider them all to belong to one species and divided up
into racial forms according to their environment, and thus you get the very
darkest form of all (Falco labradorus) from Labrador and Hudson’s Bay, grading
into the slightly lighter form from Iceland (Falco islandus) to the still lighter
form from South Greenland (Falco holboelli) to the whitest form of all from
North Greenland (Falco candicans). For confirmation of the above theory see
Dr. Hartert in Novitates Zoologies, pp. 167-185, June 30th, 1915, Tring Museum.

From this you will see that when you choose the Snowy owl and Iceland
falcon as cases to prove your theory of “concealment and colouration,” you
choose two examples which cannot assist your argument. Again, I have very
grave doubts of the correctness of your theory that gorgeous coloured males of
certain species, e.g. the males in the duck and pheasant families, have any effect
on the females in selection of their mates ; and to substantiate my point, I
would refer you to the ruffs (Machetes pugnax ) ; here we have a species of bird
in which the males are very conspicuously coloured and vary greatly in degree of
colouration, all the males “ show ” before the females, yet it has been proved
conclusively by Mr. Edmund Selous that the females often “ pair ” with one of
the most sober-coloured males, quite ignoring the brightest and most strikingly-
coloured cocks ; and on the “Vigour ” theory these hens in choosing those most

* We are sorry that this was expressed in a manner which would lead to a
misinterpretation of facts. ED.
t A lapsris calami — ‘ Greenland ’ was the bird referred to. -ED.

122

Correspondence.

sober coloured males are choosing birds which possess the most vigour stored up
in their systems, vigour which has not been expended on the outward show of
feather colour, as seen in their more brightly coloured brothers.

Finally, as you say, the book opens up a fine field of original thought and
should be read by every deep-thinking breeder of animals and birds.

Yours sincerely,

Fred Smalley, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.

[We are much obliged to Mr. Smalley for his letter. He does not touch
on the point as to why in many species of birds that nest in holes, the females
are as brightly coloured as the males, also to take the ruffs as an example of
choice of the more sober colouration on the part of the females, is to select a
very abnormal and exceptional case, and furthermore if the reeves often “ pair ”
with one of the sober-coloured males, they surely as often select what we look
upon as the more gaily marked ones. But we referred to gorgeous coloured
males whose colours are 1 fixed,’ and suggest that those colours have become so
because through the ages they have been accepted as the most pleasing in the
matrimonial market. Surely the display of the peacock is intended as an
attraction ; and are all the wonderful appendages of male paradise birds, with
their quiverings of erected ‘ wires,’ shields and so on, merely the result of self-
absorbed masculine vanity ? or of vigour without any final object ?

As to the example of Snowy owl and Greenland falcon, etc., one only gave
it en passant , without sufficient thought for certain details, to instance that
some birds which live in regions where fora large portion of the year they are very
invisible amongst the snow-clad surroundings, have apparently assumed a plu¬
mage in consonance with their environment in order to assist them in concealing
themselves either as preying or preyed upon, whilst the raven remains con¬
spicuously black on a white background. The ptarmigan most certainly assumes
plumage in summer and winter which effectively conceals it.

But we hope members will read Mr. Bonhote’s book, for the review was
written mainly in order to advise them to do so, and in no mere spirit of criticism.

Editor] .

NAME OF SUPPOSED TROUPIAL.

SIR, — I have just received in exchange from Cross, of Liverpool, a rather
interesting pair of South American troupials, and I am wondering whether you,
or any of your readers, could name them for me.

In size they are between A. humeralis and A. thilius. The cock is glossy
blue black ; the shoulders and upper wing coverts white and very conspicuous
when flying. The hen is entirely bright bay, the two central feathers of the
tail being white, edged with bay and also very noticeable. The bill is long and
stout and equal to that of the Military troupial. In the cock it is grey and in
the hen dusky black. The legs in both sexes black.

They feed principally on seed but appreciate mealworms. I have not

Correspondence.

123

noticed them touch either soft food or fruit. I should very much like to have
them named, as I am intending to try and breed from them this season.

Wm. Shore-Baily.

The question in my mind is whether our member’s birds are even examples
of the family Icteridce. In the late Dr. Sclater’s Catalogue of the Tanagridce
and Icteridce in the British Museum I can find no description of any purplish-
black species of troupial with white wing-coverts ; indeed the only species in the
volume which seems to approach Mr. Shore-Baily’s description is the black
tanager ( Tnchyphonus melaleucus) ; but Dr. Sclater does not mention the white
on the central tail-feathers of the hen : still it must be remembered that all the
descriptions in that volume of the Catalogue are cut down to the closest limit
possible.

When I first received the silky cowbird of Argentina, now many years
ago, I wrote to the late Mr. Abrahams describing the species to him and asking
him whether it was likely to be the black tanager. He replied that if it did not
possess the white wing-coverts it was the silky cowbird, and on looking the two
birds up at the Natural History Museum I was able to confirm his statement.

A. G. Butler.

[We take this extract from “ Country Life.”]

SIR SCHOMBERG MCDONNELL’S CARE OF WILD BIRDS.

SIR, — May I add my tribute to the memory of Sir Schomberg McDonnell,
whose death was so feelingly recorded in your Christmas number ? He was a keen
ornithologist. The Royal parks are under the control of the Office of Works, and
during his secretaryship, Sir Schomberg, as I can bear witness, took the greatest
interest in the preservation of the birds, particularly those in Richmond Park,
It was there that I met him. One Sunday afternoon in April, 1911, as I was
watching a family of great crested grebes on the Pen Pond, a gentleman joined
me who, after borrowing my binoculars to look at the grebes, suggested a walk.
In previous years herons, which nest in the Park, had sometimes carried off the
young grebes, and my companion, who, it was clear, was someone in authority,
told me that, in order to preserve the grebes, he had given orders to the keepers
to shoot any marauding heron which might he caught red-handed. I soon found
that this pleasant stranger had an intimate knowledge of the birds to be found
in the Park. Among other things, he told me that he had once seen a cirl-
bunting there - ‘‘a harmony in chocolate and lemon” was his description of the
bird. Could anything be more apt ? Presently he asked if I would care to go
into Sidmouth plantation to see the heronry. Of course, I gladly assented. As
he unlocked the gate into the wood a keeper asked his name, and it was then
that I learnt that my new friend was Sir Schomberg McDonnell, at that time
secretary to the Office of Works. He asked me to let him know if I discovered
anything out of the common in my frequent visits to the Park and accordingly

124

Correspondence.

we corresponded at intervals during the next year or so. Once I was able to tell
him of the coming of a solitary American robin, which made its home close to
Robin Hood Gate one spring, built a nest, and after some weeks disappeared. In
his reply, while admitting that the occurrence was interesting, he rather re¬
gretted it, for he explained that his object was to maintain Richmond Park as a
preserve for purely British birds and animals. For the same reason he resented
the introduction by some misguided enthusiast of the grey American squirrels,
which of late years have overrun the place ; and he asked me to keep an eye on
them, since he strongly suspected that they were robbers of birds nests. On
the other hand, I believe it was he, in furtherance of his scheme of an all-
British preserve, who caused the badgers, which have since founded a flourishing
colony, to be turned down in Richmond Park. I never saw Sir Schomberg
McDonnell again, but I owe him a lasting debt of gratitude. During that pleasant
Sunday ramble he gave me a practical proof of his keen sympathy with a fellow-
enthusiast and of his readiness to help him, by offering spontaneously a boon
which has been of inestimable value to me, and has been the means of adding
tenfold to my knowledge of birds. J. R. H.

[We are indebted to “ Bird-Lore ” for these two cuttings] .

THE CAROLINA PAROQUET IN FLORIDA.

Tin a letter by Mr. W. F. H. McCormick, to Mrs. Kirk Munroe, sent to
the Editor of Bird-Lore by Mrs. Munroe, mention was made of the occurrence
of the Carolina paroquet in southern Florida. A call for further information
brought the following response from Mr. McCormick. We omit his reference
to the locality in which the birds were seen. - F. M. C.]

In reply to your request to Mrs. Kirk Munroe in your letter of July 6, 1
will say that there is very little to make “a detailed statement” of in regard to
my seeing the Carolina paroquet.

I was down in that country on a pleasure cruise during the last weeks of
March and early April, 1915, and first saw the birds while I was following a pan¬
ther through thick scrub. At that particular time I did not pay much attention
to them, as I was intent on the bigger game, but some days afterwards I visited
the same place and saw about a dozen of the birds flying about and eating the
berries of the mastic and rubber trees. This time 1 made sure that they were the
real paroquets. I am not sure that they were nesting, but supposed they had
young, for they carried berries away with them every time they left the trees.
On my last visit (the first work in May) I saw none.

I will also say that I made no mistake of identification, for I have been
familiar with the paroquet since childhood, and also have a speaking acquaint¬
ance with other parrots, gained in a two years residence in Central America.

Cocoanut Grove, Fla. W. F. J. MCCORMICK.

Correspondence.

125

THE CAMPBIRD.

The books call him the ‘ Rocky mountain jay,’ but he isn’t as much of a
‘ jay ’ as the long-crested chap, or any of his other relatives in Colorado. lie is
just a plain 1 Campbird.’ as full of curiosity, and with just as mighty an appetite,
as his first cousin in Canada, or the Adirondacks. Somehow or other, I don’t
like to hear him called a * Camp Robber,’ even if he is ever anxious to take
scraps where he can’t get everything else in sight. After all, he cannot side¬
track memories of long, cold, starvation winters, and can’t help trying to be
well supplied for the next to come : his body remembers if his mind does’nt.

Many years ago, while camping in our Rockies, I watched and fed for
several days a campbird which had lost one leg, and only this past summer I
saw and fed another which had lost nearly half of its lower mandible. Surely,
one must admire the grit and persistence exemplified in these two birds,
even though they may have been automatic in them. It’s hard enough in bird
world, to dodge all the hundred-and-one things which spell death, when one has
a complete equipment to battle with element and enemy, and we can never know
how much more difficult it must be, in the face of such physical disabilities, to
avoid being at once blotted out ; nevertheless, both of these birds were adults
and fat and vigorous. One wonders how such losses come about, for they are
not rare with birds, and evidently do not necessarily lead, in the struggle for
existence, to prompt death. Accidents in bird world must be many, and the
chances for their occurrence still larger, and it is probable that most do lead to
early death. I am glad to know, however, through personal knowledge, that
many birds survive physical injuries of considerable magnitude, and yet after¬
ward seem full of bird happiness and health. I once saw a robin strike against
a telegraph wire while in full flight, and stiU make off as if not disabled ; house
finches are frequently seen minus a foot or a leg, or with a foot or a leg crippled.
A flicker (woodpecker) was brought to me some time ago, one leg of which
had been broken, and healed at an angle of 90 degrees, without the deformity
affecting the activity or general condition of the bird. Birds are often caught
in deadfalls or steel traps, and in the latter I have found at different times,
eagles and turkey buzzards, and once a magpie. A steel-trap might completely
cut off a leg, capturing and liberating the bird at one stroke. I know that bird
accidents are many, but how most of them come to pass I don’t know, nor do I
know how Nature treats the results. I have never been lucky enough to find a
bird that had dressed its wounds with feathers, or made of them a splint for
fractured bones. May be, if I am patient long enough, and keep wide awake
and open-minded, I will.

Born and raised in lands or at altitudes with almost perpetual snow, they
are inured to hardships ; yet the long, cold winters must press these cheerful
campbirds hard in their efforts to find food and keep warm. It is small
wonder that everyone of them, like a dog after a long fast, swiftly snatches up
and hides every least scrap of food. I have often watched one take a large piece

126

Correspondence.

of bacon rind, almost too heavy to carry, and cache it under the loose bark of a
dead tree or stump; and the wish within me has followed just as often, that no
other bird or beast might discover it, in order that the bit of food would help the
devoted mother bird to keep her eggs warm in the bitter cold of late winter. In
the latter part of last June, our camp was constantly visited by campbirds,
several being youngsters of the year, their bluish bills and darker heads pointing
unmistakably to immaturity. It was at this camp that I had the delightful
and unusual experience of having one of these birds boldly take meat from my
hand, without any preliminary training, and also take food from my hand,
while 1 was seated alone in the timber, away from camp and its possible associa¬
tions of safety, and food abundance. This bird (or these two birds?) hopped
boldly along the ground, or on the log, and fearlessiy took meat from the out¬
stretched hand, and with the second piece proffered, tugged hard, while I mis¬
chievously held it fast. I have never seen them disagreeable to each other ; they
always impress me as jokers, deceiving their bird neighbours by imitating per¬
fectly a hawk’s scream or other birds’ songs. They are always good company
and greet one at each new camp as though they were the ones just left at the old
camp. One of my camping companions always said to them, as they appeared
when we unpacked and were making a new camp “ Hello ! got here ahead of us,
did you?” I never tire of watching their adroitness at 1 lifting ’ an unguarded
bit of food. The Colorado bird is just as facile in spearing a chunk of butter as
is his Canada cousin in carrying off a biscuit almost as large as himself. One of
the pleasantest recollections of many camps in high altitudes, is that of a camp-
bird uttering his delightful whisper song, while perched on the tip of a tall spruce
whose tapering top was aglow with the last warm lights of a dying day.

Denver, Colo. W. H. BEItGTOLD, M.D.

THE EDITOR ASKS FOR ARTICLES AND NOTES.

/

The Avicultural Magazine.

The Tyrant of the Shores and Islands.

Fig. 1. — GREATER BLACK-BACKED GULL. STANDING OVER EGGS.

Fig. 2. — CREATER BLACK-BACKED GULL, SITTING.

Photo, by H. Willford.

AdlarJ & West Newman.

THE

127

Avicultural Magazine,

BEING THE JOURNAL OF
THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.

Third Series. — Vol. VII. — No. 5. — All rights reserved,. MARCH. 1916.

NOTES ON WADERS SEEN IN THE
ISLES OF SCILLY.

By E. Innis Dorrien-Smith.

These islands are a perfect place for waders of all kinds, with
their flat shelving beaches and stretches of sand at low water round
the coast, fresh water pools and marshy ground in places inland and
rocks and seaweed for oystercatchers, turnstones, ring plovers and
purple sandpipers.

The purple sandpiper is probably the least well known of the
more common waders, and inhabits the outer rocks where the ocean
seas break in. They race up and down, dodging the waves and
spray, just lightly using their wings when their feet will not carry
them fast enough. Seldom more than one or two are seen at a time,
but they have their special haunts where they are nearly always to
be found and invariably in the wildest places. Their breeding-place
is far away in the north, but a few usually remain here all the
summer. Turnstones are by no means so exclusive in their haunts,
and, besides braving the breaking seas on the outer rocks with the
purple sandpiper, they abound on the shores and sandy beaches of the
islands. At all times of the year they are to be seen, and in June in
full breeding plumage, though generally they are very scarce from
mid-June till towards the end of July when they return with their
young ones. I was asked a short time ago if it were possible to
catch turnstones in these islands and if there were many here. To
catch them I fear is a very difficult task, as the ebb and flow of

128

Miss Innis Dorrien-Smith,

tide would wash away any structure erected, and they are nearly
always seen hunting for their food amongst the stones and seaweed,
or running about just on the water’s edge or on the flat sands
when the tide is low.

A few years ago the question was raised as to whether they
bred here, and a man living in one of the islands produced what
decidedly appeared to be a turnstone’s egg which he had found on
one of the outer islands called Annet, where sea birds and sea pink
abound in the spring-time. It is possible they may have nested, but
it has never been absolutely authenticated, though the egg seems
fairly conclusive evidence, and I see in Gould’s book of “ Birds of
Great Britain,” a turnstone’s egg was found amongst a collection
belonging to a fisherman in the Fame Islands and picked up there.
I was under the impression that their nesting place was under
ledges of rocks on the sea-shore, but, again in Gould’s beautiful
book of birds I find he gives a description, quoted from Mr. Hewitson
who went in search of their nesting place on the coast of Norway.
He says : “ We had visited numerous little islands with little en¬
couragement and were about to land on a flat rock, bare, except
where here and there grew tufts of grass and stunted juniper cling¬
ing to its surface, when our attention was attracted by the singular
cry of a turnstone which in its eager watch had seen our approach
and had perched itself upon an eminence of the rock, assuring us by
its querulous oft-repeated note and anxious motions that its nest
was there. We remained in the boat for a short time, until we had
watched it behind a tuft of grass, near which, after a minute’s search
we succeeded in finding the nest. It was placed against the ledge of
a rock, consisted of nothing more than the dropping leaves of a
juniper bush under a creeping branch of which the eggs, four in
number, were snugly concealed and admirably sheltered from the
many storms, by which these bleak and exposed rocks are visited,
allowing just sufficient room for the bird to cover them. We after¬
wards found many more nests with little difficulty although requiring
a very close search.”

I have never myself attempted to keep any of the waders in
captivity, being blessed with the great advantage of seeing them here
in their wild state. I am told that turnstones have been successfully

Notes on loaders seen in the Isles of Scilly.

129

kept, in fact it seems there are few birds that will not do in captivity
with an enterprising aviculturist.

My experience of keeping any of these “ shore birds ” is
confined to the common oystercatcher, and what a delightful bird
he is with his wild warning cry. From my window in the summer
I can hear their voices as they call to each other, at any hour of the
night, and one has only to go early in July and watch one of the
many pairs on the sea-shore to find their young ones, though they are
marvellously clever at hiding themselves on an open sandy beach, the
young being marked in such a way that they are exactly like the
stones and sand. Our last effort at keeping a young oystercatcher
was a dead failure ; after having found and caught it with much
trouble my sister put it safely in a wire run near the fresh water
pool. The following morning she was awakened at daylight by the
frantic calling of the parent birds, which continued louder and louder
as they had discovered where their lost child was imprisoned. This
was far too much for my sister who had to get up there and then
and go out and let the poor cherished infant go, to the great delight
of the old birds, who quickly calmed down and allowed my sister to
return to her bed and sleep in peace !

The ringed plover is another of our common shore birds and
goes by the name of “ Kawilly ” by the people in these islands, and
that is exactly the sound they utter — “ Kawilly, kawilly, kawilly” —
in a rippling tone comes across the sand when the tide is low, and
few sounds are more delightful. They are almost the tamest of our
shore birds, and if one is sitting on the beach, will run past quite
close by. Their nests are plentiful along the sandy beaches and
on the flat sand dunes and consist merely of a concave hole in the
sand with usually three eggs, the same as their companions the
oystercatchers. The young might be training for a race-course the
way they run, and when any human being appears they scatter in
all directions till quite out of breath, when they crouch down and
hope they will not be seen, and wonderfully hard they are to see,
especially on a shingle beach or amongst small stones. The old
birds meanwhile become very alarmed, and I have seen them going
through all kinds of antics, pretending to have a broken wing and

130

Miss Innis Dorrien-Smith

behaving in a most odd way, after the manner of birds, to take off
one’s attention from their precious children.

Amongst other commoner waders on these shores are the
redshanks. They are here all the year round, except just in the
breeding season. The first ones arrive about the end of July and
they are usually in knots of four or five ; their loud calling note is
quite unmistakable, and a delightful wild cry it is. They vary their
haunts from the sands and rocks across the sand dunes to the fresh
water pool. I have searched up the Fjords in Norway for their
nests in the long grass and in the marshy flats and very difficult
they are to find, and only by watching with patience is it possible
at all.

The common sandpiper or summer snipe is their companion
in the breeding season on the edges of the rivers that come rushing
down to the Fjords. Their first note is usually heard in these
islands about August, hut some years I have heard them quite
early in July, and late in May I believe they sometimes nest in
Cornwall. They are not usually seen here in the winter months.
A delightful way of observing the above birds is when bathing in
the summer. I have approached within a few yards of sanderlings
and dunlins which have just arrived from their nesting-places,
usually far away in the north, and seem entirely engrossed in
hunting for their food in the wet sand ; they dig in their bills, then
run a yard or so as if there was no time to be lost and in go their
bills again, and so the time flies till the tide rises and covers their
feeding ground, when there is nothing left for them but to plume
themselves on the rocks or fly to the marshy ground inland.
Usually the first heavy rain in August brings in quantities of these
little waders and also in the spring migrations they can be seen
racing along the wet sands.

Among the lesser common waders come the ruff and reeve,
usually seen at the time of migration, and bar-tailed godwits looking
for their food far out on the stretches of sand at low water or
round the fresh water pools.

Green sandpipers are only occasional visitors, but are quite
unmistakable with their very dark backs and white beneath.
Greenshanks are seen usually in solitary specimens with the com-

The Avicultural Magazine

Fig. 3.— NEST AND EGGS OF GREATER BLACK BACKED GULL.

Fig. 4.— YOUNG GREATER BLACK-BACKED GULLS

Photo, by H. Willford.

Adlard & West Newman

Notes on loaders seen in the Isles of Scilly.

131

moner waders on the sea-shore, and the delightful whimbrels appear
in April and May, going by the name of May birds ; its shrill
whistle being so easily distinguished from any other bird. Few
sounds are more charming than the chorus of birds on a still spring
night and sometimes the whole shore seems to waken suddenly.
Curlews, whimbrels, oystercatchers, redshanks, ring plovers and
turnstones give a concert of their own.

Grey plover, phalaropes, knots, stints, are also among the
visitors. One day in August, some years ago, I was much excited
by seeing a pair of birds quite unknown to me. I observed them
through glasses and took particular notice of their long hills, much
longer than the ordinary waders, and the rich brown colour of their
plumage ; they were feeding busily among the rocks and seaweed on
the shores of the island of Samson at low tide. They proved to be
a pair of brown snipe which had found their way from North
America and Hudson’s Bay right across the Atlantic. A year or
two later we had another visitor from those parts. One Sunday
morning, feeding by the fresh water pool, was seen from the terrace
in front of our house, a strange wading bird with an unknown voice.
We had always hoped one day to see a yellow shank, but this bird
proved to be a still rarer variety, the greater yellow shank ( Totanas
melanoleucus ) or “ tell tale” from Hudson’s Bay, the only specimen
ever recorded in Europe. Their nickname comes from their loud cry
that warns the seals that danger is near when the sealers are hunt¬
ing their prey on those distant shores.

The following is a list of waders, of which specimens have
been obtained in these islands, several being American species : —

Turnstone

Sanderling

Oystercatcher

Curlew

Whimbrel

Esquimeaux Curlew
American Solitary Sandpiper
Greater Yellow Shank ...
Spotted Redshank
Redshank

Strepsilas interpres.

Calidris arenaria.

Hcematopus ostralegus.
Numenius arquatus.

,, phceopus.

,, borealis.

Totanus solitarius chloropygius.
,, melanoleucus.

,, fuscus.

., calidris.

132

Lt.-Col. W. Tweedie,

Green Sandpiper
Wood Sandpiper
Common Sandpiper
Greenshank ...
Black-tailed Godwit
Bar-tailed Godwit
Raffs and Reeves
Brown Snipe ...

Curlew Sandpiper
Knot

Little Stint ...
Temminck’s Stint
Schintz Sandpiper
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Dunlin

Purple Sandpiper
Grey Phalarope
Red-necked Phalarope ...
Stilt

Grey Plover ...

Ringed Plover
Kildeer Plover
Little Ringed Plover ...

Totanus ochropus.

,, glareola.

,, hypoleucus.

,, glottis.

Timosa melanura.

,, rufa.

Machetus pugnax.

Macrorctmphus griseus.

Tringa subarquata.

,, canutus.

,, mmuta.

,, temminckii.

,, schintzii.

,, rufescens.

,, pectoralis.

,, variabilis.

,, maritima.

Phalciropus lobatus.

,, hyperboreus.

Himantopus melanopterus.

Squatarola cinerea.

Gharadrius hiaticula.

,, vociferus.

,, curonica.

BIRDS IN FLANDERS DURING THE

WAR.

By Lt.-Col. W. Tweedie.

I send a few notes, very uninteresting I fear, about the bird-
life here.

We have been for some time in the same spot in Flanders,
and have seen the autumn pass and the winter take its place. We
are within very easy shell range of the Bosch lines, and never a day
passes without shells of all descriptions flying backwards and for¬
wards. In spite of this, there is quite a fair show of bird-life in the

on birds in Flanders during the tear.

133

neighbourhood. We are close to a chateau which is surrounded by
a moat with a small ornamental lake in the grounds. This lake
held, and doubtless still holds, some fine carp and many small bream,
dace, and roach. Many of the fish have been killed by shells burst¬
ing in the water The other day, during a particularly noisy
bombardment, I counted over thirty water hens feeding in a field
adjoining the lake; they paid not the slightest attention to the
shelling. A kingfisher haunts the lake and takes his toll of the
small fish. There are some fine trees in the grounds, though their
number is diminished by shell fire and the furious gales we have
had this winter. I have seen several spotted woodpeckers on the
trees there, and one tree creeper. By far the commonest birds are
magpies, I counted over 20 on one tree and they are all over the
place in pairs and small parties. One can see the numbers of old
nests in the tops of the tall ash trees. There are large numbers of
hoodie crows. One knows how wary this scoundrel is at home, here
he is quite tame and pays no attention to the bursting of shells. I
have seen some carrion crows and there are many rooks and jackdaws.

Of game birds we see few, but the other night I saw two
cock pheasants with four hens feeding unconcernedly while shells
were bursting within three hundred yards of them. There were
some fine coveys of partridges on this farm in November. The roots
are all lifted now and I have seen none for some weeks. They
were the common partridge, not the French bird. Even now an
occasional hare is to be seen in the fields. I have seen no rabbits,
though the people of the town tell me they were plentiful a year ago.
Only once have I seen any plover, a flock of about fifty passed over,
but did not alight. There are some wood pigeons and, some time
ago, turtle doves, but they have gone. Birds of prey are few and far
between ; I have seen some sparrow hawks and a couple of kestrels
and one large hawk flying fast and high. I could not distinguish the
species. Flocks of chaffinches were all over the place a couple of
months ago, but now there are only a few, and the same with wag¬
tails. I saw none but the pied wagtail and one yellow wagtail. Small
flocks of larks are in the bare fields, and there are a few blackbirds
and thrushes. They sing whenever the sun shines, but this exercise
is unlikely to strain their vocal chords as the sun very seldom shows

134

Mr. W. H. St. Quintin,

himself. Only once have I seen any redwings, and very occasionally
a fieldfare. We have had no cold weather so far, but constant rain
and damp, and some gales. There are a few robins, but they do
not seem to be so friendly and tame as they are at home.

The other day some of my men were demolishing an outhouse
which had a thatched roof. Under the thatch they discovered a
curious little animal hybernating in a straw nest. It took half an
hour to waken up, and by that time was safely secured in an empty
tin. I do not know the animal and will describe it as best I can,
perhaps one of your readers could identify it/' It is about the size
of a small rat, colour on back rather darker than an ordinary rat ;
underneath a dirty white ; tail long and hairy but not bushy with a
distinct tuft with a grey tip ; grey patches on the cheeks ; black
eyes and rounded ears, larger than a rat’s. It nibbled a little short¬
bread and then proceeded to go to sleep again. I moved it into
more comfortable quarters and gave it a good nest of hay. It tried
to bite me when I was moving it, but couldn’t bite through my
glove, although its teeth are pretty strong yellow rodent teeth.
It disappeared at once into the hay and has made no movement
since, so I suppose it has resumed its rudely interrupted winter
slumbers. I hope to bring it home if we both survive !

DEATH OF A TAME SNOWY OWL.

By W. H. St. Quintin.

An old favourite which has lately died here deserves a short
obituary notice. Snowy owls are not generally considered long lived
in captivity, why, it is hard to say, for some of the other Northern
owls thrive in well managed aviaries. Some of our members will
have heard of a female Eagle owl which died in Mr. Meade-Waldo’s
possession, whose age was known to exceed 70 years. And Ural
and Lapp owls have lived long in the same aviaries. But “Snowies,”
for some reason, are much more difficult subjects. I have found
them to be easily upset if they do not regularly have, what falconers
call “casting” (the skin, fur, and bones) with their prey, and

Perhaps the oak dormouse. — Ed.

on the death of a tame Snoxoy oivl.

135

especially is this of the greatest importance if the aviary is floored
with earth or gravel. Grit appears to irritate the lining of the
stomach, and the bird cannot get rid of it if there be no materials
to form the pellets, which all raptorial birds (and many others) eject,
after they have digested a meal. I attribute such success as I have
had to my birds having invariably had their food given in its natural
condition, and also to the aviary having been floored with glazed
bricks.

The bird that I have just lost was brought for me from
Norway by my old friend and neighbour the late Sir Henry Boynton,
on his return from his fishing at the end of the summer of 1891.
The bird would probably be hatched early in June, so when he died
the other day he would be well over 24i years old. He survived
his mate brought over at the same time about five years.

1891 was what is called in Norway a “Lemming Year,” and
hordes of the little rodents invaded the Stordal valley, down which
the Stockholm railway runs from the Swedish frontier to the city
and port of Trondhjem. I w7as fishing on the same river two years
later, and though there were no living lemmings left in the valley,
their skins and skeletons were still plentiful in places where they
had perished ; in one place where thousands must have fallen over
a precipice on to the railway. As always happens, this migration
of lemmings had been accompanied by beasts and birds of prey.
Wolves were unusually numerous and bold that year. The Pastor’s
yard dog was taken, and there were raids on the farmers’ live
stock ; and wandering, half-wild, reindeer were killed. Rough-legged
Buzzards, Goshawks, and Snowy owls were particularly numerous.
Lapps brought in from the mountains, sometimes walking for several
consecutive days, several broods of Snowy owls, also some Gos¬
hawks, and a Golden eagle, which latter is, or lately was, living
in the Zoological Gardens.

One day a Lapp had just been paid for some nestling owls,
and was leaving the house when something was seen to move in a
bag slung over his shoulders. Asked what he had there, the little
man produced a pure white Snowy owl, which he was taking down
the valley to the official who gave the Government reward. The
bird was quite unhurt, and it turned out that, when the Lapp was

136 On the death of a tame Snoivy owl.

at the nest, the male bird dashed at him and actually got his claws
entangled in the man’s clothes and was captured ; the poor old
hen bird being almost blown to pieces at very close quarters by a
large spherical bullet from a rifle. Needless to say the skin was
claimed and also the living bird, which with care quite recovered,
and eventually came into my possession with several of the young.
In Norway, where fresh meat of all kinds is always scarce, there
was much difficulty in catering for the considerable collection of
birds which had accumulated. The supply of old hens, magpies,
hoodie crows, and fieldfares was soon exhausted. At last an ancient
pony was bought and slaughtered, and his meat kept well in the ice¬
house which is generally to be found near Norwegian salmon rivers.

Whether this white male was the parent of my birds I could
not learn, as individuals from more than one nest were brought
home. But, though after some six or eight moults, my male bird
became almost entirely white, except about three of the tertiaries on
each wing, which always were marked with black spots and splashes,
he never became pure white; and curiously, towards the end of his life,
he became a good deal more marked, both on tertiaries, secondaries,
and wing coverts. This partial reversion to the plumage of the
immature must I think be very unusual. My “ snowies” frequently
hatched young, but the nestlings are delicate and suffered a good
deal in hot weather. But for this I have no doubt we should have
reared many more, but when hot weather came in July, the young
birds were put off their food and soon went wrong. In cool summers
several were reared. There was one of them until lately in the
owl aviaries in the Zoological Gardens. Several were sent to the
aviaries of a friend whose raptorial birds are the admiration of all
connoisseurs ; but somehow the snowy owl has never thriven there
for long, perhaps owing to the aviaries being too much exposed to
the sun for these alpine birds.

The last note I have of these owls having hatched young was
in 1909. On July 4th of that summer two young, aged a fortnight,
were thriving, but my recollection is that they were for some
reason not reared, I think owing to the old female going wrong for
a time. This was when the parents were 18 years old and when the
female was certainly beginning to show signs of age.

My Sivctinson s lorikeets.

137

I ought to say that my birds practically lived upon rabbits.
Mice and young rats suit them well enough, hut I remember two
cases where the sudden illness and death of a snowy owl could
only be attributed to its having been given an old, and probably
very tough, rat. Birds, my “ Snowies ” never cared for, and I have
known them refuse them, when I have thought them to he hungry.

MY SWAINSON’S LORIKEETS.

“GINGER” AND “MUSTARD.”

By Guy Falkner.

It is now eight years since I had “ Ginger ” (the hen) given
to me. She had been brought over from Australia in a canary cage
and a more dejected looking object 1 had never seen. Ginger soon
got tame, though when I received her she was very wild. “ Mustard”
(his Sunday name being “ Ko-ko ” !) I have only had quite a short
time, but he was fairly tame when I got him. Both my birds are
allowed to fly where they like ; their cage is in the kitchen, but they
use the open kitchen window as a “ bolt hole” and spend most of
the day flying about the kitchen garden, they are so exceptionally
tame that I have no fear of them flying away altogether. If I go
out into the garden they will both fly down to me, in fact, if I go for
a walk they come too, Ginger as a rule sits on my shoulder, but
Mustard prefers to fly from one tree to another after me. I think
that strangers who see my menagerie out for a walk (for a red deer,
a bull-dog, a goat, and a jackdaw invariably come too) must think
me an escaped lunatic.

The Swainsons delight is to sit on my writing table and tear
up any paper they can lay their beaks to, also they try the inkpot
when they are thirsty, though they seem to think, having tried it,
that a little ink goes a long way. Ginger, I am sorry to say, has a
taste for gin : she loves to sip it if she gets the chance, but the other
bird Mustard” won’t touch it. When they are on the floor, instead
of flying' on to my hands or shoulders, they climb up my trousers
and my coat and so on to my shoulder.

I feed my lorikeets chiefly on very sweet milk and sponge

138

Mr. E. W. Harper,

cake, also a little canar’y and hemp which they seem to enjoy, in
addition to this they have as much grass as they like to eat, a bit of
carrot, and any ripe fruit going, and, lastly, they have cocoa about
five o’clock ; not a bad bill of fare either when one comes to think
of it.

If any one has been patient enough to read this account
of my lorikeets I will just tell them this : “If ever you want really
affectionate, tame and amusing birds, buy a pair of Swainson’s
lorikeets, but don’t blame me if their ‘ songs ’ get on your nerves,
just grin and bear it, they are worth it in the long run.”

THE BOMBAY BIRD-MARKET.

By E. Wm. Harper, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.

After an absence of about a dozen years from India, it was
with no small degree of pleasure that, having left British East
Africa thirteen days previously, I sailed into the splendid harbour
of Bombay early in 1915. When the usual Customs formalities
had been negotiated and hotel accommodation secured, it was not
long before I wended my way to the Crawford Market— a place
where everything edible in India can be purchased.

But the live-stock department, with which we are specially
concerned, is situate outside the main building. The old, long, low,
one-storeyed structure, which used to he devoted to cage-birds, is
now occupied by poultry and game-birds : turkeys, geese, ducks,
fowls, pigeons, partridges and quails. The new circular building
for birds, surrounded by its spacious verandah, is situate close to
the old one. It contains eight or ten lock-up shops, shaped like
the segments of an orange, each having its own share of the circular
verandah.

A stroll round the building revealed the following birds.
Commencing with parrots, the indigenous species included : Ring¬
necked, Alexandrine (Rock) and blossom-headed. Exotic : Green
and yellow Budgerigars, one Greater Vasa, one Lesser ditto, three
pairs of Rosellas, one pair of Many-colours, one or two Yellow-
fronted Amazons and African Greys, the latter being priced at £5.

on the Bombay bird-market.

139

During my stay of two months at Bombay, a boat arrived from the
Straits bringing three or four dozen Blue-crowned Hanging Parra-
keets (bat-parrots, as Mr. Finn appropriately calls them), which all
found their way to the bird-market. The Greater Yasa had only
one eye, but was otherwise in tine condition ; the price of the Lesser
was Rs. 40 (£2 13s. 4d.) and the seller was not open to an offer.

Mynahs were well represented : Brown, Crested, Black¬
headed, Pied, and Rosy Pastors. A few of the Greater Hill-Mynahs
(Grackles) — reputed linguists — were in evidence. About two dozen
assorted unfortunate Mynahs, with a few Red-vented Bulbuls were
crowded into one cage ; they were only fed at intervals on suttoo (pea-
meal) paste and were always hungry. So, when visiting the market,
I made a point of taking bananas for them, which were voraciously
devoured. Green Bulbuls (Fruit-suckers), White-Eyes (Zosterops)
and Sun-birds were conspicuous by their absence. Other insectiv¬
orous birds were a few Red-billed Liothrix, two Grey- winged Ouzels,
a few Wagtails, two or three Greater Racket-tailed Drongos in poor
condition, and a single Chinese Jay-Thrush (Pekoe).

Coming to the seed-eaters, Chinese canaries were the most
numerous, dozens arriving by every steamer from the Far East.
Red Avadavats, Spice Birds, Mannikins, Java Sparrows (both grey
and white), Rose Finches, Crested Black Buntings and Red-headed
Buntings were all on view, So many Java Sparrows have escaped
in India from time to time that I believe they have now established
themselves in that country. I was astonished to see a few English
finches : Goldfinches, Linnets, Chaffinches and Redpolls.

Some Peafowl were in the market, but I had more than once
seen natives in the streets of Bombay offering them for sale. Each
bird was blindfolded by means of a piece of cloth tied over its head,
the bird sitting upon a split bamboo five or six feet long, carried on the
head or shoulder of the vendor. The birds, though freshly-caught,
sat quite still— generally one at each end of the bamboo — swaying
to and fro to the motion of their semi-naked bearers.

Chukor Partridges, Grey Francolins, Black Francolins, Rain
Quails, Common Quails and Bush Quails were all present, but no
Button Quails, which I particularly wanted. The birds’ cages were
interspersed with pens containing pug dogs, Silkie and Langshan

140

Mr. P. F. M. Galloway,

fowls from China, a pair of African lion cubs, a bear, lemurs and
monkeys, whilst glass globes suspended from the verandah contained
fan-tailed goldfish from the Far East.

Needless to say, I was very much disappointed at the small
number of birds on view, the scarcity being due to the war. Some
years ago, when travelling some 800 miles from Upper India to
Bombay by mail train, I found that a consignment of live Himalayan
birds was on the train en route to the market at Bombay. The
cages were of the usual Indian pattern — split bamboo, about 3o feet
long, 2 feet wide, 6 to 10 inches high, divided into 6, 12 or 24 com¬
partments. Every four or five hours, at convenient stopping-stations,
the native in charge of the birds removed them from the dark van,
placing them on the platform to feed and water them. I was sur¬
prised to see Magpies, Laughing-Thrushes, and many other birds
receive a “ quick lunch” consisting of raw rice, which they readily
picked up and swallowed whole. Amongst that consignment were
no less than two dozen Silver-eared Mesias, which were ultimately
shipped to Italy.

These notes are written in England entirely from memory,
eleven months after my arrival at Bombay, so I must crave the
indulgence of readers in case of any omissions.

ON THE BEST SYSTEM OF FEEDING
INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.

By P. F. M. Galloway.

Food, Exercise and Cleanliness.

Here we have the three most important items ; one without
the other is sure to bring trouble sooner or later.

In writing this article on feeding, &c., I do not wish to pose
as one able to keep soft-billed birds in better health and condition
than others, but what I will say is this, that, after keeping all kinds
of British insectivorous birds from the cuckoo down to the tiny
golden-crested wren, and having fed them in various ways, the
system I have adopted this last ten or twelve years has produced
the very best results, so much so that I do not think it necessary to

on the best system of feeding insectivorous birds. 141

try ancl improve upon it, and I hope that what I am about to say
with regard to feeding, &c., will prove a help to those who have not
been able to keep soft-billed birds successfully, or have been afraid
to try them, thinking there would he a great difficulty in keeping
them in fine condition.

The foods I shall describe will be found very beneficial to
many of the foreign insectivorous birds. All the British insect and
fruit-eating species can he kept in fine condition, and I shall put
them into groups simply to show the way I advise feeding each
group.

No. 1 group. — We will include the Mistlethrush, Fieldfare, Ring
Ouzel, Redwing, Blackbird, Songthrush, Starling, Skylark,
and Woodlark.

The feeding of these birds is so well known, and they are all
fairly hardy, that I do not think it necessary to dwell on these,
except that I would like to say these birds should not be fed on
their stock food only, although they may appear to do well on it.
The thrush family require insect life in the shape of common earth¬
worms, snails, &c., and in April when ripe ivy berries can be found
they should have some, also a little fruit in summer, such as ripe
strawberries and cherries : the latter they are passionately fond of
and will feed upon these in the wild state almost entirely whilst they
last. In autumn a bunch of ripe elderberries will be relished by
these birds.

Although all these birds are hardy and easy to keep, the
change of natural food, in the way of fruit and live insect diet, will
put the finishing touch to an otherwise healthy bird.

The woodlark and skylark require, in addition to their daily
soft food, some young clover, and as a change a little lettuce chopped
fine aiid are all the better for a little live food such as ants’ eggs or
mealworms. They do not require a lot of the latter put into their
cage at a time, a couple of mealworms occasionally will suffice, hut
this amount would not be nearly enough for those species which one
might term delicate feeders, such as the nightingale, etc.

No. 2 group. — We will take the Woodpecker, the Green, Greater,
and Lesser Spotted, and include also the Nuthatch.

The first mentioned species is rather more difficult to cater

142

Mr. P. F. M. Galloway,

for especially in winter. They, in the wild state, live almost en¬
tirely upon live ants and their cocoons ; in the winter they hunt
about the banks under woods, also forage about in meadows,
especially where there are large ant hills, and they probe very deeply
into these in order to extract the ants. These birds can stand
any amount of cold, as long as they are able to find this food,
but, although they can stand the cold, yet this species is about the
first to die of starvation if snow should fall deeply, on account of
their food supply being covered up. In captivity this bird should
have a roomy cage, box pattern, with pieces of hard oak bark fixed
for them to climb upon ; virgin cork for any woodpecker is destroyed
very quickly as it is too soft and they will quickly riddle it with
their strong bills. The cage must be lined throughout with zinc
(which of course can be enamelled), if this is not done the bird
will soon make great holes through the cage in no time.

The food should consist of a good well-balanced insectile
mixture, made crumbly moist with scalding water ; when this food
is ready add a piece of York cheese about the size of a walnut, first
chopping it finely, adding a little dry biscuit dust to prevent it
sticking to the knife ; sprinkle this amongst the prepared soft food
in the proportion of a couple of tablespoonfuls of soft food to the
piece of cheese mentioned. So much for what I term the stock food.

Now live insect diet. As long as live fresh ants’ eggs can be
got, stir a tablespoonful of these into the pi-epared food and no other
live food is necessary until the end of July. This is the time to
begin giving a few mealworms and clean gentles .as well as the fresh
ants eggs, so that you will have time to wean the bird gradually
from the ants’ eggs on to the other live diet before the eggs are over.
By October you have another change of live food to fall back on
and these are wasp grubs, and they can be had fresh for some time ;
afterwards they can be had preserved, and in the latter stage they
should be shaken out of the comb into a tin and boiled for ten
minutes, when they will become quite soft and white and the birds
will do well if given some of these each time he is fed.

The greater and lesser spotted woodpecker, especially the
lattei', requires a plainer diet, otherwise they will be liable to develop
fits. Their diet should consist of insectile food and half the quan-

on the best system of feeding insectivorous birds. 14 3

tity of cheese, live insect diet and a fair supply of nuts, such as the
Spanish, hazel, monkey nuts, and even beech masts and ripe acorns
in the autumn.

Nuthatches will do exceedingly well on the same diet, and,
like the common tits, will eat maize.

No 3 group. — Nightingale, Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Redstarts,
Reed, Sedge and Willow Warbler, Woodwren, Chiffchaff,
Whitethroats, the various Chats, Wryneck, Dartford and
Grasshopper Warblers.

I should feed in the following proportions : to every table¬
spoonful of insectile mixture " when prepared moist hut crumbly, add
piece of the York cheese, about the size of a cob nut, chopped finely,
to this in season add a dessertspoonful of live ants’ eggs ; this is of
course for birds that are really meated off. I should give each bird
twice a day also three or four mealworms killed and cut in halves.

No. 4 group. — Long-tailed Tits, Golden-crested Wrens, Tree-
creepers and Jenny Wrens.

The same foods will do well, but all mealworms and wasp
grubs I always chop into small pieces as these species take their
food in small particles.

No. 5 group. — All species of Wagtails and Pipits.

Feeding is the same, in fact it will be noticed that nearly all
the birds mentioned I feed very much the same. Of course, such
birds as garden warblers and other fruit and berry-eating species,
in addition to the diet mentioned they should have, if the owner can
procure them in season, privet ivy, elderberries, and in summer
raspberries and ripe cherries, the latter can be cut up ; the white-
heart cherry is a firm fruit and does not stain the perches, &c. with
the juice like black ones if the birds throw it about. When the
season, in the depth of winter, has settled most of the berries, the
banana, not too ripe, can be given.

The foods, then, that I use and call a stock food, consists of a
well-balanced insectile mixture. I, of course, use my own make and
York cheese chopped finely. This cheese is a white milk cheese
and has been used as food for soft-billed birds by others as well as

* Mr. Galloway’s insectivorous food “ Life ’’ is a most valuable mixture.— Ed.

144

Mr. P. F. M. Galloway,

myself, but I can assure the readers of this article that it is one of
the finest things that these birds can be fed upon and is greatly
superior to hard-boiled egg, and, unlike the latter, can be given
without the slightest danger at all times of the year ; in addition, I
might add that the feeding qualities of this cheese are perfect. It
is extremely nourishing, easily digested by the birds, is muscle¬
forming and not fat-forming. Whilst I am writing this, my gold-
crested wrens that are so fond of it are singing quite loudly, con¬
sidering what tiny mites they are.

Now we come to the question once more of live insect food,
and this is very important. Although the birds will do well on the
soft food and cheese, it would be wrong to imagine that one need
only give a mealworm or other live insect occasionally by way of a
treat, and this is where I feel confident birds are lost when they
might be living. It is simple to understand when one comes to
think the matter out.

The purely insectivorous bird is not so difficult to keep as
some might imagine if they are fed in the proper way, at proper
times, and on the proper foods.

I am not going to say that if so fed the birds are never going
to be attacked by some disease or complaint ; everything, even down
to plant-life is liable to this, and I shall write an article at some
future date:,: dealing with the various ailments of birds and how a
cure can be made almost a certainty of if taken in time.

These insectivorous birds in their wild state would be devour¬
ing live insects at intervals, from sunrise to sunset, therefore they
should have a fair share of that food each day ; to stint a bird in
this direction and make him live on the stock food for the most
part is a mistake, which is going to bring trouble and the trouble
would occur in an aviary where there were several birds, especially in
winter, sooner than in a cage where a single bird was kept. A
bird in a cage would begin to look soft and would be noticed at once,
but in a large aviary the bird or birds suffering for want of extra
live food might not be detected so easily.

What may happen in the aviary is this, suppose several soft-
billed birds are kept together, they have a few mealworms thrown
* We should like a series. — ED.

on the best system of feeding insectivorous birds. 145

down, a bird devours three or more, whilst another eats one ; by
the time he has swallowed this one the others are all gone, this bird
sooner or later looks soft and the simple remedy is to catch him up,
put him into a cage and give extra live food and when vigorous
enough to stand up for himself put him hack in the aviary.

This bother often occurs with new birds put into an aviary,
but it can he prevented and the birds saved with very little trouble.
Say someone wishes to put a few British or foreign soft-billed birds
into an aviary which contains some old stagers who know all the food
vessels by heart ; when the purchaser receives the birds they should
be kept in cages for a couple of days to rest after travelling and get
used a little to their fresh surroundings.

Several food vessels should contain food with a fair amount
of live food ; if mealworms ,1 should prefer to cut them up. These
vessels should be placed in several parts of the aviary : birds that
feed on the ground, vessels of food on the ground, others that feed in
trees — such as tree-creepers, goldcrests and such like — hang food
tins on the branches in two or three places, so that the food will be
discovered easily. They should be watched for the first day or so
to see that they do really go to feed without being driven by the old
occupants. As soon as the birds are familiar with the food places
there will be very little to bother about.

In sumnier time, when live ants’ eggs are in season, the birds
in an aviary can all get their fair share of live food, for a bowl of
soft food, containing a fair proportion of the ants’ eggs will ensure
all getting the necessary amount of it, and it takes a quarter of the
time to feed round ; but in winter, when only wasp grubs and meal¬
worms are to be had, I prefer to cut or chop them up small as
there is a much better chance of each bird getting its share. Gentles
are fairly good as a change, but I should not expect a bird to do
well on this as its only kind of live food, at any rate not for any
length of time.

There is a proper way to feed with gentles : if they have a
blackish mark down the centre they should be kept in dry sawdust
for a few days until the dark mark, which is the offensive fluid they
have been feeding on, has disappeared, they will then be clean and
of a creamy white colour, they are then fit to feed to the birds.

146 On the best system of feeding insectivorous birds.

The seasons for live foods as they come round are : June to
middle of August, fresh live ants’ eggs ; this I consider the finest
live food of any. September and October, fresh wasp grubs ; these
must not be used to excess as they are rather fattening. November
on to February (if the previous season had been a good one for
wasps) we fall back to preserved wasp grubs ; these should be
shaken out of the comb and boiled for ten minutes, when they will
be found quite soft and white and almost look like the fresh ones :
there is plenty of sound nourishment in these grubs, but on account
of being preserved they are not nearly so fat-forming as the fresh
ones, consequently the birds can have more of them.

Mealworms and gentles can be had all the year round. This
forms pi'actically all the live foods we are able to obtain in quantity
and they are quite sufficient to keep the birds in good trim. Those
living in the country can, in the season, find a few caterpillars and
other insects, but as they cannot get them in large quantities they
come under the heading of tit-bits, which are exceedingly useful and
greatly relished by many birds.

The cheese I use is a white milk cheese, made exactly in the
same way as that known as York cheese and is called Callomieur
cheese, which I get freshly made from the Dairy Institute, a branch
of the University College here at Reading; anyone wishing to give
this cheese a trial as food for their birds (and they won’t regret it)
and find any difficulty in obtaining the York cheese, I shall be
pleased to forward them the Collomieur cheese.

Fed in the way I have advised, it is wonderful how well birds
will keep and how they will stand the cold I have had nightingales,
whitethroats, garden warblers, gold-crested wrens, tree creepers, red-
backed shrikes, long-tailed tits, redstarts, blackcaps, yellow wagtails,
and others out in my outdoor bird- houses without any artificial heat
whatever in winter, and have had to bring in their water dishes and
thaw them, sometimes twice in a day, and have not been able to see
through the windows all day for frost ; in spite of this the birds have
all kept in the pink of condition because their food has suited them
and has thus enabled the birds to keep up the animal heat in their
bodies and so withstand the severe spells of weather. This they
could not possibly have survived if they had been out in the wild

Correspondence.

147

state during such weather, simply because they would have been
unable to find sufficient food.

The more I go into the matter of suitable food the more
certain I am that it is not the cold that would kill the soft-billed
birds but it is their supply of foods that is destroyed that kills
them. It is astonishing what a lot of cold some of these frail and
delicate-looking summer migrants can stand, so long as they get
sufficient of the food that perfectly agrees with them. I have used
the word delicate, but they are so only in the sense that the form
of some species and outline is beautifully and delicately formed.
There are however just a few species that the severe cold weather
does affect, and these are the wood warbler, grasshopper warbler,
reed and sedge warbler, and these I have found it necessary to bring
indoors by the middle of November.

(To be continued) .

CORRESPONDENCE, NOTES, ETC.

NAME OF SUPPOSED TROUPIAL.

SIR, — I think that Dr. Butler is probably right when he says that my
supposed troupials do not belong to that family at all ; at the same time I
hardly think that they are the common black tanager as he suggests, as this bird
has not, so I understand, white wing-coverts. It is possible that they may be a sub-
variety. Now that they are at large in an outdoor aviary it is possible to describe
their demeanour : this very much resembles that of our robin. The cock carries
his tail raised above the back and the wings very much depressed ; both birds
have a curious habit of flicking the tail. They spend much of their time
amongst the thick cover of the laurels and other dense growing shrubs. Unlike
the Superb tanager, the only other variety I have kept, they do not care for
fruit. I have tried them unsuccessfully with banana and apple, also with
“ Cecto ” and milk sop. They are very keen on mealworms, the hen especially
so, and as she is the dominant bird she gets far more than her fair share.
Whilst they were caged she permitted her husband to share the same perch with
her, but he has now to keep a respectful distance. This seems characteristic of
many insectivorous birds. My hen shama used to serve her mate the same way
and I finally had to separate them.

I have just got another of the chestnut-coloured ones from Cross, who
describes it as a Ruddy starling. I notice that the bases of only the growing
feathers are white in this bird, so that it is quite likely the entire feather in
healthy and full-feathered specimens is chestnut. By the way, I understand

148 Correspondence.

that the black tanager has a carved beak, whilst my birds’ beaks are quite
straight. WM. SHORE BAILY.

SIR, - I do not know if the following proposal will find favour in the eyes
of the Editor and of the members of the Avicultural Society, but as an amateur
keeper of a small quantity of birds, principally ornamental waterfowl, I write
to ask if it would be possible to have advice given in the magazine on the doc¬
toring of birds, and in the form of a letter on the subject each month. The
management of birds during their moult would be a great assistance to the
amateur. What to give when a bird has a cold. What to do when they are
egg-bound, etc., etc. ; also on the proportions of medicines for different sized
birds. My one and only panacea for all ills is a dose of castor oil, which I am
sure would horrify those of our members who are up to date in bird management.

I make the proposal in all diffidence, but should be delighted if it is
thought possible to do anything in this direction. HELEN ATHERLEY.

^

As will be seen by Mr. Galloway’s kind promise in his invaluable article
on feeding insectivorous birds, our members will be assisted later on by his
experience in doctoring and nursing. EDITOR.

Our thanks are due to Bird-Lore ” for the three following extracts.
THAT MOCKINGBIRD.

By JOHN V. FREDERICK, Los Angeles, Calif.

During the last nesting season a mockingbird spent most of his time on a
certain chimney. Many times a day he came to the rail of our sleeping-porch to
eat suet, along with other mockingbirds and two Audubon warblers.

He often jumped up in the air while singing, only to alight again without
ever stopping his song. There came a time when for nearly a week he hardly
left the chimney from daylight until dark. His trips to the suet were straight
and swift, with no stops along the way. His song was just as continuous as his
presence on the chimney, and his vertical flights into the air became more
frequent. He would spring up from two to eight feet, drop again, .alighting in
the middle of one edge of the chimney and run to the north corner, facing the
north until the next flight, when he would alight in the middle again, but run
to the south corner and face the south.

After a couple of days of this unusual activity, we timed his flights and
found that he jumped twenty times in four minutes, or an average of once every
twelve seconds, and this would be about the average for the whole day. In a
few days, however, this all changed ; for he was very busy catching bugs
and worms for a new family, and he stopped coming for suet.

Two years ago two mockingbirds would occasionally come around. Last
year two pairs spent most of their time around here, and came for suet many
times a day. This summer these two pairs raised their families, and a few
weeks ago there were eight in our yard at one time.

Correspondence.

149

BIRD PROTECTION.

TIIE GREAT MClLHENNY PROJECT.

On his baronial estate at Avery Island, Louisiana, lives Edward A.
Mcllhenny, arctic explorer, big-game hunter, lecturer, and of late years conser¬
vationist. Mr. Mcllhenny is the man who manufactures the well-known tabasco
sauce and other southern delicacies. Incidentally, he owns one of the largest
salt-mines in the country.

From the veranda of his residence one may look out over a vast expanse
of salt marsh, which extends away and away to the waters of the Gulf of
Mexico. It is his work in connection with the preserving of the wild life of these
marshes that of late years has brought him prominently to the attention of
conservationists. Here is an extended winter range for various species of Ducks
and Geese that come out of the North upon the approach of cold weather.
Formerly large areas of this region were the haunts of innumerable market-
hunters, who in autumn, winter, and early spring, slaughtered the wild-fowl
in unbelievable numbers for the markets of New Orleans and of many cities
in the Northern States.

In 1910, Mr. Mcllhenny and Charles Willis Ward bought, and set aside
as a reservation, 57,000 acres of these marshes. They ran the market-hunters
out, and established guards to see that they stayed out. They also secured an
additional tract of 13,000 acres, and on November 4, 1911, deeded this to the
state of Louisiana as a Wild-Life Refuge.

Marsh Island, containing 77,000 acres, was purchased on July 22, 1912,
by Mrs. Russell Sage, the matter having been brought to her attention by
Mr. Mcllhenny. The object of these latter purchases was, of course, to enlarge
the region wherein the wild life of the country might be safe from human
destroyers. But Mr. Mcllhenny was not yet satisfied, and on April 29, 1914, he
induced the Rockfellet Foundation to purchase a tract of 86,000 acres adjoining
the other refuges. Thus there has been created a vast bird- reserve of about
234,000 acres of Louisiana marshes, the importance of which, especially from the
standpoint of preservation of wildfowl, can hardly be over-estimated.

Mr. Mcllhenny feels that what has been done should be considered only
the beginning of a series of reservations for migratory birds, that should
extend northward through the Mississippi Basin and onward to northwestern
Canada. The project is a big one, but one that is well worth while. There
should likewise be a string of refuges along the Atlantic seaboard and on the
Pacific Coast, where protection from gunners may be had for the flocks of Ducks
and Geese, as well as for the diminishing shore-birds that annually sweep up and
down the coast. If one should doubt whether such an effort is worth while, one
need- only visit the Louisiana refuges, and witness the evidences of the abundance
of wild life to be found there.

In company with Senator George P. McClean, Mr. Mcllhenny, Mr. Job,
and Messrs. Alexander and Arthur of the Louisiana Conservation Commission,
the writer traversed this region in December, 1915. From an observation-blind

150

Correspondence.

we saw at least five thousand Ducks feeding within gun-shot of us, and often
would see fully twice this number in the air at one time. We witnessed, one
morning on Marsh Island, a flight of probably twenty thousand Blue Geese and
Snow Geese. Wilson’s Snipe we found in greater numbers than I have ever seen
before. Coots were also very abundant. Several wardens provided with power¬
boats are employed to see that market-hunters, tempted by these sights, do not
rig out their decoys and begin the work of slaughter, as they used to do when no
protection for the wild-fowl hindered their activity.

A -RESCUED ROBIN.

In looking about after a heavy storm in the middle of July, I was attracted
by the cry of a mother robin.* which, on seeing me, began circling round, then
darting to a place in the muddy road. I followed her, and found one of her
babies so buried in a wagon-rut of mud that it was difficult to tell bird from

mud, except by a faint pulse. Mother robin flew by my side until we reached

the garden. Then she seemed to call all the members of her family and friends,
for in a few moments housetops, telephone wires, fences, and trellises were
covered with excited robins, bluebirds, and wrens. We put the lump of breath¬
ing mud into a bath to soak, which was duly performed in full sight of mother
and father robin, relatives, friends and sparrows. When the diminished lump
was rinsed, disinfected and dried, there was little left but a few pin-feathers, two
closed eyes, and a broken leg. However, it was encouraging to feel a stronger

pulse, and to see a huge bill opening for food.

After setting the broken leg, the merry sunshine, a soft bed in a basket,
and a worm every second, helped much toward saving a valuable bird-neighbour.

The parents soon instructed me in “ pure food for robin culture.” They
are especially partial to beetles ; however, a robin menu includes angle-worms
(which I learned to dig with a sang froid which I never hoped to possess). Nice
juicy caterpillars made up part of their bill-of-fare ; as do also grasshoppers, cut¬
worms, locusts, and snails.

With the indefatigable assistance of the mother, who brought her babe no
less than a hundred helpings each day, and myself hard at it (father robin
worked only occasionally), the pin-feathers soon developed into a beautifully
spotted breast and lovely brown plumage on the back. The broken leg was in
splendid form in a fortnight, and, strengthened by daily massage, it was soon
perfect, lie enjoyed going about the garden perched on my finger, with an extra
pressure of the recovered toes to show his appreciation.

Meanwhile a bracket had been made, and our rescued bird (well named
“ Trouv6 Troubadour ” by a dear friend) was settled comfortably in his very own
house, only a short flight across the garden from his bath. Remember the
value of bird-life, and that their future largely depends on our kindness to them.

Rosalie A. Whitmore, Omaha, Neb.

* The American robin ( Turdus migratorius) .

The Avicultural Magazine.

THE MOT-MOT. (momotus momota).

Hab. : Guiana, N. Brazil.

(From u livinr bird in the possession of Mr. Hilbert I). Astley).

THE

151

Avicultural Magazine,

BEING THE JOURNAL OF
THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.

Third Series. — Vol. VII. — No. 6. — All * ights reserved . APRIL, 1916.

THE MOTMOT.

Mm ootus momota.

By Hubert D. Astley.

Hab. : Guiana and N. Brazil.

In the early summer of 1914, when one still looked upon the
Germans as a civilized people, I received from Hamburg a Brazilian
Motmot. His plumage was bedraggled, the wing feathers broken
and frayed, the tail n 'fi-existent save for a few stumps ; for all that,
he had an attraction ,about him, besides which there was the antici¬
patory pleasure of hatching his moult, which commenced in the end
of July, not being ieally completed until October. The tail was of
course the most interesting point to study. Except for a sparseness
and narrowing in the vane near the end, the tail was normal, and
not until the feathers were completely grown did the webbing begin
to fall off, leaving the two racquets on the two central feathers. I
say ‘ fall off,’ because I am almost sure that this is what happened ;
certainly I never saw the bird attempt to remove any ; and I do not
believe he can reach it with his bill. The webbing came away in
small uneven patches, taking at least a month before the shafts were
quite bare, when the bird resembled his coloured portrait which the
artist did from him, the figure in the background showing him as he
is when the moult is first completed. I use the masculine gender,
for I think it is a male bird.

Mr. C. William Beebe has, I believe, come to the conclusion
that the motmots do not peck off the webbing above the two racquets,
although he formerly maintained that this was the case. Perhaps
he will write for us on the subject.

152

Mr. Hubert D. Astley,

The feet of this species are so very small for the size of the
bird, that it even finds a difficulty in balancing its body on one foot,
whilst scratching the sides of its head, so much so that the move¬
ment has to be very rapid, and I have often seen my bird almost
overbalance. With a bird of a jay size, which has to have perches
to fit the feet of a small passerine bird, such as a nightingale, it can
easily he understood that the feet are very small, and moreover
dumpy without much claw wherewith to clasp.

I have seen my motmot preen the shorter and outer tail
feathers, but never the extremities of the longer ones.

Since the vanes of the two central tail feathers where the
webbing eventually falls away are narrower than in the rest of these
feathers, and decidedly thinner, it may be supposed that this decom¬
position is taking place gradually, until in the far future it might
come about that motmots will grow their racquets with bare shafts
above, just as in the case of the racquet-tailed parrots, and also, I
presume, the racquet-tailed kingfishers.

Mr. Beebe wrote in “ Zoologica ” of loth January, 1910, as
follows : — “The motmot is clad in browns and greens, and is a rather
“ silent, sedentary bird. It would be thoroughly protected on its
“ perch among green foliage were it not for a constant and violent
“ jerking of the closed tail from side to side, through an arc of 45
“to 60 degrees.”

“The individual under consideration has been in my possession
“ since the 5th of Sept., 1908, and in general has been in perfect
“ health, moulting twice, heavily but cleanly, in Sept, of each year.
“ In early Oct., 1908, the motmot began to preen the web of its
“ newly-grown rectrices and within a week the denudation was
“ complete.”

Mr. Beebe goes on to say that he plucked out the two
racqueted feathers in Jan., 1909, and that on fresh ones growing,
“ they were trimmed by the bird as before.” During the second
moult (1909) Mr. Beebe’s motmot seems to have been somewhat
unwell, and after again plucking out the two longest tail feathers,
the fresh ones grew with the sheaths on them, and the folded vane
within was not released until the drying sheaths cracked off when
they were four inches in length. “ When this natural unsheathing

on the motmot.

153

“ had proceeded for several days, a portion of the feather appeared
“ disarranged. When the sheath broke from this part, the fact was
“ made plain that the disordered appearance was due to part of the
“ web coming away with the sheath, and the irregular breaking off
“of the latter made the separate barbs stand out in all directions
“ before being lost.”

And let us take notice of Mr. Beebe's next remarks : — “ When
“ the feathers grew still more, it was seen that above the racquets
“ the regular denuded portion of the shaft was as bare AS IF THE
“ MOTMOT HAD STRIPPED IT.”

“ This was an interesting result and is probably explained by
“ the low vitality of the bird and the severe strain on its plumage-
“ producing resources, causing a lessened and insufficient nutrition
“ in the development of these long feathers.”

Quite so ! but my conviction is that this was merely, owing
to the weakness in the bird’s blood, a hastened example of the shafts
being bared of barbs, which comes about at a slower rate in normal
conditions, and that these barbs fall off, not being removed by the bird
itself any more than it does so with it’s feathers, when moulting.

In Mr. Beebe’s article in “ Zoologica,” there are two very
interesting photographs, showing the congenital weakness of the
barbs which came away above the racquets, and these photographs
being considerably magnified, one can very clearly see how very
weak the barbs are. I have said that I have never seen my motmot
preen the extremities of his two longest tail feathers ; one would
have thought that if ever he did so, it would be after a bath, for in
the warm weather I syringe him, and he then preens his feathers to
dry himself, yet even then I have never seen him reach his racquets
with his bill.

A motmot should really be kept in an aviary, for in a cage
the racquets become worn and frayed after two or three months. I
tried my bird in the only aviary I could put him in, for I would’nt
trust him with small birds, but had to remove him, as my pair of
black and blue Yucatan jays led him a dance, swooping at him and
quite evidently bent upon his destruction ; and on making him black
and blue ! Besides which my motmot is a personality of no mean
order with a large share of intelligence, so that I like him in the

154

Mr. Hubert D. Astley,

house. He lives in a long cage with cane bars in the dining parlour,
and directly he sees me go to the sideboard commences his curious
cry, at the same time swinging his long tail up and round with a
circular movement, and then jerking it from one side to the other
like the pendulum of a clock, the slightest pause being made when
the tail is swung outwards before bringing it back to the other side.
When excited at the prospect of a tit-bit of meat, he at the same
time utters a curious cry, commencing with two or three clucks.
The cry can be imitated by putting the end of the thumb between
one’s closed lips, rapidly vibrating it and at the same time uttering
vocally what may be described as “ ou.” This cry closely resembles
the curious one made by Egyptian women in their native dances.
And the motmot also utters one note of the same calibre ; a louder
“ ou ” and “ woo, pop pop,” which has perhaps to do with a call to
his mate. Only once have I heard him utter a cry expressive of
fear, when I had let him out in a room for exercise, and had been
unable to induce him to re-enter his cage. He went under a cup¬
board and perhaps not knowing that he was going to be caught in
the dark corner to which he had retired, was taken unawares when
my hand closed on him ; then he gave vent to a loud jay-like and
raucous screech, but was quickly pacified when he found who his
captor was, changing the screech to a more contented cluck and
pecking indignantly at my fingers, as much as to say, “ You did
give me a fright, I thought you were at least a cat.”

If he gets hold of one’s finger with his serrated bill, he can
pinch hard, and if one leaves go of him, he will hang on, suspended,
so that you can swing his body. Quite a character, he is ! and most
beautiful in his colouring, with his ruby eye, kingfisher blue on the
head, cinnamon underparts, rich green upperparts and blue tail.
The motmots are allied to the kingfishers and the rollers. They
have, as I have said, the small kingfisher feet, and the head is very
roller-like.

As far as I can tell, the flight in wrild life would probably be
of an undulating character, as in the case of the green wmodpecker ;
but in a confined space, it is quite straight, very strong and rapid.
I should imagine the motmots do not take very long flights, although
he can move very rapidly. In captivity a motmot will do well on

‘The Pendulum of the Barranco.’

THE MEXICAN MOTMOT.

Photo, by C. William Beebe. Adlard & West Newman.

on the raotmot.

155

insectivorous food, with meat and fruit mixed in, besides which any
insects, beetles, spiders, earthworms, etc. are welcomed as an addition
to the menu.

My bird loves a sandbatb, and perhaps this is according to
its habits in wild life.

Mr. C. William Beebe has written in his most interesting
book “ Two bird-lovers in Mexico,” an account of “ The Pendulum
of the Barra nco,” as follows, where he describes the Mexican Mot-
mot, whose portrait is given here, through Mr. Beebe’s kindness in
sending it to me. “ It was in a grove of wild fig-trees that I first
“ saw a Mexican motmot, one of the most interesting and character -
“ istic birds of the ‘ tierra caliente,’ and perhaps the most beautifully
“ coloured of all birds we saw in Mexico. One’s first impression of
“ a motmot, as seen at a distance, is of a large-headed brown and
“greenish bird, with a broad bar of black on the head.” [Mr.
Beebe is writing of a different species to my bird. H.B.A.] “ We

“ were fortunate enough to be able to study one of these birds in
“ our very camp. With a lucky shot I stunned one with a small-
“ calibre shot-cartridge. The bird soon recovered and remained
“about the camp, retaining its full liberty, feeding upon scraps of
“ meat, or occasionally catching insects for itself. Its favourite
“ perch was a branch of flowering clavillina, to which one end of
“ the ridge-pole of our tent was tied. Here, day after day, it un¬
consciously posed' before the camera, the only matter of regret
“ being that its exquisite colouring, which shewed so beautifully
“ on the ground glass, must be lost in the negative.”

The tree is the Cotton Tree ( Bombctx pcclmeri), which is of
good size, and whose oblong flowers burst open, revealing a radiating
tassel of long silky-white stamens, five or six inches in length.

“ These trees love to grow,” Mr. Beebe adds, “ on the very
“ brink of the barrancos, their branches reaching far out over the
“sheer cliffs.”

“ The bark peels off in long fluttering red streamers, thin and
“ transparent, and the rustling of these in the slightest breath of
“ air is a very characteristic sound of the country. The flowers
“ are fragrant, attracting hosts of insects, which in their turn draw
“ the birds.”

156

On the motmot.

1 have discovered that my motmot has a distinct affection
for me. I was away from home for a week, and on my return,
directly I approached his cage, he jumped off a perch on to the floor,
threw up his tail, inclined his head, slightly inflating his throat, and
uttering quite loudly ‘ oup-oup-oup.’ At the same time the pupils of
the eyes contracted, which caused the brilliant ruby colour to flash
and scintillate. He repeated this every time I went near him, bowing
his head slightly with a slow movement, to be at once followed by
his rather Hoopoe-like notes.

I let him out of his cage. He flew on to the oaken sill of a
window, and even as he alighted, twisted round and erected his tail
hopping a few paces. On approaching him, flash went his ruby
eyes, down went his head in a dignified bow, the vocal sac was
distended, and again — 1 oup — oup — oup,’ uttered very rapidly, with
the sonorous quality of the cuckoo’s notes. It seems to me to be
the middle C on the keys of a pianoforte. He’s very attractive !

And, furthermore, a proof of his intelligence came to the fore.
There are usually six or seven Pekingese dogs in the house, of whom,
now he knows them, he is not merely not afraid, but if his cage is
on the lawn in fine weather, and any of the dogs put their noses
near the bars, he will hop down and try to peck them. One day,
however, a new Pekingese was added to the family circle, of a
different colour to the rest ; a rich grey “ brindle.” We were at
luncheon, when suddenly the motmot became very frightened, dash¬
ing about his cage. The new Pekingese was walking about close
beneath the table on which the cage was placed ; and it was very
evident that the bird distinguished the colour and individuality of
the dog, the others being either red or particoloured. In a day or
two, the motmot became reconciled to what he thought to be an
enemy. It was undoubtedly the colour that caused him to distin¬
guish this particular Pekingese from the others ; another proof that
the varied hues of so many male birds can be appreciated by the
females, indeed if it were not so, the display of the males would be
futile and meaningless, when dancing, quivering ornamental plumes,
spreading feathers to exhibit colours to the best advantage, and so
on. Watch a male golden pheasant pirouetting round a female,

More notes on neiv humming-birds.

157

bringing all his gorgeous colouring to the fore : is that mere vigour
without an object beyond it ?

There are many species of Motmots. In addition to two in
each case of Urospatha and Prionornis , and one of Baryphthengus,
all of which five species are called Motmots ; there are at least
eleven of the family of Momotus.

M. momota
M. parensis
M. venezuelce
M. subrufescens

M. ignobilis

Common Motmot
Para Motmot
Venezuelan Motmot
Columbian Motmot
(Barranquero)
Obscure Motmot

Guiana, N. Brazil
N.E. Brazil
Venezuela
Columbia

M. natteri
M. microsteplicinus
M argenticinctus
M. cequatorialis
M. cliiorolcemus
M. bahamensis

East Puru, E. Ecuador
Venezuela

Bolivi, Brazil, E. Puru
Columbia, Ecuador
Ecuador

Ecuador, Columbia

Natterer’s Motmot
Sclater’s Motmot
Silver-banded Motmot
Equatorial Motmot

Green-throated Motmot Central and East Peru
Swainson’s Motmot Trinidad, Tobago
Does the last species occur on Little Tobago ? Perhaps Sir
William Ingram could inform us. It has not been mentioned in the
reports as to birds found there by Sir William’s watcher in con¬
nection with the Paradise birds liberated on the island.

MORE NOTES ON NEW HUMMING¬
BIRDS.

Bv a French Member.

It is, I think, an English saying that three is a lucky number,
that if after two failures a man still perseveres in a certain scheme
the third time is likely to prove successful. Well, since that journey
to Guadelupe, undertaken in February 1914, which I related in our
magazine and which resulted, as may be remembered, in the impor¬
tation of three species of humming-birds, twice did I set myself
to the task of obtaining other varieties of this charming and unique
tribe of birds, by having them embarked on a vessel, with every
necessary direction given to an attendant for their care on the

158

A French Member,

voyage : twice disappointment ensued. The first time, if my memory
serves me right, none at all lived beyond the Azores. The second
lot, it seems, fared a little better ; some half-a-dozen or more sur¬
vived as far as Santander — the last call of the ship before the
French ports — and would no doubt have reached our shores but
for the sudden outbreak of the present war, which became known
on board at that time and spelled the doom of my ill-fated consign¬
ment. I never heard but a hazy, probably not over-truthful account
of the tragedy ; but my mind numbers those little captives amongst
the victims of the war. It may be on account of these two failures,
also owing to the increased difficulties and risks of such shipments
in the present circumstances, that my intention of a third attempt,
when known amongst aviculturists, in June 1915, roused but a mild
interest. The Voice of Wisdom — ever ready to offer advice where
least wanted — rose and condemned or pitied such ventures. Of
course humming-birds could not travel unless accompanied by a
skilled attendant, personally experienced in 'their treatment and
many needs. Of course, the same unhappy fate awaited this lot
that had befallen the others. Such was the encouragement drummed
into my ears. To this opposition I partly owe the success of venture
number three. Indeed the preceding ones had been planned and
arranged carefully enough, and, as w7e thought, with sufficient
thoroughness to ensure the birds1 welfare on their perilous journey ;
but this time there was not going to be a mishap. Each precaution
must be weighed out in advance, and no minute detail neglected for
ill-chance to seize upon and spoil everything once more. The
Colibris must be obtained, taken across the ocean and landed in
good order — and there was an end of it.

By what means this object was achieved I do not propose to
relate. I shall be content with stating that by the great and
untiring kindness of a friend in Venezuela, a large number and a
wonderful variety of humming-birds were procured. One of the
best rooms on a French steamer was prepared for their reception ;
written instructions were given to two intelligent members of the
ship’s crew, baited with the promise of a reward proportioned to
the results ; and, in spite of sages and warnings, amidst fioating-

* Yet a relation of these facts would be very helpful to other aviculturists. — ED.

more notes on new humming-birds.

159

mines, torpedos, submarines, and other commodities of up-to-date
sea-travel, the liner carrying the tiny creatures sailed safely into
harbour on August 27th, 1915, landing upon the soil some 25
Colibris, mostly in excellent condition. The usual wash, rest, good
food and plenty of heat worked the usual wonders ; after the sad
but inevitable decease of the weakly specimens I found myself the
owner of the largest and most varied collection of humming-birds
ever brought alive to Europe. A still more complete success might
have been attained, had I only been told, instead of all the trash
and nonsense one hears from all sources concerning these apparently
mysterious little birds, that it is customary for Venezuelan ones to
moult towards the autumn. Quite a number of them arrived in the
middle of that ever delicate operation, and of these several suc¬
cumbed. It would have been a simple matter to arrange for the
consignment to he sent earlier in the season, when after landing
they would have had a better chance to rally from the fatigues of
their journey before entering upon such a critical time. On the
other hand, as a very large proportion of the Colibris turned out
to be young ones, babies in my opinion not many weeks old at the
time of their capture, this serious disadvantage was to some extent
made up by the interest attaching to the study of their development
and by the greater adaptability of immature age. And this brings
me to mention that whether or not the assertion is correct that
humming-birds are ephemeral beings, living, like the rose of the poet,
“ .... l’espace d’un matin,”

it is not borne out by the decidedly slow process of their assumption
of plumage.

Nearly five months have elapsed since the arrival of these,
and of two Mangos (Trochilus mango ) who reached me in the long-
clothes stage of their existence ; only one just begins to show traces
of the characteristic blue of the male round his cheeks and neck,
whilst the other, slightly more advanced, still has a great deal of
the white garb of young age on his under parts. Further, of three
ruby topaz (Chrysolampis elatus — Moschitus), all babies, one has
scarcely added more than the least touch of gold to a few jewelled
feathers among the grays of his tiny body ; the two others, of which
one has become in England the possession of a friend, have remained

160

A French Member

to this day totally devoid of colour. It is said Chrysolampis elatus
dons his shining livery without a moult. Whether this belief is
founded on fact, and if so how much longer will elapse before the
infants I have of this species — assuming they happen to be males —
put on the cloth of gold and the crown of rubies that enrich the
adult, it is so far impossible to foretell.

Before going on with a little more detail to the various genera
imported, I should like to set down here a few improvements as
regards the treatment of Colibris, which a careful study of their
needs has taught me during a period of twenty-two months. I
mentioned, ruefully enough, in my last articles on this subject, one
of my initial blunders, namely, the utter failure of the attempt at
keeping several together either in aviaries or in large cages. A
second mistake — also dating back to the early days of the 1914
importation — cost I fear some of the birds their life : they were
not kept sufficiently warm Often at night the thermometer in the
room would sink to 17° or even below ; whilst 18° to 19° was the
average maintained in the daytime. I am now of opinion that,
at least during the first year of their European life, humming-birds
require a much higher degree of heat, and that a painful and most
obstinate disease of the bowels, which they are most subject to, and
do not easily recover from, is largely brought on by an irregular
or insufficient temperature. Since the advent of the present winter,
a uniform heat of 22° to 23° has been kept up, with far better
results. Another change, which I am also inclined to consider
beneficial, has been effected in the diet of the birds. The Mellin’s
food, which formerly used to be dissolved with the other ingredients
in the boiling water, is strengthened and varied by the admixture of
an equal quantity of fresh beef, reduced into an impalpable powder
by a slow process of cooking, pounding, and drying. Enough of
the meat is prepared to fill a glass jar, from which the daily supply
can be taken and added to the Mellin’s food according to needs ; if
properly dried there is no fear of its going bad, at any rate for a
fortnight or so. Last, but not least, the Colibris now get insects
all the year round, by the following simple method, which I regret
I only learnt a few months ago : in a bowl about fifteen inches deep,

more notes on new humming-birds.

161

six inches in diameter, put a good amount of mashed potatoes, boiled
without any seasoning whatever — enough to make a good foundation
— then a couple of bananas or more, rotten to the point of pulpiness,
cut into slices and spread about on top of the potato meal. Pour a
few spoonfuls of claret into the jars, in sufficient quantity to moisten
the mixture and to prevent it from becoming mouldy : then fasten
up the top with a piece of muslin and string, leaving a small hole
in the material which a pinch of cotton wool can fill up. All is
now ready for the introduction of the breeders : tiny flies of the
genus Drosophila, which I hear English members may obtain in
London from the Spiders’ House at the Zoological Gardens. The
bowls once prepared should be left in a very warm room for three
weeks or so, after which the larvae will appear, giving birth in turn
to an innumerable progeny. At this stage all that the flies will
require is feeding afresh, once or twice a week, with more fruit and
just a little wine (red) added to the old stuff. If the above recipe is
strictly adhered to, and if care is taken never to use up any one
jar to the point of exhaustion — which means leaving in each the
minimum of fifteen to twenty insects necessary for reproduction —
the breeding will continue without a break, nor will a sudden shortage
occur. To offer this live food to the humming-birds imagination
will suggest many yays ; mine consists in simply removing the
cotton wool stopper, after which I slide the bowl into the cage
through the door, or where the latter is not wide enough, I bring
the cage close to the light, placing the jar on the opposite or darker
side so that it touches the bars: the insects obeying Nature’s prompt¬
ing, which is to seek the light, will fly across the enemy’s domain,
or I should say will endeavour to do so, for not many succeed.
Many a happy hour have I spent marvelling at the humming-birds’
antics, as they caper, dance, hover, twirl, dart, and whiz about
within their little house, in their eff'oits to snap at their prey, which
is almost always caught in mid-air, and but very rarely from the
bars or twigs.

Amongst the newly-landed Colibris we found a few which
even my learned friend Monsieur E. Simon — our greatest authority
on this branch of ornithology — could not identify with any degree

162

A French Member,

of certainty. One was a brownish bird, faintly streaked with olive
markings on the back, chocolate coloured beneath, for all the world
like a big moth. Only one arrived, unluckily tailless and heavily in
the moult. At first we believed him to be Leucippus fallax, a deci¬
dedly rare bird, haunting mangrove swamps, the denizen of fever-
stricken localities ; but, for several conclusive reasons, one of which
is the scarcity of such marshes where the catching was effected, we
ultimately discarded this classification altogether. More probably the
young of some other genus, the early plumage of which is as yet un¬
known. Another puzzle assumed the shape of two small fellows,
grayish above, in size about equal to the immature ruby-topaz: but
their throat and chest were pink. As neither the simili-Fallax nor
the pseudo-Topaz survived more than a few weeks, this double riddle
must remain unsolved, unless I am so happy as to discover its key
in my next consignment.

Trochilus mango. This well-known species hardly calls for a
lengthy description ; it is a fair-sized bird for a hummer, naturally slim
and sleek, with a thin slender neck and nearly straight beak. In
the adult the whole of the back is a vivid green, the chest and belly
a beautiful deep black with a line of bright sapphire running down
the sides from the neck downwards. Tail rounded and violet under¬
neath. The young differ in having the entire lower parts white,
but divided by a tortuous streak of black. As the bird gains in age
this line is seen to widen out by degrees until all the white dis¬
appears, merging as it were into the ebony black, whilst a blue spot,
faintly shining by the throat, increases in size and lustre as it creeps
down towards the chest. A hardy species, taking easily to the
artificial food, graceful in its attitudes and, for a Colibris, strangely
loquacious ; besides the incessant chattering cackle that accompanies
all its actions or expresses its emotions, it boasts of a little song, more
strange than beautiful, which sounds exactly like the tearing of silk.

JEgyrtria fimbriata. Whilst of the above several individuals
were present in the consignment, only one was found of this kind.
It is an adult, and has, at the time of writing, embarked on a slow
moult. Much smaller than Trochilus mango, incredibly swift on
the wing and most eager for flies. Upper parts green, chest and
abdomen mottled white with a patch of flashing emerald on both

more notes on new humming-birds.

163

sides. This bird somewhat puzzled us at first by the unusual vivid
colouring of his beak, which is of a lovely coral shade. Out of
dozens of skins observed, not one showed this peculiarity, nor is it
mentioned in Ornithological works, where the bill of JE. fimbriata
is described as black or brownish black, certainly never carmine.
No doubt discolouration speedily follows upon death, and only skins
have to this day furnished the material for study. Fimbriata is, or
thinks himself, quite an accomplished songster; he has a little
melody, which he practices for hours together, preferably of a morn¬
ing ; a faint chirp, followed by a long, soft, reedy trill in the treble.
He is a great favourite, in a collection where almost each item is a
pet, and this not only for his funny, winning little ways, his vivacity,
his intelligence, but also because he escaped from the very jaws of
death. When upon arrival he was taken out of the big travelling
box he shared with many others, to be let loose in a nice all-wire
cage by himself, I thought I had never in all my past experience
seen a creature so wild ; he would dash about at lightning speed,
throwing himself madly against the sides, panting and shivering
with fright : such was his anguish that every time one had to open
the door of his house and insert the hand, he fell backwards on the
floor in a fainting fit. Each day I expected to pick him up dead ;
but no, patience and kindness slowly dispelled his terrors, he be¬
came gentle, confiding, even friendly. But scarcely had he grown
reconciled to human presence when, for no cause I can conceive,
he contracted quite suddenly that mysterious ailment of the bowels
previously alluded to. This again took weeks to cure; however he
has now overcome both his wildness and the other trouble, and
certainly seems one of the happiest members of my little family.
He has developed a quaint habit when he thinks his tail is in need
of a wash, of flying on to the wires above his hanging bath, then,
clinging there and bending his body backwards, of dipping his lower
feathers in the water. This original performance or hip-bath is wound
up with the customary toilet, as indulged in by all humming-birds,
who, afraid to trust their tiny legs to the dreaded depths of a tin,
prudently content themselves with sitting on its inner edge, plunging
in their head and neck, all the while frantically flapping their wings
about, in the hope of causing the liquid to run down their back.

164

A French Member

JEgyrtria milleri. The smallest bird of the whole consign¬
ment ; smaller I think than my late lamented Bellona, truly no
bigger than a, bumble-bee. Greenish on top, with brilliant turquoise
blue head and traces of the same lovely shade by the throat, which is
whitish. Not a common species, leastways not in that particular
part of Central America, where its habitat is mostly Colombia.
One arrived looking lively and well, only to fall shortly into an ill-
timed moult, which, in spite of all nursing, brought on bis death
after two months or so of a hopeless struggle. I found his little
body literally covered and choked with the new quills

Sanzerottea felici. Another charming genus ; almost, if not
quite as tiny as the above, but wearing a uniform dress of the most
intense emerald green, shot in places with golden reflections and
varied only by the steel-blue tail and by the reddish shading of the
rump. Several individuals arrived in good condition ; one of these,
perhaps the most brilliant, has become so tame that if I hold out a
small stick to him he will at once buzz on to it and quietly proceed to
preen or shake out his shining feathers, with a satisfied air of one who
knows a clever trick and enjoys its performance. Very fond of flies
and like JE. fimbriata a demon of the air for quickness of flight.

Ghrysolampis elatus = ( Moschitus ). This species, also one of
the smaller Golibris, is so miraculously lovely that, not having at
my disposal the painted prose of a Wilde or the colour music
of an Albeniz, * I will attempt no closer detailing of its many
beauties than to say that a glowing ruby forms its crest, a golden
topaz, iridescent with green fires, sparkles on its throat, both colours
so resplendent that the whole of this tiny sprite, when it dances in
the rays in the sun, appears like a living, leaping flame, flashing
forth as it were a light of its own ; a deep, silky maroon adorns
the upperparts ; the tail, which is rich brown tipped with black,
spreads itself out like a fan whenever the bird is buzzing about,
a prey to some excitement, or if he wishes to rest after a bath,
sunning himself upon a favourite twig. Although a sadly delicate
species, quite a number wTere safely landed, amongst them several
babies of uncertain sex and a young cock, already mentioned in
these pages, showing on his chest a single golden spot. A marvellous

* Vide “ L’Oiseau de Feu.”

more notes on new humming-birds.

165

little male, fully adult, after suffering for two months with that
strange malady of the howels which I despair to prevent but some¬
times can cure, and which until I know better I have baptized en¬
teritis, has now completely recovered, and is the gem of a brilliant
series, slim and tight as any wild bird can well he.

Eulampis jugularis. As I gave in my articles of the past
year a long description of these Colibris, imported by us from
Guadeloupe nearly two years ago, I won’t weary my readers with
a repetition. As time goes by and moult succeeds moult, the birds
seem to gain steadily in strength and condition. None are more
greedy for flies. They have grown quite hardy and, last summer,
up to the date of the new humming-birds’ arrival, lived for weeks
day and night by the open window.

Though I have no doubt taken up my full share of this paper
and can fancy our Editor sending for the dreaded scissors of cen¬
sure, perhaps it is not out of place to give here in a few words the
year’s record of my sunbirds. Two malachites ( Nectarinici famosco)
are now in the glory of their nuptial dress, one of them after waver¬
ing for months, during the fine season, between the grays of winter
plumage and the half-donned green silks of summer clothing. The
same may be said at the present moment of two lesser double-
collared sunbirds (Cimiyris chalybceus), both in perfect health but
showing amongst the green feathers of their back many spots of
gray, which are slow in disappearing. Both have been in my
possession some three years.

A purple sunbird ( Arachnechthra asiatica) has just completed
his first moult into the violets of maturity, and shares with a lovely
little amethyst-rumped (Arachnechthra zeylonica) the privilege of
rivalling my best humming-birds for condition.

My wedge-tailed sunbird ( Anthrobaphes violacea ) has success¬
fully undergone his second moult since he came over in October
1914. He has learned to take any small soft-skinned insects from
my fingers and devours mealworms, provided they are decapitated
before they are served : he will then suck out the whole of the
inside, inserting his long thin tongue into the hole as into a fragrant
flower, until only the empty shell remains in my hand.

166

More notes on new humming-birds.

And now for some mishaps. With that radiant species in¬
habiting' Transvaal ( Cinnyris mariquensis) , truth compels me once
more to confess to failure. Out of four individuals received in
October 1914, two died within a few months, one survived until
the summer, and the fourth, whom I got over his moult after almost
incredible pains, suddenly became a prey to brain disease, and
gradually succumbed to it after less than a year’s life in captivity.
Certainly the most disappointing birds I have handled yet, possibly
owing to the great difficulty of obtaining creatures whose home is so
remote inland, that the endless journey to the coast and subsequent
voyage across the ocean, even with the help of a temporary rest at a
kind friend’s home between the two ordeals, weaken their naturally
delicate constitution to such a point that a complete rally becomes
all but impossible.

My one specimen of JEthopyqa nepalensis, obtained through
a friend in England in July 1914, underwent a fairly good moult
and looked like doing well, in spite of a bare neck which stubbornly
refused to grow feathers until some three or four months ago, but just
as his head was at last getting covered with quills and I was rejoicing
at this reward of twelve months’ patient wait, he died in a fit.

JEthopyqa saturata, I am thankful to state, has done better
and moulted beautifully, though indeed not easily, last year about
this time; he is now in the throes of this operation again. Another
extremely delicate genus 1 fear : this is the more to be regretted
because with its lovely blue and black plumage, its long tail, its
sweet, strangely passionate little song and instinctive tameness, it
is also one of the most charming.

To finish these notes with a contrast to this frail little fellow,
Cinnyris amethystinus, a very robust species, which has just shed
his old garb and looks once more very pleased with his sombre yet
shining new dress.

#

Below will be found, such as it is, the musical rendering of
some of the sun birds’ phases or calls. Partly because in the case
of many genera — for instance, Nectarinia famosa — it is impossible
to convey an idea of the song, which, though clear and pretty, is
not of a musical quality ; partly on account of the confusion of

Whiskey Jack and another.

167

sound reigning in a room, which, in addition to the melodies of
many sunbirds, rings throughout the day with the wild howls of
Paradise birds, my laudable attempt has only yielded the poor results
that follow. Let us fondly hope that some other musical member
of our Society, working under more favourable conditions, may in¬
terest himself in this effort, and so far as art can imitate Nature,
crown a delicate task with a better success.

■rE. nepalensis.

(

-

) it if

ft :

ft

_

ft

ft

\

y

/

y

/

✓

S

y

<

G. amethy stinus .

C. mariquensis.

/E. saturata.

f> :

0t

/

t

y

/

*

y

/

1

W *

WHISKEY JACK AND ANOTHER.

By Aubyn Trevor- Battye.

Where was it — an attractive description lately read of a bird
that was probably Perisoreus canadensis, the Canadian Jay ? This
bird is known all through the forests as Whiskey Jack. (Wiscachan
is the Indian name, which became to the settlers Whiskey John,
and so, in easy transition, Whiskey Jack).

It is a bad bird when one is tracking moose ; for then its
inquisitiveness and its warning cry may utterly defeat a long and

168

Whiskey Jack and another.

patient effort. But if it shares with our own jay this demerit, it
has gentler claims that more than make it up. It is a most lovable
little bird, so much so that the writer who a score of times might
almost have caught one with his hand, so to speak, has yet but a
single skin in his collection. You cannot kill your most confiding
friends, and life in the great forests of the North West would really
be a different thing without Whiskey Jack. Worn out with foot-
slogging hour after hour through the muskegs, weary with picking
your slow way in silence and suspense through tracts of fallen
timber, where though the trees lie like spilikins you must not snap
a twig, no sooner have you fired at last your shot, and sat down
to admire your quarry — or to mourn its disappearance, as the
case may be — than Whiskey Jack turns up. When you stop to
munch a hard-earned piece of bread and cheese, Whisky Jack is
there to help you, and will come at last to take it from your fingers.
He does not do that at once of course : you must throw the food a
little nearer, a little nearer, must move deliberately and not in jerks,
for all this time he is summing you up. At last he determines that
you are all but as senseless as the grey log on which you sit, and
then, at the psychological moment, as the journalists say, he comes
in and “ takes the biscuit ” with a little dart.

Now there are but two birds belonging to the genus of
Perisoreus^' ; one in the New World one in the Old; the latter
is P. infaustus, the Siberian jay. It is not a little curious that both
have the same habits, habits that distinguish them in character — as
they are separated in form — from Garrulus ; for this genus is not
companionable but quite the opposite — very “fly.”

The writer cannot recall an instance of this extreme friend¬
liness on the part of the Siberian jay in Norway or Sweden, where
the bird is common enough, and where they go through the trees
in discordant parties ; but in the immense forests that border on
the tundras of Arctic Russia the bird is every bit as friendly as

* Newton points out (“ Dictionary of Birds,” p. 468) that Bonaparte’s
name of Perisoreus was pre-dated by Dysornithia of Swainson. This latter term
would mean a bird of ill omen. The origin of Perisoreus is not so clear, unless
it be mal-derived from TrepLtruptvio to heap up all round. If so it would refer
to the bird’s practice of storing up its food. Newton (quoting Swainson and
Richards) gives the Cree name as “ Whiskse-shawneesh.” My own Cree hunter
always called it “ Wiscachan,” which is much the same as “ Whiskse-shawn. ”

A Morning in Winter.

169

Whiskey Jack. When you have been sitting since early morning
behind four fast reindeer, skirting the thin edge of the pine trees,
and the cold is great, and about half-way up your tibia razors
seem to be sawing at the bone, and you pull the team round in a
half-circle, unless you can frame the proper throaty word for
“ wma ! ” — the writer never could — and tumble off the sleigh into the
snow to find you cannot stand, then indeed Jack Moujik’s voice
sounds friendly as he draws up through the trees, and you have cause
to bless him, call him by what name you please. By the time the
brick tea is steaming in the billy the relations established are already
of the friendliest and he is ready to share your hard-baked slabs of
bread.

I do not remember to have seen a Whiskey Jack in captivity,
it would he a most engaging pet. Mr. Meade-Waldo has however
described for us his delightful Siberian jay ; though it is not every
bird-keeper who has the devotion needed to provide so varied a bill
of fare as he describes.

A MORNING IN WINTER.

By Hubert D. Astley.

The end of February, Primulas in full colour, pear blossom
almost opening, daffodils budding, and the Pyrus japonica in scarlet
bloom, so mild has the winter been. Yet the winds and the gales,
positive hurricanes, seem to have been blowing without cessation
for two full months. And now the clerk of the weather has a bad
bilious attack, shewing his tongue unhealthily yellow ! A N.E. gale,
and then the snow whirling and scurrying, thawing a bit on the
ground, but oh how cold it must he up above in aeroplane altitudes !
The first look from bedroom windows is horrible, disheartening,
depressing ! the more so because of one’s birds, and the wild birds
too, for they must be fed. Once out of doors one is too busy to
think of anything else. A bowl of hot melox in hand, I hurry
round about the house, scattering some here and there in sheltered
corners, or where the snow has been swept away on paved paths.
Eobins, starlings, thrushes and blackbirds are lopping about, puffed
out, and then come blue tits, a solitary pied wagtail in spring colours,
one or two hedge accentors, a couple of great tits, and of course

170

A Morning in Winter.

sparrows, whilst out in an orchard one poor redpoll is searching for
seeds on the stalks of last year which emerge from the snow level.
Then, broom in hand, I sweep a space first in one meadow and then
in another for the cranes to feed on. Maize and bread, and I have
to stand by a bit to keep off rooks and jackdaws, which directly
my back is turned, flop down and quickly devour what they can
find. Then I’m off to the aviaries, again to sweep on the lawn
surrounding them, because there the palm doves come to feed and
a few crested doves, as well as my Modena pigeons.

I'm anxious about the doves, so so few put in an appearance,
and they can’t find food anywhere else. For three days now I have
seen not more than half a dozen, instead of five or seven and twenty.
I whistle and scatter grain, and an hour after, the swept ground is
snow-covered. Luckily it isn’t freezing hard, and the birds can find
plenty of water to drink, and the flamingoes and ducks on ponds
and moat are none the worse, especially as they receive an extra
meal. But how unnatural the flamingoes look, like a bevy of girls
in pink evening frocks, who have had to walk home from a party,
holding their skirts very high indeed : they look cold, but are really
all right, and when the grain is thrown into the shallow water, all
come forward ; gaggling, grunting, squabbling, and duelling, with long
writhing necks and erected dorsal plumes : and whilst they thus
waste precious time, ducks are taking advantage, dibbling, devour¬
ing and diving, (I doubt if such alliteration is good ! ) There is a
most magnificent male falcated duck amongst them, with a head
and crest of burnished violet and coppery-brown, his elongated
feathers on the back almost covering the tail. A very handsome
species. But it isn’t a morning for standing still to admire man¬
darins and summer ducks, Bahamas and shelduck, pochard, golden
eyes and the rest, even if one had the time. There is the poultry
to be seen to, and poor February chicks to cosset, and one’s own
breakfast to think of. The aviary birds seem all right, for they
have slept in warmed shelters, with food awaiting them on awaking.
The red cardinals make a flash of colour against the snowy back¬
ground, but almost too much so in these times ; involuntarily one
thinks of blood upon the snow ! and one thinks of it still more
when one returns indoors to find the daily paper on the table ! !

171

Nesting -habits of the mistletoe-bird.

NESTING HABITS OF THE
MISTLETOE- BIRD.

Dicceum hirundinaceum.

By S. A. Lawrence, R.A.O.U. and R. T. Littlejohns, R.A.O.U.,

Melbourne (Vic.)

[The following interesting account is taken from “The Emu.’’ We regret we
cannot reproduce the excellent photographs accompanying it] .

During October and November, 1914, we had an opportunity,
for the first time, of observing the nesting habits of the Mistletoe-
bird ( Dicceum hirundinaceum). Previously we had seen the bird
only on a few occasions, and never at close quarters. The nest we
had under notice, unfortunately, could not be visited during the
period of incubation, but we spent a good deal of time photographing
and taking notes when the young birds appeared.

On 4th October, while photographing at the nest of a Yellow¬
breasted Whistler ( Pachycephala gutturalis ) on a timbered hillside
at Ferntree Gully, Victoria, we noticed a male Mistletoe-bird attack¬
ing a White-eye ( Zosterops dorsalis) with such persistence as to
indicate that the former was nesting. Several times the White-eye
returned to a native cherry tree ( Exocarpus cupressiformis) and each
time was angrily driven' away. Finally, both birds were lost to sight
among the trees. As a photograph of the Dicceum had long been
desired, we kept a very sharp look-out. Soon the female Mistletoe-
bird arrived with nesting material, and flew straight to a sapling a
few yards from the disputed cherry tree. On following her to the
sapling, much to our delight we discovered the purse-like nest
suspended from a horizontal branch about 10 feet from the ground.
We watched from a short distance while the female made two or
three more visits. The nest was very elastic, and bulged in an
alarming manner as the bird turned about inside, arranging the
fresh material. A closer inspection later showed that it was almost
completed, and was much larger than descriptions had led us to
believe was usual with nests of the kind. Certainly, it was much
larger than the specimen now in the Melbourne Museum. The
nest, which faced the north, was built of sheep’s wool and the woolly
substance obtained from the under side of the leaves of the blanket-
wood tree ( Bedfordia salicina). Although we remained at the spot

172 Mr. S. A. Lawrence and Mr. R. T. Littlejohns,

for a considerable time longer, the bird did not again return, and we
were rather concerned as to whether w7e had caused her to desert.
The male appeared to take no part in the nest-building, but confined
his attention to clearing his domain of feathered intruders.

It was not till 22nd October that we were again able to visit
the hill. We were relieved to find that the nest had survived the
severe gales which had been experienced in the interim, and that
three young birds had been batched some few days before. In the
short period available for observation on this occasion, the female
made several visits with food at intervals of, roughly, two minutes.
She invariably flew into the sapling a few7 feet above it before cling¬
ing to the front of the nest to feed the young. As we were only a
short distance away, we were able to see that the food consisted of
insects only. The male was not seen at all, and the wariness of
the female did not leave us very hopeful as to the possibility of
obtaining photographs. A few days later we were early on the spot,
provided with fencing rail and string for the erection of a staging on
which to set the camera. The primitive nature of this structure
appeared rather to amuse Mr. Charles Barrett, wTho arrived later in
the day. However, it served its purpose, and eventually we had the
cameras focussed on the nest. As we had expected, the birds were
somewhat alarmed, and, though the female several times came to
within a couple of feet of the nest, a few hours elapsed ere it sum¬
moned sufficient courage to brave the camera. When it had satisfied
itself, after a great deal of hovering and hesitation, that the strange-
looking object wTas harmless, the bird finally clung to the front of the
nest in the desired position. Our difficulties, however, were not
even now at an end, as, although, from this onwards, the female
visited the nest frequently, her lightning-like movements prevented
us from making a satisfactory exposure. On her arrival, she fed
the young with her head inside the nest, and left immediately.

We had to resort to a plan usually adopted by us in the case
of closed nests. The opening was blocked up with a piece of paper,
thus preventing the young birds being fed. The parent was so taken
aback on her return that she remained for several seconds in a suit¬
able position. She did not at all appreciate the altered aspect of
her home, and clung to the front, scolding harshly. Mr. Barrett

on the nesting -habits of the mistletoe-bird. 173

and ourselves were then able to expose several plates. The male
bird was too wary to be photographed, and at this time we were of
the opinion that it took no part whatever in feeding the young. On
two or three occasions during the day the male came to within a
few feet of the nest, but brought no food. We left the hillside that
evening fairly satisfied with our day’s result, but more than ever
determined to obtain pictures of the male if possible.

A week later we were again at the nest, notwithstanding un¬
favourable weather. The young birds, which had grown considerably,
called lustily in answer to their parents. They were also strong
enough to cause a good deal of trouble by pushing the piece of paper
from the entrance of the nest. On this occasion, much to our
surprise and satisfaction, the male fed the fledgelings as often as
the female did, thus completely upsetting our former conclusions.
The male very quickly became accustomed to the camera, but,
instead of clinging to the front of the nest, persisted in hanging
head downward from the branch above. For some time at a stretch
each bird brought food to the nest on an average once in about four
minutes. There were occasions, when the brood was evidently well
satisfied, on which both birds remained away for as long as a quarter
of an hour. The male bird especially, often choosing a prominent
position in a neighbouring tree, would remain for some time uttering
a short, sweet strain, not unlike that of the White-eye. On this
day, also, the young were fed on insects.

We were naturally very pleased at having been able to photo¬
graph both birds : but, as the conditions had been so unfavourable,
we decided to devote the following Tuesday (a holiday) to further
observation. This proved to be the most interesting and profitable
day of all. Nine o’clock in the morning found the improvised staging
again erected before the nest. The birds by this time seemed to take
these untoward happenings as a matter of course, and we were able
to start operations without delay. The young birds were well
feathered, and it was difficult to prevent them from scrambling out.
They resented the blocking out of daylight and fought so strenuously
as to cause us some misgivings for the safety of the nest, which was
showing a little weakness at the narrow portion through the action
of the weather. Both parents again took part in feeding the young,

174 Mr. S. A. Lawrence and Mr. R. T. Littlejohns,

and we were surprised to find that this day the food consisted almost
wholly of the sticky Loranthus berries, devoid of the outer case.
Insects were brought only about once in each six visits. The berries
were obtained very quickly from mistletoe growing on the trees near
by, most of which were badly affected with the parasite. The
female usually brought one fruit only at a time, while the male
frequently brought two, and sometimes three. The parents them¬
selves also fed on the berries, both when among the mistletoe and
when prevented for any length of time from feeding the chicks.
After taking several photographs of the parent birds at the nest we
removed the young, in order to make some exposures under less
difficult conditions. The adults soon became used to the change,
and perched on a convenient stick near the imprisoned brood. They
had lost all fear of the camera and of ourselves, and took berries
from a small mistletoe branch held out to them. We were then
able to see exactly how the berries were extracted from the case.
We already knew, by observing the empty cup-shaped portions of
the cases attached to the mistletoe, that the berry was extracted
without the berry being first plucked from the parasite. We now
found that the ripe berry was taken crosswise in the bird’s bill,
and the soft case split in halves by pressure. The free portion of
the case was then dropped, leaving the white berry protruding from
the half still attached to the branch. By pressure of this remaining
half between the mandibles the seed was forced out sufficiently to
allow of its being easily taken in the bill. The birds could not be
persuaded to take unripe berries. During the time that berries
were to be obtained so near at hand we noticed that one of the
fledgelings, much weaker than the others, was neglected time after
time when they were being fed. We took pity on the weakling and
placed it where we thought it would be more likely to receive
attention Evidently, however, the neglect was intentional, and it
was fed very little. At the time we were inclined to think this
apparent neglect accounted for the bird being a weakling, but it
occurred to us afterwards that possibly it was fed on insects only,
and passed over when berries were brought. This would appear
likely from the fact that all were fed on insects when very young,
and on berries only as they became larger and stronger. The

on the nesting -habits of the mistletoe-bird. 175

Loranthus seeds evidently passed through the system of the young
birds very quickly, and were unharmed.

As the birds had become so trustful, we thought that it would
be a pity to leave without taking some pictures which would illus¬
trate how accustomed even shy birds will in time become to the
presence of anything unusual. With very little trouble we induced
the female to perch on our hands and feed the young. Similar
photographs of the male could have been obtained had it not been
that the day was far spent and the light useless for further camera
work. After putting the young birds back in the nest and covering
up our tracks in the vicinity as much as possible, we left the birds to
enjoy the peace they deserved.

Some two months later we again visited the spot, and took
the remains of the nest for closer examination. We also examined
some Loranthus seeds which had passed through the young birds
and had lodged on the branch of a sapling. All had firmly adhered
to the branch and had sent out small shoots. From our observa¬
tions it would appear that, without doubt, the Mistletoe-bird must
be a very important factor in the spreading of Loranthus. We have
watched other birds among the branches of the parasite when in
fruit, but have not see any of them eat the berries. On 1st Nov.,
1915, just a year after our previous observation, we noticed that the
Loranthus on the same hillside had not finished flowering. Some
berries were forming, but none was nearly so far advanced as those
noticed the same time last year. We observed two different pairs of
Mistletoe-birds feeding on the ripe berries of the native cherry tree ;
White-eyes and Yellow-faced honey-eaters ( Ptilotis chrysops) were
doing the same. The berries were pulped for some time in the bill,
and swallowed with the seed attached. The mistletoe-bird, however,
appears to favour the Lorantlms berries when they are available, as,
during our observations last year, they did not eat the berries of the
native cherry, although the tree, within a few feet of the nest, was
in full fruit.

[The members of the genus DiccPAim are very small short-tailed birds, also
known as flower-peckers. — Ed.

176 Mr. P. F. M. Galloway,

ON THE BEST SYSTEM OF FEEDING
INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.

By P. F. M. Galloway.

(Concluded from page 147).

On the foods I have mentioned I have been able with very
little trouble to keep the swallow for over seven years, when it died
practically from old age, also the nightjar for just over five years.

Birds during the dull days of winter should be fed twice a
day. The first feed at about 8 a.m., the second and last feed at 3.30
p.m., but from and including May and on to September they should
be fed four times. I prefer to do this rather than give two large
feeds as the hot weather is liable to turn the food sour. At this
time of year I give the first feed at 6 am., second at noon, a scanty
meal again at 3 p.m., and the last feed at 6 p.m. ; there will be just
a little left after the last feed which the birds will get at the first
peep of daylight, this would be about 3 a.m. It must be remem¬
bered that birds in the wild state would be feeding from sunrise to
sunset more or less.

Exercise.

This is very important. If birds are kept in an outdoor
aviary they will get abundance of exercise. If kept in cages (and
they can be kept in perfect condition in these) the cages should be
fairly roomy, a large one being far and away better than a small
one, but the large cage will be very little better than the small one
if a lot of perches are fixed in it. Two perches, one at each end and
one along the front rail where the food vessels are fixed, is quite
sufficient, the object being to give sufficient room between these, so
that the bird has to fly from one to the other. It is not hopping
exercise alone that is needed but wing exercise, and the latter is
entirely lost sight of in the wretched little cages one sees in the
bird-dealers’ shops.

Some birds, such as thrushes and blackbirds, will do well in a
moderate-sized cage, but birds, especially such as the gold-crested
wren, long-tailed tit and small warblers require, and should have, a
much larger one than would be necessary for a nightingale or black¬
cap, on account of their extreme activity. The two former in their

The Avicultural Magazine.

COCK NIGHTINGALE TAKING FOOD TO YOUNG.

Photo, by J. H. Symonds.

Adlard & West Newman.

on the best system of feeding insectivorous birds. 177

wild state are for ever on the move, flitting from one bough to
another, hopping here and there, scarcely on one twig for more than
a few seconds at a time. A Crystal Palace cage, all wire, with a
dome in the centre makes an ideal cage for a pair of gold-crested
wrens. One perch at each end of the cage close to the floor, one
perch in the middle half way up will do, and in the dome a few
pine branches which these birds are fond of playing about on and
roosting in will be sufficient.

Cleanliness.

This is another important item. A bird however suitably fed,
with sufficient exercise will, sooner or later, go wrong if the water is
allowed to become foul and the perches or draw board of its cage
not kept clean.

In an aviary it is easier to keep birds clean than in a cage.

I wash the perches every morning and clean every drawer board
every other day and use about half-an-inch of moderately coarse
pine saw dust, taking the drawer boards out and sifting the dust
and throwing the soiled portion into the waste box, and by just
sprinkling a little fresh dust on top all is again sweet and clean. If
the perches and drawer boards are allowed to get really dirty this
will happen, the bird gets a little of the excrement on its feet and
slightly soils the perch, each time it adds a little more dirt to the
perch and also more to the underpart of the feet. In hot weather
especially, this hardens on the feet and might not be noticed by the
ordinary observer until a little lump ever so small is seen on the
toe ; if this is allowed to remain on the toe for only a few days it
will have become as hard as cement, and when the bird’s toe has
been washed there will be a very tiny brown spot just noticeable on
the underpart of the toe, and when the bird is replaced in the cage,
whenever the bird gets the perches soiled the dirt will cling again to
this very toe and on the self same spot. If the bird is turned into
an aviary, where it can go into some water when it likes, nothing
more may occur, but if still kept in a cage, of which the perches and
floor are not kept reasonably clean, the toe mentioned will by degrees
become slightly swollen, and as often as not, as the disease pro¬
gresses, the claw down to this diseased joint will wither up, result
loss of a toe, the toe actually falls off ; but this disease, for it is a

178 On the best system of feeding insectivorous birds.

disease, I will treat of fully at some future time when writing on the
ailments of birds. One very extraordinary thing is that I have seen
seed-eaters, finches and such like, with their feet caked with dirt,
and yet, if washed carefully with warm water, their feet have been
perfectly healthy ; needless to say that a quarter of this amount on
the foot of a soft-billed bird would result for certain in the loss of
claws or toes or both, proving that the feet of the latter birds are
very tender.

Some bird-keepers may say ‘‘What ami to do? My birds will
not go into the bath which would keep his feet clean.” Then I would
say do as I do (and I have several birds) ; take the bird carefully
in the hand and wash its feet in warm water after dissolving a little
boracic acid, and the more a bird is handled I find the tamer it
becomes. The sawdust I use for tame birds and used to the cage,
it would be absurd to use it for unsteady birds, the result would be
that the dust would be scattered all over the place and the water-tin
full of sawdust instead of water. For such birds I personally use
fresh cakes of fern-leaf moss, which I get myself from the woods ;
for those that are not so fortunate as to be living near the woods in
the country I know of nothing better than fine cocoa-nut fibre or
peat moss damped and pressed down firmly on the drawboard.

I do not use sand for any insectivorous birds except Wagtails.
For these I use zinc drawer boards to their cages, which I cover
with about a quarter-of-an-inch of clean sand, any sand will do ;
there is always a shallow water-tin on the floor of their cages, and
as these birds are more often paddling in and out of the water than
sitting on their perches, it matters not how damp they make the sand,
in fact it is natural for them to run about on damp sand and their
feet in this way are kept in perfect order.

The toes of all wagtails (especially the greys) are very slender
and if these birds are kept on sawdust, and no water dish for them to
paddle in and their feet becomes dirty, they very quickly get diseased
toes, I have found them very liable to this. I have seen it advised
in bird-books that birds should have their cages cleaned out at the
farthest once a week. Well, all I can say is that I should be sorry
for the condition of my soft-billed birds if I had to leave them for a
week without cleaning them out. I prefer to do this every other

Correspondence.

179

morning, it takes less than half the time it otherwise would if allowed
to go a week and the birds are infinitely better for it, of this I am
sure. Clean water for drinking should be given every day in winter,
and always twice, morning and evening, in summer time. I prefer
rain water.

CORRESPONDENCE, NOTES, ETC

INTELLIGENCE OF A STANLEY PARRAKEET.

The other day I had an amusing instance of intelligent observation in
a cock Stanley parrakeet, an old show bird recently imported from Australia,
hut wild-bred. Since his arrival, he and his mate have lived in two of the
rectangular cages I use for Platycerci and are now thinking of nesting. When
the snow came I had to take in a rosella from an outdoor aviary and she was
put in the same room as the Stanleys in such a position that they could hear
but not see her. The following day I decided to shift the rosella from the
rectangular cage she was occupying into an ordinary parrot cage and a servant
brought it in and set it down on the floor (empty) so that the top was visible to
the Stanleys. In a moment the cock was on the floor of his own cage in a
corner nearest the parrot cage, indulging in violent abuse and tail-waggling,
under the impression that the cage contained the rosella. although he had never
seen her in it, or any other bird for that matter. The interesting thing is that
after a considerable interval he recognised a parrot cage at sight, not as a feed¬
ing-place, a home, or a prison, but as a receptacle for parrots, and he knew that
if you hear a parrot in a room and see part of a parrot cage the parrot is sure
to be inside the parrot cage and nowhere else. So certain was he of this, that
the fact that he could not see the rosella and had heard her calling from a
different direction, did not alter his opinion of her obvious whereabouts in the
least. I may add that when he was shown a cage some weeks ago he took no
particular interest in it, as he had at that time no reason to believe there was
anything in it. - TAVISTOCK.

AN EARLY BLACKCAP WARBLER AT THE FRONT— B.E.F.

Captain PHILIP GOSSE writes to say that he, saw a blackcap on the 17th
March, the first migrant he had noticed up to that date.

NOTES FROM SALONIKA.

Mr. HUGH WORMALD sends these interesting notes, written bv his
brother from Salonika : —

Nov. 19th, 1915. There area few hares about, partridges, snipe and duck,
lots of hawks, buzzards, magpies, tortoises by the dozen, lizards, and a few
serpents. There is a very pretty grey hawk, very like a sea gull in markings,
which we cannot place, a fair-sized bird. (Surely a harrier. H.W.) The sheep

180

Correspondence.

dogs of the country are big and fierce like wolves, six of them assaulted us this
afternoon and put our ponies to flight !

Dec. 2nd, 1915. It has been infernally cold the last week, snow and
blizzards, so we abode in our tents most of the time. The snipe flock round as
tame as sparrows within fifty yards of the camp. There are also geese and
ducks about, a few quail, hares, partridges and pigeons, but we have no gun.
There are lots of kites, hawks, etc. about, but I cannot kill them or would send
you a skin of each sort. I hunted ,a sea eagle one day.

Dec. 26th, 1915. I caught a small horned viper yesterday and a harmless
snake, and we killed by accident a noble marmot, like an enormous mole, twice
the size of an ordinary mole, with rodent’s teeth and a square face and no tail.
If I can get another I shall take his skin, but this one had a pick-axe through
him and was too smashed up. I will try to get you one of the grey hawks as
there are now two guns in the battalion.

Feb. 6th, 1916. I have dug a few swamp pits in my trenches, 2ft. deep
and 3ft long, with quartering over the top for drainage, and nearly every morn¬
ing I find three or four green tree frogs and two or three fat, short-tailed field
mice in them, so I have to take up the boards and fish them out. The mice are
very pleasant, fat and round with round faces, nearly black ; they don’t bite
when caught, but sit up and wash their faces on your hand, being rather slow
of movement. There are several little owls about and very noisy, but I have
not discovered their lair. I shall search one Sunday and see if I can catch one
in a hole as they are usually in one rocky bit of the hill just behind my tent.

A WONDERFUL FIND.

[We insert this account from a New Zealand paper, the truth of which
we cannot vouch for] .

A remarkable discovery of bird life was made by Mr. R. E. Clouston,
mining engineer, of Rockville, in the Collingwood (Nelson) district recently.
Mr. Clouston knows a great deal about the bird-life of New Zealand, and it fell
to his lot whilst exploring the hinterland of his district in a wild country (of
poor land), known as the Gouland Downs, some twenty-six miles from Rock¬
ville, to discover an entire colony of birds of the species that are becoming
admittedly rare, and in some cases were believed to be extinct, lie could
hardly believe his senses on coming into contact with a rookery of the great
kiwi ( Apteryx haasti), not a few stray families, but thousands of them, sporting
and grubbing about in the patches of tussock land which alternated with clumps
of virgin bush. And not only kiwis (big mottled fellows) but thousands of
kakapos (the night parrot, so rare that an advertisement appeared in an Auck¬
land paper a few months ago offering £80 for a pair of them).

Mr. Clouston arrived here on Thursday morning with twenty-five of the
big kiwis, and the excitement created on the wharf was something to be re¬
membered.

Correspondence.

181

“I’ve been a bird man all my life,” said Mr. Clouston, “and have
travelled all over New Zealand, and have never seen anything like it. It is
really a wonderful discovery from a scientific point of view, and will mean the
preservation of the various species. These birds I have with me are to be
liberated on the Little Barrier Island, which, of course, is a sanctuary.

“ Not only are there kiwis and kapapos on the block, but there are blue
mountain duck by the dozen, saddlebacks (worth £10 each), New Zealand robins,
wren’s, owls, Cook’s petrel’s (rain bird), keas, kakas, tui, mako-makos, warblers,
riflemen, creepers (very rare), Maori hens, fantails, tomtits, and pigeons. It
was a harvest of rarities. The kiwis are there because the feed is good. We
found great worms from 4ft. to 5ft. in length. The longest one I measured was
4ft. lOin.

“ As soon as I found them I communicated with Sir Francis Bell, and
asked him to have the block — it is Crown land — declared a sanctuary, and that
has been done. It was gazetted some ten days ago. In the meantime the find
had got about and the place has been visited by men interested in bird-life,
among them Mr. James Drummond and Mr. Edgar Stead, of Christchurch,
Professor Cotton, Dr. Thompson 'of the Dominion Museum', and Mr. Fred.
Sparrow, and they are all as enthusiastic as I am.

“ I have made a pet of one of the big kakapos. He stands 3ft. high,
weighs 221b. and has got an enormous beak, but he allows the children to feed
him out of hand. He’s a beauty, pale green plumage with long whiskers, and
when he’s up a tree you can’t tell him from moss on the trunks — natural
protection again.”

Mr. Coulston says that the birds are so valuable that the sanctuary will
have to be given adequate protection at once, else there will be wholesale poach¬
ing by those prepared to trade on Mr. Clouston’s discovery.

We are also indebted to the “Emu” for the following: —

BIRDS OF A MURRAY ISLAND.

By Charles Barrett, C.M.Z.S., Melbourne (Vic.)

During a brief holiday in November, 1915, at Kulkyne station, about 50
miles from Mildura, I spent many pleasant hours among the birds on a small
island opposite the homestead. The Station Creek flows along one side, junc-
tioning with an extensive billabong at the eastern end of a long strip of slightly
elevated land, and with the Murray River at the other. The islet, which is the
shape of a boomerang, is covered in parts with a prickly shrub locally known as
“ native box thorn ” ; here and there are small trees, acacias and eucalypts, and
some fine old red gums along the water’s edge, where rushes and grassy areas
provide good cover for snakes.

In a space beneath a big clump of “ box thorn ” was the bower of a pair
of Spotted bower-birds (Chlamyclera maculata) . Mr. C. Thompson, manager of
the station, who is keenly interested in birds, stated that the bower had been

182

Correspondence.

there for several years, but had been shifted once a few yards. He had often
seen the birds at their playing-place, running through the bower and tossing the
bones, berries, and other objects about with beak or claws. I was not so fortu¬
nate as my host, but had a good view of a male bower-bird in a pepper-tree at
the homestead. The collection of bright objects at either end of the bower was
fairly large, and consisted principally of bits of weather-worn green and blue glass
(from bottles), which formed a kind of mosaic on the hard, dry ground. There
were a few glass stoppers from sauce bottles, a piece of perforated zinc, numbers
of bleached sheep-bones, one or two green berries, twigs and leaves, an odd
feather, and, in the very centre of the bower, a large pellet of lead. The bower
itself was neatly and strongly built, and an excellent example of the architec¬
tural skill of Chlamydera maculatci.

I fear that, in the course of a few years, unless measures are taken for
their better protection, the Spotted bower-birds will share the fate of the Mallee-
fowls (Leipoci ocellata ) in the Mallee country of Victoria.

In a bush close to the bower-birds’ playground on the Murray islet a pair
of Crested pigeons ( Ocyphaps lopliotes ) had a nest about three feet above the
ground. When I flushed the female the nest contained two eggs ; next morning
one had hatched, and a few hours later there were two chicks on the platform of
twigs. The parent birds were shy. A footstep a few yards from the bush was
sufficient to frighten the female, which went whirring from the nest to a dead
tree some distance away, where she would remain perched while anyone was in
the vicinity of her nursery. I tried on several occasions to photograph the
brooding bird, but in vain. The camera was placed at the side of the bush
opposite to the “avenue” approach to the nest, and was screened in branches.
Then I walked away ostentatiously, in full view of the female perched in the
dead tree. Hidden, I watched her through the glasses, but she remained calmly
on her perch— a still figure on guard. Once or twice in the course of an hour
the pigeon paraded the twisted grey limb to which she always flew on leaving
the nest, and more often she gazed around as if searching for some hidden danger.
I went for a walk, and returned to find the wary bird still on the dead tree,
watchful and patient. There were several nests of the Crested pigeon in the
pepper-trees at the homestead, but my luck was no better there, though the birds
were certainly less fearful than those of the islet. They, like the other native
birds on Kulkvne, enjoy protection, and one can approach them closely. But
the camera was new to the pigeons of the pepper-trees, and none would face it.
They wore out my patience, and at the end of a long afternoon I took the camera
from a perilous position on a high bough and acknowledged defeat.

Several old nests of the Crested pigeon were found in the bushes on the
islet, but only one pair of the birds appeared to be breeding there this season.
Crows, I learned, search diligently for the nests, and take toll of eggs and squabs.
Possibly some of the nests that I saw had been robbed by the big birds. The
wariness of the island pigeons may be due partly to the persecution of crows.

¥

The Avicultural Magazine

Photo, by Graham Renchaw, M.D.

THE OWL PARROT.

( Stringops habroptilus.)

Adlard & West Newman.

THE

183

Avicultural Magazine,

BEING THE JOURNAL OF
THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.

Third Series. — Vol. VII. — No. 7. — All rights reserved. MAY, 1916.

THE OWL PARROT.

Strmgops habroptilus.

By Graham Renshaw, M.D., F.R.S.E.

When a rare bird is imported, every detail of its habits
should be carefully noted for the benefit of aviculture : but
when it belongs to a species whose very existence is threatened
it becomes an imperative duty to secure a permanent biological
record before it is too late. Already rare even in its native haunts,
the owl parrot of New Zealand has never been common in European
collections : even as a museum specimen it remained unknown till
1847, when the Trustees of the British Museum purchased a skin
for £24. The writer has never seen one in any Continental Zoo.,
nor observed its name in any dealer’s list.

The early attempts to import the owl parrot ended in disaster.
About 1852 H.M.S. “Acheron” was engaged in exploring the coast
of New Zealand. There were plenty of owl parrots in the neigh¬
bourhood, and many fledglings were brought on board ; it was, in
fact, a grand opportunity of introducing the species to aviculture.
The cage accommodation was unfortunately too limited for the
captives : in a few days they began to die off, and of those who
survived a few weeks many began to develop deformity in the legs,
as if from faulty feeding. The ship's surgeon, Dr. Lyall, seems to
have been the most successful of the amateur naturalists : he kept
one of the birds in good health until within six hundred miles of
England, when it was killed by accident. About this time Sir
George Grey attempted to send an owl parrot to England, but it
died off Cape Horn.

184

Dr. Graham Renshaw,

In 1870 the first living example seen in England — probably
in Europe — was brought home by Mr. G. S. Sale, who afterwards
became Professor of Classics in the University of New Zealand.
Unlike so many of these birds, this example was quite playful and
good-tempered, and readily showed itself in daylight. Mr. Sale
eventually deposited the bird in the Zoological Gardens : it arrived
on September 20th, 1870, and was excellently figured in the “ Field’
for October 15th of the same year. This specimen attracted a good
deal of attention : the public, which had flocked to see the first
hippopotamus in 1850 and the first great anteater in 1853, began to
inquire for the owl parrot. Mr. Sale’s pet had however changed its
nature with its changed surroundings : no longer active in the day¬
time, it hid itself, and only came out at night. The Zoological
Society offered £50 for the bird, but the offer was declined.

In the winter of 1870 Mr. D. L. Murdoch, a resident of
Auckland and Inspector of the Bank of New Zealand, sent an owl
parrot to a friend in this country. The bird was shipped on the
“ Mary Shepherd,” and a letter was sent to announce its arrival.
The letter miscarried, however, and Captain Peek deposited his cap¬
tive in the Zoo. till the owner should appear. The bird remaining
unclaimed and Mr. Murdoch eventually presented it to the Zoological
Society : it lived some time in the Gardens, and was on its death
dissected by Professor Garrod. In 1874 there seemed some possi¬
bility of breeding these rare parrots in England : for on November
3rd of that year three specimens were received at the Zoo. — a pair
and an odd bird, it was thought. Perhaps, as often happens, the
odd bird was bullied by the pair, for it died a month later. The
survivors, however, did not breed.

The writer has had the rare privilege of studying two living
examples of the owl parrot. Neither of the two was vicious, they
were perfectly good tempered even if disturbed in daylight, merely
croaking as if in expostulation. When released they ran with the
head extended and lowered, Apteryx fashion, till they reached a dark
corner : the gait was heavy and waddling, as if lame, the short
wings were held either raised or merely extended from the sides of
the body. Apparently the wings act mainly as balancers : the
writer saw no attempt to flap them, their function seemed merely

on the oiol parrot.

185

mechanical. When raised, both wings were lifted together, not held
up alternately. The owl parrot can climb, the tail helping to support
the body.

In life this parrot is very beautiful, being of a bright sap
green colour, shining with a waxy gloss as if enamelled, and forcibly
recalling the dictum of Dr. Bowdler Sharpe, that the feathers of a
bird are living entities, and by no means inert matter. The head is
rounded : there is no marked constriction between neck and trunk,
the stout neck passing gradually into the robust, rotund body. These
birds are half- blinded in strong daylight, perhaps the sunshine is
painful to them, as they do not voluntarily remain exposed to it.
Museum workers have compared them to owls, on account of their
facial discs and soft plumage : but they are far less tolerant of light
than owls. An owl may often be seen perched well out in the sun¬
light, apparently even enjoying the light of day : the owl parrot
usually endeavours to hide in some dark corner, squatting on the
entire length of the tarsus. Those who have seen a mouse-bird
( Colius ) crouched on the ground on its tarsi will understand the
writer’s meaning. Again, the eye of an owl parrot is quite small, a
mere dot in the facial disc, very different from the expanded, cat¬
like orb of an owl. These parrots often assume an upright attitude,
the body being supported by the strong, elastic tail, and the little,
short-sighted eyes blinking with absurd dignity, as the bird holds
itself stiffly erect. This species has apparently never been taught
to talk : the usual note is a pig-like grunt.

In view of the threatened extinction of the owl parrot any
discussion of its treatment in captivity may seem superfluous. The
Government of New Zealand has, however, set aside considerable
reserves for the persecuted island fauna : Little Barrier Island in
the north and Resolution Island in the south are now sacred to the
avifauna, and are wardened by regular custodians. Many of the
mountains again are set aside as national parks, and some of them
in addition are definitely named as bird sanctuaries. Many species
are permanently protected, and there is a local Association of Accli¬
matisation Societies, which meets annually.

It is thus possible — though unlikely — that the owl parrot may
some day be better known to aviculture. It is reputed a difficult

186

Mrs. C. E. Maud

bird to keep, but the writer does not believe in “ difficult ” species.
He considers the food problem to be the key to the situation. The
longest duration of life recorded in captivity is two years, but in
view of the well-known longevity of its congeners this limit should
be capable of considerable extension. In confinement these parrots
have been fed on apples, grapes, tomatoes, oatmeal and water,
cabbages, and lettuce. This range of food, though extensive, bears
little resemblance to the diet of the wild birds — broom-tops, moss, and
bracken. Such wild food could be closely imitated in this country,
but whether British aviculturists will ever have any owl parrots
to experiment with is a problem that is indeed problematical.

NOTES ON HONOLULU BIRDS.

By Mrs. C. E. Maud.

Bird-lovers who come to the island of Oahu, on which
Honolulu is situated, are usually much disappointed at the few
birds to be seen. For, with the exception of mynahs and sparrows
in plenty, there are few others to be either seen or heard. Now
and again out on the plantations one may catch the song of an
English lark, or up the Nuuanu Valley on the golf links a Chinese
thrush lilts its throaty song through the late afternoon air.

At night, down on Waikiki beach, one hears the raucous cries
of a mud hen, and that is about all. These birds were all imported
here at one time and another, and before their advent there were a
number of varieties of native birds, all of which the Chinese mynahs
have killed off. At present, these aggressive and noisy birds over¬
run the whole place in partnership with the sparrows, with whom
they appear to live in comparative harmony, roosting in the same
trees and quarrelling over the same food.

The mynahs are pretty birds, with a brown body, black head,
wings and tail and white fan on tail and wings when flying. Their
eyes are yellow and they walk and behave much like parrots. Their
voices, while loud, are melodious, and they have an unlimited variety
of calls.

While walking out in the pretty little park beyond Waikiki, I

notes on Honolulu birds.

187

picked up the egg of a mynah. It is a beautiful clean turquoise
color, without spot or blemish of any kind. The mynahs are very
partial to any kind of paper for their nests, and will tear great strips
off a newspaper and fly off with it streaming in the wind behind
them. They have terrible fights among themselves, and I have
frequently run out of my cottage to rescue an unfortunate, beset,
and nearly plucked clean by his vengeful companions. Despite
careful nursing these wounded birds shortly died, and quite fre¬
quently I have found dead ones on our lawns, actually pecked to
death by their own kind.

In this wonderful climate, where for nine months the tem¬
perature averages from 80 to 90° and in winter never goes lower
than 68°, these birds have a pretty easy life, excepting when one
of the big Kona storms comes, bringing its floods of rain and crashes
of tropical thunder and lightning. At such times the mynahs and
sparrows hide close up to the trunks on the wide leaves of the cocoa-
nut and Royal palms or deep into the branches of banyan and mango
trees. The only enemy the birds on these islands have is the mon¬
goose, which also was imported here for the purpose of killing the
small rats that injure the sugar cane. However, these mongoose
have become a great pest themselves, preferring to live near towns
and villages and eat people’s chickens, and steal the eggs of chickens,
ducks and all birds.

There are a great many duck farms on the half-submerged
swamp lands, where Chinamen raise large flocks of mostly Chinese
ducks, both for the table and for their eggs ; the latter being much
esteemed by the natives and Chinese population here.

This is our fourth winter here. We came to escape cold and
bad weather at home and to live out of doors. We brought over a
motor car to run around the island in, and to take us daily from our
cottage down on the famous Waikiki beach up to the Country Club
in the Nuuanu Valley. At the head of the Nuuanu Valley is the
famous Pass, called in Hawaiian “ Pali,” up which nearly 200 years
ago the great invading conqueror Kamehameha from Hawaii drove
these poor Oahuans, and when they reached the top thrust them
all over the precipice more than a thousand feet into the valley
below. A splendid motor road runs up there now and a fine stone

188

Mrs. E. F. Chawner

bridge crosses the chasm that cost so many people their lives, and
descends into the pine apple plantations on the other side of the
Island.

THREE ATTEMPTS AT BREEDING
SUGAR-BIRDS,

By Miss E. F. Chawner.

The three species concerned are the Red-throated Blue Sugar-
bird ( Glossoptilla ruficollis), the Blue Sugar-bird (Dacnis cayana)
and the Yellow- winged Blue Sugar-bird (Ccereba cyanea), and though
each attempt failed they may be worth recording.

First in the field were the Red-throated Blues, bought Feb.
28th, 1911, from the late Mr. Sutcliffe, who had privately imported
them. They were in faultless condition and quickly made them¬
selves at home in a small garden aviary with heated shelter. Their
diet was the same as that of other sugar birds : sweetened milk sop,
grapes, banana and orange ; the hen was very fond of maw seed and
occasionally swallowed a mealworm, but I never knew the cock to
take either seed or insect. They were a charmingly pretty pair and
the cock had quite a nice song. When they were sent to me Mr.
Sutcliffe "warned me that the cock was “ wheezing,” which made me
very anxious, but presently I discovered that the so-called “ wheez¬
ing ” was his alarm cry, though I must say that it sounded more
like bronchitis. If I went near the aviary after dark he would
“ tune up ” at once.

They began to look about for a nesting place during the second
week in June, and by the 24th had built a neat cup nest of heather
twigs, cotton wool, and bents, and lined it with hair (much like a
hedge sparrow’s nest) in the corner of a Hartz cage fastened high up
in the shelter. The cock continually accompanied the hen in her
search for material, and mounted guard while she was building, but
I do not think he actually carried anything or worked at the nest.
When they had finished they pulled it to pieces and finally built in an
old wicker cuff high up in the same part of the aviary where they
were practically invisible from below. The hen began to sit July 5th
but was not at all steady, flying off as soon as the aviary door was

three attempts at breeding sugar-birds. 189

unfastened. I was afraid to look at the eggs, though I longed to
see them and ascertain their number. When I thought nestlings
might be expected I swept all the flies and aphides and other insects I
could and turned them into the aviary together with living ants’ eggs,
very tiny mealworms and ripe fruit, hoping that something might suit.
On July 18th I found a newly-hatched nestling thrown out and quite
dead. I fancied that the mother caught some insects and carried
them to the nest, butnext day I found another nestling thrown out
and the nest empty. I hunted for egg-shells but could not find a
trace of any, probably some of the other birds had eaten them.

At first they seemed inclined to go to nest again, but the hen
soon tired of it and took no more notice of her mate’s blandishments.

Before pairing, the cock used to display, spreading his wings
and tail and puffing out his feathers. After pairing had been accom¬
plished both birds uttered shrill squeaks in the style of the English
robin. To my great regret the hen died of a chill during the autumn
and I could not get another. The cock lived until 1913, always in
beautiful condition. End of, chapter 1.

Chapter 2 begins in June, 1913, with a pair of blue sugar-
birds. These charming little creatures are too well known to need any
description, but I may say that I have found them the most easily
tamed of all the soft- bills. This particular pair were finger-tame
and absolutely without fear. Their method of intimating a wish for
nesting material was to fly on to my shoulders and tug at my hair
and they showed much annoyance on finding it a fixture. I supplied
them with tow and they speedily chose a place in a thick bough of
Cypress in the open flight, where, on June 8th, the hen began to
build a dainty little cup nest entirely of tow. The first egg was laid
on June 16th, pairing having taken place repeatedly during the
previous day. The egg was large for the size of the bird, long, with
a white ground heavily ringed with rusty red round the big end.
Another egg completed the clutch next day and incubation began.
I had great hopes, seeing that the birds were so tame, that all would
go well. But it was not to be ! On the 20th I found the hen dead
on the ground beneath the nest. On examination she was found to
be very fat, and this, combined with the excitement of nesting, had
caused her death.

190

On three attempts at breeding sugar-birds.

I know that it is not uncommon for these birds to go to nest
in confinement, and I have heard of several cases where young have
been hatched, though as yet I believe none have reached maturity or
even lived to leave the nest. Had my birds hatched out I believe they
would have fed their nestlings on green fly and wasp grubs. The
chief difficulty appears to be that while sugar birds put on fat very
quickly and are decidedly greedy, thus becoming liable to apoplexy,
if they are not in high condition they will not go to nest and the
golden mean is hard to attain. End of chapter 2.

Chapter 3 deals with Yellow-winged Sugar-birds, of which I
had a lovely pair last spring. The hen has lived in my aviary since
the beginning of 1913. Last June she and her mate began to be
very noisy, squeaking at one another continually, the cock erecting
his head feathers and spreading his wings to show the yellow colour¬
ing. Then the hen became spiteful towards the blue sugar-birds and
they had to be removed lest harm should come to them. On the
18th June the hen began to build a nest of tow high up in the
corner of the shelter in a box branch, driving away the Indigo
buntings who also had intended setting up house there. She built
the outer part and then came a hitch, for she could not find any
lining material to her liking. Hitherto rather shy, now she became
bold and almost mobbed me to try and obtain something suitable.
I tried soft dried grass, strips of bass, deer hair, cotton wool, moss,
dead leaves, but none of them pleased. She would come and
examine them, turn them over and then resume her search. At
last I gave her some fine shavings of paper such as are used for
packing chocolates and she took to this at once and worked away as
busily as possible. The first egg was laid June 22nd, the second
on the following day and she began to incubate. For two days all
went well and then she forsook, for no reason that I could discover.
The nest was a pretty object, a deep cup firmly woven to the twigs
of the box bough ; a great deal of the white paper was used, and
altogether it was a rather bulky affair. The eggs were large and
long, very pale brown darkening with age, heavily spotted and mottled
with grey at the large end. The birds did not make a second attempt
and soon after the cock went out of colour. So ends chapter 3.

Observations on the birds of a Suburban garden. 191

OBSERVATIONS ON THE BIRDS IN

A SUBURBAN GARDEN.

By A. A. Goodall.

Being a resident in the neighbourhood of Dulwich Wood —
made famous by its associations with the poet Byron, who, according
to tradition was in the habit of visiting the gypsies that made it
their home in the early part of the nineteenth century —I was much
interested in the article contributed by Mr. Stone in the December
issue of our magazine.

As most South Londoners know, Dulwich Wood forms a
connecting link between the distinct of the famous College and the
heights of Upper Sydenham, and many of the delightfully old-world
gardens of the fortunate residents of the latter neighbourhood abut
on the wood, to which their occupiers are privileged to have access.

As a bird sanctuary, Dulwich Wood and its immediate en¬
vironments has always been especially favoured, and the immunity
from disturbance which its feathered occupants enjoy is attributable
to the vigilance of the College authorities, who place serious obstacles
in the way of would-be intruders upon the property ; consequently
the various species of migrant and other birds making their home
there, suffer little from the depredations of the ubiquitous collector.

The writer has for many years had the opportunity of study¬
ing the avifauna of this beautiful spot, in parts so wild and secluded
that the visitor might well imagine himself a hundred — instead of
only five — miles from the great metropolis. Here every year, at
their appointed time, come many songsters from afar, whose liquid
notes bring with them the promise of summer’s wealth, and often
one may come across species not met with in seemingly more
favoured spots.

Among those not mentioned by Mr. Stone is the wood -wren
( Phylloscopus sibilatrix), which is a regular visitor to Peckarman’s
Wood, that being the name by which this particular part of what
remains of the Great Northwood is known. This charming song¬
ster may be heard continuously on a bright May morning, and I
have a note of a nest which I found among the tangle on the ground
in June, 1910 : it contained three eggs and the same number of

192 Observations on the birds of a Suburban garden.

young'. The chiffchaff also frequents the wood and the surrounding
gardens ; its familiar note, as well as that of the species just named,
being heard right up to the end of June. Then there is the willow-
warbler, which is always in evidence here during the summer
months : indeed it occurs very generally in the district of Old
Dulwich, where trees are plentiful and the foliage attractive to
insect-hunting birds.

So far I have not been able actually to identify the garden-
warbler’s song in the immediate neighbourhood of the wood, though
I have heard it from among the bushes on the railway bank of the
South-Eastern line, close to the station, where also during last
spring — for the first time in my recollection — a blackcap sang con¬
tinuously in May. This latter migrant I have frequently heard in
the plantations adjacent to Dulwich wood.

In addition to chaffinches and greenfinches, which are both
fairly common in the neigbourhood, one occasionally comes across
vagrant flocks of brown linnets, while the reeling note of the lesser
redpole may often be distinguished as small parties of these diminu¬
tive birds fly over.

Of the tits, the great and the blue abound, but the cole tit is
less frequently met with, though it cannot be called scarce. We
have also the marsh tit, but its occurrence is rare, and I have not
myself seen it. Other visitors include the spotted flycatcher, which
I have observed usually in the same spot each year ; also the cuckoo.
The latter bird does not, I think, remain long in the neighbourhood,
since I have neither seen nor heard it later than the end of April.

In winter, one may occasionally observe small flocks of
redwings feeding in the adjacent meadows ; they may be readily
distinguished from their larger relatives by the aid of a good
binocular.

A quiet walk through the winding paths of the wood will
generally reveal the presence of jays, which are regular residents
here, and particularly noisy at times ; while a keen ear may some¬
times detect the tapping of the woodpecker, a by no means un¬
familiar sound in the Dulwich district.

Though I have not seen the common “yaffle,” I had an
unexpected surprise in 1911, when, during a ramble one March

Egg viarkings and sunlight.

193

morning', I enjoyed a fine view of a great spotted woodpecker
engaged in working assiduously at the trunk of a silver birch tree,
of which one or two specimens in the vicinity showed unmistakable
indications of the bird’s handiwork. My attention was first attracted
by the woodpecker alighting on the tree, and through my glass I
was able to put its identity beyond doubt, the brilliant crimson of
the under tail-coverts being plainly seen.

Since that date I have not been fortunate enough to observe
this interesting bird again, and, so far, its smaller relative, noticed
by Mr. Stone, has not come across my path.

EGG MARKINGS AND SUNLIGHT.

By Dr. A. G. Butler.

Very little seems to be known respecting the production of
the markings on birds’ eggs. In some cases, of course, the colouring
and ornamentation are admitted to be protective and consequently
are to a great extent hereditary ; but, in many cases, the ground¬
colouring and striking character of ornamentation render them
extremely conspicuous and therefore are valueless for protective
purposes.

During the time when J was an industrious collector of our
British nests and eggs I paid particular attention to the greater or
lesser intensity of the markings on the specimens which I found, in
conjunction with the character of the nests and nesting-sites in
which they were obtained : in a few cases also I noted peculiarities
in the colour-scheme of eggs laid in my aviaries : these observations
all tended to convince me that sunlight and heat during the period
of oviposition have a marked effect in intensifying the colouring of
eggs.

With a few notable exceptions, birds which lay in comparative
darkness produce unmarked, and more often than not white eggs :
as examples one may cite the spotted pardalote or panther-bird of
Australia which builds in a hole, the waxbills, grassfinches and
mannikins which lay in spherical nests often with a tubular entrance,
some of the typical weavers whose retort-shaped nests are closely

194

Dr. A. G. Butler,

woven, the oven-birds, woodpeckers, wrynecks, kingfishers, motmots,
bee-eaters, toucans, barbets and parrots.

Starlings which build in holes or crevices lay more or less
blue eggs, though I have found white eggs of our English starling ;
but it should be noted that even when bright blue they are destitute
of markings : on the other hand the titmice which build in more or
less secluded places, lay white eggs more or less spotted with red or
reddish, yet varying greatly in the size and intensity of their mark¬
ings in relation I believe to the amount of light which falls upon the
sitting bird. The touracous which build a platform-like nest are
said to lay bluish-white eggs, and the doves, as a general rule, con¬
struct somewhat similar nests and lay more or less white eggs, but
this lack of colouring may be inherited from progenitors who built
in semi-obscurity, as the rock-pigeon still does ; moreover it would
seem from the more or less buff colouring of the eggs of some of the
African bronze-wings that there is a tendency already in these birds
to acquire a definite pigmentation in their ova.

I have noted elsewhere that the eggs of the green singing-
finch which are described by Stark and Sclater as pale bluish,
sparingly spotted towards the larger end with pale reddish-brown,
when laid in my indoor aviaries, where they were exposed to little
if any sunlight, were creamy-white, more often than not without
markings and at best with only a few huffish spots at the large end.
On the other hand eggs of the Chingolo song-sparrow laid in Mr.
Teschemaker’s aviary had a white or cream-coloured ground-tint, but
the hen of the young birds which he sent me laid eggs in a light aviary
to which only the early morning sun penetrated with the normal
pale blue-greenish ground-tint and with well-defined sienna markings.

And now I will advert to some of the more interesting cases
which impressed me while collecting British birds’ eggs : at first I
secured the eggs alone : but subsequently, for purposes of accurate
description in my Handbook, I found it necessary to make a collection
also of the nests with notes of the sites in which I found them.

The eggs of the various species of British thrush vary enor¬
mously and appear to be affected by the position of the nest, the

* Those laid by my white-crested touracos were white. — Ed.

Egg markings and sunlight.

195

more exposed nests containing the more heavily spotted and blotched
eggs ; moreover I noticed that in these, as in other species, the eggs
first deposited before the hen begins to incubate, are less distinctly
marked than those laid subsequently, I imagine because greater
warmth is generated when the mother is snug than when she is out
in the open. In the case of one of a clutch of white blackbird’s
eggs given to me by a lady friend I regret that I failed to ascertain
the position in which she discovered the nest.

Eggs of the robin laid in holes in fruit trees, where the sun
did not reach them, were noticeably whiter and more sparingly
speckled than those taken from sloping banks on the borders of
woods or from openings in ivy covering walls, where they were
exposed to the light. In most of my wren’s nests the spots are
reduced to points, as might be expected from the small entrance to
these cave-like nests. In a case where a blue-tit which had pro¬
bably been deprived of its own nest, had deposited three eggs in
that of a sand-martin the markings were few and reduced to mere
dots, thus again favouring th6 view that sunlight modifies the
character of the eggs.

Of the British Hirundinida, as is well known, the only species
which lays spotted eggs is the swallow, the nest of which is open at
the top, and the most heavily marked eggs of that species which I
obtained were laid in a nest built under a portico of a mansion in a
position exposed to bright light : I figured one of these eggs in my
“ Handbook of British Oology ” pi. XXXVII., fig. 6. When the
nest is built, as it sometimes is even in England, close below the
overhanging eaves of an outhouse and therefore in shadow, the
markings are small and inconspicuous, at any rate that is my
experience.

The spotted flycatcher usually builds in a fairly exposed
position, often on the branch of a fruit-tree trained against a wall,
or in a slight depression at the junction of a branch with the trunk
of a fruit-tree ; but sometimes in a hedge or the forking branches of
a large shrub ; the largest, palest and least marked eggs which I ever
found were in a nest built in a Hawthorn hedge and which did not
greatB differ from some eggs of our greenfinch ; this nest wras, of
course, less conspicuous than if it had been situated on an open

196

Egg markings and sunlight.

branch, but the bird Hew off as I approached or I might have in¬
correctly identified it.

The largest and most heavily marked eggs of the common
sparrow were in a very remarkable and quite abnormal open nest
built in the forking branches of a large Hawthorn and vaguely re¬
sembling a duck’s nest: Mr. Frohawk has illustrated two specimens
from this nest in my “ Birds’ Eggs of the British Isles,” pi. IV.,
figs. 142, 143. Examples of the eggs of the tree-sparrow from nests
in shadowed holes in trees proved to be lighter and less heavily
marked than those which I obtained from the stumps of hollow
branches projecting from pollard willows, into which the sun shone
during part of the day, but eggs found in a sand-martin’s nest in
a mole-run extending from the side of a brick-earth cutting varied
a good deal in intensity ; whether the snow-white feathers of the
nest, by reflecting light, have any effect upon tne colouring it would
be difficult to say, the warmth of the nest probably contributed.

The least marked eggs of the linnet were obtained from nests
built near the ground in thick brambles, but startling variation in
the eggs of this species seems to be exceptional. I have only twice
found almost entirely unmarked white eggs of the yellow bunting,
the nests being built in dense short scrub tangled with bramble,
nettles, &c., so that they were completely shaded : one of these
examples is figured by Mr. Frohawk (pi. V., fig. 188) of the above-
mentioned work.

And now I think I have brought forward sufficient evidence
in favour of the view that light and warmth affect the parent bird
during the period of oviposition, producing intenser colouring and
bolder marking in the eggs which she lays ; whereas cold and shade
tend to decrease these characteristics. Of course we require further
evidence touching the correctness of this view, and thus a new field
for experimental study, and I think a fascinating one, is open to the
aviculturist as well as the field-naturalist.

Mr. Beebe has proved that moist heat intensifies the markings
in the plumage of birds, therefore I see no reason why it should not
affect also the colouring of eggs laid by birds subjected to somewhat
similar influences : at any rate it is up to doubters to prove that it
does not.

Birds seen in Flanders.

197

BIRDS SEEN IN FLANDERS.

By Captain P. Gosse, R.A.M.C., M.B.O.U.

I have read with interest Lt.-Col. Tweedie’s account of the
birds seen by him in Flanders this last autumn and winter and
venture to add to his list those seen by myself. It will be enough
perhaps to say that my observations were made in the neighbourhood
of Armentieres near the French-Belgian frontier, and extend from
the trenches back to about five miles behind the firing line.

My chief occupation “ out of hours,” though, was the trapping
and preserving of small mammals, and I was fortunate enough to
catch specimens of all the native small mammals, except the
“ Spanish dormouse,” which is evidently the animal which Col.
Tweedie found in the thatch.

I must say I was surprised at the number of birds to be
seen and the number of species ; as, apart from the daily gun-fire,
the country is not one in which you would expect many birds,
it being flat, much inhabited, and no woods or coppices.

In the trenches themselves there are huge flocks of sparrows,
of which a good number are tree sparrows (P. montanus). I think
these flocks are due to the crops of standing corn that were left
uncut. There were several fine coveys of “ common ” partridges
( Perdix cinerea), and, like Col. Tweedie, I have not seen any
“French” partridges ( Gaccabis rufa). Jays lived among some
trees by a mined farm, between our trenches and the Bodies’, as
did also magpies. I saw one day a pair of harriers quartering
“ no man’s land,” but cannot say if they were hen harriers or not.
I could only see them with difficulty from where I was in a trench.
A goldfinch was seen near one of the communication trenches.

Larks abound everywhere, — nearly all, the crested lark
( Alauda cristatus). Unlike Col. Tweedie I have scarcely seen any
skylarks ( Alauda arvensis).

Hooded crows became very common with the first spell of
cold weather and large flocks of redwings appeared at the same time.

The little owl ( Athene noctua ) is common, both in the
trenches and behind, and no doubt has a good time amongst the

198

Captain P. Gosse,

mice that abound everywhere. Kestrels are quite common, but
the sparrow hawk is not.

The great tit is very common, mostly of the continental
variety. Col. Tweedie saw a yellow wagtail ; I was not so lucky,
but saw a good number of grey wagtails ( Matacilla melanupe )
looking very pretty with their yellow flanks.

I enclose a list of the birds seen by me here, leaving out
the migrants that were here when we arrived at the latter end of
August.

The cirl bunting and greater spotted woodpecker were seen at
the beginning of March, in a village some miles south of the district
where the other birds were seen.

The list is made in the order in which I saw the birds.

List of birds seen from September till March (1915-16) in
and behind the trenches in Flanders : —

Rook

Little Owl
Crested Lark
Skylark
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Moorhen
Little Grebe
Kingfisher
Hooded Crow
Carrion Crow
Starling
Blackbird
Song Thrush
Redwing
Fieldfare
Missel-thrush
House Sparrow
Tree Sparrow
Jay
Magpie

Woodpigeon ...

Corvus frugilegus.
Athene noctna.
Alaucla cristata.
Alauda arvensis.
Parus major.

P. cceruleus.
Gallinula chloropus.
Podicipes fluviatilis.
Alcedo ispida.

Corvus cornix.

Corvus corone.
Sturnus vulgaris.
Turdus merula.
Turdus musicus.
Turdus iliacus.
Turdus pilaris.
Turdus viscivorus.
Passer domesticus.
Passer montanus.
Garrulus glandarius.
Pica rustica.
Columha palumbus.

The Avicultural Magazine.

Photo, by J. H. Symonds.

HEDGE ACCENTOR.
(A. viodularis.)

Adlard & West Newman.

The Avicultural Magazine.

YELLOWHAMMERS FEEDING YOUNG.
( Emberiza citrinella.)

Adlard & West Newman.

Photo, by J . H. Symonds.

on birds seen in Flanders.

199

Kestrel

Sparrow Hawk
Harrier (? Hen)

Robin

Wren

Pied Wagtail

Grey Wagtail

Yellowhammer

Linnet

Chaffinch

Meadow Pipit

Bullfinch

Pheasant

Partridge

Greenfinch ...

Jackdaw

Wheatear

Gold Crest ... ... *

Green Plover
Black-headed Gull
Wild Duck ...

Snipe

Tree Creeper...

Hedge Sparrow
Heron

Green Woodpecker
Greater Spotted Woodpecker
Marsh Tit
Cirl Bunting...

Corn Bunting
Reed Bunting

Rooks are very common, 1
is no sign of a rookery anywhe

Falco tinnunculus.

Accipiter nisus.

Circus cyaneus.

Erithacus rubecula.

Troglodytes parvulus
Motacilla lugubris.

Motacilla melanope.

Emberiza citrinella.

Acanthis cannabina.

Fringilla ccelebs.

Anthus pratensis.

Pyrrhula europea.

Phasianus colchicus.

Perdix cinerea.

Ligurinus chloris.

Corvus monedula.

Saxicola cenanthe.

Begulus cristatus.

Vanellus vulgaris.

Larus ridibundus.

Anas boscas.

Gallinago ccelestis.

Certhia familiaris.

Accentor modularis.

Ardea cinerea.

Picus viridis.

Dendrocopus major
Parus palustris.

Emberiza cirlus.

Emberiza ccdandra.

Emberiza schceniclus.

3 it is a curious thing that there
; where they nest I cannot say.

200

The hearing of pheasants and other birds.

THE HEARING OF PHEASANTS AND
OTHER BIRDS.

By C. Barnby Smith.

One Sunday early in March, about 11.35 p.m., I was walking
in a garden in the cool of the evening (testified by a north wind
and occasional flakes of snow) accompanied by my wife and other
friends. No sound of a train or anything else could be heard,
although we were listening intently for a long time. Suddenly a dull
thud was heard coming from many miles distant, when at once the
wild pheasants in the adjacent woods woke and chattered violently
for a quarter of a minute. As soon as they had ceased there came
another thud, and immediately more chattering ; and so eight times
over, when all was still again.

More than half-an-hour later the pheasants chattering was
repeated six times over in precisely the same way, although no
distant thud was then heard by the intently listening humans.

So much is common place ; but what may be thought of
interest is that in the same garden were various other kinds of
pheasants — Golden, Amherst, Silver, Tragopan and Monaul — in
addition to other birds such as oyster catcher, curlew, spur-wing
plover and demoiselle cranes. All these were of course in captivity,
but although they give expression to their feelings in varied ways of
vociferation in ordinary life, on this occasion they did not utter a
sound, nor did any wild bird in the vicinity except the pheasants.

Curlew, oyster catcher, spur-wing plover and cranes are very
wakeful birds and constantly heard at night, and I think no one
could argue but that they have intense powers of both hearing and
sight. Tragopan and monaul pheasants I have found to make loud
cries only when suspecting hidden enemies close at hand. The
rustle of a blackbird in a bush will send them into a great panic.
Demoiselle cranes, as I have often noticed, are most sensitive to a
distant echo of their own call. Golden and Amherst pheasants
appear to have very quick hearing, and unless tamed when young
are very nervous. I suppose the explanation of the silence of all
bird. -5, oJier than wild pheasants is that birds only take notice of
what interests them, and wild pheasants fear being shot ; more-

On coming and going.

201

over, panic amongst most classes of birds is very infectious, and
when one gives an alarm cry the others start at once.

Last January, when distinct sounds of an air-ship’s engines
were heard one night, both the wild pheasants and all the other
birds were absolutely still ; subsequently the wild pheasants began
calling at intervals in the same way as on the March Sunday evening,
and the following day it appeared that numerous bombs had been
dropped in the vicinity of a town in an adjacent county.

It would however, in my opinion, be a mistake to think that
wild pheasants are only excited in times of Teutonic visitations ;
thunder, or any sudden sound, will alarm them. Some time since,
when there were naval operations in the North Sea and many people
(from Cumberland eastward) felt it their duty to record in the Press
the alarm of pheasants in their own neighbourhood, I was amused
to note that the pheasants in the woods near my house made the
greatest outcry of the season two days before the naval operations
took place, doubtless frightened by some comparatively near sound.

The powers of birds — whether in captivity or otherwise — for

hearing and seeing appear simply amazing. Notice the behaviour of

a Demoiselle crane when a heron goes over, a mere speck in the sky ;

notice the difference in conduct in a spur- wing plover between seeing

a distant lapwing and any other bird, and then with Tennyson

lament : “ Our hearing is not hearing,

And our seeing is not sight.”

COMING AND GOING.

By Miss R. Alderson.

Most of us have sent away birds to other homes, or have
received them, but to some members, who are just starting bird¬
keeping, a few hints on providing for the comfort of a bird whilst
travelling may not be out of place.

I remember once I was sending away a canary, and a lady
friend, who was not a bird-keeper, asked me how I should send it ;
if it would go by post !

Now while all of us know better than my friend, yet there
are many small details to be considered which conduce to a bird’s
comfort.

202

Miss R. Alderson,

First let us take the birds that come. When any bird is
being sent to you be sure and arrange with the sender beforehand
the date and the time of the train the bird may be expected by, and
if possible meet the train, or arrange that the bird is sent down
from the station at once. Even in a town where there is a public
delivery it is not advisable to always make use of it, for the con¬
veyance will probably take a long time delivering parcels, and your
bird will be exposed to delay and draughts, which on a cold day may
prove fatal. Be sure and have your cage all ready, well sanded, and
with a perch of suitable thickness, and fresh food and water inside
the cage before the bird arrives. If you put these in the cage after
the bird is in it you will give it an unnecessary fright. It will con¬
clude in its poor tired little mind that the horrid catching up when
it left its home is all to be gone through over again, for birds are so
easily frightened, and if we except parrots, are not as intelligent as
animals.

If your bird arrives after dark put it in the quiet corner of a
room where there is a light (and if in winter) a fire, that the bird
may eat and drink and get warm. Avoid coming too much near the
cage just at first.

Suppose the bird arrives in a nailed-up box, just with little
air-holes, the question arises how to get it out into the cage without
catching it ? The plan I generally adopt is to loosen the lid, forcing
it with a screwdriver till it is quite free, but still on the box ; then
holding the lid still on, turn the box very gently on its side and
holding it to the cage-door, which has previously been opened, slide
the lid away, when the bird generally hops in, and gives no further
trouble. If this is done carefully there is no damage, nor any
fear of the bird escaping, though in any case I should always close
door or windows and put a guard on the fire. Parrots are sometimes
tiresome, and will cling to the box and refuse to come out for some
time, when it is best to leave them, propping the box behind, so that
it does not slip away from the cage.

If it is cold when the bird arrives the cage should be put near
the fire, and a cloth thrown over it before the bird is left for the
night, as if it has come out of a heated aviary the room will feel
cold before morning.

on coming and going.

203

It must be remembered the bird has passed through a trying
time ; what with being caught and put in a cramped dark space, and
all the trials of being shaken on a journey and continually hearing
strange noises. Possibly the bird has been too nervous to eat, and
has got chilled, and is in a condition to start an illness, under these
circumstances you will see that attention on arrival to little details
may make all the difference to the bird’s future health and comfort.
But suppose the bird already seems ill when it arrives. We all
know the signs of a sick bird, the ruffled feathers, and the head
sinking into the neck, and the huddled, hopeless way it sits on the
cage floor. A very little brandy in tepid water may do good, but I
think the greatest stress should he laid on keeping the sick bird
warm. Heat is a very great factor in bird-life during sickness . it
helps to keep up the circulation which is always feeble when a
bird is ill. A fire may he so arranged and backed up with “ small ’
coal so that it will last nearly all night. You cannot expect a sick
bird to recover unless it is kept very warm, half measures are not
the slightest use. A light, too, should be left burning all night, the
cage being placed so that the bird is not disturbed by the light and
yet can see to eat.

If the bird arrives in daylight and seems well you may turn
it straight into your aviary, though it is always a risk. The new
comer will he in a tired condition and the surroundings are all
strange ; the other birds in the aviary may object to the stranger,
and, apart from attacking it, may drive it from the food it needs
badly. But after a quiet night in a cage a new bird should be on
equal terms with its companions when let out early the next morn¬
ing, and you will have the whole day to watch if the birds are going
to agree. A few hours notice will probably decide this point one
way or the other.

It is as well to ascertain before a bird is sent to you what it
has been fed on, and to keep to that diet for a little time, even
though you think it a wrong one.

In buying birds it is an unwritten law that the buyer always
pays the carriage. In giving a bird away, of course the giver would
pay it. The sender usually sends the bird in a box that need not be
returned and there is no charge made for it. This is one of the

204

Miss E. Alderson,

reasons that a box is better than a cage, for the carriage would be
more than the returned cage was worth. When a bird arrives by
train be sure and put “ not examined ” as well as your signature
on the charge sheet. Unless you do this the Eailway Company
disclaim responsibility if anything is wrong.

And now as to sending birds away. The same rule applies
as to notice beforehand as to what day and by what train you are
sending the bird by, and also add what you have fed it on.

I prefer to send birds by night if possible, unless the weather
is very cold. For one reason there is less traffic by night, and for
another as it is the natural time for the bird to fast it will not
matter much if it is too nervous to eat on the journey.

If the bird you are sending is from an aviary it is best to
catch it up fairly early in the afternoon, and to cage it till nearer
the train time. It is a mistake to enter an aviary, especially to do
any catching, after the birds are settling down for the night.

It is better to use an ordinary wooden box for travelling
rather than a travelling cage with a wire front. The former needs
no paper covering but the latter does, and the railway people will
always tear the paper “to see if the bird is all right,” but more I
think from a pardonable curiosity to see what is inside. The paper
torn, can you wonder that the bird takes cold ? and perhaps reaches
you only to die. A proper ventilated box is much better and safer
than a cage, and there is no difficulty about removing the bird if you
act as previously suggested.

The box must be a suitable one. I remember once receiving
some tiny birds from a dealer, who should have known better, packed
in a shallow chocolate box with no perch. The poor little birds
having no grip on anything, and doubtless having been badly shaken
about, arrived in wretched condition. Then again, I once had a
number of little birds sent to me without anything in the travelling
cage to allay their thirst ; some were dead when they arrived, and I
think about one only survived. Birds suffer more from thirst than
from hunger, and to be without fluid for twenty-four hours means
probably death. This is not surprising when you think that a man
can live forty days without solid food if he has liquid, but stop the
liquid entirely and he will die of thirst very quickly, ten days being

on coming and going.

205

the longest time on record, but seven is more the average duration
of endurance.

The size and shape of the box must be determined by the
kind of bird sent. “ Bournville” cocoa boxes are one kind that I
find very useful. The box must be deep enough for the bird to
stand comfortably upright when on the perch, but not high enough
for it to fiy or jump upwards to hurt its head. In the case of very
nervous birds that will try to do this I use a box without a lid,
covering the top with canvas or hessian tacked down, so that the
bird cannot injure itself. The canvas must not cover only the top
but must come right down the ends and sides. Once I was sending
away some restless doves, and knowing no better I cut my canvas
only a little larger than the box top. In a short time the birds had
almost burst it off with jumping up — the canvas fraying — and I had
to pack the box over again before it was safe to send them.

The box should he ventilated by sawing the Y-shaped pieces
off the top corners, not opposite to each other (to avoid a draught),
or the lid may be nailed on in the pieces leaving a little space
between, but as the label will partly cover this the side ventilation
is better. If your lid is in two pieces, nail on the first half before
slipping the bird inside. Be sure to remove all splinters and pro¬
jecting nails, and hammer down all points that may come through
ever so little. Fold a piece of brown paper the size of the bottom
of the box to line it, then put your perch across, nailing it with
nails through the outside. Be sure it is a suitable thickness so that
the bird can grip it, and place it just above the cage bottom so that
there is no fear of the bird getting wedged underneath. A handful
of seed should be put inside the box and a place made for the soaked
bread. You may either tack in a chip pill box, or shape a strip of
cardboard thus I I (half cutting through where you bend it) and
tack it at each end. In any case be sure and do not put the bread
in loose , it will become dirty and uneatable, and may give the bird
cold. When getting a travelling box ready I put the piece of bread
to soak before doing anything else, then by the time the box is
finished the bread has taken up enough moisture to retain sufficient,
even when the surplus water is squeezed out.

206

On coining and going.

Do not put hay in the bottom of the box or the bird may get
entangled and break its leg.

Have everything done, and nails, label and string at hand
before you catch the bird. Examine it before putting it in the box,
to see if it is in proper condition, or if its nails want trimming.
Where several birds are to go in one box the lid should be loose and
laid on the top, just sliding it hack a little way to admit each bird.
It is as well to put your hammer or some other weight on the top
for fear the birds already caught should jerk the lid off, whilst your
back is turned, and escape.

It is not safe to mix up big and little birds in the same box,

and were I sending a number of birds of the same kind I should

think it wiser to pack the hens and cocks in separate boxes. Safe
packing is always worth a little extra trouble and expense.

The birds safely in, the lid is now tacked on, and the label

(which should be made out in printed letters, giving address, date
and train), pasted on the top. Put on the label before the string or
you may have difficulty in passing it underneath. I always prefer
stick-on to tying-on labels. Some very suitable ones can be had from
“ Cage Birds” office at a small figure, printed in red and gummed.
In storing labels be careful to put nothing on the top of them or the
weight will cause the gummed backs to stick together.

In the case of valuable birds it is worth while to insure them.
Take them to the station yourself or send them in ample time before
the train, the clerks and porters will do the rest for you. The
railway servants and officials here are very kind. They will look
me out trains, telephone when a bird has come, and send it down
by special messenger if possible for a small fee. The gift of a bird,
or the invitation to look round the aviary is much appreciated, and
makes things — as they ought to be — on a pleasant footing. There
is sometimes an amusing side too. A pair of scolding Tasmanian
sugar squirrels that once came for me made such a noise that the
whole station staff were puzzled and curious to know what they
could be, the hissing sound being like an angry cat, and one man
declared that “ he would'nt care to put his hand in that box, not for
a thousand pounds ”

Notes for the Month.

207

One word in conclusion. Do not entirely trust strangers in
birdy transactions, and refuse to send birds on approval, unless the
prospective buyer will take full responsibility and return the bird at
once, in as good condition as when sent, so far as that is possible.

NOTES FOR THE MONTH.

By Secretariats.

MAY.

[A member of the Society has kindly undertaken to write monthly
notes, which are chiefly intended for beginners] .

By this time most of our birds will be put out in their
summer quarters. If possible there should always be two sets of
quarters, viz., summer and winter. If not, the ground gets abso¬
lutely stale, with the inevitable result that sooner or later disease
will crop up and kill some valuable birds, if not the whole lot.
Another advantage is that the winter quarters can be cleaned and
whitewashed. Also one can catch any mice or other vermin. If
the winter aviary has been heated this will have been discontinued
during the latter part of April and all windows and doors opened
during that time when the sun is bright. Practically speaking, all
waxbills, grassfinches, firefinches, and nearly all softbills can be put
out in May without much risk. It is not the cold at nights that
kill birds. It is the long cold nights that kill them. When putting
softbills out, be sure and put their food in the same kind of vessel
that they have got used to. In a natural garden aviary the soft
food bill will at once show a welcome diminution. We will take it
that the summer shelter has been cleaned, fresh perching accommo¬
dation supplied and all nesting receptacles taken down and thoroughly
washed with disinfectant. Many young birds are lost through the
birds using old nesting sites. While making nesting boxes, &c., two
things are important. One is to have one side of the box to open so
as to examine the contents and the other to have the roof projecting
a good three inches all round to protect from rain and to some
extent the bright sun. Study last year’s nesting sites and find out
their favourite places. Pull all old nests down out of the shrubs.

208

Notes for the Month.

Many birds will give up nesting rather than nest in an uncongenial
place. They seem to prefer to face the light provided it is not too
strong and glaring.

Don’t spoil a season by putting in spiteful and interfering
birds. In one instance an entire season was spoilt by a very in¬
quisitive pair of fruitsuckers, who always became most inquisitive
as the young began to call for food, i.e., just when they were
beginning to feather. Odd birds of any kind are simply taboo.

All birds should he properly paired and ringed so that they
may be instantly recognised. It sounds a trouble, but experience
has shown that if one doesn’t there is ten times more trouble ahead,
and sooner or later one will make a mistake and part with a valuable
breeding bird and he kept with possibly two cocks or at the best
father and daughter or mother and son.

Don’t expect patriarchial birds to breed even if they show
every attention to the opposite sex. Even human beings are apt
to make themselves ridiculous in this way. Have nothing to do with
birds with scaley legs, bald pates, swollen feet, deformed limbs.
They are dear at any price and seldom if ever breed. Only 100 1+1
for the breeding aviary please.

In nature hardbills feed on the ground, thereby ingesting grit.
Grit is food for them. {Verb. sap).

With regard to the flight. Every flight should have a good
open space in the centre with good gravel or sand on the ground.
Don’t convert your flight into a Hampton Court maize or an Indian
jungle.

Trek such soil as is left lightly over and sow what seeds you
have a fancy for. Remember the true finches will destroy all vege¬
tation as easily as parrakeets, and it is useless trying to keep the
house well ” with these big beaked marauders about. Weavers are
nearly as bad, but grassfinches and softbills do know how to behave
themselves in a private garden.

Carefully run over the netting especially if snow has weighed
it down. Holes will be near the supporting parts or where trees are
growing through the netting itself. Every aviary should have a bird
bath. It can be made very easily and cheaply as a shallow concreted
and cemented depression in the ground. A soak away may be added

Correspondence.

209

if you like ; it is not necessary at all. Let it be placed in full view
of any spectators. It will be an endless source of amusement at
about 9-10 a.m. every morning.

Finally, if possible keep your flight flooded with sunshine,
plenty of air, and no dark corners. Not too much boarding up or
you will lose the sunlight, unless you use glass shutters. Your birds
will never be too dry. They will easily suffer from too much damp.

Next month nesting sites and materials will be dealt with and
other matters that will arise.

CORRESPONDENCE, NOTES, ETC

FEARLESSNESS OF GOLDEN CRESTED WRENS.

I was standing guard over my Palm Dove’s seed dish to keep off the
sparrows while he fed, and at the same time was watching a couple of Gold
Crests squabbling in a spruce close by. They presently closed and alighted on
the ground about a yard from me abusing one another and displaying their
crests. Then they suddenly rose, flew on to my arm, doubled between it and
my body and for a few seconds one was actually in my hand and the other
clinging to my sleeve objurgating each other. Then they flew off to continue
the quarrel in another tree. ETHEL F. CHAWNER.

SIR,— It may interest members of the Society to hear that this morning
I watched a Wren “ working ” a birch tree in exactly the same way that a tree
creeper would, the only difference being that he carried his tail up and depended
solely on his feet and legs for support, and that he also worked down the trunk
with apparently equal ease, thus proving the usual statement in books, that the
Nuthatch is the only bird that can work down a tree trunk, to be untrue. I
watched the bird at about six yards distance for ten minutes. It was, I
believe, a cock, for while he was working the birch there was another Wren
pecking about on the roof of a shed near by, and when he left the birch he flew
to the roof and commenced to sing. HUGH WORMALD.

SUPPOSED TROUPIAL.

Dr. E. HOPKINSON suggests that this bird (seep. 122) is the bobolink.

CORRECTION.

P. 116 — last line but one of the article u the Vinaceous firefinch — West
Africa should be read for East Africa.

210

A Spring Migrant, 1916.

A SPRING MIGRANT, 1916.

Written expressly for the “ Avicultural Magazine."

To-day I heard the willow-wren
In song by Ashford Ripple : then
In joyous cadence from the combe
A thrush made answer “Welcome home!”

* * -it *

Where is thy home thou voyager
From that last Libyan forest-spur ?

For thou has seen the camels ply
Strung out in desert Tripoli,

And through the palms — a silver net —

The moon upon the minaret,

And dared the amethystine deep,

And passed the cities in their sleep.

And thou hast watched the dawn caress
The temples and the cypresses,

And felt the quivering heat that moves
At noonday in the olive groves.

But now the cry of battle rings
Beneath thy dainty flutterings
O’er land and sea, and through the skies
The armed bird of warfare flies.

Bearing its human lives (as when
The fabled eagle bore the wren),

And looking from the zenith -height
On deaths abysmal, infinite.

The mine, the cannon and the Hare,

The raucous rending of the air
Beset thy way, and more than these,

These and a thousand sadnesses —

The treeless woods, the blighted grass,

The crosses where a battle was —

Alas ! thy dear refrain might be
(For wistful love) an elegy.

Nothing could daunt thee ! Ever shone
The vision of the halcyon —

Of Ashford Ripple and the combe
Calling thee northward. Welcome home !

A. T-B.

The Avicultural Magazine.

THE PINK CRESTED TOURACO.

(turacus erythrolophus).

( From living birds in the possession of Mr. Hilbert /). Astley).

THE

211

Avicultural Magazine,

BEING THE JOURNAL OF
THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.

Third Series. — Vol. VII. — No. 8. — All rights reserved. JUNE, 1916.

BREEDING OF BUFFON'S TOURACOS
IN FRANCE.

Turacus buffoni.

By Monsieur Jean Delacourt.

[ Translated from the original French article sent to the Editor ] .

In the month of April of 1914, Monsieur Robert Pauwels let
me have a pair of Buffon’s touracos which he had retained after the
sale of his magnificent collection of birds at Everberg (Belgium).
He had had these birds in his possession for some years.* They
were in beautiful condition, but had never yet nested in his aviaries.
Directly they arrived at Villers-Bretonneux, I installed them in an
outdoor aviary, the dimensions of which are 12 metres long by 4 in
breadth, enclosed by walls on the north, east, and west. This aviary,
which is planted with shrubs, communicates by an inner compart¬
ment (3x1 metres) with the heated passage, and has a glazed
shelter (2x1 metres) running the length of the north wall. Within
this shelter I fixed up a square nesting-box, close to a perch, with a
hole in one side sufficiently large to permit the touracos to enter, a
similar box being placed in the inner compartment. The birds im¬
mediately took to the glazed shelter and passed the night in the
box, seldom visiting the inner compartment. They were very fond
of flying from one end of the aviary to the other, and of running
along the branches. I think it would be impossible to keep this
species in good health in a cage or in quarters too restricted.

Mrs. Johnstone sold these birds, or certainly the female, to Monsieur Pauwels,
and they had previously bred in her aviaries at Burrswood. — ED.

212

Monsieur Jean Delacourt,

In June, two months after their arrival, I found on some
straw in the nesting hox beneath the shelter, two round white eggs
the size of those of a golden pheasant. Male and female incubated
them alternately, and in 18 days two young were hatched. They
were covered with black down. The parents took great care of
them, but on the eighth day I found them dead upon the ground.
I fancy it was the father who had done the deed, with a desire to
start nesting operations again, as has happened before now amongst
my birds, such as “ Acridotheres” and species of Garrulax.

Three days afterwards two new eggs were laid in the same
nest, which was always kept beautifully clean. The young were
hatched in the month of July. After a few days, one was found
dead on the ground. I then removed the male bird from the aviary,
but his mate at once abandoned the remaining young one, which
died. The parents showed great distress at being separated, and
evinced a thousand signs of pleasure when they were reunited. It
was just then that war was declared, and I left Villers-Bretonneux
on the 1st August (1914). I remained without news of my birds
until the end of September, only knowing that the Germans had
arrived at my home on the 30th of August, and had been driven
out on the 12th of September, without having done great damage
to my aviaries. (They had, however, killed a white Rhea, some
rare waxbills, some sunbirds, etc.)

In the month of October, my Mother, who occupied herself
actively in my absence with my birds, wrote to me that the touracos
had again laid in the month of August, and the young ones had been
born during the Germans’ invasion ! One was dead, but the other
was then more than a month old. The parents had taken good
care of it, the male bird having done it no harm. The nestling
lived until November, but it was rickety, with malformed feet. It
died. The parents were then placed in the heated compartment
until the following May.

The following are my Mother’s notes on the touracos during
1915 : —

In the month of June, the female laid two eggs in the same
nest as in the preceding year, and two young ones were hatched.
They were thrown out and found dead on the ground after a few

on the breeding of Bnffon’s touracos in France. 213

days. The second clutch was laid immediately, and two young
were hatched on the 10th and 12th of August respectively. This
time the parents took good care of them, and on the 5th of Sept,
the strongest of the two left the nest and was found perching upon
a bush. It was still very small, and covered with black down, and
lacked the crest. But it flew fairly well, as it had some partly-
grown flight feathers which were black in colour ; and returned
every night to the nesting-box.

On the 20th of September its crest began to show, and its
feathers grew, some red quills appearing in the wings. The other
young one was rickety like that of the preceding year, and never
left the nest. It died at the beginning of October.

By the 10th of October the length of the surviving young
one was two thirds that of its parents, and its green feathers re¬
placed the black ones.

On the 15th, the red circle showed round the eyes, and a few
days later the white mark was' visible. At the end of October my
Mother put the young bird and its parents in the heated shelter
with their nesting-box, in which they continued to pass the night.

When I went on leave to Villers-Bretonneux in January 1916
I found the young touraco exactly resembled its parents ; the three
birds were always very united, and the parents allowed the young
one to take the pieces of banana which were given to them, first.
These birds, although very quick in their movements, are friendly
and eat out of one’s hand.

The young touraco began to feed itself at about the age of six
weeks ; the two birds fed it by regurgitation, after the manner of
pigeons and parrots. We always give our touracos the same food
even when they have young ones : namely bananas, potatoes chopped
in pieces and dry raisins. They have never eaten mealworms or
bread and milk. I have never seen them hunt for insects, and I
believe them to be purely frugiverous.

To avoid the deaths of so many young ones, I have for the
coming season placed beneath the nesting-box a platform covered
with hay, where the little ones will be received instead of tumbling
to the ground when they are pushed out of the nest. An attempt
will then be made to rear them by hand. I hope to succeed, because

214 On the breeding of Buffon's touracos in France.

the young ones were never maimed by their fall, and I think they
died from exposure and shock.

It seems to me certain that the first brood will never succeed
with their parents ; it is only the last one which they will rear when
the ardour of the male is tempered at the end of the season, as has
happened in the last two years.

To sum up, this is what my pair of touracos have produced :

1914. Three nests. Six eggs. Six young ones, one of which sur¬

vived for two months.

1915. Two nests. Four eggs. Four young ones, one of which

lived two months, the other has become adult.

* * * *

EDITOR’S NOTE.

Monsieur Delacourt most kindly sent a water-colour drawing,
painted by himself, shewing the two touracos (with the young bird
in the nesting -box), but as a coloured plate of the pink-crested
touraco had already been completed, and as our funds do not per¬
mit of two coloured illustrations, we have inserted the plate of the
pink-crested species as an accompaniment to Monsieur Delacour’s
article. The species he possesses have the crest, head, neck, and
body, green ; the wings and tail being shot with violet, the flight
feathers being crimson as in the pink-crested touraco. In Buffon’s,
a white line runs under the eye and in front, divided by black.

We are not only glad to welcome Monsieur Jean Delacourt
as a member, but are also grateful to him for his most interesting
article, and hope to have further accounts of some of his birds, of
which he has an exceedingly fine collection, including 22 species of
waders, cranes, etc., 51 species of waterfowl, 46 species of pheasants,
20 of pigeons and doves, 17 species of parrots, and 95 species of
various passerine birds. Monsieur Delacourt’s property — Villers-
Bretonneux —near Amiens is a regular ornithological park, situated
on the hills of Santerre, and dominating the valley of the Somme.

The lyre bird.

215

THE LYRE BIRD.

(THE AUSTRALIAN MOCKING BIRD).

By Edwin Ashby.

(Supplied bij Mr. Frank Finn.)

While American writers speak proudly of their mocking bird,
we in Australia have probably the cleverest mocking bird to he
found in any part of the world. The first question my readers ask
is no doubt “ What does it look like ?” In size it is quite as big as
a white leghorn hen, with a very much longer tail, longer legs and
very long tapering claws ; in the specimen now lying on my table,
the hind claw is over 1| inches long. The claws and strong feet
are of great use to the bird in scratching for insects, beetles, grubs,
and snails amongst the fallen tree fern fronds and dead sticks with
which the ground is thickly covered in the tree fern gullies which
form the true home of the lyre bird. The colour of the bird is dark
gvey on the underside and the upper and tail dark olive brown, a
shade of colour that makes it difficult to see the bird amongst the
thick shadows of the undergrowth.

The name lyre bird is not given, as some of my small friends
have thought, because it deceives other birds and people by pretend¬
ing to be what it is not, if that was the reason its name would he
spelt “ Liar Bird,” but it is named after a musical instrument called
a lyre, owing to the cock bird having a most wonderful tail over two
feet long, in which the two principal feathers are shaped like the
musical instrument of the same name. The tail of the hen bird is
18in. long and the two outer feathers are half the length of the
feathers in the cock s tail, but are banded with chestnut and trans¬
parent bands and are of the same ’* lyre” like shape as the outer
feathers in the cock’s tail.

Now about the home of the lyre bird, I am sorry to say
that we have none in South Australia, although we are trying to get
the Government to introduce them on to Kangaroo Island, where
they will be free from the danger of foxes.

You must come with me in thought to the Mount Dandenong
Ranges near Melbourne, or better still, to the wet, big tree country
in Gippsland, about 100 miles east of Melbourne in Victoria. There

216

Mr. Edwin Ashby,

the gum trees grow to the height of 300 feet, with a dense under¬
growth of smaller trees and hushes, that make it very difficult to
push one’s way through the scrub. In fact in one spot I found
that the wallabies had made their runs on the top of some low bushes
that were matted together with a sort of wiry grass, I had to take
the same path as the wallabies, hut my legs now and again slipped
through into space which was very awkward. This country is cut
up into a great number of little steep-sided valleys, the sides covered
with masses of glorious ferns, and the bottoms, where the burling
brook of clear water ran in and out and over the tree fern stems,
was a perfect canopy of tree fern fronds, the fern trunks standing
like pillars, each stem festooned with the delicate drapery of filmy
ferns, and some six to ten feet above our heads a ceiling of delicate
green composed of the fronds of the tall tree ferns. This country
then is the favourite home of the lyre bird. My visit to this spot
was paid in the end of July. I was awakened in the early morning
with the loud but musical cries of a cock lyre bird, the sound
coming out of the deep gully below the paling hut in which I slept.
The night had been frosty, and as I entered the gully each delicate
fern frond glistened like gems, and at the tip of each of the filmy
fern fronds was a little ball of ice, which as soon as the sun was up
began to melt and gave one a real early morning shower bath. At
that time of year the lyre birds are mating, and it is the custom for
the birds to congregate at a fixed spot in the scrub, where there is
sufficient space in the scrub for the cocks to show off before the
admiring gaze of the hen birds. One such spot, ten to fifteen paces
across, surrounded with a wall of saplings of hazel, musk, and other
tall bushes or small trees, was shut in on the creek side by a large
bramble bush. I was able to stalk a cock lyre bird who was per¬
forming on his ‘ seat,’ or more correctly, his ‘ scratch,’ a slightly
raised mound in the centre of the open space. It took a long time
to reach the spot because one could only move while the bird was
singing, or more correctly, calling ; the second he stopped, even if
one was standing on one foot, it was not safe to put the other foot
to the ground, because the least snap of a brittle fern stem or stick
under one’s foot would be heard by the cock bird, whose hearing is
very acute, and he would warn the hens and away they all would

on the lyre bird.

217

go, all I should see would be a streak of brown amidst the green of
the leaves or the dark shadows of the bushes.

By dragging myself along on my stomach, I managed to get
within the shelter of the bramble bush, about five or six yards away
from where the cock bird was performing. The hens were either
perched low down or standing in the shadows of the mass of tall
bushes that surrounded the open space, watching the performances
of the male bird ; whether more than one male bird took part I could
not ascertain. The proceedings were much as follows. I have no
notes taken at the time and I may not now remember all the birds
that were imitated on that particular occasion, but the following
wTere some of them.

After a few moments of dead silence I heard the whistling
notes of the harmonious song thrush, both the run of four notes, so
familiar to all who visit the Australian bush, and which has given
the bird the local name of “ Boh Bob Whitehead,” and in addition
were some of the other whistling notes of the same bird. After
repeating these notes a few times there was a dead silence, when
from the ‘ seat ’ burst forth the hearty laugh of the laughing jackass,
followed again by a rather lengthy pause, the cock bird listening
and the hen birds bestowing on him their admiring gaze and humbly
awaiting the warning of the cock bird, before presuming to attempt
to escape from any threatened danger. On being satisfied that no
lurking danger was to be feared, the cock bird burst forth in the
wailing cry as “of some lost spirit,” which is the note of the great
black funeral cockatoo, followed as before with a dead silence. And
then a strange rustling sound and a noise of scratching came from
the other side of the sheltering bush. Had I been able to see as
well as I could hear, this is what would have met my gaze. The
lyre bird spread his magnificent tail, then shook and rustled it,
which caused the sound I was listening to, all accompanied with
scratching and various antics. This was followed by the sweet,
full notes (which always remind me of the notes of the nightingale)
of the yellow-breasted thickhead. Several other of the bush birds
were imitated, and amongst them was the shrill squeak of the grey
crow shrike, and I think the wattle bird was another, though I
cannot now recall them all ; interspersed between all this mimicry

218

On the lyre bit 1.

were the rich full notes that may be called the lyre birds true song.
So perfect was the imitation that I could not distinguish any differ¬
ence between the notes of the rocker and those of the birds whose
cries he had been so successfully imitating, had I not been so close
to him I should have been quite deceived. On my disturbing the
gentleman in his performance, he gave the hens warning and several
of them flew over the tops of the bushes down into the gully.
Owing to their wings being feeble, short, and round, it is evident
that the birds depend more upon their legs for escape from any
danger than upon their wings, therefore it is quite unusual to see
them fly. The easy, graceful manner in which I have seen a cock
bird step, apparently without effort, from the ground on to the top
of a gigantic fallen log, makes one compare the legs to steel springs.

Last October it was my privilege to spend a week on the
slopes of Mount Dandenong, and although it was not the season for
the lyre bird to call, on most mornings I was able to get a sight or
hear their cry soon after sunrise. On the last morning, as we were
driving through the township of Mount Dandenong, we heard a
strange sound coming out of the head of a gully that takes its rise
in the township itself. The noise sounded almost like someone
knocking a piece of wood, the driver told us that it was a cock lyre
bird that always frequented that particular gully, although so close
to the houses. He said that it imitated all the various sounds of
the township, especially the crowing of the roosters.

Some years ago I was visiting some hilly country near a place
called “ Bembo ” in New South Wales. The country was very
similar to the Stringy Bark ranges of the Mount Lofty Hills but
rather dryer, less underbush and no Tree Fern gullies. I was most
pleased to find that lyre birds were not uncommon there, and I saw
a nest that had been built in a burnt-out stump about four feet
from the ground. The foundation was earth or clay, quite possibly
the clay had been conveyed there by ants and that the lyre bird had
chosen it as a nesting place afterwards. The nest was made of
twigs arched over. Only one egg is laid and the more usual nesting
place is on the ground under some overhanging fern or some well
hidden spot. The foxes are likely to destroy this wonderful bird
from the mainland of Australia. The gentleman I was with near

The irruption of waxwings into Norfolk. 219

Bembo told me that one day he and his son thought they heard a
miner knocking off bits of quartz from the reefs that abound in that
locality, hunting for gold, that is known by the miners as ‘knaping’ :
while a couple of years or so before there had been hundreds of
miners in that district hunting for gold he had seen no one for a
long time, so my friend and his son strolled off the track to see
who it was, when judge of their astonishment when they found it
was a cock lyre bird that was imitating the sound made by a miner
knaping. It has been recorded that some birds that were quite
tame in a place in Gippsland used to imitate the sound of a heavy
wagon passing over a road made of small logs placed close together
and called a corduroy road. We may therefore he very proud of this
wonderful bird, and very glad that Australia possesses the most
wonderful bird mimic in the world.

THE IRRUPTION /OF WAXWINGS INTO
NORFOLK DURING THE WINTER OF 1913-14

By J. H. Gurney, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.

Reprinted from “ The Transactions of The Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists'
Society," ( Vol . IX., p. 773).

The fL-st waxwing, of which any record was handed in for the
counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, was a fine crested bird sent to
Mr. Arthur Patterson on November 15th, 1913, a date ten days
later than for Yorkshire. After that, for two months or more,
waxwings kept on coming, as it were in waves, and until well
into February they were to be seen, singly or in small flocks, in
both counties. At fii'st they were met with in parishes near the
sea, and in one instance Mr. H. Cole saw a flock at Cromer in the
act of arriving (November 15th), hut they soon made their way
inland. They appeared to be hungry birds, not only after their
voyage, hut by nature, in their eagerness for berries freely entering
villages, and not being afraid of the outskirts of such large towns
as Norwich and Cromer. At Norwich a small flock actually got as
far in among the houses as St. Giles’ Gates, and one came down the
chimney of Dr. Mills’ house in Surrey Sti’eet into a drawing room,
where it was promptly captured. The same indifference to man

220

The irruption of waxwing s into Norfolk.

was remarked in Belgium, where Mr. Coopman found them “ venant
meme voleter sur les boulevards de la ville de Verviers, tels des
6tourneaux familiers ” (Bev. Fran. d’Orn., 1914, p. 327), and it is
evident that that habit is general. Tameness, however, is a charact¬
eristic of the waxwing in its native country, and I remember, too,
remarking it in some which were in confinement. Their fondness
for drinking is also a trait which will not fail to be noticed ; house
gutters were made use of by the little flock of five or six which
frequented Earlham Road, and the river brink by a pair at Trowse
Bridge.

It is difficult to say how many waxwings really came to Nor¬
folk, but certainly the presence of at least a hundred and eight was
announced. Fortunately most of them were seen (not shot) by
observers who were content to spare them, so very likely a few
wei’e counted twice over. The last announcement of their presence
received from Norfolk was from Mr. Russell Colman. who ascertained
that the survivor of a pair which were located on some hawthorns
near Trowse Bridge at the beginning of March remained there until
April 5th, 1914. Mr. Colman employed a man to watch it, but it
was not seen later than that, and must have either died or migrated.
Many waxwings were also seen in the north of Suffolk, and their
presence registered by Mr. C. B. Ticehurst, Mr. Saunders, and others
who were looking out. Undoubtedly the total for the two counties
exceeded anything since the waxwing winter of 1866-7, when Henry
Stevenson reckoned up a hundred and forty-four specimens (Trans.,
N. & N. Nat. Soc.. Vol. III., p. 326). But even that visitation
cannot have been so great as the big rush in the winter of 1849-50,
the earliest irruption of which any complete record is preserved. This
time the front of the waxwing army has left its mark over the
greater part of Western Europe, certainly from Norway to the South
of France (I heard of some near Hyeres), throughout Belgium and
Holland ( see “ Le Gerfaut,” 1914, p. 74), and in many parts of
Germany.

To what cause are we to turn for so universal an irruption ?
In all probability there had been one or more unusually prolific
breeding seasons over some wide area in Western Siberia or Northern
Russia. Another, but less likely, solution of their presence is failure

Some experiences xoith British sof thills.

221

of food supply in those quarters ; but waxwings are omnivorous, no
sort of berry seeming to come amiss, except the holly. Examples
dissected by Mr. E. T. Roberts, of Norwich, had been eating elder¬
berries, bullaees, and hawthorn berries.

SOME EXPERIENCES WITH BRITISH
SOFTBILLS,

By L. Lovell-Keays.

After many weary months the winter is gone and I doubt if
any of us wishes for it back. I am sure I don’t. With the de¬
parture of winter and the advent of spring one’s thoughts turn, if we
are bird-lovers, to birds. Silently I creep round my vacant aviaries.
The very trees in them seem to have taken ghoulish shapes upon
themselves. The nests, with which were associated such lofty aspira¬
tions, such fluttering anticipations, wondering whether one would
succeed or not, these nests seem to reproach one and an inarticulate
voice cries out with unheard whisper, “ Where is my owner ? ”
Alas! I know not, and I hate the man who “claimed” — odious
term! — my favourite birds. I long to see them in their new quarters,
and wonder if their new owner will tend them as I did or leave them
to some hireling. But away with vain regrets. No need to bemoan
the past or speculate on the future. The present alone is ours.
How shall we fill these aviaries ?

Last year I asked myself the same question and I answered
it in this way. Why not keep some British softbills? The idea was
fascinating. Just fancy listening to one’s own private nightingale
and enticing your pet blackcap to come and warble to you ! In
imagination the Garden of Eden was already mine. My main aviary
is large, fully 70 feet long by 30 feet wide, with a tiny stream run¬
ning through (but alas ! not in mid-summer) and literally teeming
with insect life. How utopian for our avian prisoners ! What a
Mecca for our feathered friends ! A high-class weekly bird paper
was purchased and consulted. For a modest sum I could satiate
my wildest thirst for British softbills. Just for a start I wrote for
nightingales, redstarts, blackcaps, blue tits, yellow wagtails, long-

222

Dr. L. Lovell-Keays,

tailed tits, golden-crested wrens, whinchats and garden warblers.
Reedlings I had already and they nested and reared with me.

I would fain draw a veil over these various birds, but I have
always held that one only learns from failures and not from suc¬
cesses, so if my readers will follow me very closely and then go
away and do exactly the opposite they will probably succeed where
I failed. Perhaps I might add a few waders to my list of “ soft-
bills.’’ I had dunlin, green plover, ruffs and reeves, godwits, knots,
&c., all of which I found ridiculously easy to keep, and why it is the
Zoo. cannot keep them passes my comprehension. I have found
that all waders are passionately fond of small bird-seed and of course
earthworms. For the rest I fed them on the insectile mixture that
the other birds would not clear up. I had no time to collect sheep’s
hearts, liver, lights, &c., cook it up and convert the whole into a kind
of pat6 de foie gras ” for my birds, as recommended by some. My
fare is a good boarding-house fare necessitating a keen appetite for
its enjoyment. Redshanks I find hard to “meat-off” and required
endless mealworms at first, and right up to the end I found they
would not do without plenty of live-food, and they generally lost
the colour of their legs.

But revenons a nos moutons,” how about these soft-bills ?
Of course they were all “ well on food ” when I bought them, so
seeing the inside of my aviary was teeming with gnats, flies, &c., I
simply turned them in and the poor garden warblers just as simply
committed suicide. It was pathetic to see them trying to escape.
They never attempted, as far as I could see, to look for food. Their
troubles and trials were very soon over. Next the whinchats suc¬
cumbed. For a day or two they lived on the live food in the aviary,

but even in a 70 ft. aviary you can’t go on for ever, so about the

third day after they arrived they were gathered to their fathers. I
need hardly say I did not put all these birds in at one fell swoop,
like the animals going into the ark “ two by two,” but the stocking

occupied several weeks and months. As a matter of fact the first

birds I got were a pair of that exquisite little sprite the golden-
crested wren. They lived for a week or two after being let out
and I can’t understand now why they died. They were well meated
off, but I fancy I did not cut up their mealworms after they were

on some experiences with British softhills.

223

allowed their liberty. But for the market value of them I would
rather have a good pair of golden-crested wrens than some kinds of
sunbirds. Their legs are simply filamentous and apparently not
strong enough to support a soap bubble. Their eyes are about as
big as a pin’s head and nearly as sharp as the point. Their tiny
little beaks are almost microscopic. Altogether they should certainly
be classed as dollshouse birds, seeming too small to be let loose in
this great big world of ours. By-the-bye so many quite good
aviculturists seemed to be unaware that the cock has a fiery-
coloured crest and the hen a pale yellow. One notability told me
I had a fire-crest ! Don’t I wish I had ! When I wrote and
complained (please note the irony of the word) Mr. Galloway, who
sold them to me, smiled. I wasn’t there to see it, but knowing
him as I do now, I can quite imagine it. After simply revelling in
my charming dainty little golden-crests for about three or four
weeks, one hapless morn I missed the cock and a few7 days later the
hen. I cannot describe with what a heavy heart I went about my
work that day and kept on comparing the brawny hand of the
labourer with the tiny feet of my little friends. Alas ! I am still
without Regulus cristatus, but Mr. Gallowray has promised to do
his best for me this autumn.

My long-tailed tits gave almost as much joy, and I am glad
to say lived all through the summer until late in the autumn. My
experience is that they are wee sensible birds and always use a shelter
at night-time, and I think I was wrong in not taking them in in
November. Live food gets very scarce then and one notices they
are very active in nature, and in a short time will seem to scour a
wood from one end to the other as quick as one can keep up with
them. I have twTo pairs of them now and I quite hope to keep them
all the winter this year. While talking of wintering birds I must say
that this year my experience with the smaller birds, although very
much more limited in numbers and species, more than bears out my
previous contentions. But I must not start on that subject or I
shall get into a kind of yolk of egg condition. I shall see evei’y thing
through smeared and coloured glasses. Nightingales are not difficult
to keep up to a certain point. Once really meated off they are quite
easy to cater for, but I lost my hen before Christmas and sold the

224

Dr. L. Lovell-Keays,

cock. That cock was more to me than any other bird and I have
never forgiven myself for turning him into filthy lucre. I believe
some human spirit had migrated into that bird. He was so per¬
fectly human. He would follow me just like a dog, and once when
I reproved him with a stone for being too greedy he gave me a look
of reproach that only Gelert could have given his master. I can
only hope he is alive and well and won’t think too hardly of me.
When I sold him I thought, and had every intention, of giving up
birds and going to the Front.” Even now I cannot write of my dear
little Nightingale without feeling a little chokev. I cannot trust my¬
self to write any more although I could fill a book of his little ways.

Blackcaps are the easiest of all softbills to keep. They are
so largely frugivorous that if you give them a banana they will live
on it. They are very retiring birds but a model of grace and beauty.
And their song is of distant lands, of love, and of the running waters.
They are indeed straight from the presence of the gods on Mount
Olympus. I shall certainly get more Blackcaps. I sold mine to
our Editor, together with many another favourite, and I know
they will be well cared for with him. A real bird-lover is an un¬
mistakable person, and like the poet he is “ nascitur non fit.”

The black redstart is as handsome a bird as you could wish to
have. If it was rare one would not hesitate to give ten or twelve
guineas for a pair. Mine were thoroughly used to confinement
where I put them and I had no trouble in keeping them. Also by
the time I got these I began to gather in a little wisdom. I came
to the conclusion that all these birds died because they were not
meated off at all, in the truest sense of the word, and in the second
place they perished because they never found the food. And,
thirdly, if thev did the old hands swooped down and having con¬
sumed the tit-bits left the “husks” for the new comers. My plan
of treatment is now as follows : I treat all birds received as fresh
caught. I give them an abundance of live food mixed with the
insectile mixture and keep them in a cage right away from myself
and other people for two or three days. I then let them out in a
small bird-room where there are two or three dishes of food left
about. Next I let them out into quite a small flight with exactly
similar food dishes in it. Then, finally, after two or three weeks I

on some experiences with British softhills.

225

turn them into the large flight. My birds then live as a rule. But
simply to turn them straight out is about as useful as putting them
in a small room with a hungry cat and vei’y nearly as rapid.

Wagtails are fairly easy to keep, and I need hardly say most
fascinating. In Sussex they call them “ dish-washers, ”* I cannot say
why. I am rather sceptical about their murderous tendencies. I
have kept and seen them kept with all sorts and conditions but
never came across a murderer, I hope I shan’t. I am going to
risk another pair when opportunity occurs.

Blue tits are the easiest of all to keep once they settle down,
but more die at first than some aviculturists, in other respects quite
trustworthy, would lead you to believe. As to their being murderous
I simply don’t believe it. I have had at least a dozen or more and
never detected the smallest tendency even when other of the inmates
have looked and been seedy.

Whinchats, I must say, I enjoy far more on the downs in
Cornwall and in “ the Island ” than in an aviary. Still I did keep
some for a few months, but I never succeeded in keeping them
through the winter. Those hairy gapes bespeak trouble and you will
be a good aviculturist if you can bring your whinchats through the
moult. Live food is of course the trouble and about Christmas meal¬
worms were impossible to get for love or for money. Whinchats are
full of character and I mourned the loss of them. I shall try again.

While writing of British softbills one might mention blue-
throated warblers with their almost royal blue throats and dainty
carriage. They are fearfully pugnacious inter se and one has to keep
them separate. Mine all succumbed quite quickly except one and
he died of bad feet eventually. This foot trouble is rather a bane
with bird-keepers. I fancy it is usually contracted when the birds
are first caught. I believe it is highly contagious and one should
avoid birds with swollen feet. Improper diet aggravates it. Dirt
seems to be the chief cause of it.

I must close a somewhat long drawn out article with a firmly
expressed wish that dealers would not sell recently taken birds as
“ acclimatised,” “ well on food,” “ thoroughly meated off,” &c., &c.

* In Italy “ la lavandaia,” meaning the washerwoman, since the women wash
linen on the shores of lakes. — ED.

226

Mr. G. E. Rattigan

It is not only dishonest, it is misleading, and only leads to utter
disappointment and is more likely to make a keen beginner give up
birds, or at any rate softbills, than anything else. It is with a
view to helping and encouraging others to keep the most fascinating
birds in the world, viz., British softbills, that I have allowed my pen
to run away with I don’t know how many pages of foolscap. Fore¬
warned is forearmed, and forearmed generally means success.

I must not extend this article any more, although there is
much I should like to write about my avian friends. I only hope
they have forgiven me for selling them (in some cases at any rate)
into bondage merely to deck the show bench and be gazed at by
open-mouthed humans. Even worse things may have happened to
them. They may have been colour-fed for instance, or alas ! it may
be a case of Mors et prceterea nihil. “ Absit omen ” is the only
possible reply.

STRAY NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF THE
COUNTRY-SIDE (MONTGOMERYSHIRE.)

By G. E. Rattigan.

The following are some very rough notes on the different
species of birds I have so far been able to identify since my arrival
here some three months ago. They were never really intended to
see the light of day and were merely jotted down for my own
amusement, and it is only the urgent call for copy from our ener¬
getic Editor that brings them forth.

I hope that, having given this explanation, my readers, if
there are any, will deal leniently with me and my numerous short¬
comings, for I am only too fully aware that my knowledge of the
subject in hand is woefully meagre and certainly not sufficient to
justify my writing upon it. They must always bear in mind that
whatever the result, my intentions at all counts are excellent. I
am, moreover, giving our Editor absolute carte blanche to “strafe” it
all or any part of it he thinks fit, so perhaps after all you will be
spared, but if not, you must blame him and not me.

To begin with, I must admit that, thanks to an indifferent
eyesight, I find considerable difficulty in identifying the different

stray notes on the birds of the country-side. 227

species, especially when on the wing, and in a number of cases I
have been quite unable to identify what were almost certainly very
common species as will appear hereafter.

This country (Montgomeryshire) appears to be exceedingly
rich in avifauna, and perhaps the best plan would be for me to give
a list of species so far identified, together with such notes on each
that I think may be of any interest. I will commence with birds

of prey‘ HAWKS.

KESTRELS are fairly common and I have seen as many as
four in the air at the same time.

SPARROW Hawks. Two seen for certain and very possibly
more. On one occasion, for instance, a hawk that certainly looked
like a kestrel, but whose behaviour was more like a sparrow-hawk
or merlin, suddenly swooped down from some tall branches at some
small bird, which it pursued alon^ a hedge-row, closely following it
in all its twistings and turnings and finally securing it.

Merlins. I am almost positive I have seen two or three of
these fascinating little hawks at different times, hut have never been
quite close enough to them to definitely identify them.

Besides the above I saw a very large hawk of some species I
could not at the time identify,*' it was the size of a curlew I should
say and was soaring in wide circles around the summit of a high hill
behind the house ; I thought at the time it looked like a kite, but I
don’t suppose it could have been. This was at the beginning of
March and I hoped it would turn up again, hut so far it has not
done so.

In connection with hawks it is extraordinary how soon birds
of all species seem to get to know that one does not wish to harm
them, and already the kestrels round here seem to realise the fact
that I mean them no harm, and though they run wild at first I
have latterly on several occasions passed within fifteen or twenty
yards of one tranquilly sitting in a small tree or more often on the
telegraph wires along the railway lines.

OWLS.

Brown Owls. These owls are very plentiful round here
and I have on occasions heard five or six hooting from different

(?) Buzzard. — ED.

228

Mr. G. E. Rattigan,

directions round the house. On one occasion I surprised two sitting
in a low ivy covered stump in the dingle behind the house. They
allowed me to approach within a yard or less of them before sud¬
denly taking to flight, and as they did so made a stoop at my head
and at the same time voided a regular stream of excreta over me,
most of which happily missed the mark by a fraction of an inch.
This in my opinion was no mere chance happening but done with
deliberation to cover their retreat, which it certainly would have
done most effectively had I had any designs upon them.

Barn Owls. Probably fairly numerous, though I have
actually only seen two. One on the 20th February and again on
the 1st March ; this was very likely the same bird on both occa¬
sions as it appeared in exactly the same spot and at almost the
same time on each date. This was the to me rather extraordinary
hour of four p.m. It was then, of course, broad daylight, and
the sun was shining brightly. This fact however did not appear
to concern the owl in the least degree, as it systematically quartered
the ground, paying particular attention to the hedges and bushes,
though to me it formed a very unusual and bizarre appearance.

On the second occasion a kestrel was in the air at the same
time and within a few yards of the owl, forming an interesting
contrast and accentuating the impression of the unusualness of the
occurrence. The owl on this occasion passed within a few feet of
where I was concealed behind the hedge and shortly after I saw it
pounce on something, probably a mouse or a vole, in a field adjoining.
Beyond these two species I have not seen nor heard any other
species of owl in this district up to the present.

THE CROW TRIBE.

ROOKS are, as in most parts of the country, very numerous,
and so much has been written upon them and their ways that in¬
teresting though they undoubtedly are they do not call for much
comment here beyond the fact that for some weeks past now (22nd
March) I have noticed them very busy repairing and spring cleaning
their old homes, a pleasant reminder amidst this wretched weather
that spring is at hand.

* During the winter, a pair of Barn owls was constantly about in the middle
of the day close to my house. — ED.

stray notes on the birds of the country-side.

229

CARRION Crows are not uncommon, and I always think
most easily identified at a distance by their raucous cries, more
resembling the “ bark of a raven than the softer and much more
mellow “ caw ” of a rook.

A rather curious and amusing incident occurs to me in con¬
nection with these birds that may be worth recording. It concerns
a raven I possessed last year, which formed a great attachment to
one of a pair of carrion crows which wero in the habit of visiting a
meadow at the back of the house. This field was always frequented
largely by rooks as well as by the crows, and one of the favourite
amusements of the raven — which, by the way, was allowed com¬
plete liberty — was to gradually sidle up closer and closer to the
unsuspecting rooks until he got within a few yards of one, when
with a sudden dash he would pounce upon it and inflict three or
four vicious digs before the unfortunate rook was able to effect his
escape. On the best of terms with himself after this performance
he used to come hustling back to his lair giving vent to his feelings
the while by a series of throaty gutturals. It was only, however,
when he was safely esconsed on his favourite beam that he really let
himself go ; then began a veritable orgy of unholy glee, and as my
wife used to remark, there was something almost uncanny in his
sinister chucklings, interspersed with guttural grunts and deep croaks
and followed by the whole repertoire of his accomplishments : bark¬
ing, mewing, cooing like a pigeon, crowing, and repeating “Jolly
Jack,” the only words he could manage. The whole performance
lasting as a rule about an hour or more. I fear, however, that I
am rather straying from my “ martins ” the crows, so to return.

He was accustomed to approach the crows in precisely the
same manner, but although he occasionally made vicious rushes at
one of them, to the others, as will be seen, his conduct was entirely
different. After he had made the usual cautious approach and was
within a few yards of one of them (the lady crow I presume) he
used to suddenly introduce himself with what I have no doubt he
imagined was a graceful and courtly bow, at the same time half
opening his wings and emitting a loud nerve-shaking croak, into
which he strove, though with little success, to infuse some endear¬
ing expression.

230

Mr. G. E. Rattigan

The result however was neither encouraging nor flattering to
his vanity, for on the first few occasions the crow, frightened half out
of its wits, made off panic-stricken, much to the evident dismay and
disgust of the raven, which however never attempted to pursue it,
its feelings I suppose being too hurt or its dignity too ruffled to try
another advance for the moment. After a bit, however, as the crow
became more used to this performance, it merely ignored his advances
until thoroughly exasperated by its indifference, the raven would
suddenly in blind rage rush murderously upon the hitherto object
of his affections, who however was usually too wai'y to be caught
napping. Once or twice, whether it was because of some fancied
encouragement from his lady-love or in order to try the effect of
some new ruse I could not determine, he suddenly would hop off at
a great pace towards his outhouse, but after proceeding about twenty
yards he would pause to see if he was being followed I presume, and
would continue his headlong dash for home, into which he would
disappear for a moment or two, when his head would cautiously
appear to see if his ruse had met with any success. More rarely
still he would unearth one of his most treasured possessions and
having carefully placed it in full view of the crow would retire to
some distance with a great assumption of indifference, though be¬
neath it all it was easy to see that his sahle heart was tremulous
with suppressed excitement. Eventually, none of his love-making
schemes bringing him even a momentary gleam of success, his love
turned to bitter hatred and the crows became to him as a red rag to
a bull. They had barely time to alight when he launched himself
blindly, furiously, after them, blindly because he displayed none of
his usual running in the chase and pursued them frequently for a
mile or more. This spleen and rancour that he developed against
the crows was I feel sure the eventual cause of his downfall. One
morning he was missing and did not turn up to breakfast, a meal he
was seldom if ever late for, nor did I ever see or hear of him again.
No doubt, whilst pursuing the objects of his hate, fate in the shape of
“ the man with the gun ” overtook him and put an untimely end to
his career ; and as a fact we heard two shots fired near, early on
the morning of his disappearance.

The bird was a great loss to me and while he lived, a source

stray notes on the birds of the country-side.

231

of unfailing interest and amusement, tempered at times with annoy¬
ance one must admit, such as for instance on the occasion upon
which I found all our most promising bulbs rooted up and neatly
arranged in a line along the gravel path. Still in spite of all his
faults, and they were not few, he was a real loss, and it would be an
easy matter to fill a volume with his quaint ways and mischievous
pranks.

MAGPIES literally swarm in these parts and go about in
regular droves. Often in the evening, whilst waiting for pigeon, I
have counted between sixty and seventy coming in to roost ; they
arrive almost exactly at sunset, mostly in parties of from five or six
to a dozen or more, but the flight which usually lasts about ten to
fifteen minutes is practically continuous, one lot hardly disappearing
before the next looms in sight, forming, so far as I am concerned,
an absolutely unique and most entrancing spectacle. It is rare to
see any more birds after the flight is over, but now and then a
belated bird turns up five or six minutes later and there is a con¬
siderable amount of excited chattering before the birds finally settle
down for the night.

I suppose I ought to have taken toll of them to reduce their
numbers a bit, which however much to the evident disgust and in¬
dignation of my man I could not find it in my heart to do, though I
fear there is no doubt but that they will work sad havoc during the
approaching nesting season. One, as though to give me a foretaste
of what is to follow, has already been getting '‘busy” with my
bantams eggs. As a rule they are amazingly bold, allowing one to
approach within easy shot of them before taking flight and then
only parachuting gracefully into a near-by tree. This also contrast¬
ing strongly with their behaviour when I have met them elsewhere
in these islands, for speaking generally I have always found them
wily birds, shy and indifferent of approach. With all their faults,
and I fear their name is legion, they are most interesting and pic¬
turesque bandits and without question an ornament to any landscape.

Since writing the above, another proof of their unusual bold¬
ness in these parts has been afforded me, for a pair has just finished
a nest in a fir tree adjoining some outhouses where men have been
at work constantly for the last few weeks sawing up timber, etc.

232

Notes for the Month.

I went up to investigate and found the nest complete with the ex¬
ception of the lining of grass with which I understand they finish off
their nest. The nest is visible from almost any window in the house
and it will be interesting to be able to have them so closely under
observation during their nesting operations.

Jays. These birds do not appear to be numerous, though I
once came on a flock of twenty or more, and I can always be sure of
finding three or four in one favoured spot along the dingle. More
recently also a pair have taken up their quarters in a small belt of
trees near the house, where I hope they will settle down and set up
house. Though exceedingly shy and wary at first they are now,
thanks to being left entirely undisturbed, becoming quite tame and
familiar, and even allow me sometimes to approach within a few
yards of them.

The belt of trees they haunt contains a small stream in which
I have formed a couple of ornamental pools, stocking them with
gold and other ornamental fish. Some of these have of late mys¬
teriously disappeared and my man blames the jays, upon whom I
may remark he looks with no friendly eye. But though they cer¬
tainly are to be seen taking a suspicious interest in the pools I
personally acquit them of the theft and believe they only use the
pools for bathing purposes, and I have at the same time a very
shrewd suspicion that the real culprits are the self-same robbers
of my hen-roost.

MONTHLY NOTES FOR JUNE.

By Secretarius.

The season is undoubtedly late, which will be all the better
for the backward ones, and much may be done to improve little
points in the aviary that has escaped notice.

But before we think of anything else let us make sure that
we have a good supply of live food. Live food is practically speak¬
ing the measure of success in a given season. In spite of all that
has been written to the contrary nothing has been found to replace
mealworms and every aviculturist should have a tub or two of these
which are allowed to breed. You cannot expect the parents to rear

Notes for the Month.

233

tiny young birds on “giants1’ any more than you could expect a
human mother to rear a baby by giving it a bottle and expect the
infant to swallow the bottle. It is a case of 3 into 2 won’t go. If
one has a tin of breeding mealworms to go at and young birds are
hatched, the small worms about half-an-inch are sought for and
given to the parents. With these it is my belief that any bird can
be reared. But don’t run away with the idea that you can breed
your own mealworms. You will be speedily undeceived. You will
have to depend upon the dealers for mealworms for the old birds.
But they should be cut up for the smaller birds or either they will
not eat them or if they do are likely to have fits. Also don’t
imagine because an aviary is large and contains a few flowers and
plants that it will provide enough live food to rear the young. This
is also a popular fallacy with many. Few of us have the courage to
keep to one pair of birds in an aviary and even if one did they would
soon clear the place of natural food. If you are still incredulous try
it and tell us the result of the post mortem. Finally let us remember
our old friend the popular mealworm and look to him principally to
rear our bird families.

Another excellent and in many respects even better food is
live ants’ eggs (cocoons). If good and fresh there is nothing better
and you can rear nearly any bird on them. But alas ! they have
two disadvantages. In the first place it is very difficult to get a
constant supply of fresh eggs, and, secondly, the supply depends
very largely indeed on the weather. No sun, no eggs is the rule.
There is a third thing against them and that is they are very dear.
But if you can ensure a regular supply of ants’ eggs you may
sleep in peace and leave the birds to rear their young without any
misgivings.

The next commonest and of course cheapest article of food is
the larva of the blue-bottle and popularly known as gentles. Care¬
ful observation has convinced me that in the vast majority of cases
they are not suitable for either very young or very small birds. For
adult birds and the larger species of young they may prove excellent.
One aviculturist, at least, has suggested pricking the tough horrid
skin before giving them to the birds. It need hardly be said that
they must be well scoured. To sum up, they are not a bad substi-

234

Notes for the Month.

tute for other forms of live food and they are very cheap, also very
loathsome.

Later in the season wasp grub comes in. This is both cheap
and admirable, but one cannot get it in June as a rule so we must
leave that out for the present at least.

Finally we come to smooth caterpillars, green fly, and other
entomological oddities. If you have many leisure hours (and the
daylight saving bill will give you an extra one now) by all means
pursue the wily “ looper,” the corpulent noctuid or the wriggling
tineid. The birds will consume all you can get. Spiders, the ex¬
emplars of skill and patience, are also desirable guests in the aviary
but with their greedy eyes, their restless palpae and long hairy legs
it is small wonder that people find it takes all their courage to stamp
on these repulsive creatures. You cannot provide too many of them
for your birds. Another insect very greatly appreciated is the crane
fly or daddy-longlegs. I have caught thousands of these at night
time resting on posts, the grass, fences, sheds, &c., but not generally
till after mid-summer.

If you are trying to rear any of the thrush tribe, earthworms
will be a cheap and efficacious form of diet. There are several ways
of getting earthworms, not all of equal merit. The first is the
scientific method, i.e. by driving a stick into the ground and twist¬
ing it round. At the same time, I imagine, you have to make a
noise like a mole. The theory is that worms come leaping out of
the soil or turf. In common with many scientific and expert
theories it doesn’t always work and the worms generally “ lie low
and say nutfink.”

The next method is the labour method of catching them, i.e.
by digging. This is tedious, laborious, and monotonous. Moreover
the worms you thus get are generally a horrid livid hue, and,
although eaten, not nearly so much relished as what, I think,
fishermen call brandlings. Again, they are apt to be very large
and birds much prefer small worms. Still it is a means of collect¬
ing worms and quite a good one. Also one tills the soil at the
same time.

The third method is the sporting method. All one needs in
this method is a bright light and fingers as quick as eyes. Worms

Notes for the Month.

235

come out to feast when mortals think of bed, and if one goes ex¬
ploring about 11 p.m., especially on the lawn or along the north
borders of the garden one will find thousands of worms of all sorts
and sizes. Now worms for all their worminess are crafty creatures
and the slightest jar on the ground or the snapping of a twig under
foot will alarm the lowly worm. It seems as if they have perception
of light for I have noticed that if one stands perfectly motionless
and suddenly turns the light on there is a glint, a flash, and a dis¬
appearance of something ! That something was an earthworm.
However, after a few moments you can get to work and having
very carefully defined which is the head end you snap the worm as
far from the head as possible and with the same movement with¬
draw Lumbricus terrestris before he has had time to dig himself in.
In this way during showery weather I have captured up to 250 in an
hour. One should only take the smaller and middle-sized worms.
The big ones are, as often as not, wasted. Worm-hunting really
provides excellent sport to those who cannot afford a salmon stream
or a deer-forest. But the number of birds that require worms is
rather limited, which is a pity since this form of diet costs nothing.

It was intended to deal with nesting sites, but consideration
seemed to show that food was the more important and the “monthly
notes ” were never intended to supersede other and more important
matter, so that one cannot deal with both this month.

When the young do hatch out one must be ready on the
instant with live food and supplies given at least every two hours*
as, after feeding the young, the old birds clear the dish. And it is
for this reason if for no other that it is an advantage to have as few
pairs as possible in one aviary. For all mealworm eaters (and how
many are not ?) will expect and see they get their share. It is not
altogether satisfactory to give the parents, however tame, one at a
time unless one can give up 18 out of the 24 hours to one’s birds.
Experience has shown that the result of this is generally only to
rear one out of a brood. To throw mealworms down, broadcast, is
extravagant and results in the old birds trying to force “giants” down
infant throats. A good plan is to put a dozen or fifteen of the
proper sized worms in a glass dish, out of which the worms cannot
crawl but out of which the biids can easily land their fish. The

236

Correspondence.

number and frequency of the supply must be entirely governed by
circumstances. Newly-hatched chicks will not eat more than five or
six in a day. A chick ten days old will eat twenty or thirty at least
and thrive on them. If then you should have the good fortune to
get some softbills (or even some hardbills) to nest and hatch out
there should he every prospect of rearing the young if one is me¬
thodical, thoughtful, and thorough. The method advocated has
been thoroughly tried and proved successful, hut the writer would
he the first to acknowledge the truth of Quot homines, tot sententiae.

P.S. — Owing to short notice there was no time to correct the
proofs of last month’s “ notes ” consequently one or two rather
amusing if somewhat unintelligible misprints crept in. On page 208
the sentence “ Only 100 1 + 1 for the breeding aviary please,”
suggests an algrebraical formula. If we substitute “ 100 A 1 ” some
of our readers will recognise the hall mark of a first-class ship as
used by Lloyds. “ Grit is food fgr them ” should read “ grit is good
for them.” Then “Trek” should read “Rape.”

CORRESPONDENCE. NOTES, ETC

LETTER DAMAGED IN POST BOX.

Mr. C. BARNBY-SMITH received a letter in a long envelope on the 10th of
May, a large portion of which was torn and pecked. On the envelope was
written by the postal authorities '* Damaged by bird building in letter-box ” as
well as a printed label “ Found open (or torn) ” affixed to a part of the rent.
Probably a great tit.

I believe that in error I called Lt.-Col. Tweedie’s mouse the “ Spanish
dormouse,” it should be called the “ Garden dormouse ” (Eliomys quercinus) .

Philip Gosse.

[Is not this animal also called the Oak Dormouse? - ED.] cf. p. 134.

SUPPOSED TROUPIAL.

I notice that Dr. E. Hopkinson suggests that Mr. Shore-Baily’s supposed
troupial may be the bobolink (see p. 209). I have kept the bobolink, and of all
the Icteridce that is about the last I should have selected to represent Mr. Shore-
Baily’s species : its bill is not long and bears not the least resemblance to that of
the military troupial ; in fact it is bunting-like in outline. The bobolink is not

Correspondence.

237

“ glossy blue-black,” it has the nape pale-buff, the scapularies and lower back
ashy white, the wing-coverts are not white, the middle tail-feathers are not
white ; the feet are not black, but flesh-pink, and the beak is horn-colour, darker
towards tip of upper mandible, not grey. The hen is not entirely bright bay,
but is not unlike the male in winter plumage, but slightly smaller. I must
therefore adhere to my original opinion until some bird a little nearer to Mr.
Shore-Baily’s description is indicated. A. G. BUTLER.

‘‘A SPRING MIGRANT” (MAY NUMBER p. 210).

To the Editor of the Avicultural Magazine.

SIR, — Will you kindly allow me space to set right some printer’s errors in
these verses, which destroy the intended meaning of their respective lines?
Stanza 5. Last line. There should be no stop — or at most a comma — after “flies.”
Stanza6. 2nd line. For “The fabled eagle ” read “ Thy fabled eagle ” (because
the fable relates to the bird-family, is a bird-tradition, and naturally the
willow-wren would know it.)

Ibid. Last line. For “deaths” read “depths.” (The idea being this: that
since the depths are — by poetic licence — seen from the zenith, they will
be infinite ; as, indeed, in sober fact, they almost are when seen from the
lately recorded aeroplane height of 29,000 feet the height of Mt. Everest !
I must also plead guilty to one mistake in my own MS., viz :

Stanza 3. Last line. For the full stop after “ sleep ” put a semi-colon.

I am, your obedient servant,

The Writer of the Lines,

[We greatly regret these errors. The writer failed to receive a proof of the
poem. — ED.]

“HEARING OF PHEASANTS AND OTHER BIRDS.”

SIR, — I have read Mr. C. Barnby Smith’s letter ( ante pp. 200-201) on the
“Hearing of Pheasants and other birds” with much interest, because, from the
facts he brings forward it would appear that the reason of wild pheasants
“crowing” on hearing distant gun-fire is directly due to their latent fear of
being shot. Up to the time of reading Mr. Smith’s letter I had held the view
that pheasants “crowed ” because the concussion of heavy firing in some way
worked on their nervous systems, and that these “nerves” applied to all the
pheasant family. Mr. Smith’s observations tend to prove that this is not so,
as he states that his captive pheasants belonging to several different species
took absolutely no notice of the noises heard.

Where I live we are surrounded by lime-stone quarries and blasting goes
on every day ; these blasts are what are known locally as “ small pops,” that is
to say, small charges of powder put into large lumps of rock which have been
blown away from the rock face and which require breaking up into small handy
pieces. These explosions make a very “ sharp” noise and often six to ten go off
in very rapid succession, yet the wild pheasants and also the ducks on my big

238

Correspondence.

lake never take any notice whatsoever of the noises and seem able to differentiate
between the blasts and the firing of a shot gun. On the other hand, every month
or so we get what is known here as a “ big shot,” which is a heavy charge of
dynamite, and which when exploded blows away a large portion of the rock face,
making a deep tearing noise and shaking the ground for miles around ; such
explosions make the pheasants “ crow,” the ducks on the lake jump into the air
and if you happen to be peacefully writing ornithological notes you probably
jump yards high out of your chair and make a few blots on your paper ! Heavy
gun-fire, especially from the sea, appears to make the same subterranean con¬
cussion and to cause the pheasants to ‘‘ crow” in the same way ; moreover the
birds seem more sensitive to these concussions than we humans are !

Is it feasible to suppose that these nervous “crowings” of the wild
pheasants are due, not so much to hearing a sound which reminds them of
shooting days, but rather to a highly-strung nervous system being suddenly
“shocked” by an unwonted sound? I think we are all more or less agreed
that “song” in birds is the outcome of a highly-strung and excited nervous
system and is simply a safety-valve whereby nature lets off superfluous energy,
and I think I am right in saying that when a bird’s nervous system suddenly
receives a shock the bird at once breaks out into song, hence the “ crowing” of
wild pheasants under gun-fire.

It is possible that the reason for Mr. Barnby Smith’s captive pheasants
taking no notice of the firing and bomb explosions may be put down to the fact
that these birds were living under artificial conditions which would tend to lower
their vitality and numb their nerves. * My own experience is that pheasants are
not alone in expressing nervous shock from gun-fire, as I have noticed that
blackbirds “scold” when the pheasants “crow” and my tame white-fronted
geese also give voice, but I have noted no uneasiness amongst my large stock of
high-class pedigree game bantams and pigeons.

Yours, etc.,

Challen Hall, Silverdale, FRED. SMALLEY, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.

near Carnforth , Lancs.

THE OWL PARROT.

Sir, — In his very interesting article on Stringops in the last number of
the “Avicultural Magazine” Dr. Graham Renshaw says that “the longest
duration of life recorded in captivity is two years.” It may be worth while
therefore to record the fact that the last specimen owned by the Zoological
Society of London was received on June 10th, 1911, and died on October 3rd,
1915. I understand that, prior to its arrival in London, it had lived some time
in captivity in New Zealand. D. SETH-SMITH.

* Might it not be attributed to the birds having gained more confidence
with knowledge of protection ? — Ed.

(From a painting by Mr. Louis Agassiz Fuertcs.) Adiard & West Newman.

THE

239

Avicultural Magazine,

BEING THE JOURNAL OF
THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.

Third Series. — Vol. VII. — No. 9. — All rights reserved. JULY, 1916-

LOUIS AGASSIZ FUERTES— PAINTER
OF BIRD PORTRAITS.*

By Frank M. Chapman,

Love of birds as “ the most eloquent expression of nature’s
beauty, joy, and freedom” is the rightful heritage of everyone who
in one way or another hears the call of the outdoor world. But
that inexplicable fascination for birds which awakens an instinctive,
uncontrollable response to the sight of their forms or the sound of
their voices, which arouses a passionate desire to become familiar
with them in their haunts and obtain an intimate insight into their
ways, and which overcomes every obstacle until, at least in a
measure, this desire is gratified, is the gift of the gods which marks
the true ornithologist. In him the universal, if not always de¬
veloped, love of birds is supplemented by the naturalist’s longing
to discover the secrets of nature. Your true bird student, there¬
fore, is a curious, and sometimes contradictory, combination of
poet and scientist.

Men in whom this taste and ambition combine to make birds
the most significant forms of the animal world, are not numerous ;
but a great painter of birds must be primarily a man of this type.
When therefore one considers how small is the chance that the
essential attributes which make on the one hand an ornithologist,
on the other an artist, will be found in one individual, it is small
wonder that the world has known so few real bird-portrait painters.

* Mr. Chapman most kindly gave permission for this article to be published,
which appeared in ‘ Bird-Lore,’ at the same time sending photographs of
Mr. Fuertes’ beautiful pictures. — ED.

240

Mr. Frank M. Chapman,

Artists who introduce into their canvases birds as impossibly
feathered as conventional angels, artists who paint birds with more
or less accuracy of color and form and, more rarely, pose, have not
been few in number ; but the artists who paint bird portraits based
on an intimate, sympathetic, loving study of their subject in nature,
and who have the ability to express what they see and feel, can be
counted on one’s fingers, and the name of Louis Agassiz Fourtes
would be included before the second hand was reached.

Fuertes, in possession of a freshly captured specimen of some
bird which was before unknown to him, is, for the time, wholly
beyond the reach of all sensations other than those occasioned by
the specimen before him. His concentration annihilates his sur¬
roundings. Color, pattern, form, contour, minute details of structure,
all are absorbed and assimilated so completely that they become part
of himself, and they can be reproduced at any future time with
amazing accuracy. Less consciously, but no less thoroughly and
effectively, does he store impressions of the bird’s appearance in
life, its pose, mannerisms, characteristic gestures of wings, tail or
crest, its facial expression — all are recorded with surprising fidelity.

This indeed is the keynote of Fuertes’ genius— for genius it
is. His mind appears to be a delicately sensitized plate designed
especially to catch and fix images of bird life ; and of such images
he has filed, and has at his finger tips for use, a countless number ;
for his opportunities for field study have been greater than those of
any other painter of birds. It has been my good fortune to be with
Fuertes on many occasions when for the first time we met with
some particularly interesting bird in nature. At such times there
was perhaps no very marked difference in the extent of our enthu¬
siasm or the manner in which it was expressed : but all the time,
subconsciously, Fuertes’ mental photographic processes were making
record after record. At the moment not a line would be drawn or
a note written, but so indelibly and distinctly was what he had seen
etched on his memory that it could later be visualised as clearly and
faithfully as though the original were before him.

Fuertes’ bird portraits, like those of a great portrait painter
of men, depict not only those externals which can be seen by any
observant person, but they reveal character. His pictures are in-

on Louis Agassiz Fuertes — Painter of Bird Portraits. 241

stinct with life, and differ from the work of the inexperienced or
unsympathetic artist as a living bird differs from a stuffed one.

Fuertes was born at Ithaca, where he now lives, in 1S74.
In 1897 he was graduated from Cornell, of which his father was
director of the College of Civil Engineering. Drawing birds was
with him as natural an outward evidence of an inward condition as
with most children spinning tops is an expression of an inherent love
of play. Before his graduation, he had made the illustrations for
Florence Merriam Bailey’s Birding on a Bronco, and Mabel Osgood
Wright’s and Elliot Coues’ Citizen Bird.

It was the encouragement he received from Coues that led
him definitely to decide to become a painter of birds, and the imme¬
diate recognition his work received permitted him to give rein to the
naturalists’ longing to see the birds of other lands.

In 189S therefore he went, with Abbott H. Thayer, under
whom he was studying, Gerald Thayer and Charles R. Knight, to
Florida. The following year, as a member of the Harraman Ex¬
pedition to Bering Sea, he had exceptional opportunities to meet in
life many boreal birds which had been studied by few, if any, bird
artists. The reports of this expedition contain some of the studies
made on this trip. In 1901 he accompanied a party of the Biological
Survey into western Texas. In 1903 he studied in California and
Nevada : in 1904 in Jamaica ; and in 1909 in the Gulf of St.
Lawrence.

In 1902, 1907, 1908-11 and 1913, Fuertes acted as artist to
the American Museum’s expeditions, which during these years made
field studies and gathered material for habitat groups in the Museum
from the Bahamas, Florida, Saskatchewan and Alberta, Yucatan,
Mexico and Colombia.

On these expeditions he has collected about thirty-five hun¬
dred specimens, which are beautifully prepared and fully labelled
with data of special value to the artist, when necessary. These
data are in the shape of color sketches of bill, feet, eyes, or other
unfeathered areas, the colors of which disappear after death. Such
studies can be obtained only from the living or freshly captured
bird, and Fuertes’ collection of them is unique.

As the artist of American Museum expeditions, Fuertes has

242 On Louis Agassiz Fuertes — Painter of Bird Portraits.

not only made sketches of the birds secured, but oil studies of the
landscape selected as the panoramic background for the habitat
group in which the birds were later to appear. In each instance
these are accompanied by detailed color sketches of leaves and
blossoms for the guidance of the preparator of the vegetation
modeled for the group. Where birds appear in the background of
the completed group, they are painted by Fuertes himself ; and
the landscapist who realizes his limitations gladly avails himself
of this expert cooperation. Thus we have in these groups (notably
the Flamingo group) paintings by this artist which to bird-lovers
of later generations will have all the interest a panoramic painting
by Audubon of, for example, a flight of wild pigeons would have
for us today.

Because of the accuracy of his work, Fuertes is ever in
demand as the illustrator of technical and popular books and articles
on ornithology. His contributions to publications of this nature
amount to thousands of drawings ; many of them have been ade¬
quately produced in color and, through their wide circulation, they
have exercised an educational influence of the highest importance.
Such for example are the illustrations in Eaton’s great work on the
Birds of New York, published by the State, those in the National
Geographic Magazine, and the series appearing in Bird-Lore.

In all of these illustrations everything is made subservient to
the bird itself, which usually claims as large a share of the picture
as it does of Fuertes’ attention. But in a series of twenty-four
large panels in oils, done for the library of Mr. Frederick F. Brewster
of New Haven, the birds, chiefly water-fowl and shore birds, take
their proper place in a series of strongly handled landscapes which
reveal Fuertes’ art in a new aspect. With no sacrifice of his skill
and insight as a painter of bird portraits, he has here placed his
subjects in a setting which adds immeasurably to their beauty and
to the appeal they make to the imagination. These pictures, in the
writer’s opinion, are Fuertes’ greatest achievement and point the

way for the development of his exceptional gifts.

* * * *

It was nearly eight years ago that I had the pleasure of
meeting Mr. Louis Agassiz Fuertes, when staying in a country

.mi.

■•flUt

Male Argus Pheasant, Displaying.

[From a painting by Mr. Louis Agassiz Filer les.)

Adlard & West Newma

About Birds along the River near Oudtshoorn. 243

house near x\lbany, N.Y. Indeed our kind hostess purposely asked
him to come, in order that I might make his acquaintance and see
some of his paintings. Of these my wife and I purchased four.
All of waterfowl. Mr. Fuertes, seeing my paint-box, offered to
paint me a male summer duck, which he did from memory in a
very short time, and it hangs with other treasures in my bedroom.
He impressed me as very diffident as to his abilities, and very kindly ;
and I remember tbe clever manner in which he imitated birds’ voices.
American men of his calibre are well worth meeting, neither can I
ever forget the courtesy and kindness shown to me, and not only
by those who were lovers of birds. HUBERT D. AsTLEY.

ABOUT BIRDS ALONG THE RIVER
NEAR OUDTSHOORN.

By F. E. Blaauw.

Oudtshoorn is situated on a small affluent of the Olifant’s
river in the south of Cape Colony. It is chiefly built on the eastern
side of it, and the ground on that side rises considerably, forming
steep banks in many places.

On the western side the banks are mostly flat and are over¬
grown with Arundo donax and some mimosa trees ( Acacia horrida).
On the eastern side there is also some Arundo donax, but the higher
parts are planted with trees by the inhabitants who have gardens
there, and the eucalyptus trees are rather numerous.

One morning — end of April, 1914 — I decided to follow the
course of the river for a while to see what birds could be observed.
Although the river bed is rather wide, it did not contain much water
and only in a few places were there pools of any depth, which how¬
ever were full of small fish. In the shallow parts a good many
rocks and stones projected out of the water.

The first birds which I saw as I approached the river were a
good many Cape wagtails (Motacilla capensis) who were catching
insects in and about the shallow water. The Cape wagtail is quite
a feature of South Africa. It moves daintily on the walks of the
parks in Cape Town. I met with it in the inland towns and small

244

Mr. F. E. Blaauw,

settlements ; I met with it round the isolated farm building. I
found it along all the rivers and valleys and I found it looking
for flies in the kitchen of the Standard Hotel in Bredasdorp, and
everywhere it is most surprisingly tame and confiding.

But I must return to my river and try to “ acquire merit ” by
telling about the birds. Slowly walking along the banks I was
surrounded by a swarm of brown martins who were busy catching
insects. A little farther on I was attracted by the plaintive calls of
a family of white-eyes (Zosterops capensis) which were examining
the lower bushes. These birds, although bigger, remind one of the
goldcrests of Europe in their little ways.

On the high banks opposite there was a dead tree, and on the
branches of that tree there were five birds having a great but blood¬
less battle. The end was that three were driven right away, when
the two remaining birds gave a very extraordinary performance.
They both began to open and close their wings as if the wings had
been fans pulled by strings. They were specimens of a largish king¬
fisher ( Halcyon albiventris) which I had met before in the small
woods on the Veld between Port Elizabeth and Van Stadenskloof,
and which does not seem to have to frequent the water as other
species do. These birds are brown with blue wings and red bill
and are about the size of a small thrush. Probably attracted by
the noise of the fight, two splendid hoopoes ( Upupa africana) now
made their appearance, perching on the same dead tree, to be in
turn followed by a number of green weaver birds, so that there was
quite a gathering of birds.

On the bushes near me I had an occasional glimpse of a flock
of waxbills, or roodbekjes as they are called by the Boers. (Estrelda
astrilcl) : these little birds are always seen in small parties and one
hears them very often, but it is rather difficult to observe them for
any length of time as they always hide themselves in the thick
undergrowth.

Walking on, I came to a place where the water was again
very shallow, and here two charming little plovers ( Cliaradrius
tricolaris) were running in the water and over the stones in search
of insects. The birds were quite fearless and took no notice of me.
This little plover is rather common along the S. African rivers and I

about Birds along the River near Oudtshoorn.

245

met it very often. It is grey and black and has a white breast and
a white ring round the back of the head, with red on the face.

On the western side of the river, where there were some open
fields, a few starlings ( Spreo bicolor) were running. The name Spreo
I suppose is a corruption of the Dutch name Spreemv, which means
starling. These birds are of a glossy greyish black colour all over,
with white bellies and white eyes. They are tall birds, bigger than
our starlings, with long legs, tails, and necks. They resemble our
starlings in their mode of life and are fond of running in the fields
where cattle are, but they are also very fond of fruit. Like our
starlings they congregate in large flocks towards the evening, making
beautiful flight evolutions over a lake, marsh, or river, before going
to sleep in the reeds ; assembling with much clamour. One evening
I had the good fortune to witness such a gathering near Oudtshoorn.

Besides the starlings, which made their evolutions in big
clouds above the reeds, there was quite a gathering of the beautiful
Elanus cceruleus, which however seemed not to be following the
Sjoreo’s, for after a while they went away in small companies over
the Yeld with great speed and very near the ground, probably hunt¬
ing the small rodents that were coming out of their burrows at dusk.
In this same place I also saw a number of big-eared owls sitting on
the ground near the ridges, from which they expected small mammals
to emerge. I was told that Spreo bicolor makes its nest in the holes
of the high river banks.

But I have again wandered away from my river and must
return to it. Proceeding on my way along the water’s edge I noticed
the remains of some wire fencing hanging over the steep bank, and
on one of the wires there was a beautiful white and black bird
busily catching insects, very much in the same way as do our fly¬
catchers. It was a male of Tarsiger silens. Soon after, three white
and black crested birds came passing me, screaming loudly, and when
they reached one of the deep pools that abounded with small fish
they hovered in the air, looking intently downwards, the beautiful
white and black markings in the tail showing to great advantage.
After a few seconds they plunged one after the other into the water,
going quite under, to emerge with some small fish or big insect
which they had caught. They were specimens of Ceryle rudis, the

246

Mr. F. E. Blaauw,

black and white kingfisher, which I believe is found over nearly the
whole of Africa.

Walking on slowly, I now came upon a piece of a dead branch
that was hanging over the water, and on it was quite a small king¬
fisher in a gorgeous blue dress and with a red bill ( Corythornis
cyanostigmci) . The blue of this little bird’s feathers was so brilliant
that our own kingfisher, I am sure, would look faded next to it.
A hundred yards farther I met a fourth species of kingfisher (Alcedo
semitorquata) which has a dark bill and is darker in colour and
larger than the other one.

In the hushes along the river there were a lot of weaver
birds’ nests hanging on the tips of the branches, looking like small
domed baskets. The owners were near and amused themselves with
uttering hissing sounds whilst busy at their works of art.

The river now ran into flat country on both sides and in the
shallows I saw a hamerkop ( Scopus umbretta ) walking slowly about
and looking very grave, as these little brown-crested storks are apt
to do. The hamerkop is often seen along the water-courses of South
Africa and it is a quiet confiding bird. In most parts of Africa it
is said to build its big nest of sticks in trees, but in the parts which
I visited I found the nests in crevices in the rocks. Perhaps there
were no suitable trees in the neighbourhood of Oudtshoorn, near
Bredasdorp, etc.

Not far from where I saw the hamerkop there were several
examples of the black-necked heron (Ardea melanocephala) standing
in the shallow water.

On one of the banks, where a waggon track crossed the river,
there were some pepper-trees which had been planted along the road.
These trees bear long clusters of red berries, which contain each of
them a very strongly flavoured kernel, which the mouse-birds are
very fond of, and as I was looking at the trees, which are very orna¬
mental, a small family party of these curious birds flew7 into them.
These birds can be distinguished at once ; firstly, by their long tails,
and, secondly, by their way of alighting in a tree. When they
approach a tree they stop beating their w7ings, gliding on to the
branches with their wings extended like miniature aeroplanes. In
the tree they sit on the branches in such a way that the tarsi are

about Birds along the River near Oudtshoorn.

247

lower than the toes, looking as if their legs were dislocated or power¬
less to keep the body in its proper position. To eat the berries of
the pepper-tree they hang themselves by their toes on the end of
the hanging clusters, their heads being placed between their toes,
like an acrobat who hangs by his hands on a trapeze. The birds I
observed at this spot belonged to the species Colius striatus, which
is grey all over. It was a pair of old birds with a brood of young
ones. The old birds could be distinguished by their longer tails and
the glossy white spots on the sides of the bill.

As I left the river to return through the fields I came across
a specimen of Lanius gutturalis which had been drinking and was
having a fight with two yellow-vented bulbuls (Pycnonotus capensis).
This bush shrike is a very beautiful bird ; it is mostly green with
yellow underside. In the tail there are fine black and yellow mark¬
ings and the throat is of a very vivid yellow inscribed by a black line.
In some places it is called by the Cape Dutch Klaas Pierewiet and
in others Bakbakiri. It is one of the most interesting birds I know,
and it certainly is a very intelligent one. As a rule one finds it in
the open Veld, where occasional small bushes form shelters.

Country like this is found to the north of Oudtshoorn in the so-
called “ Small Karroo.” If one walks there one’s attention is often
attracted by curious noises, which are sometimes very soft and
melodious, and at others harsh, like a creaking waggon. If one
walks to the spot where the noises come from one can often find
nothing to account for them, but if one has luck one just catches a
glimpse of a yellow and green bird which disappears between the
bushes. This is our shrike, Klaas Pierewiet, who was making fun
of the passer-by. Sometimes one sees him sitting on the top of a
hay-rick where he is quietly observing you ; all the time amusing
himself with his weird noises, but generally you only hear the notes
without seeing the bird. Sometimes they answer each other, and
then the place is full of unaccountable music and strange sounds.

This bird in its ways forcibly reminded me of another which
I had met in the virgin forests of Southern Chile (Pteroptoclvus
rubecula) which also cannot resist a conversation with a traveller,
and during a trip to that country in 1911 it took me a long time
before I knew who was the author of a strange wild laugh which

248

Captain Bernard E. Potter,

resounded occasionally as I rode on my way through the dense forest.
One day at last, the laugher, more curious than the other members
of his family, stopped on his branch to see me pass in close proximity,
thus giving away his secret. I then saw a big brown bird with a red
breast like our robin and with glistering intelligent black eyes, and
our acquaintance was made.

On my way back from the river I walked through the principal
streets of Oudtshoorn. The gardens near the houses there were
planted with a number of wild fig trees, which were full of fruit.
Feeding on the small figs were great numbers of greyish starlings
with black wings. They were wattled starlings ( Diloplms caruncu-
latus) and the flock consisted of old birds with their broods. Some
of the young birds were still being fed by the parents.

After a good long look at the starlings I went to my hotel and
had a very bad dinner in a very chilly room. And if some members
of the “Avicultural Magazine” should be curious to know how I can
remember that the dinner was bad on that special day, I can only
answer that my experience of South African dinners is that they are
alicays bad, so that I cannot easily make a mistake. As to the
chilly room I can vouch that it was so, although in Africa !

BIRDS IN MACEDONIA

By Captain Bernard E. Potter.

In this sunny land, where a sample of the best English June
weather replaces the cold and snow we have read of in the home
letters, birds, animal and vegetable life is full of wonder for the
naturalist.

In bird life one is delighted to find a chance of studying the
birds of prey, and one regrets exceedingly one’s ignorance of them,
because observation at home of many of these same species is
denied owing to the terrible destruction by gamekeepers and pot¬
hunters. Therefore I feel there is some excuse if these cannot be
named in many instances.

In the villages close by, of Aivatli and Baldza, tame kestrels
make themselves at home and dispute possession with the ubiquitous

on birds in Macedonia.

249

jackdaws which appear to replace the British sparrows. One day,
while riding through Aivatli, I stopped to watch with my pair of
field-glasses a pair of kestrels. They allowed me to come very close.
They entered a hole in the wall just under a gable end. The differ¬
ence between the two sexes is very striking. The blue and reddy-
brown of the male and buff breast with minute spots ; these colours
are absent in the female, whose plumage is for most part streaked
with black on light ground. On the Akbuna Pass I watched a male
hover at fifteen paces away swoop and catch a field mouse, its
beautiful colours were again apparent. At Baldza, too, these birds
are at home in the village.

One day, at our Lembet camp, five miles N. of Salonika, I
was fortunate to be able to watch a sparrow-hawk, just above our
transport lines, dive into a flock of starlings, which, scenting danger,
attracted my attention by the way in which they opened out and
closed in upon themselves. One victim was caught in the air and
carried off.

A beautiful hawk or kite is generally to be seen flying over
the great Langaza plain. Briefly, its colours are very bright grey
with black wing primaries. It hunts over the ground flying very
low as if about to alight each moment. A name suggested to me
is Swallow-tailed kite. Another huge hawk I see on the plain, often
perched upon a post. This is a dark-coloured bird with bluey colours,
possibly a peregrine, as it is much larger than the sparrow-hawk.

Eagles are plentiful ; as many as three different kinds have
been observed at the same moment soaring and circling in the air.
One appears to have drab markings on the head and back, on brown
ground. It is not so large as another which is of black and brown
colour. I was delighted to stalk one great eagle, which sat on a
naked bough of an elm tree close to Tumber on border of lake
Lougaza. I dismounted and walked by my horse on side away
from the bird, getting within thirty yards. The dark brown hue
was all that could he made out, except a light colour about the eye
and light markings of the back when it flapped off. Another eagle
is one I have admired at the Zoological Gardens, with a white head
and rufous neck. In all of them, when on the wing, the finger-like
projecting wing feathers are very distinct.

250

Captain Bernard E. Potter,

Owls are numerous. One is a very large owl, has a con¬
spicuous white rump ; another is very small, is brown with white
clots on the wing. Both can be seen flying in the day-time. Their
cries by night I never tire of hearing.

One afternoon, near Palchora — a very small village at the
eastern extremity of the long lizard-like hill on the west of the
Langaza plain, the Deve Kran (camel pack) of the Turks — I saw a
great grey shrike perched on topwood branch of a shrub. Here, too,
bushes and vegetation are much more luxuriant than about the semi¬
circle of hills around Salonika. Here I saw young stonechats.
chaffinches, goldfinch, common linnets, and one specimen of a hunt¬
ing new to me. It had a black and saffron yellow head and patch
of crimson at sides of breast, altogether a beautiful bird. It is not
surprising that greenfinches should be absent from these parts which
have comparatively few trees, for greenfinches always seem to hide
beneath foliage, making their whereabouts known by their well-
known twitter.

Goldfinches are a bird-feature of this country. Great flocks
wheel in the air as one passes, and as they alight the vTondrous
gold markings are intensified. It is gratifying to see so many here
when in England they would appear to be getting scarce. The
common linnet, which always seems uncommon at home, is one of
the chief singers ; its note reminds one of the song — “ little bit of
bread and no cheese”-— of the yellow-hammer. The latter I have
not yet seen here.

On March 20th I saw a wheatear ; on 21st two, and on 22nd
at least four in full plumage. They are very tame. Another bird
appeared about the same time, looking like a very heavily marked
wheatear, with more black feathers and rest of the plumage snowy
white, the hen bird is a sandy colour.

In December and January I used to see in the gullies at
Lembet a steel grey bird with reddish markings about the tail,
especially noticed in flight, which appeared to he a kind of redstart.
But the common English redstart I have never seen here.

On April 4th I noticed swallows for the first time when on a
visit to Salonika, they were flying about the “ White Tower.” There
are now many to be seen in the village of Aivatli near by and some

on birds in Macedonia.

251

in the nullahs, where we may possibly find their nests later on.
One might have expected the kestrels would have scared them away
from the villages.

Now I would like to say a word about the tortoises which
roam about these hills, being especially frequent about the steep
banks of the gullies and nullahs. The largest measured nine inches
in straight line from head to tail end of shell, but measured along
the curve, it is three inches longer. The males seem slightly larger
when full grown and heavier and more massive. Their colour is
mostly black with yellow edgings to shell plates ; the females are
yellow with black edgings. When feeding undisturbed on vegeta¬
tion, frequently choosing dandelions, the long lissom neck moves
more freely with gliding movement. They make holes in the earth,
generally under ground holly, and here they were mostly hibernating
when we arrived in December. Spring begins early here and this
is their period of great activity ; during their courting I have heard
them emit sounds like a bark, usually they can only hiss, but one I
picked up uttered this sound. One staff’ officer had told me about
this, but his mess were amused and sceptical.

Tortoises are wary animals, and with reason, for they have many
enemies large and small. Eagles are said to lift them up and drop
them to break open the shells ; lizards are said to dart at them and
catch them in the soft part of the neck or limb. But coming to
facts, I have observed that the larger ones, especially the males,
are infested by large flat bugs with reddish edges to body. These
fasten on to the neck, on proximate parts of limbs and at union of
skin with shell. They bury their heads in the flesh and are dis¬
lodged with great difficulty. I have noted a number of tortoises
with broken backs, sometimes due to tread of horse or timber
wheels. But in most cases there is a dent in the hinder part of the
back of shell. One day I saw near a tumulus off the Monaster road
a raven pecking away and, on riding up to the spot, saw the bird
eating the interior of a tortoise through a hole in this same situation.
I am inclined to think that ravens with their powerful bills drive in
the shell plate to batten on their victims. Ravens are very common
and find food in plenty from the carcases of beasts done to death,

252

On birds m Macedonia.

which are then skinned by the Greeks, who are noted for over¬
loading their animals and finally sitting on the top of the pack.

Rooks and jackdaws in huge flocks used to find food in plenty
about the camps at Lembet, and were thoroughly at home and very
tame ; among them were a few carrion and hooded crows. Each
night the rooks in long straggling line used to fly homeward to the
north-east, and reminded me of the proverbial short cut “ as the
crow flies.” Latterly we have seen none. There are few trees here
and probably nesting in the trees up country takes up all their
attention. The jackdaws, too, are now found and have settled down
to village life, where the spacious and well-overhung eaves give
shelter for their nests. In the male there is a conspicuous white
edge to the lower part of the grey nape.

Langaza lake is a great resort for wildfowl’. On my last visit
I rode right up to the water’s edge to satisfy my curiosity, as I
remember once doing when near Lake Superior, Canada. I found
the water, in each case, fresh not salt. The ripple of the waves
reminded me of Lake Superior, but Langaza lake was above its
usual water mark owing to heavy rains, and the waves broke over
the green turf. The only birds I saw were coots and black-headed
gulls, both very plenteous. But geese, swans, mallard, teal, and
widgeon, also cormorants and ruddy sheldrake, I have seen shot in
some of the regimental messes. The gunners have usually utilized
a boat for their sports. When encamped at Lembet, now about
two months ago, it used to be a never-ending pleasure to observe
night and morning the great Y-shaped flight of geese and sometimes
swans. The long line, often containing 100 birds, were marvels of
mathematical accuracy.

Between Langaza itself and the lake is an ancient Roman
bath built over hot springs. The domed roof, perfect octagon of
sides, and the dim light due to the steam are things to remember.
Near these baths are great nests of the storks. The shocks lie upon
elm trees and chimneys of deserted houses. No storks were there
when I visited this spot, but I am told they are very numerous now.
But, as early as March 3rd, on nearing the village of Guvesne, near
a mound, I watched a stork on the banks on Guvesne Dere (stream).
Its colour, as it stood upright, was white with black wings and tail,

Reminiscences of a Field Collector.

253

and black stripes about breast. It flew away, retracting its long
neck while the long legs trailed beyond the tail.

As all know at home, things have been quiet for the Allied
Forces in Macedonia, so I have taken advantage of this to form a
small Society for the study of Natural History, and visitors come to
us from other units. We have held seven very successful meetings,
as, among so many, specialists in different branches turn up in sur¬
prising fashion. Last meeting we discussed snakes, of which I can
identify seven varieties — the only poisonous one I have seen is
viper rasicornus, with wart-like tip to the nose, up to two feet in
length, — and also various insects, reptiles, etc. But reliable infor¬
mation about birds is, I regret to say, very difficult to obtain.

Not the least deterrent to the solitary explorer in this little
visited and almost barbaric land is the formidable Macedonian dog.
Roaming flocks of sheep and goats are watched by the gaily dressed
goatherd or shepherd, with his scarlet cummer-band. He is assisted
by these massive wolf-like animals who keep to the outskirts of the
flock. They are a terror to rider and horse as they come hounding
along with no doubt of their intent. Escape is best attained by1
calling to the shepherd and using such words as one has picked up :
skili (dogs), parakals (if you please), efcharisto (thank you), kalimera
(good day or evening). Recourse to stones or revolvers is not
recommended.

REMINISCENCES OF A FIELD
COLLECTOR.

By A. J. Campbell, C.M.B.O.U., Melbourne (Vic.)

[Froyn “ The Emu."]

[These notes were read at a meeting of ornithologists, held in Melbourne, on
the occasion when Mr. Campbell presented his collection of Australian birds’
eggs to the National Museum, Victoria.]

Once, when I was going afield, I met an enthusiastic friend,
who was preceding to a land sale. Patting me on the shoulder, he

A heron. Storks extend their necks when in flight. Perhaps some member
would name many of the birds mentioned. — ED.

254

Mr. A. J. Campbell

said — “ Sell your bird-eggs old man, and put the money into land.”
The big boom broke. He lost his land ; my egg collection is still
intact. That is history. It is difficult to state what is the intrinsic
or scientific value of a natural history collection. To accomplish
any great object in life, there must he a passion. You cannot
materalize one’s passion — be it music, painting, or nature-study —
any more than you can value one’s artistic temperament in terms
of £. s. d.

One likes to study birds because they are the most happy
and healthy of creatures. Whoever saw a sick bird, except in caged
confinement? Birds in the open are always joyous. Listen to
their lively lays at break o’ day — never ill. Besides the beauty of
birds, the colour and markings of some eggs are most attractive.
Their graceful shapes, whether globular, oval or elliptical, are all
emblems of true infinity. In my book, “ Nests and Eggs,” maybe
I have said sufficient descriptive of the eggs and the domestic
economy of our Commonwealth birds. Perhaps I may here recite
a few incidents in travel that occurred while procuring my specimens.

I have been twice shot at. In the early days of Ferntree
Gully (Vic.), we (four of us) were on the road, at night, to the
Dandenongs, walking every yard of the way. Near what is now
known as Wheeler’s Hill a drunken fellow wanted to know “ Who

the - are you ? ” We replied, “ Look out, our guns are loaded.”

“ Oh, is it shooting you mean ? I’ll meet you with a gun.” So the
rascal said, rushing into a shanty near. In the meantime we took
to our heels and turned sharply aside into the bush. When the
drunkard reappeared, he, supposing we had continued our way up
the road, fired in that direction. We could distinctly hear the
“ ping ” of the bullet. Being about midnight, we camped in the
scrub where we were, and continued our journey at day-dawn. By
the way, I recollect that on this trip we saw the lovely little
chestnut-shouldered grass-parrot. It used to frequent the fertile
flats of Ferntree Gully. We believe that this beautiful bird is now
extinct. On another occasion we were shot at in broad daylight by a

* The turquoisine ; formerly imported in fair numbers. The extinction of some
of the most beautiful grass parrakeets of Australia is a sad loss both to
Nature and aviculturists. — ED.

Reminiscences of a Field Collector.

255

land-owner, somewhere in the locality of what is now known as
Murrumbeena (Vie.) It is true the landlord warned us off his
grounds, but we had found a bronze-winged pigeon’s nest in a knot
of mistletoe, with the bird sitting, and we were loth to leave.
Presently we espied the owner sneaking down upon us along an
acacia hedge. One of us shouted, “ Look out, lie’s got a gun,” and
away we sped. There was a “ bang,” and buckshot scattered about
us. We have not been in that paddock since. Another shooting
incident was connected with a bullock. In an open paddock near
Oakleigh (Vic.) we were charged by a wild Gippsland bullock. The
beast would have certainly horned us had not one shot it in the
face, and temporarily stayed its progress. We were sorry, but there
was no other means of escape.

On two occasions horses bolted with the coach I was on,
each time from the same cause -^-namely, a thoughtless tramp
basking in the sun alongside of the road — his head on his swag and
his knees drawn up before him — a scarecrow sufficient to frighten
the meekest of horses. Returning from Ferntree Gully with a
lyre-bird’s nest sewed in some sacking — which, by the way, together
with a pair of birds, I donated to the Royal Scottish Museum,
Edinburgh — we had just crossed Dandenong Creek, and, turning a
sharp curve, the pair of horses suddenly caught sight of the
recumbent figure. However, we did not break a buckle. The other
occasion was in Riverina. This time the team consisted of four-in-
hand. Being on the box seat, I noticed the figure of a man ahead
upon the ground (I thought the driver saw it too, but he evidently
did not). I immediately thought of the Dandenong Creek episode,
and called to those inside to “ look out for some fun.” No sooner
had I uttered the words than the team left the track and tore
through the timber, a great bushy tree nearly sweeping the driver off
the seat. However, courage and good horsemanship steadied the
team before any damage was done. It was a very narrow escape,
and we were miles from anywhere. But you should have heard the
poeti’y heaped upon the head of the unfortunate “ sundowner.” I
never knew that a coach-driver’s vocabulary was so inexhaustible.

Incidently, through collecting trips I have enjoyed some
sport fishing — seine fishing by the sea (notably on island excursions),

256

Mr. A. J. Campbell,

and hooking, with rod and line, cod and plump perch out of the
broad-bosomed Murray. And members who went with the R.A.O.U.
to Kangaroo Island will remember the creeks there alive with bream,
which were sometimes hooked two at one cast of the line. But I
never took to shooting birds for sport. “ Virtue has its own reward.”
On that strip, once sand and scrub, between St. Kilda and Sandridge
(Vic.) which is now a forest of houses known as the Beaconsfield-
parade, I used to kill snakes and pick up Dottrel’s eggs in doublets.
There were swamps contiguous, teeming with wild fowl. At a
wheeling feathered flock one day a man fired. Out of the destruction
two Wood-Ducks fell near me. As the man was not legally entitled
to them, I bagged both birds and bolted home.

Numerous Ducks used to fly overhead in small flocks up and
down the River Yarra. At evening they usually flew up stream,
offering tempting shots for long-ranged guns. One evening when
“ mooning ” near Combo Swamp, Toorak, I heard a distant shot
round the bend, and some considerable time afterwards a fine, fat
black duck fell at my feet, stone dead. There being nobody about, I
quietly picked up the bird and took it home.

Once I was in a slight railway accident. The carriage in
which we were travelling left the rails, and bumped considerably
when off the right track — indeed, nearly capsized before the train
was pulled up. What concerned me most was a bright and beautiful
clutch of kestrel’s eggs, which I had, unblown, in a “ billy ” beneath
the seat. I took the eggs that day from a crevice of a cliff over¬
hanging the Werribee River.

Someone has asked me what I consider my greatest finds. I
can hardly say. But those of most lasting memories to me are
probably the finding of my first lyre-bird's nest — the excitement of
flushing the sitting bird, with its loud, whistling shriek of alarm as
it flew down gully. Then, when your excitement subsides, there is
the admiration for the picturesque nest, with its virgin forest and
fern surroundings. Or, perhaps, it would be the first finding of an
Emu’s nest. You notice the noble bird tear away through the belt
of box timber, and on going to the starting point there you behold,
upon a bed amid the cane-grass, the clutch of eight or ten large and
beautiful greenish eggs. Or it may be whon you land on an out-of-

Reminiscences of a Field Collector.

257

the way islet at a sea-bird rookery. Then your nerves tingle from
head to foot in an ecstasy of extreme delight while hundreds of wild
birds, on shivering wings, are screeching overhead, and you see
mottled and curiously marked eggs amongst grass, succulent ice-
plant, or on the bare sand, as the case may be, in numbers dotting
the landscape.

Another indelible memory was a scene I witnessed only last
year, when, with a genial companion, I visited a Swiftlet cave on a
verdure-clad islet — a secluded spot set in a blue sheet of coral sea.
It was the most splendid of serene summer days, and the place the
most picturesque that one could imagine. Bean-trees wreathed
with rosy flowers, and umbrella trees and palms, reared their
graceful forms above luxuriant shrubs. Underneath were rich,
rocky galleries of native gardens where grew great patches of an
ornamental polypodium, bearing brownish, flat, embroidered fronds.
Here and there, on tree or stone, were orchids conspicuous with
bowing heads of bottle-brush-like flowers — i.e. composed of clusters
of tubular flowerets of waxy appearance, variegated crimson, green,
and white ( Dendrobium Smillice, von Mueller). From the dazzling
sunlight we entered the deep shade of a canopy scrub, then a gloomy
cavern, where between 50 and 60 Swiftlets’ nests could just be
discerned attached to the roof. A score of nests contained each a
single pure white egg. Closer examination by the aid of a pocket
electric lantern showed the nests in groups, distant from the floor
from 4 feet up to about 7 feet. Some nests were adjoining, so that
tails of the tiny brooding birds overlapped. The nests were spoon¬
shaped, about 2^ inches in diameter, with a short handle-like
appendage cemented to the rock, and were composed of shreds of
grass, moss, &c., intermixed with a kind of gluten. The little birds
on being disturbed, flew quietly, save for a few feeble notes, like
fairy forms about the cave, or in and out, there being more than a
single entrance.

In concluding this brief sketch of some of my reminiscences,
I must say that “ the lines have fallen unto me in pleasant places.”
I have often thanked the Almighty for my being and for the wonder
of His works.

258

Notes for the Month.

MONTHLY NOTES FOR JULY.

By Secretaries.

With the advent of July we shall expect, or at any rate hope,
to be in the very thick of the breeding season, but we must remem¬
ber that our summer corresponds with the winter of Australia, so
don’t be surprised if Grassfinches (Gouldian finches e.g.) go into
moult and lose interest in domestic affairs. If many of our birds
are not nesting there is some fault somewhere. And the successful
aviculturist must make it his or her business to find out where the
fault lies. Now, first and foremost we must be sure we have a
“ breeding pair.” Many birds are apparently sworn to celibacy.
Others only indulge in platonic friendship. A third class develop
unnatural affections for birds of another kind. Who could imagine
that a hen Dufresne’s waxbill would evince a strong attachment for
a Diamond dove ? And yet such is the writer’s experience. It is not
sufficient then merely to have “a pair” — they must be a breeding
pair, i.e. a pair that wishes to raise a family. If you have not, no
amount of coaxing will induce them to nest. You must effect an
exchange with somebody or buy another pair (if possible), separate
the shirkers and mate them up afresh. Of no creature in the world
is it more true than of the bird that “ absence makes the heart grow
fonder.” If you cannot effect an exchange try and catch up the hen
bird, cage her, feed her up well, and give her a supply of animal
food. Then turn her in with the cock again in ten days time. There
will soon be an announcement in “ The Times ” in most cases.

The next commonest cause is that one or other of the birds
is past caring for domestic affairs. For such an one there is no
cure but an old age pension. Old birds are easily distinguished.
They are humpy as a rule. The feathers are not sleek and glossy.
Their features get very “ prononccs .” The legs get thick and scaley,
and altogether their sole interest in life seems the food vessels.
Beware of birds with feathers missing. It may be due to feather
plucking, but it may not. Don’t buy waxbills that the prolix adver¬
tiser tells you he or she has had ‘‘in an outdoor aviary for six years,”
any more than you would buy a house that the owner had had for
25 years, even if it had never let them down.

Notes for the Month.

259

The other common cause of sterility is perhaps too obvious to
mention, and yet perhaps of all the commonest. It is that you have
not got “a pair” at all. Many birds are absolutely impossible to
sex except by their “demeanour.” The word is horribly pedantic,
but is commonly used by writers on bird topics as illustrating one
bird’s behaviour towards another. Fancy talking of a human being’s
demeanour towards his lady love — or her swain ! But even this
“demeanour” may lead one astray, as many birds evince the greatest
affection towards birds of their own sex if none of the other sex is
present. Only experience and careful study will enable you to sex
birds by their behaviour towards one another. But if your birds
don’t nest think of the sex question.

Another cause of not breeding is improper food. I don’t
mean insufficient food but improper food. Undoubtedly the tem¬
perature, coupled with a sudden abuhdance of food, makes birds feel
very pleased with themselves and that awakens a natural instinct to
breed. Birds to be in breeding condition must be got into a high
condition, and the difficulty is to get them just high enough. Too
high and the cock will give the hen no peace. Not high enough
and the eggs will not be fertile, even though pairing may take place.
For seed-eaters, flowering grass, a few mealworms and live ants’ eggs
will all help to get the birds into the right condition, and of course
plenty of exercise, sunlight, and fresh air.

For softbills, live food is practically speaking necessary at all
times of the year, but, if we wish them to breed, live food becomes
an absolute sine qua non. In the earlier months our mainstay has
always been, and must remain, mealworms. In addition, live ants’
eggs, gentles, and wasp grubs may be given to them.

But how many give mealworms (“giants” often), just as they
are, to all birds and expect them to thrive on them. It is quite
equivalent to our swallowing a whole rump-steak or loin chop. For
all birds, mealworms are better chopped. For the small tits and
warblers each worm should be cut into four, when you will find
that the head and tail end are not of much account, just as they
are not thought much of by the gourmet when salmon is under con¬
sideration. Not only are they more digestible when cut up, but if
mixed with the insectile mixture, particles of the latter adhere to the

260

Notes for the Month .

worm and ensure a proper mixed diet. Another common cause of
failure to nest is the absence of proper nesting accommodation, or
perhaps the absence of proper material to build the nest with.
One is almost a corollary of the other. You wouldn’t expect
budgerigars to nest in the fork of a tree, nor a chaffinch to nest in a
barrel. Considering the weird ideas on the subject some people
have it is a wonder, and no small credit to the birds, that they nest
at all. But perhaps what is even of more importance is the proper
supply of nesting material. In a natural garden aviary, another
well-worn avicultural expression, they will probably find much of
what they want. But in a “mixed” series such things as tow,
ravelled string, cocoa-nut fibre, a handful of “ meadow hay,” not
inferior hay made from rye grass, which is too stiff and unyielding,
but fine meadow hay, bast or raffia cut up into lengths, fine twigs
for birds of the cardinal and sparrow class, and, finally, those little
packets of moss and horse-hair may be added to the aviary, but be
sure to tie the cotton, by which it is meant to be suspended, quite
short. On more than one occasion one has seen birds entangled and
eventually killed by these cotton threads. That is why the bast
should he cut in lengths. Cases have occurred where a bird has
been hanged by the neck, until he was dead, by bast. A member,
Miss Chawner, recommended paper shavings for sugar birds. If you
are anxious to go in for breeding or trying to breed British birds get
a few newly-made nests of the species you are trying to breed and
tear it to pieces in the aviary. Many sugar birds use spiders’ webs
as the foundation of their nests. Lambs’ wool is a very good sub¬
stitute for spiders’ web. Tow is good but too short and flimsy. A
piece of rope unravelled is far better. Horse-hair is another thing
birds, who suspend their nests, like to get hold of. Failing all else,
sometimes an old nest from the hedgerow may be fixed in a shrub
in the aviary and occasionally some birds will take to that.

We must leave nesting materials and pass on to other causes
of non -reproduction. Certainly one of the most insidious causes is
overcrowding, particularly with interfering and pugnacious birds.
Not always large birds, but, often, they are mere impudent scraps
such as the hibfinch, or worse still, in that respect, the common
zebra finch. And the little wretches are fearfully difficult to detect,

Bevieto.

261

for when the aviarist is near they are patterns of good behaviour.
As few pairs as possible in one aviary is the golden rule. That, we
may take it, is the secret of Dr. Amsler’s and Mr. Teschemaker’s
success.

Another cause of poor breeding results is the introduction of
fresh birds into the aviary at any odd moment the bird-keeper has a
fancy for. It only upsets the birds for 24 hours, but 24 minutes
would spoil a clutch of eggs or cause the birds to desert.

Finally, for the purpose of this article, we come to too much
interference on the part of the owner or attendant, and also, in the
same category, too many open-mouthed wonder-struck visitors.
Birds take their domestic duties very seriously, and with a view
to perpetuating the species, not to amuse and “interest” a lot of
unwieldy looking and inquisitive humans. Long dissertations on
any subject in the aviary are also singularly unappreciated by birds.
As also are banging of doors, hammering in nails, or playing a tune
in a minor key on the wire netting. Strange dogs, which the friend
of your bosom brings with him or her, upset the birds even more
than a visitor does in a school class. Really birds do not want
entertaining half as much as we poor humans do. All they ask is
to be left alone as much as possible and to be allowed to have
peaceful neighbours. One is told, to the point of weariness, that
the birds soon get used to your going in and out and take no notice
of it. True, but so does the felon get used to bread and water when
in gaol. It is not from choice.

To sum up, if the birds are not breeding there is a cause. It
is for the true aviculturist to find out the cause, and when found
remedy it.

REVIEW.

“ BRITISH BIRDS.” *

Mr. A. Thorburn’s third volume of this fine work has been
published, and is in no way behind the first two volumes in quality.

[* British Birds, written and illustrated by A. THORBURN, F.Z.S., with
eighty plates in colour, showing over four hundred species. In four volumes.
Vol. III. LONGMANS, Green & Co., 39, Paternoster Kow, London, 1916.]

262

Review.

Indeed it may be thought by some to excel ; for the author, who is
his own illustrator, is thoroughly at home when painting wild fowl
and game birds, so that, as would he expected, the groups of different
species of ducks make really fine pictures, especially since many of
these birds naturally flock together, and therefore to depict several
species in this way is more according to what is actually seen in
nature than in the case of such families as warblers, thrushes, and
so on.

Looking at the plate which shows the woodpigeon, stock
dove, rock and turtle dove, as well as the sandgrouse, one can only
have figm’es of birds which one does not see closely grouped in wild
life ; but the plate with three species of Scoters and Steller’s eider
duck, and again that of pochard, widgeon, and Garganey teal, etc.
appeals as completely natural.

The frontispiece, shewing a group of great bustards, with a
pair of lapwings wheeling in the air, is very pleasing as well as
sunny, making one regret that such a scene, once common on the
Berkshire and Wiltshire downs, etc., in England, is a thing of the
past.

The plate of a male and female capercaillie in a snow covered
forest is beautifully drawn and coloured, as is also that of a group of
ptarmigan, some in autumnal and some in winter plumage. In
plate 58, a covey of partridges on sandy ground, backed by broom
and with a large bunch of thistles in down in the foreground, we
have a picture in the painting of which Mr. Thorburn is thoroughly
efficient ; the pairs of red-legged partridges and common quail being
sufficiently separated in the grouping as not to confuse it.

There are also pictures of geese, storks, herons, and the like.

Altogether a volume worthy of its place in the bird-lover’s
bookshelves, along with its companions, which are perhaps there
already. H. D. A.

MORE ARTICLES NEEDED.

The Editor anxiously asks for more munitions, or the “Avi-
cultural Magazine” will have to cease firing and surrender. A fact !
As these words are being written, a groy parrot outside the

Correspondence.

263

room has given vent to its feelings by remarking “ To hell with the
Kaiser”; to which the Editor responds “Hear! Hear!” and with
deepest feeling and intention. But for that outrageous and in¬
famous spirit, along with his supporters and satellites, the members
of our Society (not to mention the rest of the world !) would be
peacefully ensuing their usual occupations. The Editor understands
as well as anyone how vastly the mind is nowadays distracted,
even when there is leisure to write, and how difficult it is to keep
up interest in anything which does not immediately concern the
awful horror of the great war ; but we, like our soldiers and sailors,
along with our Allies, have kept on ; let us, like them, continue to
do so. So the Editor writes “ Please send what you can.”

CORRESPONDENCE, NOTES, ETC.

SNOW GEESE PERCHING IN TREES.

THE DUCHESS OF Bedford sends the following very interesting note,
and one wonders whether it is not an utterly unusual habit on the part of the
geese, which were hatched at Woburn Abbey : —

“ During last month (May) I have on several occasions seen Snow geese
“ perching on a Wych elm. They appear to be attracted by the young winged
“seeds. M. BEDFORD, Woburn Abbey.”

The Duchess added that it was a most curious sight. H. D. A.

‘ BRANDLINGS ’ (WORMS) AS FOOD FOR BIRDS.

DEAR Mr. ASTLEY, — May I make a minor correction on a point in the
June magazine, p. 234, in the monthly notes by ‘ Secretarius ’ ? I would like to
say d propos of worms, that ‘ brandlings ’ are the small red worms striped with
yellow, that are found only in manure heaps. These are very bad either for
birds or reptiles ; in fact, almost poisonous.

The worms referred to are not brandlings proper, though very like them,
except that they are not so striped. Yours very sincerely, TAVISTOCK.

SUPPOSED TROUPIAL.

SIR, — With reference to my supposed troupials (about whichDr. Hopkinson
made the suggestion that they might be bobolinks), Dr. Butler was quite right
when he named them Black tanagers. I recently bought a cock bird, exactly
similar to my male, from Mr. G. E. Rattigan, and he informed me that it is the
Lesser black tanager. It is now mated with one of my hens. I think the white
in the tail of the hen is abnormal, as the second hen bird shows very little.

Yours, etc., WM. SHORE-BAILY.

264

Correspondence.

THE “ SHELL IBIS.” Anastomus oscitans.

Mr. WILLIAM JAMRACH very kindly sent two photographs of Shell Ibises
in his possession, but as funds are low, we regret we must abstain from publish¬
ing them.

These birds are really storks, rather than ibises, and are called SJiell
Ibises from their cleverness in extracting unio and molluscs from their shells.

They nest in trees, and more than thirty nests have been observed in one
tree. They are also called open-bills, owing to the formation of the beaks at the
sides.

Anastomus oscitans is an Indian and Indo-Chinese species ; white, with
black scapulars, remiges and rectrices, yellow bill and legs.

Mr. W. Jamrach wrote : — 11 They are found in the Punjab on the banks
“ of the rivers fishing for cockles and mussels, etc. Adult birds, when caught,
“ never survive, but all the immature birds take readily to raw meats on which
‘‘they thrive wonderfully well. Their habits with other waterfowl are most
‘‘inoffensive, notwithstanding the formidable appearance of their bills. At
“ present they are represented in the Zoological Gardens of Amstersdam, Berlin
“ and London, and probably Cologne, and also in the private collections of
‘‘several amateurs in France.”

Their bills rather remind one of that of the Jabirus.

STRAY NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF THE COUNTRY-SIDE.

Errata.

June No. p. 229, line 19, ‘‘esconsed” should read ‘‘ensconced.”

p 229, line 27, ‘‘Martins” ,, ,, ‘‘Moutins.”

p. 230, line 28, ‘‘running” ,, ,, ‘‘cunning.”

p 231, line 31, ‘‘indifferent” ,, ,, “difficult”

This article was intended for the July magazine, but was published in June at
the last moment, so that the writer never received proof sheets. The Editor had
to be away from home, and the printers are much handicapped in these days of

the war. -

To the Editor of the Avicultural Magazine.

DEAR SIR, — It may interest you to hear that the Wren (whose tree
creeping propensities I reported some weeks ago) chose rather an unusual nest¬
ing site, his young have just flown from a nest built inside a last year’s
swallow’s nest in the roof of my stable. I am practically certain that the nest
belonged to the same bird which I saw “ tree creeping,” the shed into which he
flew when leaving the birch tree is built on to the stable in which the nest was
built, and all this spring a pair of wrens always frequented the near neighbourhood
of birch and stable (which are only three yards apart). I have never previously
come across a wren’s nest in a similar situation. HUGH WORMALD.

A wren built in an old nest of a swallow in the early spring at Brinsop ;
the nest being within easy reach of one’k hand under a doorway, and the wrens
had to come over the roofs into the courtyard, not only to arrive there, but also
to carry nesting materials. — ED.

The Avicultural Magazine.

Photo, by J. H. Symonds.

Whitethroat going to Young.

( Syhia communis.)

Adlard & West Newman.

THE

265

Avicultural Magazine,

BEING THE JOURNAL OF
THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.

Third Series. — Vol. VII. — No. 10. — All rights reserved. AUGUST, 1916.

THE LESSER WHITETHROAT.

Sylvia curruca.

By Dr. A. G. Butler.

Early this year I heard a note in my garden which was
familiar to me, but which I could not recognize as that of one of
the usual frequenters of my home. I occasionally caught sight of
a tiny bird at some distance which evidently produced a monoto¬
nous little song and later my son spoke of a small warbler which
had strayed into his greenhouse and which he had released but
which he had failed to recognize as a habitual frequenter of gardens.

On June 22nd while the gardener was trimming and cutting
in the hawthorn hedges which screen one end of my rose-beds, he
discovered a small nest near the top and at the end of one of the
hedges in which a honeysuckle is intertwined, and he informed me
that he had found a grey-tit’s nest with young in the hedge. I told
him that, unless it was a long-tailed tit it would not build in the
hedge, but in a hole, and he replied that the parent birds had rather
long tails.

Of course I proceeded to investigate ; the nest was about
seven feet from the ground and very small. Of course I saw at a
glance that it was no tit’s nest, whereupon my gardener suggested
that perhaps it was a hedge-sparrow’s! “No” I said “a hedge-
sparrow builds a nest often as large as that of a greenfinch, get me
the steps and I will tell you in a minute what it is.” As soon as I
was able to look down upon it I recognized it at once as that of
the lesser whitethroat, and of course the alarm-note kek, kek, kek
which sounded in the neighbouring trees was explained.

266

On the Lesser whitethroat.

Presently, as I left the vicinity of the nest, a little bird
alighted on one of my pergolas with its bill full of tiny moths ; it
was very restless and evidently wished me farther away ; at last it
flew over the hedge so as to approach the nest from the back out of
my sight, and I have since observed that it invariably does this when
I am anywhere near : if it reasoned deeply, it should be aware that
after I had looked down upon the nest and seen its babies, there
could no longer be any profit in the attempt to mislead me as to the
presence of its home, but its actions are probably instinctive and
therefore are persisted in though it may be aware that I am not
deceived thereby.

I don’t think the lesser whitethroat often builds in a garden
unless there are woods or copses close by : most of the nests which
I took in days gone-by were found in hawthorn bushes or hedges on
the outskirts of woods and at a height of not more than three to
four feet from the ground or in country lanes in wooded country :
that the bird should build at a greater altitude in suburban garden
shows good sense, for otherwise it would be pretty certain to he
raided by one of the numerous cats in the neighbourhood.

The lesser whitethroat is a very nervous little bird and
becomes extremely fidgety when anyone approaches its nest ; more¬
over my experience of it is that if you remove a single egg from its
nest, it deserts it at once ; indeed I believe that if you took out an
egg and replaced it, desertion would take place, just as I proved that
it did in the case of the common wren. In the latter case on one
occasion I stood at a distance watching a wren building, and unfor¬
tunately she caught sight of me and deserted immediately, never
completing the structure : yet in the absence of the mother I have
removed an egg from a wren’s nest with a metal spoon and she has
subsequently returned and continued to lay. A bird’s scent must
be very keen and yet I have heard men question whether it is not
entirely deficient in the sense.

One can never mistake the nest of the lesser whitethroat for
anything else, it is a very firmly built little structure and about the
size of that of the redpoll, perhaps a trifle smaller, but not in the
least like it ; indeed, excepting that it is much more rigid it bears
some resemblance to the larger and usually somewhat flimsy nest of

On Nesting of the Malabar parrakeet.

267

its greater relative popularly known as “Peggy whitethroat.” In
habits the two birds differ considerably : one never sees S. curruca
tiy upwards singing and then tumbling helter skelter downwards like
the greater whitethroat, nor have I ever known it to build its nest
in stinging-nettles under a hedge as S. cinerea often does : its eggs
are of course much smaller and much more boldly spotted, and their
number is more frequently restricted to four than is the case with
S cinerea ; thus out of thirteen nests of the latter species, which I
retained to illustrate variation in my collection of nests, eight have
five eggs, two have four and the other three are palpably incomplete
clutches.

I have seen the greater whitethroat in my garden, but I have
never known it to nest there ; it always prefers to build low down
and that would be fatal where cats abound ; it was a real pleasure
to me to discover that the smaller bird had elected to make its home
with me. By the way I don’t see why Peggy should not follow its
example, she did once build and lay in a hedge at the end of my
former garden before I moved to Beckenham, but I tried to persuade
her to rear eggs she had not laid and she retired in disgust.

NESTING OF THE MALABAR
PARRAKEET.

Palceornis peristerodes.

By Dr. L. LOVELL-KEAYS.

The Malabar parrakeet belongs, of course, to the great class
of ring-necked parrakeets or genus Palaeornis and in common with
all the ring-necked, comes, as its name implies, from the old world.
The genus Palaeornis is not very interesting although, after the
African grey parrot, perhaps one of the best known. Every Tommy
Atkins brings back a “ poll-parrot ” for mother on his return from
India and even if he does not find the bird intei’esting it never fails
to excite admiration and a certain amount of envy of the (?) less
fortunate neighbours. All the ring-necked parrakeets are handsome
birds, but the Malabar is perhaps the most beautiful of all. The
exquisite greens and delicate tracery of the wing feathers must be

268

Dr. L. Lovell-Keays,

seen to be realised. The brilliant orange-red beak makes a striking
contrast to the rest of the colours and the long narrow yellowish
tail adds an air of distinction to the bird. The hen bird is painfully
sombre in colour. A uniform dull green from head to tail with a
plain black ring round the neck. Not even a red beak brightens the
general colour scheme. To look at she is about as disappointing a
bird as you could find in the land of parrakeets. No exquisite emerald
green ring adorns my lady’s neck. Undoubtedly nature intended she
should be simply and solely a household drudge.

I obtained my cock bird some years ago at Jamrach’s. He
was not much to look at and I acquired him for the very modest
sum of 30/-. However, in a good-sized aviary with a carpet of
sweet-tasting grass, he turned out a perfect bird and won great
honours for his owner at the International Bird Show in 1914.

When in 1915 I decided to give up keeping birds I advertised
it for sale. I had never been able to hear of a hen and didn’t
believe one existed in England. But one November morning the
post brought a letter from Canon Dutton offering me a hen Malabar
in exchange for a hen blossom-head. Could ever an offer be more
generous? It would have been a privilege to have given him the
blossom-head. Nevertheless, he insisted on sending me the hen
Malabar in exchange. The bird had been kept in a temperature
of 65° F. and he advised me to keep it in a bird room until spring.
Now my experience of ring-necks is that they are almost as hardy
as the polar bear, and in January I turned her out into a well-
sheltered but open-air aviary to take her chance. She never ruffled
a feather and by February she was house-hunting. I could see that
she could not find what she wanted out of, at least, a dozen barrels,
so I put a 9-inch barrel up under some eaves. This pleased her
ladyship immensely and very quickly she took possession. I have
forgotten the exact date, but at the beginning of March she had laid
two eggs in the selected barrel. They were, like all parrakeets eggs,
roundish and white, also slightly polished. Incubation lasted as near
as I can tell just about three weeks. During this trying period my
lord, did nothing but squawk — (his vocal efforts are not a
screech but a true squawk) — impressing on the other parrakeets
wThat a fine fellow he was and pointing out what a mag-

on Nesting of the Malabar parrakeet.

269

nificent collar he wore. But, frankly, the others were distinctly
bored. True he did deign to feed the hen when she came
off for a constitutional. He was not a very brave or bold bird and
invariably left her to do the burglar hunting. I fancy that lady
Malabars have a pretty poor opinion of the sterner sex. He certainly
has no domesticity in his tastes at all. Only one egg hatched out and
the chick did not differ in appearance from any other young parra-
keet. All went well for about a fortnight. The mother bird was
most attentive and fiercely resented any other parrakeet approaching
the barrel wherein reposed her precious infant. My delight was
simply unbounded. I felt absolutely confident of success, but just
as everything seemed most promising, one morning when I went
into the aviary, to my surprise the hen bird did not leave the nest, a
thing I had never known before. I feared for the worst, viz. : that
the hen had deserted her chick. It teas a disappointment. How¬
ever, in aviculture we become philosophic after a while and after
many disappointments. But ■ I never dreamt of, much less antici¬
pated, the full tragedy that met my gaze as I went to investigate.
For there lying on the ground just beneath the nesting barrel lay my
hen Malabar parrakeet dead ; done to death by some feathered Hun.
I have suffered remorse and disappointment many many times
before, but this seemed to crush me utterly. Some brute must have
attacked her from behind and eventually googed the poor bird’s eye
out. My wife, all too late, told me she had seen a mealy rosella
squabbling with poor little Mrs. Malabar once or twice and careful
examination indubitably fixed the guilt on this beast of a bird. He
proved himself a real Hun once before, by killing my tamest of
tame orange-flanks, but as I thought they were the aggressors,
I forgave him. The sad part was that I knewT I was over¬
crowded and had given the order for the other parrakeet aviary to be
repaired as it had collapsed under the weight of snow earlier in the
year. Still had I known there had been fights I would have caught
the rosella and rather have wrung his neck than allowed him to remain
at liberty. The stable door is locked now — of course it is — but I have
no Mrs. Malabar and no baby Malabar to cheer me now, and every
time I enter that aviary

“ I feel like one who treads alone the banquet hall deserted.”

270

Miss E. F. Chawner,

I have advertised for weeks for another hen without any success. I
shall not meet another kind friend like Canon Dutton. I cudgelled
my brains half the night considering how I might obtain one. I
was besieged by a host of vain regrets and a thousand “ If only’s.”
There was no echoing response to any of my unuttered suggestions.
Finally sleep, the mighty but gentle one, crept up softly and before
the next hour could strike I was in “ the beautiful land of nod ”
enjoying perfect weather and fondling a full-fledged young Malabar.
But at 7.30 came a rap at the door and I awoke to a hopeless
dawn.”

POSTSCRIPT. — Since writing the above Canon Dutton has most
generously allowed me to have another hen Malabar he
possessed and, although I have no hopes of breeding
Malabars this year, at least the dawn of a new era appears
to dissipate the clouds of remorse and disappointment.

ANOTHER ATTEMPT AT BREEDING
YELLOW-WINGED SUGAR-BIRDS.

Ccereba cyanea.

By Miss E. F. Chawner.

My hen Yellow-winged Sugar-bird came into breeding con¬
dition by the last week in April and called lustily for a mate, but as
my cock had died during the winter (I find the cocks of this species
decidedly more delicate than the hens) and I could not hear of
one for sale it looked as though she must call in vain. By the
kindness of Mr. Seth-Smith, however, I did procure a very nice
cock which had been offered for purchase to the Zoological Gardens
and was not required there. He arrived on May 13th, was put out
after a brief quarantine and the hen took to him at once.

It was very pretty to see them together when the cock was
courting, his beautiful turquoise crown erect and wings expanded
showing their bright yellow feathers ; on these occasions his wife
looked very much pleased, shivering her wings and throwing back
her head until the long beak pointed straight up, the show generally

another attempt at breeding Yellow-winged sugar-birds. 271

ended by both birds squeaking loudly several times in succession.
The cock also sang a good deal, a pretty little soft warble very
unlike the usual harsh call.

I placed tow, fine white paper shavings, and deer hair, with
some carefully selected fine hay ready for them and awaited events.
The hen soon began to carry material to a Cypress branch fixed in
the same place where she built last year ; the cock followed her every¬
where, encouraging her with his little song and frequent displays,
but he never touched the nest himself nor fed her. As soon as I
knew where the nest was going to be, neither I nor the aviary boy
went into that part of the shelter at all, for I am quite of one mind
with “ Secretarius” that no matter how confiding the birds may be
at other times, when nesting the fewer interviews the better, espec¬
ially during the early stages ; later on, when there are young and the
mother looks to be supplied with food for them, she may not so much
object to an occasional visit from the person who usually waits on
her, but strangers should never come within sight or hearing until
the young can fend for themselves. But this is a digression and I
must come back to my sugar-birds.

Building went gaily forward, a great deal of paper was used
in the foundation and twisted round the boughs between which the
nest was slung, it was finally lined with hair and a few bits of hay,
the tow scarcely used at all (I found out these details later) and it
was completed by May 24th. I do not know when the first egg was
laid, but incubation began about the 27th or 28th. The hen sat
very steadily, only dashing off occasionally to feed and stretch her
wings, and on the 15th June I found egg shells at the further end of
the aviary and she was anxiously watching for gnats and small
insects, which she caught in mid-air and carried back to the nest.
With a butterfly net I swept bushes and meadow until I had a good
supply of winged and creeping things and arranged the net at a
respectful distance from the nest.

The little mother eyed it for a moment, then as the con¬
tents began to sort themselves and move about she hovered in front
of it making her selection. The cock did the same, but I regret to
say from purely selfish motives. Backwards and forwards she went
and then settled down to brood her babies. This continued at fre-

272

Miss E. F. Chawner,

quent intervals all day and every day, the hen doing all the work
and the cock merely looking beautiful, which he certainly did to
perfection.

Then came one of the many cold rainy days of June, when
“ sweeping ” was impossible, so I tried live ants’ eggs and green fly.
I was not surprised that she rejected the former, but it was a blow
that she scorned the green fly, which is usually willingly accepted by
breeding birds. It was too early for wasp grubs and only meal¬
worms were available. I was reluctant to give them, because I do
not think them, even when quite small, digestible for tiny birds, but it
was that or nothing. She took them readily enough, macerating
them in her long beak before giving them to her young. I had every
opportunity of observing her method, because I had to stay on guard
in the aviary or the sugar-birds would have had but little food. A
pair of indigo buntings in the same aviary adore mealworms and
would have emptied the dish while the sugar-bird carried one
beakful, she never took more than one insect at a time and was
deliberate and very gentle in all her movements at the nest. After
each nestling had received the first mouthful she waited and carried
away the droppings before giving any more ; sometimes she
swallowed them, but more often dropped them at the further end
of the aviary. Soon the mealworms justified my bad opinion of
them, for the droppings became very constipated and the young
had evident difficulty in passing them. I tried mashing up the
mealworms and cutting them in little pieces, but (Secretarius please
note!) the mother would not feed with them or anything else that
was not really alive. Luckily some smooth green caterpillars turned
up and they quickly put matters rights

The weather improved and, by dint of hard work, I supplied
the little family and warded off the indigo buntings. I would have
turned them into the other aviary, but this contained their deadly
enemy, a remarkably truculent rainbow bunting, who thirsted for the
blood of the cock indigo and was always fighting him through the
wires until both combatants were afflicted with baldness. The
indigos meanwhile started housekeeping on their own account, and
built a massive and very untidy nest, like a house sparrow’s, not far
from the sugar-birds. They play this game every year and then the

another attempt at breeding Yelloiv -winged sugar -birds. 273

hen drops eggs anywhere but in the nest and considers that she has
done her duty. This year she began in the same foolish way, but I
saw she spent hours perched as near as the sugar-birds would allow,
watching their young, and at last she took to her own nest and
actually laid and incubated steadily. Such is the force of a good
example !

Meanwhile the sugar-birds grew and prospered and, one day,
while their mother was bathing, I took my first peep ; they were then
a week old and had their eyes open. They reminded me of young
hedge sparrows, except that their gapes were yellow and beaks large
and clumsy-looking, but not long, in fact they showed very little
of their pai'entage. They wore the Red-Indian sort of coiffure
favoured by most nestlings, and the wing feathers were just showing
through the quills. There were two, which seems to be the usual
number in sugar-bird nurseries, and one was certainly larger and
more developed, though both looked healthy and plump.

The next week passed in the same way, save that naturally
they required larger supplies, and I had to work early and late to
satisfy them. They had come just at an awkward time, too early
for wasp grubs and too late for the tree-feeding caterpillars, which
usually abound during the latter part of May, or for those partic¬
ularly plump and succulent caterpillars so beloved of all birds, which
roll up leaves of stinging nettles. We struggled on, however, and the
young birds were feathering nicely and their voices could be heard
distinctly from the other end of the aviary. I began to hope that
soon they would have their diet supplemented with cake sop or at
any rate banana, their beaks were beginning to lengthen, they moved
about the nest and sat on the edge of the nest, surely they would
soon leave it. But with the closing days of June the weather grew
worse, heavy showers continually wetted the grass and made
“ sweeping” impossible, a bitter wind blew, driving all flies and gnats
into hiding, and this lasted until the first of July. Only mealworms
were available, and I tried to persuade myself that the babies being
older their digestions must be stronger. Their mother knew better,
and was plainly not satisfied, but there was no help for it.

On the evening of July 1st I noticed that the nestlings were
not hungry and had to be coaxed to gape for food ; the next

274 Another attempt at breeding Yellow-winged sugar-birds.

morning, Sunday (why do all disasters from burst pipes to aviary
catastrophies invariably happen on Sunday?) when I brought “early
tea” as usual I found one young bird on the ground and the parents
wildly excited, so much so that the smaller bird was forgotten and
all but dead from cold. It was taken to the kitchen and presently
revived, and I picked up No. 1 and restored both to their nest, saw
the mother feed them and went off to church. When I came back
an hour later the best one was dead in the nest with a mealworm
hanging out of its beak. I thought at first it had been choked, but
now I believe that it voided the mealworm just before death. It was
a beautiful young bird, well feathered about the body and quite
plump. No. 2 was still lively and I hoped to save it at least, but
still only mealworms could be supplied and presently it refused food
and by the evening had joined its brother. I wish now I had tried
to rear it by hand, but most likely it would have died all the same.
Both had undigested mealworms in their crops, and I feel sure that
could the food have been more varied they would have been fully
reared.

The parents were very sad for some days, especially the
mother who frequently visited the empty nest calling the while and
then returned to her favourite perch to brood mournfully over her
loss. I am afraid she looked on me as the malefactor.

My object in writing so fully about this attempt and its failure
is to show that, given a normal summer and leisure and opportunity
to get varied living food there would be no great difficulty in breed¬
ing this species of sugar-bird. A few mealworms do no harm, for
instance I think they could be used for the fii'st meal of the day
before the dew has dried sufficiently to admit of “sweeping” and
other food might follow it up. I suppose that soon after they have
left the nest the young ones would he introduced to the usual diet of
sop and fruit. I have seen it stated that sugar-birds build domed
nests: but all the three species, viz., blue, red-throated, and yellow,
winged, which went to nest here, made no attempt at anything
beyond the usual cup very daintily built. Of coui’se they may do
differently in their native country, it has often been noticed how
birds will adapt themselves and vary their custom under artificial
conditions, but it is rather difficult to see why this particular change

Hybrid Pigeons.

275

should be made. The actual cup is small and rather deep and the
foundations very firmly and tightly fastened to the houghs among
which the nest is built, generally in a Cypress or similar evergreen-
From the appearance of my nestlings I should say that the
immature plumage would resemble the hen’s. " I sent one sad little
corpse to our Editor who has been most kind and sympathetic
throughout, and have the other here in spirits. If fate only spares
my good little hen, I trust we shall try again and achieve complete
success.

P.S. — July 17th. There is balm in Gilead ! they have built a fresh
nest, laid, and begun to incubate.

HYBRID PIGEONS.

Chlorcenas speciosa and C. maculosa.

By Monsieur JEAN DELACOUR.

Translated from the French.

In April, 1914, I received a pair of Cayenne pigeons
(' Chlorcenas speciosa), which is in my opinion one of the most
beautiful of the graniverous species.

In size a little smaller than the wood-pigeon, and of a very
graceful form, this pigeon has rose-coloured beak and feet, a brown
head, the whole neck and breast marked with black speckles on a
white ground, the back and the wings red brown ; the tail brown.

The female resembles the male, hut the colours are less
vivid. These birds were in good condition on their arrival, but the
female was unfortunately killed a short time afterwards by some
crowned pigeons, which occupied the same aviary. I thereupon put
a female spot-winged pigeon ( Chlorcenas maculosa ) with the male,
and she laid during the summer, but the eggs were clear.

During the month of April, 1915, she again laid, a young
bird being hatched, which was easily reared ; and two more clutches
in June and August produced two more young ones.

* The young bird that Miss Chawner sent was in fine condition, resembling the
adult female in colouring. We sincerely wish full success with the second
brood, and greatly sympathize over the loss of the first. — ED.

276

Hybrid Pigeons.

In January, 1916, two eggs were laid, but the cold prevented
them from being hatched; in March, however, a young bird was
reared, and another in May.

In short, these pigeons have never ceased to nest for over a
year, and I have at present five hybrids, three of which are adults.
Each clutch has two eggs, but only one young one has hatched at a
time.

The hybrids have the form and the carriage of C. speciosa,
with the grey beak and 'legs of C. maculosa. In colour, they are
intermediate with those of their parents ; a uniform grey-brown,
without a trace of the white spots on the wings of the mother ; but
the markings of the male bird — i.e. of the father — are represented
by some speckled markings at the back of the neck, which however
do not continue like his on the front of the neck and the breast.

These speckles are of a clear yellow on a deep grey.

The young birds are more handsome than the pure-bred
C. maculosa, but are far from attaining to the beauty of
C. speciosa. My intention is to mate one of these young female
hybrids with its father next year, in order to obtain some birds
which will more resemble the latter. I have every reason to believe
that the hybrids will be prove fertile.

These pigeons are very hardy ; they pass the winter in an
open-air aviary, communicating with a compartment of the heated
house, into which they can enter at will. They have never appeared
to suffer from the cold. When it was freezing the parents brooded
their eggs under a pent house in the outside aviary.

Their food is exclusively composed of wheat and millet.

% * -n- *

One takes these birds to be Chloroenas {or Columba) speciosa,
the “ fair ” pigeon (as it may be styled in English), which hails from
Mexico and is found through Central America to Columbia, Guiana,
Brazil, and Peru.

The first example exhibited in the London Zoological Gardens
was in 1868, a second being added in 1871, and five others in
1876, etc.: — Chloroenas (or Cohunba) maculosa, the spot-winged
pigeon, inhabits Paraguay, Argentine, and Patagonia.

In 1870, the first examples were exhibited at the London
Zoological Gardens. A good many have been bred there.

On the breeding of the Emperor goose at Gooilust. 277

The coo of this bird has a resemblance to that of the wood-

pigeon in sound and delivery, but has only three notes, “ cooo .

ko . coo-ooo ’’

M. Delacour describes the spot-winged pigeon as having grey
beak and legs, but Colwnba maculosa, although its beak is grey, has
red feet ; whilst G. speciosa has yellowish feet and bill.

Monsieur Delacour wrote these notes on the hybrid pigeons
especially for our Magazine, and our grateful thanks are due to him,
for he is serving his country on the battle-fields. EDITOR.

ON THE BREEDING OF THE EMPEROR
GOOSE AT GOOILUST.

Philacte canagica

By F. E. Blaauw.

Emperor geese had been one of my desiderata ever since I
have kept waterfowl, and when some years ago the Zoological Society
of London received the first pair ever imported alive I did not get

green with envy but . I thought that a great mistake had been

made, of which I was the sufferer ! This pair, however, proved to
be very “disappointing” as Mr. Seth-Smith expressed it. The
birds did not keep together and perhaps were not a true pair. No
result of any kind was attained. After this importation, or perhaps
at the same time, a pair came to the Berlin Zoological Gardens
where it did not live long, and then six birds arrived at Woburn
Abbey. Not long afterwards I at last received a pair myself and
then through accident I may say I got two more pairs.

I had sent some rare waterfowl to an American fancier and
this gentleman offered me two pairs of emperor geese in exchange.
A welcome offer which I gladly accepted.

The first pair I got was of the London Zoo variety ; they
were “ disappointing,” they did not keep together, the male preferring
Sandwich Island geese, no matter of which sex, to his lawful mate.
On the arrival of the four new birds matters bettered for her and
she soon paired with one of the males.

On the following spring (1914) this same female made a nest

278 On the breeding of the Emperor goose at Gooilust.

under a bush rather far away from the water, and after having sat
on the eggs during twenty-four days one gosling was hatched which
was reared under a hen.

In the spring of last year (1915) this same pair laid again
five eggs in a nest under a conifer far away from the water.

The nest was rather well constructed and after a while con¬
tained a lot of down. During the whole time of incubation the
male was in constant attendance near the nest and made a lot of
fuss if one came near. After twenty-four days of incubation five
goslings were horn, of which one however had a deformed leg so
that it could not walk, and died after a few days.

The goslings in down are of a beautiful peaid-grey, darkest on the
upperside, with black bill and legs. The eggs were white and mostly
of an elongated shape. The goslings which I left with the parents
grew very fast and in a few weeks were completely feathered.

In their first feather dress they were grey all over with white
tails. The grey was more yellowish than with adult birds. The
feathers of the upperside were more pointed and the markings there
and on the breast and sides were only faintly indicated. The legs were
yellowish-black, and the hill also black, hut with the pink shewing
through. The heads were grey without white and they had no black
throats. As soon as the birds were full grown they immediately
began to moult, shedding all the feathers, except the large flight
feathers, including the large tail feathers.

The legs also began to turn orange and the bill to turn pink
and blue, and in autumn the birds had acquired the full dress of
the adults.

The emperor goose is a quiet tame bird, and is quite unag-
gressive to birds of its own species, or to other waterfowl. It
cannot stand the heat very well and on hot days the young ones are
apt to die suddenly. The old birds are also liable to sudden death
so that their numbers have not much increased notwithstanding the
breeding.

The emperor goose is really a most beautiful bird and the
pure white head with black throat and delicate pink and blue
coloured bill is very striking when seen at close quarters.

I daresay most of the readers of the Aviculturcil Magazine

The Avicultural Magazine.

Emperor Geese, with Three Chicks in Down.

Emperor Geese. Adult.

Photo by F. E. Blaair

Adlard & West Newman

On Fiji parrot-finches and other South Sea Island matters. 279

know that the home of Philacte canagica is the lands bordering
the Beering Straits, and the extreme north of Alaska. It is said to
migrate in winter as far south as Humboldt Bay in California.

It will be interesting to record here the hatching of two
Andean gosfings in the London Zoological Gardens after an incuba¬
tion of thirty-two days. There were five eggs in all, two being clear.
Mr. Seth-Smith wrote some notes on the subject in ‘‘The Field”
(we wish he would sometimes contribute to the Magazine he once
edited !). He stated that the down plumage of the Andean goose
has not before been described. It is black and white, the colour
being distributed in much the same way as in the young of the
common shelduck. EDITOR.

ON FIJI PARROT-FINCHES AND
OTHER SOUTH SEA ISLAND MATTERS.

By An Australian Bird-Lover.

Leaving for Europe in the middle of 1914 I promised myself
the pleasure of having a talk with Dr. Bahr on Fiji parrot-finches,
which he had studied during his stay in Fiji. Unfortunately, during
my stay in London I could not spare the time, and my intended
later visit was frustrated by this awful war. I intended to specially
run over from the Continent to see Mr. Ezra’s latest importations
of King Birds of Paradise and other treasures. However, Dr.
Bahr’s articles in the “Avicultural Magazine” interested me so
much that w1 en I was in Fiji the following winter (June to Sept.)
I took a great deal of interest in these birds, the coloured plate of
which was published in the “Avicultural Magazine ” at the time of
Dr. Bahr’s article. On my return I had some correspondence with
Dr. Bahr as to the native name and other matters. Dr. Bahr told
me the native name was Gigi, whereas the natives in the Ba
district called them “ Kula.” I have since tried to get some in¬
formation on the matter, but so far I have failed. Of course it may
be, as I pointed out to Dr. Bahr, on account of the Fijian language
being poor, especially as to colours ; if I remember right they only have

280

An Australian Bird-Lover.

names for a few colours, massing all others under one name, so thatGigi
or Kula, which really only designate a colour, may be applied to many
different birds, parrots or finches of the same colour. However,
when I go to Fiji some other time I hope to settle that matter. Dr.
Bahr also holds that the yellow-headed ones and the blue-black
headed ones are only variations of the red-headed ones, a view from
which I differ. The variations are so great that it seems to me
hardly scientific to mass them with one class. Take the yellow¬
headed ones, for instance, of which I sent a skin to Mr. Seth-Smith.
The other specimen being alive and well, has moulted out from a
young bird with yellow bill and green plumage into a beautiful
yellow-headed specimen, and not only the head yellow but also the
vent feathers which, in the case of the blue-black headed ones,
retain the red. The other kind, blue-black headed ones, sometimes
almost sooty black, are more plentiful than the yellow-headed ones,
and it also appeal’s to me that hens of that kind predominate. In
older males the colour is invariably blue-black, showing some un¬
developed red quills which, mixed with the developed feathers, give
the head almost a purplish appearance.

Dr. Bahr says that some of his older red-headed birds became
orange-yellow, but I have not had that experience personally, though
I have had dozens of old and young birds. I have however noticed
in captivity that young birds with a blackish head moulted out red,
the older, the breeding birds, always kept their original colour. The
proportion is one yellow in about 100 red-headed, and one black-blue
in 10 red-headed ones. They all fly together in flocks of from 6 to
2-3 hundred. They breed all the year round it seems, the breeding
pair isolating themselves from the flock. The love or mating call
is a shrill note emitted by the male when chasing the female. I
know from personal observation in Fiji that these birds interbreed
for I have watched them build their nests in the mango trees.
Some of their offspring must retain the rarer colouring, otherwise
they would not be there, and for this reason I think this kind
should be a sub-section, the same as exists with the Gouldian
finches.

In Northern Queensland I have seen the black and red¬
headed Gouldians feed their young in the nest, the cock with red head

on Fiji parrot-finches and other South Sea Island matters. 281

and the hen black or vice versa, some young bearing the colouration of
the male, some that of the female, yet they are classed as separate
species. The Fiji parrot finches, like those of New Caledonia and
New Hebrides, are migratory. The blue-headed ones, for instance,
come towards Vila in the New Hebrides during January to March
when the tilling is being done ; it is very hot then, the Fijians on
the other hand visit the settlements in winter time, from June to
September. They are terrors on the rice and not liked by the
Indians for that reason. To see these pretty birds out in the open
— some exquisitely coloured — gladdens the heart of any bird-lover,
and I remember with pleasure even now the happy hours I spent
watching them. To catch them is not a great art if you have a
caller ; to keep them is quite another matter. It is difficult to
transport them as they are very pugnacious amongst themselves
and prone to eye diseases, which renders them almost invariably
blind once they are attacked, and if one bird in the cage has the
disease the whole lot might just as well be liberated or they are
surely doomed. Once they are acclimatised in an aviary they stand
almost any weather conditions and breed very easily. A friend and
I have bred them repeatedly.

Although I have kept this species off and on for many years
I have not succeeded yet in finding out the way of telling the sexes
for a certainty. I doubt if it will be many years before these lovely
aviary birds are gone, even from their native home. Enormous
numbers must perish during the hurricane season each year, and
a far greater number are killed by the mongoose, introduced from
India to destroy the rats. However they seem to have formed an
alliance, for both thrive to an extent which is only comparable to the
rabbit pest in Australia. A number of my call-birds were attacked
and killed before I had time to come to the rescue.

One day, whilst out looking for birds, I watched a curious
sight, which, if not belonging to the avicultural section, might yet
be interesting to a number of readers. Seeing some coolies dig a
trench through what seemed absolutely baked ground I noticed that
after they had dug out about three feet the ground became muddy,
and out of this mud they got eels and mud fish ; unfortunately it only
struck me later on that I ought to have seen whether the fish were

282 On Fiji parrot-finches and other South Sea Island matters.

blind or not. Altogether one meets with some curious freaks of
nature, as it were, in these islands.

However, to come back to birds. I had taken great pride in
a small collection of honeysuckers which did well on Mr. Ezra’s
prescription for feeding them ; they are very tiny with long slender
bills, a sort of sooty black colour with a scarlet crown or a red
patch on the throat. Alack and alas ! they were killed, after having
got them as far as Sydney, through the man dropping the box. I
noticed also a most beautiful flycatcher, rufous breast and blue
back, head and tail.

I tried hard to catch a pair of masked wood swallows, but
whilst being plentiful enough, they seemed to fly very high, and
with insect life teeming and no birds to reduce the pest, of course
they never attempted to come to a bait, however nicely dished up
to them. I am very fond of these birds and when going over again,
providing the war has not ruined me altogether, I shall take an
Australian wood swallow with me to try my luck that way.

It is remarkable how few birds there are in the Island, almost
no soft-billed birds at all, though I was told that up in the moun¬
tains there are some lovely species, one of them being, or supposed to
be, a parrot-finch, yellow with red head. I have my doubts, but if all
goes well I shall try and go up as soon as I get the chance.

It is strange that these South Sea Islands, with all their
beauty in plant life, are so barren in birds. Reading of Tahity, for
instance, as the Pearl of the South Seas, one would expect to find
there also some fine birds. Dreams of humming birds, etc. float
through one’s mind and that sort of thing and yet there is abso¬
lutely nothing there that could be useful as an aviary bird. A friend
was telling me of two species of beautiful birds that were supposed
to inhabit the Island and I had visions of a new species of
parrot-finch at least, yet picture my disgust when, motoring right
out to locate some, I struck, not a beautiful parrot-finch, but a flock
of hundreds of redheads which I can trap in my paddock near
Sydney. The other species turned out to be a chestnut finch, also
from Australia. It seems that these finches were introduced from
Australia and have increased in great numbers and that is all that
is there. In Paratonga, Tanga, Samoa, etc. you find just as little,

The Bio- Club.

283

and I would not advise anyone to go on quest of something rare or
beautiful to any of these Islands, for only disappointment will be the
result ; there are no aviary birds of any kind except in the Fijis.
I remember having been in the Loyalty group nearly 30 years ago
and I cannot of course remember what birds I saw then, but a
friend tells me that another kind of parrot-finch exists there and he
promised to try and get me some skins. The way things are at
present I might have to wait for ever, my friend having gone to the
war.

THE BIO-CLUB.

[A New French Association for Lovers of Nature],

The Editor has received a letter from the Comte de Segur
from Paris, asking him to make known to avicultu kv. nd all lovers
of birds the existence of the Bio-Club.

He writes : — “ A group of French amateurs who are in touch
“ with the government and acting in accordance with its expressed
“ desire, have asked me to join them in a concern formed by them-
“ selves just before the war, and called the Bio-Club, the aim of
“ which is to assist each other in the formation and development of
11 their collections of living creatures, and also of rare plants, etc."

“ With the help, financial and otherwise, of the French
“ government, we shall be enabled, as soon as the war is over and
“ vessels can once more travel in safety, to import rare birds and
“ plants from the French colonies, many of which are as yet unknown
“ in our collections.”

“ The intention of the Club is to distribute birds amongst
“ those amateurs who possess the most prosperous and best set-up
“ aviaries, conservatories, private Zoos, and so forth, entirely free
“ of charge. All that the Bio-Club asks in return for such gifts is
“ that amateurs should keep the Society informed as correctly and
“ minutely as is possible, of the results obtained, reproduction
“ achieved (if any), and in general of any observations of their
“ own upon the creatures, etc., received from the Club. Occasion-
“ ally arrangements would be made for duplicates to be exchanged

284

The Bio-Club.

“ between members. Now lately it has struck members, headed by
“ the President of the Club (M. Guist’hau) that even more than
“ this could he done, and that such gifts and exchanges need not be
“ limited to French subjects, but that on the contrary, the Club
“ would be greatly benefitted if the opportunities it offers were ex-
“ tended to other amateurs of good name and report, belonging, of
*' course, only to countries allied with France. My object in writing
*' is to put this before you, as one of the most qualified of English
“ avicultural amateurs, and to ask you, in the event of the whole
“ idea appealing to you, if you will make it known to any other
“ compatriots of yours who are interested in birds, plants, or
“ mammals.”

*’ By joining the Bio-Club, the English, etc., will be acting
“ patriotically — speaking from a French point of view — and will
“ help to destroy the monopoly, which German firms have so far
“ almost entirely exercised, of importing foreign animals and birds.”

Only those who are invited by the Council of the Bio-Club,
will become members, if they wish to do so.

The intention of the Bio-Club is to gather together all those
who are interested in Nature, not so much from a ‘ scientific ’ point
of view, as of one of utility and interest in all that pertains to the
study of animals, birds, plants, and so on. All will be included.
Collectors of living creatures, biologists, travellers, artists, who are
inspired by Nature, as well as those who occupy themselves in
cultural, aesthetic, and industrial pursuits in connection with living
Nature. Amongst other things it is suggested that meetings should
take place for the exchange of ideas amongst members, for the study
of all useful questions, for the presentation of specimens and
collections.

It will be seen that the Comte de S6gur, who is a member
of the Avicultural Society, is one of the original members of the
Bio-Club, which includes names of distinguished Frenchmen.

*. * * *

The Bio-Club.

President :

M. GUIST’HAU, ancien Ministre de l’lnstruction Publique et du commerce.

Report on the Council and General Summer Meeting. 285

Vice-Presidents :

M. le Professeur HENNEGUY, du College de France, Membre PAcademie des
Sciences.

M. le Comte Nicolas POTOCKI.

Premiers fondateurs :

S. A. R. Monseigneur le Due de MONTPENSIER.

M. le Comte CLARY, President du St. Hubert Club.

M. le Docteur J. HARMAND, Ambassadeur honoraire.

M. le Docteur KERMORGANT, Inspecteur General du Service de Sante
des Colonies, Membre de l’Academie de Medecine.

M. le MYRE de VlLERS, Ambassadeur, President honoraire de la Stb
d’Acclimatation et de la Ste de Geographie.

Mgr. le ROY, Superieur Geueral des Missions.

M. RONDET-SAINT, Secretaire General de la Ligue Coloniale et de la
Ligue Maritime francaises.

M. le Professeur ROSENSTHIEL, du Conservatoire national des Arts-et-
Metiers .

M. le Docteur Baron Henri de ROTHSCHILD.

M. H. SAGNIER, Secretaire perpetual de PAcademie d’Agriculture.

M. le Comte G. de SkGUR.

REPORT ON THE COUNCIL AND
GENERAL SUMMER MEETING.

The annual summer meeting was held by kind permission of
the Zoological Society on June 22nd. The Council met previously
in the Council Chamber, afterwards joining the other members at
tea in the Fellows’ enclosure, when a most enjoyable hour or two
were spent. We were glad to welcome not only many of our older
members but also our newest member, Lady Samuelson, who bids
fair to rival the keenest on our list. We were also glad to see
the Editor of our contemporary journal “ Bird Notes.” After tea,
our members resolved themselves into small parties and visited the
Small Bird House, Western Aviary and Parrot House. The most
conspicuous bird seen was Wilson’s Bird of Paradise, looking quite
artificial in its gorgeous apparel. One, of course, missed many birds
seen before and wished the birds could be spared longer, but when

286 Report on the Council and General Summer Meeting.

it is considered that the places are practically speaking never empty
it is a wonder that they live at all. The extremely rare Gardener
Bower-bird, presented by our Editor, is alas ! dead ; a bird which
some aviculturists considered to be the ‘ bonne bouche ’ of the
collection. The small Bird House must he a perfect sick bay and
one trembles to think what a culture of the dust there would
not reveal. But the birds are kept beautifully clean and certainly
do not lack attention. It is customary to run the Zoo. down,
but it is doubtful if any of us would succeed better under the cir¬
cumstances, except perhaps in the matter of food for the foreign
softbill birds. Such wTere the thoughts of members who strolled
round the aviaries, of which the summer aviaries were much
admired and approved of. One event of interest was the hatching
of two Andean geese. They were quaint little creatures and quite
captivated the hearts of us all. Mr. Seth- Smith who, we are sorry
to say never writes for us now, told several amusing and interesting
anecdotes, one which related to the stealing of a broody hen and
several sheldrake ducklings in broad daylight and to get which the
thief must have climbed the fence and returned the same way. He
made off with his booty and no trace of either hen or ducklings was
ever seen again. A member inquired if the lions and tigers were
quite safe. He was assured they were. A visit to the pheasants
showed them to be as dull and lethargic as usual. The birds of prey
looked reconciled, and the owls taken aback at our insolent gaze.
One wonders what the authorities would do were it not for the gen¬
erosity of our member Mr. Ezra. He evidently finds it far more
blessed to give than to receive. The afternoon thus passed off all
too quickly (as all pleasant afternoons do !) and by 6.30 most of us
had reluctantly decided that all good things must end some time.
About thirty members were present which, considering the times,
was quite encouraging.

At the Council meeting matters of considerable importance
were discussed. The election of officers resulted in the choice of
Mr. St. Quintin and Mr Shore Baily, together with Miss Chawner
on the Council in the places of Mr. Arthur Denman (the retiring
member), Mr. B. C. Thomasset (who acts as Treasurer), and Dr. L.
Lovell-Keays (Acting Secretary). It was announced that our late

Report on the Council and General Summer Meeting. 287

Hon. Business Secretary (Mr. Newman) was shortly expected home
again, and he was elected auditor, members remarking on the very
valuable services he had rendered to the Society. Mr. Denman, in
accordance with the usual custom, was elected Scrutineer.

The question of “medals” was then brought up and it was
at once conceded that the present arrangements are unsatisfactory.
It is pleasing to report that such steps are being taken as will ensure
members getting their medals within reasonable time in the future, so
that the Society hopes members will send in their accounts of suc¬
cessful breeding results, so as to keep the Magazine as up-to-date as
possible. The Editor remarked on the absence of copy, and this is
a subject which should interest every member since it is vital to the
welfare of the Society. It surely should not be beyond the capa¬
bilities of the average member to write a short account of his or her
birds occasionally and thus make the Magazine as variable as
possible. At any rate the attention of members is drawn to this
serious side of the Society’s welfare.

The Treasurer then made some remarks on the financial
aspect of the Society’s affairs and they appeared to be somewhat
consonant with the Editor’s. The Society, owing to the war and
other reasons, appears to be in a somewhat transitional stage, and
it only rests with the members for it to emerge a glorified imago.
But no journal can be carried on without money and members are
begged to send in their subscriptions (if still unpaid), together with
any donations they may care to give, to the Publishers at once.
With many the non-payment of their subscriptions is entirely due
to forgetfulness, but they little know how much trouble their forget¬
fulness may cause. Our Treasurer is very busy with Tribunal work
and I am sure all loyal members of the Society will save him all the
trouble they can by at once sending their subscriptions to the Pub¬
lishers : Messrs. Adlard and Son and West Newman, Bartholomew
Close, E.C. If they will do so they will, by helping our Treasurer,
indirectly, be “doing their bit” in a truly patriotic way.

These were the chief things discussed at the Council Meeting
and it is due to our members that they should know and realise
what useful and essential work the Council is doing.

This, my second Secretarial notice, is no doubt rather unusual

288

Obituary.

in character, but I trust members will read it notwithtsanding. The
Secretarial duties are not quite such a sinecure as at first supposed,
but I must pay a tribute of grateful recognition to Mr. Seth-Smith
and Mr. Pocock for the great trouble they took and the help they
afforded at the meeting in the absence of our regular Business
Secretary, Mr. Newman. L. Lovell-Keays,

Hon. Business Secretary.

OBITUARY.

It is with the greatest regret that we recoi'd the death of
Lt.-Col. Boyd R. Horsbrugh, A.S.C. A member of the Society
since January, 1898, he was always keenly interested in its welfare
and progress, from time to time contributing interesting articles to
the Magazine. All species of birds attracted him, and he had im¬
ported some very fine collections, notably from India, in which were
included many sunbirds, minivets, and other rarities, such as the
blue and white flycatcher, red-headed tit, and many that were seen
alive for the first time in England, and even in Europe. I had the
pleasure of accompanying him to Genoa to meet the ship, which put
into port for a few hours on her way to England, and of acting for
him as interpreter in the confusion and difficulties of obtaining from
the Italian officials the due permission to land and take by rail some
of the most precious amongst the birds, which Colonel HoRSBRUGH
took home.

Colonel Horsbrugh had, as soon as the war broke out, as
an officer of much experience, set to work to help his country and
the cause of the Allies, with that vigour and thoroughness which
charactized whatever he undertook, although illness retarded much
of the forcefulness of his aid, which his spirit would have other¬
wise carried through. He was in action at the battle of Loos, etc.
A thorough type of an outspoken Englishman with a most kindly
heart, he will be missed by the Avicultural Society as an old and
valued member and a very keen lover of birds. H. D. A.

The Hermit Thrush.

289

THE HERMIT THRUSH.

By Winifred Holway Palmer.

[From Bird-Lore .]

I stood to-night, at twilight’s holy hour,

And heal'd the thrushes sing !

As from some far, secluded convent tower
The Angelus might ring.

Dropping its silver tones, like summer rain,

Those thirsty souls to bless

Whose lives are spent in endless toil and pain,

Or illness and distress.

So falls the song ! Each liquid cadence rare
In time and rhythm true !

Cool, tranquil, calm ; unhurried as a prayer,

And crystal clear as dew !

Deep, deep ! Sounding the very depths of life
In reverential mood ;

Then higher rising, throbs with meaning rife,

Far through the dark’ning wood!

Higher and yet again, the strain is heard,

Until the heart is thrilled

With mysteries unsolved, and hopes deferred,

And longings unfulfilled !

Now that deep, opening strain is heard once more,
Bringing its blessed peace !

The sunset light is fading ; day is o’er,

And soon the song will cease !

Yet in my heart, those tones so wondrous sweet,—
That song of beauty rare, —

The night shall echo ; and my dreams repeat
That softly uttered prayer !

290

Notes for the Month.

MONTHLY NOTES FOR AUGUST

By Secretariats.

The season so far as it has been pleased to reveal itself to
us has been, to most of us I fear, somewhat of a disappointment
with the persistent rains, the extraordinary cold nights and sunless
days our birds have felt small desire to go to nest and when, in spite
of all these drawbacks, they have done so, the results have almost
invariably ended in shattered hopes. Breeding medals will not be
in great request this year, that is certain. Miss Chawner, the suc¬
cessful breeder of owls, has nearly scored a success with the yellow¬
winged sugar-bird, but in breeding softbills it is the last fence that
so often brings you down, and with Miss Chawner it seems that
even the last fence was cleared, but she could not steady herself for
the run in and so she has to begin all over again. There are still
many species that have not yet been bred, such as the violet-eared
waxbill, the black-cheeked waxbill, the bar-breasted firefinch, all of
which are frequently seen in the market. Then there are hosts of
parrakeets of which very few, with the exception of the great class
of broadtails, have yet been bred. The parrakeets are not difficult
to breed. Mr. Shore Baily, our new member of the Council, has
bred quite a good number, of which some at least have been for the
first time. To those who want to try and win a medal the conures
(Gonurince) offer the best chances. They are hardy, easy to cater
for and go to nest with comparative frequency. But in keeping
parrakeets, beware of tragedies. Even the inoffensive cockateel has
lately been accused of viciousness {vide “ Cage Birds” for July 1st).
Personally, I would not trust any parrakeet of any sort or any size.
There is an old fable that practically speaking it is near relations
that cause most bother. However true that may be of divine
humans thei'e is very little truth in it where parrakeets are con¬
cerned. You may keep a flock of parrakeets for years without mis¬
hap when, without any warning, you will one morning go into the
aviary and be confronted with some ghastly tragedy. With small
birds it is largely a matter of colour, unless you are foolhardy
enough to turn a hangnest or jay into your general aviary, i.e., in¬
troduce accredited murderers. Remember all birds hate black birds

Notes for the Month.

291

and such must be introduced into your aviary with the same timidity
as a new boy in a school. But apart from black birds many a val¬
uable or valued (which may be quite a different thing) bird has been
slain because a jealous bird has fancied be saw a dangerous rival in
another of rather similar colouring. For instance, a green cardinal
took a violent dislike to three half-masked weavers, and within two
hours of their being introduced in a very large thickly-grown aviary
had killed the lot. Another time a zosterops took a dislike to a hen
violet tanager and very soon her number was up. It is not by any
means a question of size ; and size is often no protection. Many
birds are terrible cowards and, still worse, bullies. However, an in¬
stance occurred not long since in which a golden-crested wren stood
up to a reed warbler and actually closed with its antagonist without
being badly hurt. The angelic little long-tailed tit is one of our most
courageous of birds, and stands no nonsense. It follows that, if
birds of similar colour won’t agree in the resting period, d fortiori
they will not agree in the breeding season. Don’t wait till there is
a tragedy, but catch one or other of the birds up and separate them.
Catching up is not such an easy thing as it sounds. The old or
rather most usually employed and advocated method is, I fear, to
use the butterfly net. It has one great advantage, i.e. from-the
bird dealers’ point of view, viz., that it is the worst. There are
several better methods. For instance, there is the “ flue net ” a very
fine net made with black cotton. With this the bigger the bird the
easier it is to catch them. They are driven into it and get
entangled. This is the system by which migratory birds are chiefly
caught. Another plan is to watch where the birds roost and then
catch them with the aid of an electric torch. They get dazzled and
are easily taken. Another excellent device is the common or garden
spring bird trap, where the bird alights on a platform and the lid is
thereby released. Aviaries, if properly constructed, should be so
devised as to render catching easy. The method I use myself is
very simple in practice and does not involve chasing the bird round
the flight with a net. I have no objection to a net just for clapping
over the bird in a confined space, say 8 feet by 3. What one does
object to is using a butterfly net, as a butterfly net, i.e. chasing ones

292

Notes for the Month.

quarry till it is tired (or you are, whichever happens first) and
making frantic dives and flourishes at the bird as it passes or settles.

Another simple method is the old-fashioned sieve and string,
but there are, at least, two objections to it : one is the sieve some¬
times falls on the bird and kills it, and the other is that it is a case of
first catch your bird and then (jet it. A very simple and inex¬
pensive contrivance consists of a hollow cube covered with wire work,
one side of which is a swinging door. An illustration of this trap
is given : —

TRAP

The main entrance is hinged at the top as shewn. When it
is wished to use it, one puts the food on the floor of the cage, opens
the swing door, which by means of the post keeps it so. To the post
is tied a piece of long string which the catcher holds in hiding. Food
is withheld, except in the trap. The bird goes in. The string pulled,
the door closes with a snap and you have the bird, which is removed
through a small door at one end. Mine cost 2/9 without the wire
netting, and by means of it hundreds of birds have been caught
without a mishap. It must be fairly large so as not to suggest a
trap, and it is a good plan to use it as a feeding place for some days
before one wishes to catch a given bird. It is well to place the food
as far away from the swinging door as possible.

Captain Reeves has also invented a combined hopper and
bird trap, which is very ingenious, but as under the writer’s use a
hen violet-eared waxbill was killed, its use as a trap lias been dis¬
continued. It is also very cumbersome and somewhat costly.
Enough then has been said in catching birds, and the necessity for

Correspondence.

293

catching them should trouble seem to threaten. The maxim should,
and must be ‘‘ Don’t wait until the danger materialises ! ” People
are by nature unorthordox, but because “ Mr. Brown” keeps a reputed
bully with his small birds, and tells you he does so with impunity,
don’t copy his example even if he claims innumerable breeding suc¬
cesses, and that he never has tragedies. The evil that men do lives
after them, whereas the man himself is apt to forget it even before
the happy moment that his spirit quits its abode of clay. Nothing
succeeds like success, and nothing rushes into print half as quickly.
The failures have to be dragged out of a man willy-nilly before they
can be made to face the footlights of public criticism. The worst
fate that can happen to an aviculturist is so to live up to a reputa¬
tion. It generally ends in his losing what little he had. All of
which means beware of the man with a reputation for daring un¬
orthodoxy, and who paints all his birds as if they were angels on a
Christmas card. The truth is that all nature is cruel and ferocious
and your friend sees things through rose-coloured glasses. In fact,
the wish becomes the father to the thought. Finally, remember it
may be too late to mend, or later you may find it is never too late to
pick up corpses.

CORRESPONDENCE, NOTES, ETC

MURDEROUS TENDENCIES IN BIRDS.

Speaking of wagtails in his article on British softbills (p. 225) Dr. Lovell-
Keays says : — “ I am rather sceptical about their murderous tendencies ” and of
blue-tits he observes : — “ As to their being murderous I simply don’t believe it.”
Now I do not for a moment suppose that our friend wishes to suggest that my
assertions to the contrary are wilful mistatements : he simply fails to understand
how it was that his birds, lodged in an aviary seventy feet in length, should have
exhibited no Hunnish tendencies, whereas my examples of the same species in a
sixteen-foot aviary behaved abominably.

To me there is nothing surprising in these facts : under different con¬
ditions birds of the same species often show different sides of their character, and
even under identical conditions individuals of a species often behave as diversely
as members of the human family. Undoubtedly in a large aviary, and par¬
ticularly when planted with shrubs and creepers, birds are less inclined to dispute
and can more easily avoid each other than in a smaller enclosure.

294

Correspondence.

Wagtails have always been my favourite British softbills, and in my time
T have kept a fair number of the pied, grey and yellow species ; but like their
cousins the pipits, they are combative birds, and doubtless, like other birds they
are selfish ; it is therefore not to be wondered at, if a smaller and weaker bird
should attempt to annex some coveted morsel of food, that they should resent
and strive to avenge such infringement of their fancied rights.

The murderous tendencies of the ox-eyed tit are universally recognised : it
is therefore not at all remarkable that, under certain conditions the blue-tit in
like manner shows cannibalistic tendencies; and, to my great disgust (for I greatly
delighted in my tame little blue-tits) I had ample and repeated evidence of the
fact, as recorded in “ British birds with their nests and eggs,” Vol. 1, p. 161.

A. G. Butler.

In a very roomy aviary in my former garden in Italy, a male pied wagtail
murdered several small birds, persistently driving them to their deaths, appar¬
ently out of sheer devilry. EDITOR.

‘ BRANDLINGS ’ (WORMS) AS FOOD FOR BIRDS.

To the Editor of the Avicultural Magazine.

DEAR Sir, — It seems I have started another hare, only this time it is
a worm. I am not an authority on anything, especially am I not on things
without a backbone — invertebrates I think they are called.

The worm I mean may not be a “ brandling,” but it is rather small, is
more red than most, has yellow rings, and a yellow part at the tail end. It is
found in manure heaps. Some grey-winged ouzels that I am taking care of eat
them, feed their young, and rear them on these worms. Curiously enough
Mr. Page in his “ Aviaries and Aviary Life ” mentions what is evidently the
same class of worm on page 112, when he succeeded in rearing ouzels for the first
time, a fact I have discovered only since writing the original note. Can it be
that ‘‘There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt
of in your philosophy.”

I have the honour to remain, yours obediently,

Secretaries.

A COINCIDENCE.

Two years ago when I came into this part of Salop none of my neighbours
seemed to have budgerigars, but mine bred very freely and one or two young
birds escaped and were not caught again. Some weeks afterwards I was walking
on some cliffs about half-a-mile away when my friend asked what those funny
looking woolly things were, and I said they were the casts from some bird of
prey and that if he opened one he would find the bones of the animal inside.

Correspondence.

295

The casts were coated apparently with moles’ fur. He opened one or two
and I think it was the second that contained the skull of my (?) little budgerigar.

There must have been at least a hundred casts I should think and the skull
puzzled me very much for some time until I remembered my little bird’s escape,
as all the feathers had disappeared and there seemed to be no trace of any kind
of feather in the coating of the cast.

Siskins during the winter at different times, two sparrows and a chaffinch
got into the aviary and though I turned them out fairly soon I saw them all dead
within a few days. I do not know what killed them, not cats or the sparrows,
as they were not mauled and they looked very well when liberated. A cat did
get the chaffinch I think.

Hawkstone, Salop. ALFRED A. THOM.

THE UTILITY OF OWLS.

Taken out of a Barn owl’s tree at Keswick, in Norfolk (April 10th, 19111 :
114 “pellets” containing the skulls of: — 19 very small rats, 126 long- ai
short-tailed field-mice, 69 shrew mice, 3 small birds (perhaps greenfinches!
No game.

SIR, — Do you think it would interest any of the members of the Avieul-
tural Society to hear that a Lesser spotted woodpecker was seen here early in
May ? Possibly it may be unusual for such a rare bird to be seen so near London.
It is the first time I have had the good fortune to see this bird at liberty, and it
was interesting to notice that its plumage looked much more brilliant against
the green leaves than in a show cage. Fortunately it came on to an exposed
branch, along which it ran, giving a good opportunity of seeing it plainly.
There seems good reasons to hope that it escaped being shot.

31 Church Crescent, fe. BRAMPTON.

Church End, Finchley.

EXTRAORDINARY SITE OP A YELLOW-HAMMER’S NEST.

Captain Sir RICHARD SUTTON writes to the Editor from the front in France:
“ You will hardly believe it, but a yellow-hammer nested and reared its brood
between the sandbags of the emplacement of one of our big guns. No matter
how much the gun was fired, the bird never moved, although only 6 feet from
the muzzle.

The noise of course is terrific, and the concussion has broken all the glass
in the windows of a cottage close by. No one who had not seen, would believe
such a thing to be possible; it might interest the readers of the “Avicultural
Magazine.”

ERRATA. — “ House ” should read “ horse,” p. 258, last line but one.
Monthly notes for July, by Secretarius.

Photo bv Oxley Grabham

Adlard & West Newman.

THE

297

Avicultural Magazine,

BEING THE JOURNAL OF
THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.

Third Series. — Vol. VII. — No. 11. — All rights reserved. SEPTEMBER, 1916.

NESTING NOTES FROM THE
ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS.

By David Seth-Smith, F.Z.S.

( Curator of Birds.) j

The nesting season at the Zoological Gardens has not been
crowned with any great success. The weather has, to say the least
of it, been trying, and in a public Zoological Garden, one finds that it is
not possible to succeed in breeding birds to anything like the same
extent one did when one kept the same species privately in quiet
aviaries. Very few birds have been imported for many months past,
and although the bird population at the Gardens is fairly large, there
is a considerable lack of good breeding pairs.

Amongst the larger birds we hoped to breed Emus this year,
but our pair has quite disapointed us. Last year the hen was away
on loan to a member of this Society who happened to have an odd
male. She laid about twenty eggs, some of which hatched success¬
fully. This year she has been running with a male in one of the
Park Paddocks, but all she did was to drop two eggs in the early part
of the year. I am inclined to think that these birds do not breed
regularly every year, but sometimes rest for a season.

The Rheas have done better, but not so well as they did last
year when nine chicks were successfully reared. This year we have
five very promising youngsters. The hen commenced to lay in May,
and we took the eggs as they were laid, substituting dummy eggs
made of cement and painted yellow. The cock-bird became broody
when four or five eggs had been laid, but we waited until there were
eight before placing them in the nest and removing the dummies,

298

David Seth-Smith

which was done on the 24th of May. On July 2nd one chick was
seen running about in the paddock while the sitting Rhea remained
on the nest. The chick was removed to a warm foster-mother until
two days later when the cock-bird left the nest with four others. I
then examined the nest and found twelve more eggs, showing that
the hen must have continued to lay for some time after the cock
commenced to incubate.* Some of these eggs appeared good, but
although they were placed in an incubator no more hatched. Last
year the brood was increased by four or five, hatched in the incubator
after they had been left in the nest when the parent wrent off wfith
the first hatched chicks.

Tinamous are birds that breed freely as a rule, but the sexes,
in most species are exactly alike and it is only by chance that correct
paii s are secured. A pair of Rufous Tinamous have done well in the
Su mer Aviary. The first clutch of eggs was taken and incubate
by nestic hen which hatched eight out of nine eggs. Shortly
after these eggs were removed the hen commenced to lay a second
clutch in the same nest which was situated in a clump of iris.
When eight eggs had been laid the cock took charge and commenced
incubation, the hen taking no further interest in the matter. On the
twenty-first day he hatched off eight chicks, all of which have done
well. They are extremely pretty when first hatched, clothed in hair¬
like down and having much the appearance of tiny hedgehogs. They
are most independent after the first day or two, wandering far away
from their parent and searching for food on their own account. In
this Summer Aviary, which -would be an ideal breeding enclosure if
it had a good shelter, breeding results have been most disappointing
this year. Brush bronze-wing Pigeons which as a rule are good
breeders have had several nests, but in every case failed to hatch,
although the eggs have contained young. White-throated Ground-
Thrushes have nested twice, but on each occasion the young have
disappeared directly they were hatched, presumably eaten by their
parents, as there is nothing else in the same compartment that could
hurt them. Scarlet Tanagers are unsatisfactory for the reason that the
young insist on leaving the nest when in a very unfledged condLion.
This would be all right in the hot forests of Brazil, but here the nights

It is best to have two or three males as incubators. — ED.

The Avicultural Magazine.

Photo, by D. Seth-Smith. Adlard & West Newman.

fg

•v *

Nesting Notes from the Zoological Gardens. 299

are too cold and they succumb. This happened last year and again
this year with the first brood. There is now a second brood of two,
and if the weather should continue to be hot we may perhaps have
better success. A few young Diuca finches have been reared, and in
one compartment is a brood of twelve Common partridges, hatched
by a silkie hen from eggs sent to us. These are now independent of
their foster parent.

In the Southern Aviary which is given up to gulls and
other such robbers, the Great Black-backed gulls have bred
well, seven young birds being reared by four pairs. Each pair keeps
to its own territory and a battle royal takes place if there is any
trespassing. Should a young chick have the misfortune to cross the
boundary it is most likely to be swallowed whole.

The White Storks generally breed here and this yea nave
successfully reared one young bii'd, now nearly as large a
parents.

We had great hopes at one time of breeding from the fine
pair of James’ Manucode ( Phonygama keraudreni) which occupies a
compartment of the outdoor cages of the Small Bird House. A nest
was built amongst some thick branches fastened up at the back of
the shelter shed. In the wild state climbing tendrils are employed
but we found the best substitute to be pieces of an old rush mat
The hen commenced to sit, and continued to sit, and as week succeed¬
ed week our expectations of young birds — the first nestling Paradise
birds ever seen in Europe — produced the greatest excitement. But
alas, one day when both birds were outside, the keeper procured a
ladder and investigated, with the result that an empty nest was dis¬
covered ! The bird continued to sit in it for some time after this,
and then laid an egg, which was discovered only a few days ago, and
may yet produce a young Manucode if it does not disappear in the
same way as those which the behaviour of the hen-bird led us to
suppose were there before.

We find it is best to collect all the eggs laid in the Waterfowl
enclosures and to incubate them under hens, as in a mixed collection

* On August 12th, the hen bird was seen to leave the nest with a newly-
hatched nestling in her mouth, to fly with it to the outer compartment where
the cock bird seized and swallowed it- — D. S.-S.

300

Mr. Hubert D. Astley,

young ducks do not stand a chance. So we look for eggs on the
islands about every fortnight. During one search we discovered a
nest containing five large eggs which we knew must belong to a pair
of the beautiful and rare Andean geese which share the Western
Duck enclosure with numerous smaller companions. These eggs
were placed under a hen which succeeded in hatching two, one other
containing a dead chick and the remaining two being clear. The
nestling is white with a black stripe from the top of the head to the
tail, crossed by another passing down the wings, black patches on the
thighs and small black spots on the ear-coverts.

The two goslings have grown well, but one has been rather a
weakling from the first.

A fair number of young ducks such as Carolina, Spotbill and
Andaman Teal have been reared, and we have some nice young
Burmese peafowl, North American wild Turkeys and Lineated Kaleege
Pheasants.

THE BLACK REDSTART AND ITS
BREEDING HAUNTS.

Phosnicurus titys.

By Hubert D. Astlev.

It is a good many years since I found a nest of the Black
Redstart, but I remember the details of the event as if it were
yesterday.

This charming little bird, which is an autumnal and winter
visitor to England, is easily distinguished from the better known
redstart, which arrives for the summer in April, by having the
crown and rump dark bluish slate-grey, the rest of the upper parts,
and the sides of the head and under parts, deep velvet black, the
abdomen and hinder flanks however are slate-grey, and the under
tail coverts pale rust-red. The tail and upper tail -coverts are a rich
chestnut-red, except for the two middle feathers which are black,
but when flying the chestnut-red colour of the tail is very con¬
spicuous. Hence its name, the Black Redstart, to distinguish it
from the other one. If we consult The Century Dictionary and

The Avicultural Magazine.

Andean Gosling. Chick of the Rufous Tinamou.

on the black redstart and its breeding haunts. 301

look up the word ‘ start,’ we find amongst other meanings the fol¬
lowing : — “ Old English : start, stirt, stert, steort ” = a tail. Some
“ derive it from the root ‘ start ’ in the sense ‘ project.’ A tail ; the
“tail of an animal; thus ‘red start' is literally ‘red tail.”

Consequently readers will at once understand that one can¬
not speak of or write about a “ Blackstart,” since that would mean
a “ blacktail,” which is just exactly what this bird does not go in for.
If we talk of having in our possession some Redstarts and some
Blackstarts, we are merely saying that we have ‘ redtails ’ and
‘ blacktails.’ When it is quite as easy to be correct as the contrary,
we will choose the former.

If we are anxious to win prizes at a bird show, we quite
realize that we must be correct in all our dealings, and we strive to
send our birds in such a condition as will we hope catch the eye of
the judge and, as a sequence, a card into the bargain. Therefore w7e
are very particular as to details. The cage, the food, the beauty of
the bird to be exhibited, and so on ; conforming strictly to certain
rules and customs, without which carefulness we foresee disappoint¬
ment and invite a failure.

So too with birds’ names. Let us be correct over them, or
we shall find ourselves in danger of appearing not to know their
meanings. And so in all books upon birds, which are called standard
books, books that is to say which are written by those who hnoiv
what they are writing about, one finds, to take this instance of the
black redstart, that it is always so called : not, mind you, only in
the English language, but, in others. In French it is ‘ rouge-queue
noir, that is, black red-tail; in Italian, ‘ codirosso spazzacamino,’
which is, being interpreted, “ the red-tail that roams along the way,”
meaning, I suppose, that it flits about the paths and hill roads,
as one travels along them. The Spaniards likewise name it colirojo
(Red tail). The Italians call the Rock Thrush ‘ codirossone,’ which
means the ‘ big redtail,’ and this bird not only has the same chestnut-
red but moves the tail in the same way. And in German, the
black redstart is Haus-Rotschwanz, which means the House red-
tail, and if you had ever spoken to a German [no one xvants to
now !] of a haus-schwarzschwanz, which would mean a house black-
tail (or blackstart) he would not know what bird you referred to.

302

Mr. Hubert D. Astley,

And it is called the House red tail (or redstart) because in mountain¬
ous and hilly districts, this bird often perches on the roof tops.

So now, being quite clear as to the meaning of the word
‘ start,’ as used in connection with redstarts, let me try to describe
how I found a nest of young black redstarts.

I was at Brieg, one of the most picturesque towns in Swit¬
zerland, in tfhe Valais Canton, my principal object being to visit the
great and famous Aletsch glacier in the mountains above. I started
on a glorious day in mid-June, rejoicing as, on reaching higher
altitudes, the air became more and more exhilarating, with that
sparkle in it which one only experiences in the mountains. It was
a long mule ride to the hotel situated close to the glacier, a hotel
which in those days was a very simple affair, clean but sparsely
furnished, and very different to the palatial edifices to be found in
Switzerland nowadays, with French cooks, string bands, etc., and
to my mind decidedly preferable.

The day after my arrival, and the day after that, it simply
poured unceasingly, whilst the mist was up to the windows, but on
the third day I awroke to find everything sparkling in brilliant sun¬
shine, and out I rushed ! The glacier excited and thrilled me,
looking like a big frozen river, the ice massed in huge boulders with
crevices showing colours of delicate blues and gorgeous greens, into
which if you slipped you would probably say good-bye aud proceed
to admire the beauties of another plane in another life !

It was all very wonderful, but looking back, I know that as I
walked in the afternoon up a mountain path strewn with great
boulders, one of which, hurtling down from above, all but sent me
into the next life, I was still more thrilled at seeing some small
dark coloured birds with chestnut-red tails flitting in front of me.

Black redstarts ! I had never up till then seen one alive, but
there was no mistaking the species. These birds that inhabit spots
at high altitudes have a great charm about them. The solitude, the
beauty of the surroundings, their voices tinkling in the stillness of
the crystal air, all go towards impressing on one their fascination.

There was more than one pair, I certainly saw three, and I
sat down to watch them. One pair was especially restless, flitting
from boulder to boulder and calling ceaselessly. So I, concealing

on the black redstart and its breeding haunts.

303

myself amongst the rocks, proceeded to watch. Once the male flew
on a stone close to me, flickering his chestnut-red tail, and in his
bill were insects. He sat for a few minutes and I lay hardly
breathing, and then he disappeared. At once, drawing myself up,
I looked over the edge of the rock, my field-glasses ready should I
make out his whereabouts.

There he was not very far off, becoming visible as he moved
from boulder to boulder. Then I fixed him with the glasses, so that
I could see every feather. Up the slope of the mountain he went,
cautiously yet surely, and then suddenly after sitting upon a stone
for a minute or two, he popped down behind it and disappeared !
Ah ! but there he was again, and off.

What excited me was that whereas he had gone from sight
with his beak full of insects, he reappeared without them. So then
I knew that if only I could keep my eye upon that stone, I should
find the nest, but the stone in question was some way off and I felt
that if I ceased to look through the glasses it would be lost to sight
amongst all the mass of other stones and boulders.

Studying carefully the shapes of certain large rocks close to
where I saw the bird disappear, I ascended the slope, and as I drew
near my goal I saw the female bird, who flitted about anxiously.

It took a very short time to find the nest, which was in a
hollow on the ground under a smaller stone close to the larger one
where I had previously expected to find it, and in it were five young
ones. I was young in those days, and being very anxious to rear them,
took them with me in spite of their being only in the quilled stage.
But I had not brought out from England any insectivorous mixture
as I always did on subsequent occasions. At the hotel I obtained
some finely chopped raw-meat, hoping to be able to find something
more varied and more digestible on my return to Brieg on the fol¬
lowing day, but alas ! that day was very hot, and I only had a small
box in which to carry the young black redstarts, and all succumbed
during the long ride down the rough mountain path.

How I did wish I had left them to their parents and to
liberty. I felt a brute. Had they lived, they might have become
as tame as a brood of wheatears I once reared by hand, one of which
I kept, a most charming pet which would play hide and seek with

304 “ Birdlover ”

me round chairs and sofas, and which met a tragic death by being
trodden on.

These birds of moor and fen, of crag and torrent and wood¬
land are delightful, and although aviculturists who have the oppor¬
tunity and the means, naturally like to acquire rare foreigners, to
my ears the most beautiful bird voices are still those such as the
joyous piping of our song thrush, the fluting of the blackbird, the
merry twitter of the linnet, or the “ little-bit-of-bread-and-no-cheese”
of the yellow hammer, in their own haunts.

BIRD SONG.

By “ Birdlover,”

The Kiss of the Sun for Pardon,

The song of the birds for mirth,

One is nearer God’s heart in a Garden
Than anywhere else on earth.

Quite unconsciously when one thinks of the song of the birds,
one connects their voices with gladness and beauty, spring days with
their sunshine and flowers and the riotous loveliness of early summer.
And it is quite true that spring and summer, lovely as they are in
their green verdure and wealth of flowers, would lose immeasurably
if it were not for the many sweet bird voices, which each year set
the woodlands ringing,” with their joyous notes. How could we
welcome spring without the blackbirds’ mellow song, and what would
the bluebells do without the cuckoo to waken them from their long
sleep? But it is not only during the “glad” season that the birds’
voices are heard ; whatever time of the year it may be, you have
only to go out of doors and listen and you will hear the birds singing,
or rather talking to each other ; for song is the language of the bii'ds.

Before proceeding further, it will be best to define exactly what
we mean by song. For lack of a better word we may describe song
as the sound, or sounds, which a bird produces. This may consist
(l) of a few simple notes, as in the case of crows and gulls ; or (2) of
a highly specialised collection of notes, as those of the blackbird and
nightingale. There are no doubt many who will disagree with this
definition, and will argue that the “caw, caw ” of a rook is not a

on bird song.

305

song whereas the nightingale’s music is a most finished and exquisite
production. But as we shall presently see, the rook’s simple call
corresponds exactly in its fundamental purpose to the nightingale’s
melody, and if we admit that one is a song, we must equally respect
the more primitive performance. As already stated, both vocal
efforts are of the same value in the bird world, and therefore both
may be reckoned as bird song, as distinct from human song, which
stands quite apart, and must not be compared with the music of
the birds.

Song being therefore the language of the birds, we may expect
to find that as eaoh species differs from the other in form and plumage
and way of life, each species will possess a definite song of its own.
The most casual observer will have recognised, that a thrush’s song
is different to a robin’s, and it is this great variety of bird languages
which lends so much charm and interest to the countryside. Each
species possesses a definite song, peculiar to itself, and the next
question which arises is, how the young bird is able to sing the song
of its species ? Does it learn to sing through individual acquirement,
or through racial preparation, i.e. does each species possess a definite,
congenital song ? This question has long been the subject of
discussion ; the supporters of the first theory base their argument
chiefly on (l) the undoubted capacity of certain birds to learn tunes
when kept in captivity, the bullfinch being a well known example ;
and (2) the facility with which some wild birds, notably the starling,
mimic the songs of other species. But if we go direct to nature for
an explanation, what do we find ? That in a small coi'ner of a garden
or strip of woodland, a blackbird, a thrush, a robin, a blackcap, and a
willow-wren are all housekeeping, each have a nest of young, and
each father sings all day long, — “ all spring through till the spring be
done ! ’ What is there to prevent the young from assimilating the
notes of the moi’e vociferous individuals of other species, in the
vicinity of their nest, if song is an individual acquirement, a mere
matter of imitation ? Nothing, I think, if the congenital factor is
excluded ; and no doubt the art of mimicry may also be attributed to
this factor, a gift which some birds inherit to a greater or lesser
extent.

We see therefore that each species possesses an inherited song

306

“ Birdlover ”

and under the heading of song we include the call notes. Bird music
may be roughly divided into four kinds or classes, (l) the call note;
(2) the alarm note ; (3) the signal call and (4) the love call-song
proper. But as a bird’s voice is capable of an infinite variety of
expression, any classification of the calls must not be regarded as
definite or conclusive. The more one listens to birds, the more one
understands their language. The call note is most often used ; it is
a short note, or collection of notes, and varies very much in tone and
expression as occasion requires ; a chaffinch’s “ pink, pink, pink,” as
it contentedly feeds on fallen beech masts, differs considerably from
the gay “ pink, er pink pink ” of a party of these birds, as they make
their way through the orchard, calling to each other as they fly along.
Among gregarious birds the call note is a call in the literal sense of
the word, and serves to keep the flock together. The cheery notes
of a roving band of tits, or the call of a flock of finches, as they rise
from a stubble field, are familiar to every dweller of the country side.
The use of the call note among non-gregarious species may be
illustrated by the soft call of a mother bird to its young, or the
“ chuck chuck ” of a blackbird calling “ goodnight ” to its companions
as it goes to roost. The alarm note is the danger call, or the cry of
distress. In some species, for instance the chaffinch, the alarm note
resembles the call note ; in others, as in the case of the blackbird,
it is quite distinct. In all probability the alarm cry of individual
birds is probably meant primarily to warn other individuals of the
same species of the approach of danger, but it may also serve to warn
other species, witness, e.g. the immediate disturbance and dismay of
all in the neighbourhood, when a frightened jay, or blackbird gives
vent to its feelings. It often occurs when a motley crowd of birds is
feeding in a field, one of them suddenly gives the alarm, and immediate¬
ly with common consent, all rise in flight. But this stampede does
not always take place ; the alarm note may send only a few of the
birds off in a great hurry, leaving the rest of the company quite
undisturbed.

The signal call might be called the migration call with equal
truth, for as far as we know, it is only used by birds while on migra¬
tion. The subject of these signal calls is still somewhat obscure.
It is known that migrating waders make use of strange call notes

on bird, song.

307

while performing their nocturnal journeys, but the difficulty of
identifying the species and their calls is obvious. It seems certain
that if not now, at any rate during the evolution of the species some
reason must have been attached to these calls, other than arising from
the ordinary needs of denoting proximity. But as so very little is
known up to the present about migration itself, it is difficult to arrive
at any really satisfactory explanation of these signal calls.

Finally we come to the love call, which precedes the song
proper. Some species possess a very simple love call, which may
I’esemble the call note, but differs considerably in strength and power
of utterance. For instance, the call note of the nuthatch is a simple
metallic note, often reiterated ; the love call is the same note, more
l’apidly delivered in a hell-like silvery tone. Other species possess an
entirely distinct love call. The great tit, besides its pretty little song of
“ spring coming, spring coming,” which may be heard on and off
during the whole year, and every hour of the day during the spring,
has a single clear note, which is only heard at the height of the nesting
season. One more point may be mentioned with regard to these love
calls. The hen chaffinch has a call peculiar to her sex, a soft and
rather plaintive note, which is frequently made use of early in the
season ; whether the females of other species are gifted with a special
call is at present not known for certain.

The precise cause and meaning of the song proper, is still a
vexed question, and opinions and theories vary considerably. These
may be roughly divided into two categories : (l) That singing is

primarily and solely a secondary character, (like other physical
characters of sexual selection) ; (2) that song is an expression of

nervous vitality, and may be called forth, by many and varying
emotions. The first theory, which has long held the field, rests on
Darwin’s theory of sexual selection, i.e. that the female selects the
male by virtue of his superior strength, exhibited by his physical
attractions, (plumes of the bird of paradise, etc.) and vocal powers,
in comparison with those of his rivals. There is much evidence to
support this theory, and although it is too big a subject to discuss
fully in this paper, the chief points may be briefly set down. Song
is primarily a specialised development of the love call, the special
use of which is to call and attract hen birds. Birds’ song being

308

“ Birdlover ”

at its best during, and for a certain period after the season
of courtship, it is presumed that the l’apturous strains of the male
nightingale, attract a female to the neighbourhood of the singer, who
then, by performing in her presence, wins or loses her by virtue of
the quality of his song.

The second theory is the result of careful observation of birds
in the field, and is based chiefly on the fact that song is not solely
connected with courtship. The simple love call is seldom used out¬
side the season of courtship, or for any other purpose ; but song
proper may also be the expression of terror or anger, on occasions
when courtship is quite out of the question. If a rook’s nest of
young be approached, the bird will not utter his love call, but simply
the usual alarm or call note : while if a nightingale or robin be dis¬
turbed, by seeing a suspicious visitor near its nest of young, it will
not infrequently give vent to a burst of song. The only record the
writer has of a nightingale singing after the young are hatched, was
when the bird was disturbed by a camera being placed close to its
nest. Both birds emitted the alarm and the call note continually,
and at intervals the male hurriedly uttered a few bars of song. Another
example of song for other reasons than to charm the lady bird, may
be seen in the autumnal fights for a winter territory between two
robins, when fragments of song accompany the peckings and
scufflings. A sudden loud sound, such as that caused by an aero¬
plane passing over head, will start every blackcap, garden warbler,
willow-wren in the neighbourhood singing furiously. Many other
examples could he cited, hut enough has been said to show that song
is not solely connected with courtship, but may be heard at other
times, and for other reasons. What part then does song play in
securing a mate? It seems to us probable, that when a hen-bird has
been attracted to the neighbourhood of a cock by the latter’s song,
the song then ceases to play an individually important part in the
subsequent courtship. This conclusion is drawn from the fact, that
when a male is courting a mate, his song is never at its best ; it is
jerky, sti’ained and disconnected, and has often little resemblance
with the true song ; and the hen-bird to whom it is addressed, instead
of listening to it and judging its merit, apparently takes no notice of
it at all, but quietly continues feeding, without so much as glancing

on bird song

309

at her lover. The strained and jumbled outpourings of a blackcap
will have no effect on his little brown-headed lady, until such a
moment, when his combined plumage and display, and excited vocal
efforts, reach to such a pitch as to waken a corresponding emotion in
her. Moreover I have on two occasions seen a cock and hen robin
wooing each other with precisely the same actions ; little bursts of
song accompanied by pretty wing movements, and this fact points to
the probability that song is not the sole possession of the cock bird,
but may on occasion be the expression of emotion on the part of the
hen-bird.

In view of these facts, it seems probable, that song is the
outcome of a highly developed nervous system, the result of abundant
vitality, that vitality being at its highest during the love season,
and it is at this time, that we may expect to find bird song at its best.
One must not, however, be too dogmatic on problems of wild life ; for
as we humans can take no actual part in the actual life of bird and
beast, our understanding of their ways must always be restricted.

We may conclude with a brief consideration of some interest¬
ing features of bird song as a whole. One of the most striking points
is the great difference in the degree of the development of song, some
species possessing a most specialised and exquisite song, while others
can only utter a few harsh, unmusical sounds. It often occurs that
of two species which are closely related such as the willow- wren, and
chiff-chaff, the one possesses a lovely little rippling song, and the
other only a simple though pleasing note. It is also extremely curious,
that as a general rule, small birds possess the monopoly of song, large
birds being restricted to more or less simple calls.*' At present there
seems to be no explanation of this phenomenon ; nature is jealous of
her secrets, and loth to give her reasons as to why she bestows in one
case the power of song, and in another the majesty of perfect flight.

As every lover of birds will agree, their songs are singularly
characteristic of themselves ; the blackbird’s lazy flute-like notes, the
chaffinch’s sprightly lay, and the garden warbler’s delicate song, are
all very typical of the performers, and these are only a few instances
among many. Perhaps the most interesting and curious singers, are
those which possess the gift of mimicking the song of other species.

The Lyre bird is a striking and curious exception, — ED,

310

Dr. E. Hopkinson,

Amongst our British birds, the starling and sedge- warbler are experts in
the art of producing the songs of others, and their performances in this
direction are often remarkable. A starling’s repertoire can be so varied,
and so perfect, each item being finished before the next is begun, that
one is lost in admiration of the bird’s art. How far this mimicry is
conscious or unconscious, one cannot say. It is at least certain, that
this is an inherited faculty, which may require some particular
stimulus to set it working. Dr. N. F. Ticehurst in his “ Birds of
Kent ” remarks, “ on Dungeness Beach and Romney Marsh, where
unusual opportunities occur for birds with propensities for mimicry.
I have heard the song thrushes imitating the call of the ringed plover,
and the red-legged partridge, and redshank.

Some attention has been directed in recent years, to the ques¬
tion of what may be called the “ dialect ” of bird song ; the diversities
which are found in the song of a species in different localities, or
countries. At the present time, information is perhaps too meagre
to permit of a definite opinion, but Mr. Elliott Howard in his “British
Warblers ” suggests, that probably the climate has an influence on
song, and the further West one goes, the lower becomes the pitch.

It will be seen from this brief account of bird song, that the
“ last word ” is not by any means said, md that many problems still
remain to be solved. Results of deepest value and interest still
await the earnest worker in this most fascinating field of natural
research.

SOME FIREFINCHES AND OTHER
GAMBIAN BIRDS.

By Dr. E. Hopkinson.

( Continued from Vol. VII- , No. 4, p- 116.

It is quite a long time since I had leisure to put pen to paper on
this subject and I will now leave the Seed-eaters for a time and give
a few notes on some other species, unusual as cage-birds, which I
happen to have out here in the Gambia this year. As I shall not be
able to take my usual annual leave this year, I rather doubt if they
will ever reach home, but if they do I hope to give further details
later on. The first is a

on some firefinches and other Gambian birds. 311

Rheinhardt’S BABBLER ( Crateropus rheinhardti), caught in
February and doing' well on a diet of biscuit soaked in milk with about
three or four grasshoppers (when obtainable) every day. It is a
brown bird about the size of a Thrush, with a black head and pale
olive green iris. These Babblers are very easy birds to keep on this
milk diet. A pair of C. platycercus, similar birds, but without the
black head of this species, which I caught here some years ago, lived
for six months or more on this diet alone, and part of that time too,
while I was busy elsewhere, were left entirely to the tender mercies
and care of my black cook — a true test of any bird’s powers of
resistance. They reached home and lived there at the Zoo for two
years at least, I think longer.

2. A SUNBIRD (? Cinnyris venustus), a hen unfortunately, but
interesting to me for all that, as the first Sunbird I have ever kept. It
was also caught in March and is doing well on the usual Mellin mixture,
or rather such a modification of that as can be provided out here. A
piece of sugar about the size of a maize grain dissolved in water to
which Mellin (q.s.) is added and three to four drops of milk to make
say a total of two ounces or thereabouts of liquid a day. Two things
about the Sunbird’s food surprised me. The first is how thin they
like the mixture. When I started I made the mixture much too thick,
thinking about the amount of solid food which seemed necessary.
The second is, how great a quantity (considering the size of the bird)
of this thin liquid manages to disappear in a day. From what
Mr. Ezra told me about his birds, when I saw them last year, I
ought to have expected both these things, but being told and finding
out for oneself are never the same, nor make the same impression.
For a time the bird was very keen on small flies as well, and caught any
which entered her cage, but during May when she had a surfeit of
them, as I was then in a particularly fly-infested district, she
lost all interest in that form of diet, and confines herself to her
syrup, except when flying ants are available. These (small ones) she
will eat ad. lib.

These flying ants are the particular delight of all our birds,
whether insect, fruit or seed-eater, both in nature and captivity.
They come out in millions at this time of the year (June), the first
rains, every evening after rain. They vary in size from that of a

312

Dr. E. Hopkinson,

hornet to a midge, and towards sunset, when these “ bisso ” (the
native name) are out, one sees nearly every kind of bird from a Horn-
bill or Kite down to a Waxbill or Grass- warbler after them. To
supply one’s captive birds means standing the cages round the lamp
after sunset, which may seem a rather rough proceeding, but so inured to
shocks and jars by months of travelling (by head-load, canoe or
launch), are my birds that this vespertinal awakening is nothing to
them, and interferes in no way with the healthy meal which they
all start at once to make on the insects which flutter or fall into their
cages. Besides providing food for the birds, this arrangement also
has the advantage of providing their owner with half an hour’s
amusement in watching the proceedings, at a time when the day’s
work is done and when the million of these “bisso ” make reading
or in fact doing anything near the light an impossibility.

I hope to be able to catch some more Sunbirds during the
rains, when they are especially plentiful and when too I am more
or less resident in one place and not constantly on the march as
in the dry season, a life not conducive to the collecting or easy
keeping of cage-birds.

No. 3. is a Barbet, Lybius vieilloti I think, he has only
been caught a few days, but is feeding well on “ shotoes ” (a sort
of fig) and other bush-fruits. The gems of my this year’s birds
however, I unfortunately have to speak of in the past tense.
The first was a Striped Kingfisher, Halcyon chelicutensis, which
was brought to me in October, when almost ready to fly. At first
I crammed him with raw chicken or pigeon liver, but he soon took
to feeding himself, and when I found that grasshoppers suited him to
perfection (in fact are the main natural food of these land Kingfishers
and many other birds), he soon began to look after himself and lived
in perfect health till February, when I had hurriedly to go to Head¬
quarters and leave my belongings in charge of the ‘ boys.’ The
result was that on my return this bird was dead. “ He bad re¬
fused to feed as soon as he lost his master ’’ was the stated cause of
death, but of course the real one was neglect and starvation. The
house-boy, who had charge of the birds always got plenty of food for
this one, while I was on the spot to stimulate any slackening of his
efforts in the grasshopper-catching line, but no doubt he, like all his

on some firefinches and other Gambian birds.

313

brethren, took advantage of his master’s absence, to do the minimum
of work or anything like work. “Out of sight is out of mind” here
as elsewhere, hut this particular individual must have kept my return
at any rate in his mind for some little time. The other “ gem ”
really hardly deserves mention, as it did not survive 24 hours, and
had it not been one of the birds I desire more than all, namely an
Amethyst Starling, I should have left its short sad history alone.

I once got home one of these lovely birds, and ever since
have in vain been hoping for successors, but they are only common
here at certain seasons and so far I have never had an opportunity of
attempting their capture. This particular bird was a hen, and had
she survived would have been of great value in attracting males, if,
as is probable, I shall have this rains a chance of getting at the pro¬
per time to the district where these Starlings are commonly found.
I wTas shooting one evening and had just fired, when a Hawk
flying over, startled by the shot, dropped a bird he was carrying.
On picking it up I found to my delight it was a hen Amethyst
Starling, and apparently only slightly injured. Hoping for the best,
I took it home, and put it in a cage, but next morning it was dead.
It must have been more injured than appeared, the hawk’s talons
having probably perforated its breast or abdomen, although there was
but little blood or other sign of external wound.

Of sead-eaters I have only kept the less common, that is some
Quail-Finches, Bar-breasted Firefinches and half a dozen Buffalo
Weavers. The remainder of quite a big lot I had collected, Cordon-
Bleus and other Waxbills, I let go when I found I was not for
home this year.

I am also to take c_re of (for the rains) a perfectly delightful
pair of Brown-necked Parrots, ( P oeocephalus brunneicollis) , which a
friend of mine has had for more than a year. Absolutely tame and
in robust health they will do anything for a white man and allow him
to do anything with them, but absolutely detest the black brother.

In a previous article on this parrot I have said but little good
about it as a pet, but now I have these two before me I must amend
my opinion on that point.

314

Mr. George G. Phillips,

FIVE LITTLE WAXWINGS AND HOW
THEY GREW.

By George G. Phillips, Greene, R. I.

[From “ Bird-Lore. ”]

Into the lives of all of us come, at times, experiences that
make their mark and linger in our memories while we live.

The story I am about to tell is of just such an experience
that came to me; and, though I can hardly hope to create for others
the pleasure that was mine, I am sure that all true lovers of birds
nd babies who read this will “know and understand.”

One day in the summer of 1912 — it was July 15 — while
seated at dinner I heard the cry of young birds.

Stepping to my back door, I found on the doorstep two young
and newly fledged Cedar waxwings.

Presently, guided by their cries, I found three more near by.

Now, if it is a notable event to have one baby left on your
doorstep, what an embarrassment of riches was mine, who found
five babies there at once !

“ Where did they come from ? ” was the first question asked.
I never knew, for neither old bird or nest had we ever seen or could
we find. Undoubtedly, they fluttered from a nest high up in the
pine trees, a row of which stands near my house.

Thinking and hoping that the old birds would come to feed
them, I left them on the ground for an hour or two. But no parent
bird ever came, and after a while the mute appeal of those five
gaping bills and yellow throats became too much to bear, and I
realized that something must be done, and done quickly.

“ What do baby waxwings eat ? ” was the burning question.
The books told of the parent bird feeding them by regurgitation.
As that process did not happen to be one of my accomplishments,
I took a chance on ripe raspberries, and was greatly relieved to find
that they would eat them readily. I immediately filled them full,
and from that time it was my daily and almost hourly duty to feed
those baby birds.

The second day, I tried bread and milk. That went even
better than the berries, and was adopted for their regular food ;

on five little ivaxwings and how they grew.

315

though I venture to say that never before did young waxwings
grow up on such a diet.

One little fellow, smaller and weaker than the rest, handi¬
capped from the first, gave up his life on the second day. The other
four grew and waxed strong and beautiful ; grew, oh, so rapidly !
taking on from day to day the exquisite colouring which so beauti¬
fully marks the adult bird.

How much did we feed them ? some one may ask. There
need be no mistake on this point. I put the food in and pushed it
down until they were full — until I could see it. A pretty habit of
theirs was, when full, to pass the proffered morsel to a next neigh¬
bour, a bit of politeness characteristic of this gentle and interesting
bird.

To keep my little pets from straying and becoming a prey to
prowling cats, I made of chicken-wire a cage on the lawn, and rigged
perches in it on which they would snuggle up to each other in the
most affectionate way.

At night I took them into the house, in a little wicker
basket, for safe keeping, putting them out each morning.

From the first, they showed a most remarkable absence of
fear, and not the slightest aversion to being handled.

About two weeks of faithful feeding and care, I began to wish
that my birds could help themselves, so that I might feel justified in
giving them their freedom.

But it is a trait of young birds not to feed themselves as
long as somebody else will do it for them, so that it was not until
July 31, sixteen days from the day they came, that I brought myself
to the point of letting them go.

After breakfast that morning, I took their basket up into the
berry patch, where they could find plenty of food, and not without
considerable reluctance, gave them up to Nature’s keeping. They
showed no special delight at being free. They flew about the berry
bushes and up into the pine trees, occasionally returning to perch
upon my arm or shoulder, and I soon found it was not so easy to
turn off foster children. If I was ready to let them go, they were
by no means ready to give me up.

About this time I was doing some rustic work a short distance

316 On five little waxivings and hoiv they grew.

from the house and for days the little creatures were my almost
constant companions, flying about in the maples over my head and
coming down every little while to get their bread and milk, a saucer
of which I kept on the ground by me.

Wherever I was about the place they were liable to appear.
Each morning as I stepped on the porch their cry greeted me, and
instantly four little monoplanes would be coming full speed toward
me. I always threw up my arm for a perch, and they would suffer
me to carry them thus about the grounds and to the house.

Their familiar, enticing ways were completely captivating, for
if it was beautiful to have them so tame in captivity, it was perfectly
charming to have them show such trust and confidence when at
liberty, and I was their willing slave while the little drama lasted.

Two of the birds I was always able to identify — one, the
only one of the brood that had the sealing-wax tips on his wing
feathers, and another who had a white spot on his shoulder, where
he had lost a feather. This last was tamer than all the rest. After
his breakfast of bread and milk, he would perch on my finger by the
half hour. He seemed to like the warmth at his feet, and I would
carry him thus perched into the house and up-stairs, to show to my
wife, who perchance had not yet risen. Then he would sit in the
kitchen rocker for a time. When I Held him up in front of my
face, he would peer into my eyes, throw up his crest, and twist
his head from side to side, evidently studying me quite as much
as I was studying him.

Then he would pull at the hairs of my moustache, perhaps
thinking it might make good nest material.

For two weeks this pretty intercourse lasted. Gradually
their visits grew less frequent. Finally, one morning at breakfast,

I heard the well-known cry, and, hurrying out on to the verandah,

I found two of the birds taking their breakfast of bread and milk —
the red -tipped one and my tame one.

I noticed at once something unusual in their behaviour.
There was something strangely hurried and urgent in their manner,
as if important business was to be attended to.

Hurriedly they swallowed their bread and milk, just for a
moment my favourite perched on my finger, then with a whirr they

A visit to Brinsop Court.

317

were off and I never saw them again, to know them. For many
days I heard their cry — a singularly elusive note, amongst the cedars
by the brook, and sometimes saw large flocks of waxwings, which
my birds had doubtless joined. Dear little Comrades ! I shall never
see or hear a waxwing without tender thoughts of the little creatures
who gave me a month of such genuine pleasure.

A VISIT TO BRINSOP COURT.

By A Guest.

Readers of this Magazine have already gamed from the
Editor’s pen glimpses of the home that is his, and seem to know
all his birds quite well. Mr. Astley has given us many interesting
facts in the old history of Brinsqp Court, but the charm of the
place it is beyond his power to convey — or anyone’s. For it lies
in the dream of its sleepy hollow, wrapped in the memories of its
ancient past, yet kind and gracious to those who treat it lovingly
in a century of clamour and of stress. The grey stone walls,
lichened stone slabs of its roof, quaint brick chimneys and mullioned
windows are reflected in the water of a moat. The heart of the
buildings is in a courtyard enclosed on every side by walls (some of
them half timbered) and therefore quite unsuspected until one
glances down from a gallery upon its repose. The moat is, with
an adjoining pond, the chief home of the waterfowl ; but there is
another and more distant moat enclosing a meadow beyond.

Practically all the ducks usually seen in collections are there at
Brinsop, besides Japanese, Ringed and Cinnamon Teal (the last
really a Shoveller) and best of all Falcated and Cotton Teal; the
Falcated drake " on the occasion of this visit wras in most perfect
plumage. The swans include Black-necked and Coscoroba, and the
geese Ruddy-headed, Bar-headed, Lesser White-fronted and others,
including the dear little “ mewing” geese (Maned geese) which Mr.
Astley has described to us before now.

The aviaries and their inhabitants are already well-known to
us, but it is delightful to go through them, and also to see in a

Is the Falcated duck a true teal ? — ED.

318

A visit to Brinsop Court.

separate cage the Motmot, very proud from having lately had his
wonderful racquets appreciatingly described in print.

The most noticeable birds at Brinsop — if only because the
biggest and the noisiest — are the Flamingoes and the Cranes. Two
species of flamingo are represented, the European and the Mexican.
It is not often that one has an opportunity of seeing a flamingo
swim, but one part of their pond is deep and the flamingoes often
cross in this way. They manage their long legs wonderfully well
when swimming, and make very good progress. If I remember
rightly they keep their necks still and do not move the head and
neck as a swimming heron does. They sleep so much in the day¬
time that they are very wide awake and talkative at night ; when¬
ever you happen to wake up for a moment you hear the flamingoes
arguing.

The cranes are in paddocks — the Sarus, Native Companion and
Manchurian — but in a large meadow away from these a pair of White-
necked cranes were nesting. They had been at it for over a month
and nothing had happened, so the one egg was removed : it was addled.
It was very interesting to see the way the birds behaved while this
was being done. Both in turn pretended to be injured, though the
hen was perhaps the better actor of the two. She crouched on the
ground with wings "widely extended, and so went trailing through
the buttercups, hoping to lure us away. Going through these
manoeuvres the pair gradually withdrew to a greater distance while
the robbery was going on. They did not know the egg had been
taken, and were so overjoyed to see us leave the ground that
straightway they began a dance ; they drew themselves up to their
full height and then advanced by two stiff little dancing steps at a
time, calling all the while. So they came back, nearer and nearer
to the nest which they inspected closely. The poor hen thought
that though she could not see the egg it must be there, and that
she would be able to feel it, so she sat down on the nest. But it
was no good, no egg was there, so very soon she gave it up, and the
pair walked off’ and pretended to forget all about it.

One of the prettiest things at Brinsop Court are the House
martins. There are many nests (in spite of the robber sparrows)
and one row of them is low down under a roof near the front door.

My Bird Neighboxirs.

319

You cannot quite reach them with your hand but very nearly so. The
confiding little birds chose that place because they felt sure that the
sparrows would not dare to come so low : and they were right. Not
only so, but the martins by finishing the hole extra small — so small
that they can only just squeeze in — have in any case made it
impossible for a sparrow to enter.

For one who has been there, Brinsop Court remains as a
delightful memory of wings and water, sunshine and song.

MY BIRD NEIGHBOURS.

By Mrs. L. H. Toussaint, Rio, St. Lucie Co., Florida.

[ From “ Bird-Lore .”]

My bird family usually consists of eight Florida Jays, six
Florida Blue Jays, one Brown Thrasher, five pairs of Cardinals,
four Mourning Doves, three pairs of Towhees, about a dozen Grackles,
one pair of Woodpeckers, a covey of Quail, and a Sandhill Crane.
These I feed regularly ; of course, there are many others in the
orange grove that are not so tame. Then we have numerous small
birds that devour the worms on mulberry trees. My Jays and
other birds are very tame. We buy crackers wholesale, wheat,
corn, unroasted peanuts, and grape-nuts for the birds. The Cardinals,
Towhees, and Quail love the wheat ; all eat crackers ; the Crane
and Jays eat corn ; the Grackles eat crackers, and always soak
them in water before eating ; they also eat table scraps. I like to
have the flocks of Grackles arrive in the fall, they so often bring
visitors with them, generally Red- winged Blackbirds. Peanuts are
the Jays’, Cardinals’, and Towhees’ speciality. The Jays will take
them out of my apron-pocket. I always carry nuts with me, as
I am sure to meet the birds somewhere. The Cardinals fly to the
windowsill, and if they see me inside, chirp for peanuts, then they fly
to the door. They are always the last to come for supper, and I
am sure I could get them to eat from my hand if the Jays were
not so jealous that they will not allow it.

My Crane eats raw meat, fried pork, and sometimes crackers,
but his favourite food is grape-nuts soaked in milk and formed
into pellets ; he also eats insects.

320

My Bird Neighbours.

My garden and greenhouse are always full of birds I feed
them and they hunt insects for me. My greenhouse is made of
laths, and the birds can fly in from top or sides ; when I am
working there they keep me company. The Jays fly on to my
head or shoulder and beg, and if I don’t pay attention to them
they pull my hair and pinch my ears, or pull the hair-pins out
of my hair, until I give them peanuts. When I sprinkle the
plants, they fly back and foi'th through the spray. They sit on top
of the shed for me to give them a shower-bath, fluff their feathers
and stay until they are soaked. When I turn the water on
the Crane, he dances.

The Florida Jays are most intelligent, If I give them a
whole peanut and then hand them a kernal or two, they will look
at the kernals, lay the whole peanut in my hand, take the kernals
back in their throat, and then take the whole peanut. The Jays
are not afraid of snakes ; I have seen them alight on a snake and
pick it and scream. When one gives the danger-signal, the
others all fly to him and join in the uproar, showing us where
the snake is. One day, while killing an adder, one Florida Jay
was on my head and another on my shoulder, both screaming with
excitement. I have found the Florida blue Jay the hardest to
tame, but I succeeded after a great amount of patience in coaxing
them to perch on my hand for peanuts ; when they brought their
young, it did not take two weeks to tame them.

Birds have dispositions like people ; some are so gentle and
sweet, others regular little bullies ; they tease each other and play,
and they love to be flattered.

My Cardinals bring their young here to be fed, and when
they can feed themselves the old birds leave and I see nothing of
them for severals weeks ; when they come back and chase the
young ones away to ‘ shift ” for themselves.

I had a very tame Woodpecker which was fond of peanuts ;
he would sit or hang on my little finger, while a Jay sat on my
thumb, taking cut peanuts from my palm. One day I noticed
that he had difficulty in eating and, on examination, I found that
his tongue was broken in half, the lower part being so swollen he

Miscellaneous Notes from Brinsop Court.

321

could not swallow. Before we could devise means to help him,
he disappeared.

Jack, my Sandhill Crane, and I go to the grove almost
every morning to hunt insects, He digs into the ground the length
of his hill and brings out fat grubs, which apparently he hears beneath
the surface. On one occasion he dug out a mole and killed it. We
have a large variety of spiders that live in holes in the ground ;
when Jack sees one of these holes he chuckles and makes a dive
for it. Our negroes are all very fond of Jack, and he has his
favourite among them. When this man is hoeing, Jack follows
him to get the insects he turns out, talking and chuckling all the
time. He has a great variety of calls, and when hungry grunts
or utters a fretting note ; when he is pleased he chuckles ; and he
spreads his wings and hisses like a goose when a Buzzard, Osprey,
or Eagle flies by. We talk to him as we would to a dog, and he
seems to understand us. About once a week he goes flying and,
after circling around the place, lands in the grove and waits for
us ; or sometimes walks back when, if the sand is hot, he stands
in his bath-tub to cool his feet. Every evening before he goes
to bed he dances, and the more we applaud the more active he
becomes.

One of our friends had a pair of Egrets, He found the
two young in the nest; the mother bird, with six other bodies,
lay in a heap with wings and plumes taken. He raised the
birds and had them a long time. One sickened and died, the
other must have lived four years longer, when he was killed
by a Horned Owl.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES FROM
BRINSOP COURT.

I had hoped for hybrids from my male orange-headed bull¬
finch, ( P. erythrocephalus ) and a female British bird. Last year they
had three nests, but all three eggs were clear. This year the hen
bullfinch has again had eggs, apparently with the same result. Yet
the two birds are devoted to one another.

322

Miscellaneous Notes from Brinsop Court.

The male orange-headed bullfinch, from the Himalayas, is

delightfully tame in a large aviary. He is really named “ red-headed,'’

but the colour is not the least red, even in the wild birds — at the

best, it is a good orange.

****

The one Australian blue wren that I have had since July,

1914, has just partly come into colour, it being the approach of Spring

time in this lovely little bird’s native land. My bird is in perfect

condition, and very sprightly with his long tail cocked up ; but he is

always of a timid nature. He has a tiny song, somewhat resembling

that of a golden-crested wren.

* 4 * «

My ten flamingos are looking very fine now, after their moult,
which began, I think, earlier this summer. Of the two red Mexican
flamingos, the female always remains pale in colour.

I find they are very fond of soaked dog biscuit, two or three

of which I put in water over night.

* * * *

The cotton teal, the males of which little company were
beautiful during April, May and June; have gone into the eclipse
plumage.

♦ * * *

The Motmot, who figured in a coloured plate in the magazine,
is moulting for the third time since I have had him. A most omniv¬
orous bird as to food, a cut up sparrow, chopped lettuce and sow

thistle, fruit of any kind, cheese or cake, etc. ; all are welcomed.

** ♦ * *

He escaped from his cage one day, when it was in the garden,
but he flew straight into the loggia and from there, into the dining
parlour.

* * * •

I have been greatly tempted to let him loose again ! I don’t

think he would go far.

* * « *

The loud croaking of the pink crested touracos on warm days

sounds very tropical.

I have had to try and make them do without fruit, and they
have taken to boiled rice mixed with 1 suttoo,’ which is a kind of pea-
meal from India. They lived on apples, for the most part, from

September to May.

♦ * * *

There is always war! “Big fleas have little fleas, etc.”

Correspondence.

323

A male Sarus Crane became so dangerous, that he had to be

penned up. His mode of attack if any resistance was shewn, was to

jump in the air at people and then lunge out with his powerful bill.

When one day he finally pecked my wife on one of her eyelids, just

missing the eye, I went for him : but I was armed with a shovel with

which I had been cleaning out poultry houses.

* * * *

The great bird fenced with me, and to prevent his thrusts, I

waved the shovel up and down. At the moment of a downward

stroke, the crane rushed in, and I inadvertantly caught him a whack

on the top of his head, and he dropped like a dead bird. Indeed I

thought it was his end. It reminded me of the illustration in

Thackeray’s, “ The Rose and the Ring,” when King Padella was

floored with a warming-pan.

* * * *

I lifted the bird up, and supported his head which hung down

limply, and in a few minutes signs of returning vitality were seen.

Finally he opened his eyes, looked at me as much as to say — “ where

am I, and what are you doing?” and actually struggled to his feet

and w7ent for me again ! Never did I see anything so undefeated.
* * * *

Really a horrible bird ; for if one throws him food, he will
walk round growling like a vicious dog. Last year one of his wings
wras broken, it was said by a bullock in the field, but I have my
doubts, and could not blame anyone for using a big stick in
self-defence. A Hun amongst birds !

Hubert d. astley.

CORRESPONDENCE, NOTES, ETC

THE ILLUSTRATION FUND.

A member, whose identity is to remain unknown, has most generously
given a cheque for £40 toward the expenses of the illustration fund, etc., since it
is evident that the magazine cannot be kept up as it is, especially with increased
expenses in connection with printing, etc , upon the income derived from subscrip¬
tions, a certain number of which are not sent in at all regularly. Up to August,
129 MEMBERS had NOT paid ! ! But we would wish to appeal to members
not to permit one or two generous donors to bear all the extra expense in making
the two ends of the balance sheet meet, Will not a good many send half a crown
or five shillings ? The treasurer has had some anxious days with regard to the

324

Correspondence.

financial position, and he is furthermore constantly working in connection with
the War. The Editor has lately received some beautiful full-page photographs
from Nairobi, sent by Dr. V. G. L. Van Someren, which certainly ought to be
reproduced for the magazine.

Will not members who have neglected to send their subscriptions, add, for
conscience sake, five shillings ?

BRANDLING WORMS.

DEAR Sir, — ‘ Secretarius ’ is clearly right in his identification of the
worms as brandlings ; and his discovery that they are suitable food for ouzels, at
any rate is interesting and useful, and I must admit, a great surprise to me. At
the same time, I do not regret having sounded a note of warning as to the general
use of brandlings ; some birds can eat unscoured gentles without disaster .

. . quod cibus .... venenum . . . . !

I am, yours, etc., TAVISTOCK.

RESIGNATION OF THE HON. SECRETARY.

It is with the greatest regret that we have to announce the resignation of
Dr. L. LOVELL-KEAYS as Hon. Sec. He has been very unwell, and further¬
more has now offered himself for service in the army. This is a real loss to the
Society, for there has never been anyone, holding the post of Hon. Sec., who
has been keener or more helpful. Dr. Lovell-Keays has thrown himself into the
work with the greatest enthusiasm, backed by experience and knowledge of the
first order.

BREEDING OF YELLOW-WINGED SUGAR-BIRDS.

MISS CHAWNER writes to the Editor : “ You will be interested I know to
hear that two little Yellow-winged sugar-birds left their nest this morning and
are comfortably perched on twigs near to it. Their mother now feeds them on
sop as well as live food which is a relief, as the weather seems to have broken and
sweeping may become difficult. They were a fortnight old yesterday and are
well feathered for their age, Sunday however very nearly bore out its reputation
for catastrophe, for when I went to the aviary this morning one nestling was
hanging and doing ‘ roast pig,’ having got entangled in the tow-lining of the nest.
Fortunately it had not long been thus and seems none the worse now. The
hot weather has brought them on much more quickly and they are now as
well feathered and strong as their brothers were at the age of seventeen days. I
hope presently to be able to report that they have begun to feed themselves.
This brood has been reared mainly on those little grey moths which abound in
meadows just now, and I fell back on stick insects instead of mealworms, when
the dew was too heavy for ‘ sweeping ’ Let us hope that the weather this time
will be kind till the little ones can fend for themselves. It will be interesting to
see how long their beaks take growing, they are quite short at present.”

Lyndhzirst, 13th August, 1916.

The Avicultural Magazine

RED-WINGED BUSH-SHRIKE.

( 1'elephonens Australis minor.)

Photo, by V. G. L. van Someren.

Adlard & West Newman

THE

325

Avicultural Magazine,

BEING THE JOURNAL OF
THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.

Third Series. — VoL VII. — No. 12. — All rights reserved . OCTOBER, 1916.

NOTES ON THE
RED-WINGED BUSH SHRIKE.

Telephones australis minor.

By Dr. V. G. L. VAN Someren, M.B.O.U., etc.

Our Editor has sent me an appeal for notes on birds of this
country and I hasten to comply.*

In British East Africa we have many kinds of Shrikes of
divers colours, shapes and sizes, but in the majority of cases they
are of a quiet, docile disposition, and are therefore eminently suited
for aviaries. They are easy to keep and make an interesting
addition to one’s runs.

A glance at the accompanying plates will give one a good idea
as to the colouration of the species under notice. In newly-moulted
birds the mantle is an ashy brown with an ochraceous tinge ; the
crown slightly more tinged with brown ; the supercilliary stripe,
whitish outlined above and below with black, the lower line passing
through the eye ; the underside from chin to under-tail coverts
whitish, tinged with ashy-grey on the breast and ashy grey-brown
on the flanks.

The tail feathers are black, with white tips, except for the
central pair which are dark grey cross-banded with black.

The wings are a red brown when closed, but when opened
reveal the inner webs which are a brownsh black. Although not
possessing any striking or brilliant colour as is the case in some of
the Chlorophoneus group, these birds by virtue of their movements
and general deportment are extremely attractive.

* We hope Dr. van Someren will give us many more. — ED.

326

Notes on the Bing-winged bush shrike.

They are rather skulking in their habits and frequent the
dense scrub and thick foliaged trees, and do not trouble to fly off
if one approaches the bush in which they are hiding. For this
reason they are easily caught, one has simply to place a trap of the
nightingale type under bushes frequented by these birds and one is
almost certain to catch two or more.

After the second day of captivity, they become very tame and
can be turned into a large run and are soon quite at home, and will
come forward to be fed from the hand. I have had a fine pair for
the last nine months and they are as fit to-day as when newly caught.

During the breeding season these birds are very tame, and
with a little care, patience, and trouble will allow one to sit by
the nest while one of the parents broods and the other sits in the
bush not far off. It was in this way that I procured the photos
which accompany these notes. Unlike the Eed-backed Shrike,
these birds almost invariably nest in the base of some thick bush,
low down to the ground, and seldom in a thorny one. They make
little or no use of a larder, for their food consists principally of
soft insects, grubs, caterpillars, young stick insects, mantis, and
grasshoppers. White ants, too, form part of their dietary.

As far as possible I endeavour to keep my birds on this food,
but occasionally have to give them hard-boiled egg into which a little
white cheese has been grated.

I have lately had a nest of this bird under observation : it
contains three young about four days old, and every day I take a
saucer full of egg and cheese to the nesting-place and sprinkle it
on the ground near by. The parents at once come down and feed
the young on the mixture. If the male bird sees me going to
the spot he at once lets his mate know of my approach by uttering
a churring note and flying into the nearest tall tree from which he
glides down with wings outspread towards the nest, the while utter¬
ing his call note, which consists of three loud clear notes, followed
by a series of notes in descending scale and volume. This call and
glide is part of the courting performance.

The colour of the eggs of this species is a pale pink, with
Indian red or crimson brown streaks and spots. Two or three form
the clutch, though four have occasionally been found.

The Avicultural Magazine.

RED-WINGED BUSH-SHRIKE ON NEST.

( Teleplioneus Australis minor.)

Photo by V. G. L van Someren.

Adlard & West Newman.

The Avicultural Magazine.

RED-WINGED BUSH-SHRIKE.

(Telephoncus Australis minor.)

Photo, by V. G. L. van Someren.

Adlard & West Newman.

The imitative 'power of birds. 327

THE IMITATIVE POWER OF BIRDS.

By Dr. A. G. Butler.

In an article on Bird Song in the September No. of our
Magazine “Birdlover” asks — “does each species possess a definite
congenital song?” and he comes to the conclusion that it does,
because if not “ What is there to prevent the young from assimila¬
ting the notes of the more vociferous individuals of other species in
the vicinity of their nest, if song is an individual acquirement, a
mere matter of imitation.” If our friend had read a very careful
treatise by the late Charles A. Witchell entitled “ The evolution of
Bird-song with observations on the influence of heredity and imita¬
tion” he would have been aware that this is exactly what frequently
happens in the case of wild birds.

Undoubtedly the song of many species appears to be heredi¬
tary, though in the case of the best singers the performance of two
individuals of the same species, while similar in character, is utterly
dissimilar in detail. Two Song-thrushes may have certain phrases
in common, but their songs as a whole always differ, and so it is
with several of the best singers : moreover many of them introduce
into their music parts of the songs of other birds. It is not only
the Mocking-birds of the New World which delight our ears with a
combination of the melodies of other and varied performers ; I have
heard our Song'thrush and Blackbird, when singing against a Night¬
ingale in a Kentish plantation, steal many of his phrases to improve
their own songs.

As a general rule a young bird in the nest hears its father’s
(or its mother’s song, for many hen birds singt) performance far
more frequently than that of other species, and consequently its own
song is likely to be similar in character ; but that this is not in¬
variably the case is certain from the fact which I recorded (British
Birds with their nests and eggs, Yol. I., p. 119) of a cock Sedge-
Warbler singing the song of a Blackcap. The late Mr. Edward A.
Fitch, of Maldon in Essex, who was with me insisted that the nest

* Published in 1896 by Adam and Charles Black:

t A hen robin which followed me about my garden, whenever it saw me weeding
this year, sang repeatedly, rather to my surprise as I had never heard a hen
robin sing before.

328

Dr. A. G. Butler,

of the bird must be that of a Blackcap because of the song of the
male parent : by successfully handrearing one of the young I proved
that my identification of the nest was correct, much to my friend’s
surprise.

Handrearing wild birds is an excellent test of the character of
bird-utterances. Call-notes and notes of alarm, which are bird-
language as distinct from its song, are generally, probably invariably,
inherited ; although domestication sometimes adds considerably to
the number of notes of a similar character ; but the song proper (in
the majority of cases I believe) is only learned by hearing a cock
bird of its own species singing during its upbringing ; if another kind
of musician performs regularly in its vicinity it will learn the song of
that bird in place of its natural one. Even a Skylark or Wagtail,
the songs of which are inherited, may introduce phrases from the
melodies of other performers near to them.

The same individual bird does not always repeat identically
the same song, as though it were a gramophone record : as I have
noted elsewhere my hen Hangnest sang nine utterly dissimilar songs,
giving the preference to two of them which were frequently uttered ;
none of them was in the least like that of my old cock Hangnest ;
moreover the love-song and the fighting-song (which I should think
would probably be similar to, if not identical with, that sung by the
hangnests and some other birds wrhen in great pain or terror) are not
alike. Before the war I obtained gramophone-records of the love-
song and the fighting-song of the Nightingale from Germany : * to
be sure they are both very inferior to the performances of the wild
bird, but they indicate the different character of the two, although
not quite correctly : the love-song should begin with the long-drawn
soft plaintive whistle repeated from four to nine times, which is
quite as characteristic of the bird as the water-bubble note, — the so-
called “jug-jug”: I have heard the Blackcap imitating the latter and
other of the notes of the more refined singer in the Kentish woods.

It is of course well known that caged wild birds frequently
pick up the notes of other birds in their vicinity : my old Hangnest
still occasionally utters the metallic chyang which it picked up from

* I wish I had waited until now, as the British branch of “ His Master’s Voice ’
now issues both on one disc at a considerably lower price (B- 390. Cat. No.)

on the imitative power of birds.

329

my Blue-bearded Jay, although the latter bird died seven years ago :
it is not therefore surprising, if an adult example learns and retains
permanently the notes of other species, that young nestlings should
often acquire and incorporate with, or substitute for, their proper
song that uttered by some loud-tongued neighbour.

The song of birds is supposed to have originated from the
more simple call and alarm-notes repeated and modified : they still
frequently recur as parts of the song ; indeed, as Charles Witchell
points out, the goldfinch, house-sparrow and linnet appear to con¬
struct their songs wholly of call-notes and danger-cries, and he
indicates many other British species whose songs consist chiefly of
a repetition of single cries.

Although Witchell mentions certain birds, the females of wh;ch
are recorded by Rennie as singing, viz.; the redstart, blackbird, willow-
warbler and bullfinch, I think he is wrong in his statement that
“ songs are generally uttered by male birds only.” I think he should
have said that song is more characteristic of male than of female
birds. The hen green singing finch, canary, siskin, goldfinch, skylark,
and probably numerous others are able to sing and do sometimes
enliven us: Witchell admits that the female starling sings, and he
quotes Bechstein’s authority for the subdued warbling of both sexes
of the nightingale when courting. As both sexes hear the song of
their father while in the nest, it would be rather strange if male
youngsters alone acquired the power of imitating it in after life ;
but as the song of birds is an expression of excitement and, so far
as one can judge by watching birds in aviaries, seems not to be in
the least attractive to their wives, the less excitable hens cannot be
expected to sing so frequently as their husbands.

Song-thrushes sometimes sing when fighting, as F, St. Mars
points out in his nature-story in the Red Magazine for Sept. 1st,
p. 440 : loud music will also start them off and especially a brass
band, as too naturally the pursuit of the female : but it has always
seemed to me that hen birds were more scared than attracted by their
lovers’ musical efforts ; on the other hand the soft love-calls do
appear to please them.

In captivity, many birds whose song consists only of harsh
call-notes or screeches can be taught both to whistle tunes and talk :

330

The Marquis of Tavistock,

there is therefore no reason that I can see why they should not with
equal ease learn to sing the songs of melodious birds : yet I have
never heard any of the Crow or Parrot groups reciting the wild songs
of other birds, although they frequently pick up their single notes :
surely if a parrot can learn to repeat the tunes and words of three
songs in succession, as the late Mr. Abrahams’ Amazon did, it should
be capable of learning the song of a Blackbird.

BREEDING NOTES— AND OTHERS-
FOR 1916.

By the Marquis OF Tavistock.

The breeding season of 1916 has been principally remarkable,
as far as my own birds are concerned, for hopes unfulfilled. This
has been due, not I think to bad weather, but to the fact that most
of my stock are confined in small temporary quarters owing to the
war, and while perfectly healthy and contented, are deprived of what
I believe to be a sine qua non for the successful breeding of most
parrots — abundant exercise for many months previous to the nesting
season. I have therefore to record ‘ clear eggs ’ with monotonous
frequency.

A hen Banksian cockatoo, kept with a cock Western black
cockatoo in a small outdoor aviary, laid a single egg last autumn and
incubated on the floor of her cage without result, as the male bird
was quite indifferent to, and rather afraid of her, and cared only for
human society. About a fortnight after ceasing to sit, she laid a
second infertile egg, but made no attempt to incubate it. A few
months ago, to our great surprise, the G. stellatus was seen to feed
his companion, who indeed ceased to take any food but what he gave
her. She again laid on the floor of the cage, disdaining the nest-
box, but though she sat steadily for three weeks, the egg was clear
and her efforts were unavailing. At the time of writing she seems
about to lay a fourth egg. I may add that his marriage has in no
way spoiled the cock’s temper and he continues as friendly as ever
to the human race.

A pair of gang-gang cockatoos nested in a box in a large cage

Breeding notes — and others— for 1916.

331

and incubated their three eggs steadily but without result. The
cock sat quite as much as the hen, as is the custom with these birds
when at liberty.

A hen Lutino Indian Ringneck — lent me by Mr. Ezra — paired
with a green cock and laid four eggs which were clear. The birds
were in a small indoor flight.

A hen Lutino Plumhead also laid three eggs, but as she is a
bird of suffragistic views and will not tolerate a male member of her
species anywhere near her, it is not surprising that her attempt to
perpetuate her species “ on her own ” likewise ended in failure.

A pair of Barraband’s parrakeets in a small indoor aviary had
clear eggs, and some Blue-winged Grass parrakeets fared no better.

A pair of Guiana parrotlets nested twice in a big cage without
result and seem disposed to make a third attempt. The cock feeds
the hen on the nest and spends a good deal of time with her in the
box, but I do not think he ever incubates the eggs himself.

A pair of Eed-capped Parrakeets which had passed the winter
in a large cage, nested in an outdoor aviary, but the eggs were clear
as on a previous occasion. I have no doubt that I could breed these
birds if I could winter them out-of-doors, but the species is so rare
and so subject to chills that I do not like risking my last pair.

Stanley parrakeets have always failed with me when the cocks
have been caged during the winter, so last year I determined to leave
my best cocks out of doors. Of four hens, one did not breed, one
became egg-bound and was saved with great difficulty, and the re¬
maining two laid five eggs each and hatched and reared three and
two young birds respectively.

A young hen Redrump — bought chiefly out of pity and a
desire to terminate her unhappy existence in a small cage in a dealer’s
shop — was so grateful, apparently for her release, as to pair at once
with a newly acquired cock, go to nest in an aviary containing
several other birds and hatch a family, which she is now engaged
in rearing.

A young Port Adelaide parrakeet, bred at liberty and living
free, paired with a Cuban Amazon parrot and nested in an oak tree.
Unfortunately the parrot died or was killed before she had a chance
of hatching her eggs. This odd couple were much attached to each

332

Dr. Graham Renshaw,

other and nearly plucked a King parrakeet, who was so ill advised
as to try and interfere with their house-keeping.

Since moving part of my collection to Hampshire and the
Isle of Wight, I have been greatly troubled by cases of cerebral
hoemorrhage among my birds— a disease I hardly ever had a case of
in the Midlands. An Albino Grey parrot, a very charming talking
bullfinch, a Stanley parrakeet, a Hooded, two Many-colours, and
several Red-vented blue-bonnets have all fallen victims within the
past year. I am positive that neither old age, excitement, fear, nor
over-feeding had anything to do with these birds’ illness, which I
am inclined, for want of a better solution, to connect with the very
hard water one gets here. The use of boiled water seems to decrease
the mortality.

CUVIER’S PODARGUS.

By Graham Renshaw, M.D., F.R.S.E.

Owing to the extra trouble involved in their upkeep, birds
which require to be hand-fed are comparatively rare in confinement.
This very rarity, however, renders them interesting, and much
remains to be learnt of their behaviour and habits. For instance,
Cuvier’s Podargus, an Australasian form, is but seldom imported into
Europe, and is practically unknown to aviculture. This is unfortu¬
nate, as the bird is very quaint and interesting, and is a species which
deserves to be much better known than it is.

Cuvier’s Podargus ( Podargus cuvier) is a small form of
Podargus strigoides of Australia. These birds are very mutable,
both in size and colour : some individuals are light greyish brown,
others are darker, others again are markedly rufous. In spite of
their mottled plumage, crepuscular habits, and wide mouths, they
have no real affinity with the nightjars which they outwardly re¬
semble : their anatomical structure revealing important differences
from that of the latter birds.

I

The first specimen seen alive at the Zoo. — and probably the
first seen alive in England — was purchased on January 14th, 1862.
Apparently it did well in the menagerie, living till 1866 : its anatomy
was afterwards investigated by the Society’s prosector. Other ex-

on Cuvier’s Podargus.

333

amples of this or allied species have been exhibited at rare intervals
in the Regent’s Park collection. One of these later accessions
attained to newspaper fame, a sketch of it appearing some fifteen
years ago in an illustrated weekly. The bird was depicted solemnly

perched on a tombstone, with a full moon shining, serene and bright,
behind it. Beneath ran the legend : —

'‘A neiv arrival at the Zoo: the Podargus. The Podargus swalloivs
young mice with the same freedom ; that a canary sivalloius hemp
seed. Its favourite habit is to sit on tombstones.”

A Cuvier’s Podargus studied by the writer several years ago
remained awake though sluggish during the daytime : wThen ap-

334

Breeding of the Pink-crested Touraco.

proached it was quite alert, fixing its beautiful golden eyes upon
the intruder. It IS A MISTAKE TO DESCRIBE THESE BIRDS AS
ASLEEP DURING DAYLIGHT, AS IS DONE IN BOOKS ON NATURAL
HISTORY. The resting attitude of Cuvier’s Podargus is entirely
different from that of a nightjar: the Podargus half stands, half
clings, pressing closely against the trunk of the tree in which it
shelters, whereas the nightjar squats ALONG the branch on which
it perches. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing — the writer
recollects a stuffed Podargus in a provincial museum which had
been mounted in a nightjar attitude— perched ALONG a branch —
by the taxidermist, who no doubt prided himself on his special
knowledge. The tongue of Cuvier’s Pogargus is very curious, like
a filament of horn protruded from the mouth.

In captivity, the present species may he fed on raw meat,
which should he previously soaked in water. It will also take meal¬
worms and cockroaches, and even houseflies, though the latter,
engulfed in its enormous mouth, recall the familiar needle in the
bundle of hay ! When the beak is opened, the enormous gape
extends so far backwards as almost to appear to split the head in two.
If alarmed the Podargus elongates and stiffens its body, and thus in
its mottled plumage simulates the stump of a branch. The illusion
is perfected by the bird’s grasp of the bark, as it clings in a slanting
posture to the rough wood.

So rare is Cuvier’s Podargus in captivity that in many years
experience of European Zoos, the writer has never come across it.
Some ten years ago, however, a single individual was advertised for
sale in this country.

BREEDING OF THE PINK-CRESTED
TOURACO.

Turacus erythroloplius.

One pair of my pink crested touracos have nested, one young
bird being hatched, which lived until it was feathering nicely ; but
unfortunately, I think owing to desertion on the part of the parents,
I found it dead in the nest on the 5th of September.

It was the size of a big thrush, with black down, and blackish

Bird Life on Yanko Creek , N.S.W.

335

feathers coming through, the secondaries of the wings were dull
bottle-green. The bird was in good condition, and it is a thousand
pities it succumbed. Had I taken it and reared it by hand, I
believe it would have lived.

The nest was built of fine sticks on the top of a collection of
dead branches, and resembled a wood-pigeon’s. It was about nine
feet up in a dark corner of one of the roosting houses.

The female touraco was an excellent mother up to the 4th of
September, and when the young bird was first hatched (as I sup¬
posed) pecked at my hand when I climbed up one day in early August,
thinking that she was still on eggs which were addled. When I
had a fleeting glimpse of what looked like a black toad, I hastily
descended.

The young bird had not yet acquired the formation of the
adult’s feet, that is with two toes in front and two at the hack, as in
the case of the Cuckoo ; its feet showed no sign of this, although
the bird was in no way malformed. The three front toes were
perfectly level in each foot, with the back toe in the ordinary
position.

The bird must have been quite a month old.

Hubert D. Astley.

BIRD LIFE ON YANKO CREEK N.S.W.

By Charles Barrett, C.M.Z.S., R.A.O.U., Melbourne.

[We are indebted to “The Emu ’’ for this interesting article.]

Rambles in Riverina in the nesting season are not, perhaps,
always so profitable as those I enjoyed in November, 1913. I owed
my success to the late Mr. Max Eggar, a keen observer, who was
intimately acquainted with the bird life of Jerilderie and surrounding
districts. Delightful days we spent together, wandering across the
plains and along the banks of Yanko Creek. My companion seemed
to know the nesting haunt of every species within a radius of 40
miles. I arrived in Jerilderie with 12 dozen plates, and few
remained unexposed when I left. Many of the photographs
obtained were of subjects that have rarely faced a camera. My

336

Mr. Charles Barrett,

harvest of sun pictures was large, and every hour spent among the
birds was filled with interest. Besides, Mr. Egger gave liberally from
his stock of bird lore, which appeared to be inexhaustible.

A few days were spent in and around the town. White-
browed Wood-Swallows ( Artamus superciliosus ) were nesting in
every tree along the streets, on fence-posts, and other sites. Nests
of the Sordid Wood-Swallow ( A . sorclidus) were also noted. From
the hotel balcony I watched a pair of the former species feeding
three fledgelings, perched in a tree whose branches brushed the
railing. Every few minutes one or other of the parent birds would
come swooping from the sky with a bunch of insects held in its
beak, distribute the food, and shoot into the blue again. At any
time in the day, if one looked overhead, Wood-Swallows could be
seen flecking the sky, some at a great height. “ Sky ” is the local
name for all the species of Artamus that frequent Jerilderie, and it is
both pleasing and suitable, for the birds seem to revel in their
beautiful flight.

In my companion’s garden many birds were nesting. Wood-
Swallows, of course, being in the majority. A box-thorn hedge,
fencing the western side of a paddock, was favoured by Tricoloured
Bush-Chats ( Ephthianura tricolor), and I spent nearly a whole
afternoon with the camera at a nest which contained three heavily-
incubated eggs. The temperature w7as over 100° in the shade, and,
though I protected the camera with the focussing cloth, the base was
cracked by the heat, and several plates were fogged. But I secured
gbod photographs of the male and female Chats at the nest. The
male was much the bolder of the pair, and my long vigil was due
chiefly to the timidity of the female. In bright sunlight, the scarlet
cap and breast of the male, as it sat in the nest, shone like flakes of
fire. Many nests of the Tricoloured Bush-Chat were found in a bed
of star thistles on the outskirts of the town, and others among long,
dry grass in the paddocks. Later, when travelling across the plains,
specimens of the Orange-fronted species ( E . aurifrons ) were
observed, but no nest discovered.

With Mr. Egger I made two trips to Yanko Creek, about 16
miles from Jerilderie. On the first occasion we visited, en route, a
great rookery of the Straw-necked Ibis ( Carphibis spinicollis ) in a

on Bird Life on Yanko Creek, N.S.W.

337

shallow lignum swamp on Yanko Station. The birds are strictly
protected. We estimated that between 15,000 and 20,000 were
nesting at the time of our visit. Some of the bushes supported a
dozen or more nests. There were fresh eggs in nests on the
outskirts of the rookery, while many of those nearer the centre
contained chicks a few days old ; at the hub of the rookery there
were broods nearly ready for flight. The older birds declined to
remain in their nests when the camera was erected near them :
many climbed the top of the bush and clustered ; while others
scrambled or fell into the muddy water, and splashed into the
thickest cover. Alone in a nest was an albino fledgeling ; its
plumage was not pure white, but of a creamy colour, and it was
conspicuous among scores of dusky chicks in neighbouring nests.

Travelling across the plains, I was impressed by the work of
the Ibises. In every paddock there were hundreds of birds warring
on young grasshoppers. It was easy to see that the Ibises enjoy
protection, for they allowed our vehicle to approach fairly close to
them before rising to fly a few yards, and resume their feeding.
Without Carphibis spinicollis to keep them in check, the grasshoppers
would indeed become a terrible burden in Riverina. While we were
at the rookery a boundary-rider galloped up, but he was reassured
when he recognised Max Egger, who had done much to spread
knowledge of the value of the Ibis to pastoralists.

Pink-eared Ducks ( Malacorhynchus membranaceus) breed
in the lignum in this swamp, but we failed to find a nest. It was
rather risky w^ork searching the bushes, for they are favourite resorts
of black snakes. We did not actually see a reptile, but as I thrust
a stick into one bush there was a slithering noise, and I prudently
retired.

On the journey to the creek many nests of the Australian
Crow ( Corvus coronoides) were observed in dead trees. Most of them
were at no great height, and they were conspicuous objects even at a
distance. Though nests were so numerous, few Crows were seen.
Signs of their presence were noted in che Ibis rookery, where many
eggs and nestlings must be destroyed by the black marauders. As
the swamp dries up, Ibises that were late in nesting desert the
unhatched eggs, which are eagerly devoured by Crows and rats.

338

Mr. Charles Barrett,

Yanko Creek is a fine stream, whose banks are lined with big
eucalypts, while the trunks of dead gum-trees rise like twisted grey
columns from the water. We camped in a pleasant spot, where the
ashes of old fires told of former camps enjoyed by my friend and
others. On the morrow, a voyage among the dead gums in a
“ flattie ” took us to the nests of Ducks, Cockatoos, and Parrots.
Thousands of Rose-breasted Cockatoos ( Cacatua roseicapilla ) were
breeding in the hollows, and the clamour made by the birds when
they returned from the feeding grounds was deafening. But their harsh
cries were forgiven, because of the birds’ beauty, Wheeling above
the trees, the noisy flocks presented a picture that will not soon fade
from memory. Rose-pink and silver-grey in the early sunlight
glowed and gleamed alternately against a pale blue sky. The
nestlings offered a harsh contrast to their parents : they are grotesque
and querulous creatures, at the very antipodes of grace and beauty.
Taken from a hollow, two infant Galahs protested vigorously, and,
when placed on a stump, menaced each other as well as the
photographer. Placing my bare hand and arm deep into a Galah’s
nesting hollow, I wondered how the young birds could stand the
high temperature during the blazing November days. One would
hardly be surprised to find their flesh baked brown ; but the heat
really agrees with them. There were hollows in every tree, which
in the great majority of cases were occupied by Galahs. In one tree
we noted seven nests, and many each had three or four.

Several pairs of Cockatoo- Parrots ( Calopsitta novce-hollandice)
were nesting in the hollow limbs of dead trees in the creek. One
nest contained young birds, and we watched them at dinner. The
parent birds shared the duty of feeding the brood. Flying to the
end of the broken branch, the male was greeted with gaping beaks,
and into these, in turn, he regurgitated food. Then he flew away,
and presently the female appeared, and the process was repeated.
Unfortunately, a camera could not be used, as the nursery was in
a slender bough, about 30 feet above the water. Later, a more
accessible nest was discovered, and photographs of young Cockatoo-
Parrots were secured.

Continuing our voyage in the flattie, we next examined the
nest of a pair of Yellow Parrots ( Platycercus flaveolus) in a deep

on Bird Life on Yanko Creek, N.S.W.

339

hollow. The tree trunk was hard and smooth, and to climb to
the nest I was compelled to chop steps in the tough wood ; even
then I had a fall into the boat, and barked my shins severely
before the object was attained. The nest contained four fairly fresh
eggs. My companion remarked that the Yellow Parrot was be¬
coming rare in the district, but in the course of the day two other
nests were found.

In a shallow knot-hole on a huge bent limb a pair of White-
rumped Wood- Swallows ( A . leucogaster ) had a nest, which seemed
beyond our reach. But my companion, after a stiff climb, and at
the risk of a ducking, secured the three nestlings, and we took
them ashore. They were just able to fly, and gave much trouble
to the photographer. One bird, in fact, flew into a tree, where
it was welcomed by the parents. Then the old birds continued
their efforts to rescue the other fledgelings. Repeatedly they darted
down to the branch on which the young ones were perched, and
occasionally made vicious dives at my head. Finally, the whole
family was united again, but the parents were not content until
we left the vicinity of the tree among whose branches the brood
was concealed.

An interesting nest was that of a pair of Black-cheeked Falcons
( Falco melanogenys), in a big hollow, at the height of about 40 feet.
The birds have nested in the same place every season for a number
of years, though I believe that the eggs have been taken more than
once. Several nests of the Nankeen Kestrel ( Cerchneis cencliroides)
were discovered, some being at a great height in living gum-trees.
One nest was in a hollow of a dead tree, on the bank of the creek.
The brood consisted of five, and, as the birds were well grown, they
were awkward to handle. We got them all out of the hollow
eventually, and, ranged on a bough, they made a fine picture. Four
were returned to the nest, but the fifth eluded us, and tumbled into
the creek. We feared it would drown, but, using its wings as
paddles, it managed to reach the other bank, and scrambled ashore,
safe, though bedraggled. The Kestrel preys mostly on small lizards,
field mice, and insects, but when driving into Jerilderie we saw one
swoop at a Wood-Swallow, and bear it aloft in its talons. Such
an occurrence, surely, is rare.

340

Mr. Charles Barrett,

On the return journey to Jerilderie we again called at the
boundary riders’ huts where we had spent the night on the way to
the creek. We learned that White Cockatoos (C. qalerita ) were
nesting in the vicinity, but could not spare the time for a side
excursion to the spot. As we neared the town a dust storm over¬
took us, and for at least three minutes pony, jinkerand ornithologists
were enveloped in darkness. The dust was so thick that we could
hardly breathe, and when the storm had passed we were coated in
grey from head to feet. The dust swooped on us like a moving wall
that towered into the sky. On the plains in summer these storms
frequently occur.

Max Egger, during portion of the year, followed the occupation
of bird-trapping ; he sent large numbers of Galahs and Warbling
Grass-Parrots ( Melopsittacus undulcctus) to dealers in Sydney, re¬
ceiving for the former birds about ninepence each, and less for the
Budgerigars. He asked me to accompany him and two assistants
on a trapping expedition, and I accepted the invitation. My friend
explained that if he did not trap the Galahs the birds would be
poisoned or shot in thousands, as they were regarded as pests by
men on the land. And I found that the trappers were welcomed
wherever land was devoted to wheat-growing. I did not actually see
a Galah attacking wheat, but was shown a field where the ears had
been stripped and the stalks were mostly broken ; this was declared
to be the work of Cockatoos. The evil of poisoning is that not
only Galahs, hut other birds, that are certainly not pests, suffer.

The trapper’s outfit consisted of a waggon surmounted by a
large cage, divided into compartments, a j inker, nets, stakes, call
birds, and so forth. The large vehicle was drawn by two horses.
Leaving Jerilderie early one morning, we travelled slowly northward
across the plains, and towards sundown entered a farm paddock,
where we outspanned for the night. The farmer welcomed us, and
said that the “ Galahs were eating him out.” In the evening, nets
and poles, bagging, and other articles were carried to a crop paddock,
and the trappers soon had everything ready for operations next day.

We were astir before sunrise, for only in the early morning
can trapping be carried on with a good chance of success. Each net
is controlled by a long rope, and the trapper, crouched behind a

on Bird Life on Yanko Creek , N.S.W.

341

screen of bagging against the fence, holds the free end, ready to
give a sharp pull at the right moment. Soon after the eastern sky
became flushed with rose-pink, the colour of the Galah’s breast,
small flocks of the birds came flying toward the paddock from the
trees along Yanko Creek. Gradually the size of the flocks increased,
till there were thousands of the birds in sight. The call birds,
tethered to the nets, “ spoke ” to those in the air, and presently a
flock of about 30 Galahs circled over the net I was watching, and
then alighted. The trapper pulled the rope, the poles leaped together,
and a babel of harsh cries arose. Eleven birds had been caught, and
they were quickly transferred to a box. In the course of an hour
the nets were sprung three times, and the tally of captives was 87 :
this was not considered a particularly good result. The Cockatoos
were transferred to the big cage on the waggon, where they huddled
on the long bamboo perches. Sulky at first, they soon became
resigned to their lot, and ate and drank. In addition to netting
the adult birds, the trappers gather nestlings and rear them.

We moved toward fresh fields before noon, and spent the
night at a farmhouse. One of the two ladies at the homestead was
a lover of wild birds, and had tamed several Galahs without caging
them. All day, she said, these birds were away with the flocks,
but toward sunset they returned to the homestead, where they
remained during the night. I was lucky enough to see three of
these tame wild birds early in the morning, and secured photographs
of them on their favourite perch. The trappers, who had been at
work before I awoke, reported an albino Galah, which they failed to
capture. Max Egger, from a nest in the Jerilderie district, each
season for three years in succession, took two albino fledgelings, and
reared them all. He had one in his aviary, which I photographed.

Several nests of the “ Blue-bonnet ” ( Psepliotus xanthorrhous )
were found in hollows of gum-trees in a paddock near the farm¬
house. One nest was right on the ground, within a hollow trunk,
the entrance hole being some 12 feet above. On another farm we
were introduced to a young Australian Crane or Native Companion
{Antigone australasiana) , which the children had captured and reared
as a pet. The bird, which had the freedom of a small paddock, was
friendly, though it showed some fear of the camera. Its plumage

342

Mr. Charles Barrett,

was similar to that of the adult Crane, but there was still a mass
of beautiful silvery-grey down on the rump and flanks. The legs
were sufficiently developed to enable the young bird to run briskly,
and dodge its pursuers very cleverly when it tired of posing for a
portrait. We heard that, in another locality, no fewer than 400 of
these noble birds had been destroyed by poison.*

Yanko Creek was reached at noon on the third day out from
Jerilderie, and the shade of the gums was very welcome after the
sun-glare and dust of the plains. Max Egger and I had come here
together in the jinker, leaving his two assistants to continue trapping
on the wheat lands. We camped in the old spot. While the billy
boiled we sat in the shade and watched the bird-life of the creek.
A flock of Maned Geese ( Chlamyclochen jubata ) paddled down stream,
within a stone’s throw of our camp. (We had also seen Wood-
Duck earlier in the day, resting under a gum tree near the Ibis
Swamp). Galahs, Yellow Parrots, and many other birds were noted.
After the meal we made a voyage in the flattie, and my harvest of
photographs was increased. On the following day we struck camp
and drove along the creek for several miles, to a beautiful spot, the
haunt of a pair of Delicate Owls ( Strix delicatula). The nest,
which had been found by my companion some weeks previously,
was in a deep hollow of a dead gum-tree standing in the creek. A
natural causeway of logs and debris enabled us to reach the tree
dryshod, but it was not so easy to climb the hard, polished trunk.
But Max Egger, who was a skilled and fearless climher, won to the
nest, and descended carrying a young owl. The queer little bird
was almost enveloped in creamy white down, softer than teased silk,
but its tail and wing feathers were well developed. Perched on a
bough, it blinked sleepily, and made scarce an effort to escape.

When the owls’ nest was discovered, more than a month
previously, it contained eggs. On a second visit, Mr. Egger found
two nestlings, one of which was evidently several days older than
the other, in the hollow. Now there was only only one owlet, the
first-born, no doubt, being somewhere among the trees with its
parents. The beak and legs of the owlet we photogtaphed were

* A most calamitous destruction ! Will more species of Cranes go the way
of the beautiful Whooping Crane of N. America ? — ED.

on Bird Life on Yanko Creek, N.S.W.

343

well developed, but the latter were not strong enough to keep the
bird securely on its perch.

This quiet reach of the creek was also the haunt of a pair of
Boobook Owls ( Ninox boobook), whose nest was in a hollow of a
dead tree a few feet from the bank. It would have been pleasant to
camp there for the night, and watch the owls fitting on noiseless
wings through the shadows and moonbeams among the ancient trees.
But our plans would not permit of this. (The owlet was taken to
Jerilderie, and would have been reared as a gift to the Zoological
Gardens, but it escaped from its box one evening. While in cap¬
tivity it ate sparingly of raw meat.)

Leaving the owls’ haunt we walked to a billabong where
hundreds of budgerigars were nesting in the dead eucalypts. Many
birds were seen entering and quitting hollows, but our boat was
miles away, and all the nest-trees were in deep water. So we had to
be content with watching the Warbling Grass-Parrots. Crossing
the plains, vast flocks of these lovely birds were observed. In a big
hollow, near a wheat field, we noticed at least a thousand budgerigars
feeding on dry grass. They were so absorbed that they were un¬
aware of our presence till] we stood on the edge of the depression,
only a few feet from the nearest birds. Then some of the little
parrots raised their heads, the alarm fled like flame in stubble, and
the whole flock rose simultaneously and flew swiftly to a dead tree
a hundred yards away. When the birds settled, every branch of the
tree seemed suddenly to be clothed in green and yellow leaves, which
stood erect instead of being pendent. On the wing, budgerigars
resemble large butterflies, and a flock in flight is one of the most
charming sights I have seen in all my wanderings through Australian
wilds. Many of these birds are killed in flight by striking against
telegraph wires. On the road near Jerilderie I counted over a score
of bodies, and my companion said that this was not unusual.

In very dry seasons Warbling Grass-Parrots travel far south,
and small flocks were observed in the summer of 1915 amid the tea-
tree at Black Bock on Port Phillip Bay. “ Old Bushman,” in his
charming book, “Bush Wanderings of a Naturalist,” mentions this
species in the chapter on the ornithology of Port Phillip. “ Occa¬
sionally, but very rarely, he writes, “ a flock of the budgerigar, or

344

on Bird Life on Yanko Creek, N.S.W.

shell-paroqueet, would pay us a visit ; and I recollect, in the middle
of the summer, 1854, our gum-trees swarmed with them. They
stayed about a month, when they suddenly disappeared, and only
an odd straggler or so has been seen in our district.” On the
Riverina plains, in a good season, thousands of budgerigars are cap¬
tured by the trappers, and the market is glutted, with the result that
the birds realize only a few pence apiece. I am a staunch advocate
of bird protection, but I cannot truthfully say that trapping has any
appreciable effects on either Galahs or Warbling Grass-Parrots.
With regard to the former species, my friend declared that they
were even more numerous in 1913 than they were several years
before. But we should be watchful, for some birds that are now extinct
— the Great Auk and the Passenger Pigeon, for instance — formerly
existed in great numbers.

After returning to Jerilderie, I spent a day with Mr. Egger,
hunting for a nest of the Australian Dotterel ( Eudromis australis).
The place where we searched is not far from the town — a desolate
area, with scanty vegetation. There are large barren patches of
greyish-white soil, surrounded by beds of star thistle and other lowly
plants. Signs of the birds were seen, and more than once we felt
sure that a nest would soon reward our patient patrolling; but
always came disappointment. My friend had secured two clutches
of eggs from this locality. One was discovered by a boundary rider
who saw the Dotterell go to her nest. The birds are extremely wary,
and nests are most difficult to find.

Before bidding my friend farewell, I asked him to write a
paper for The Emu, and he promised to do so when he had leisure.
But death intervened, and we have lost a very valuable contributor
to the knowledge of Riverina bird-life. Mr. Eggar was a true
naturalist, and no man has had a more genial and kindly companion
than I had in my Riverina rambles.

Wagtails in Herefordshire. 345

WAGTAILS IN HEREFORDSHIRE.

One day towards the end of August, on a narrow lawn
between the house and the moat, and within eight yards of the
windows, I saw three species of wagtails running about. Pied ;
White (M. alba)', and Grey. Furthermore, although I was unable
to verify it, I feel almost certain that a pair of white wagtails
nested here, for they were about the place in close proximity
to the house all the spring time, and I saw the male bird on
several occasions with his beak full of insects. Between the two
ponds, one of which is within a few yards of the front door, there is
a paved path, at the entrance to which is a high square archway
of old and massive oak beams, in the cross-beam of which there are
one or two crevices in a position eminently suitable for a pied
wagtail’s nest at any rate, and on this archway the white wagtails
used often to sit. Somehow or other, as they usually do, the days
and weeks fled by, and I never investigated as I had intended to.
In any case the wThite wagtails are still here, and I have only
missed them for about six weeks, in July and part of August.

There were a great many young birds of the year ; more
than two or three pairs of pied wagtails could have produced,
seeing that two pairs had to rear cuckoos ! During the last fort¬
night of September there was a notable gathering of wagtails ;
juvenile pied as far as I could see. They flocked of an evening,
arriving all together, and settled in rows on the ridges of the old
barns. I counted sixty in this way on the evening of the 21st
of September, and at least tw7enty more had flown to the willows
on the two small islands in the two ponds, where the whole
company gathered for the night. When they arrived they looked
like a large flock of swallows, and performed various evolutions
in the air before they finally w7ent to roost. A very pretty sight.
They were perfectly easy to count, for they sat on the ridges of
the roofs silhouetted against the sky line, and were for the most
part about six inches apart from each other. A large number
would suddenly take wing and fly away over the meadows as if
they intended to roost elsewhere, and then in a minute or two
they returned to once more perch on the barn tops.

Hubert D. Astley.

346

Dr. E. Hopkinson.

ROBINS.

By Dr. E. Hopkinson.

The “ Robin,” “Robin Redbreast,” the home-bird of Britain,
has lent his name and had it carried everywhere throughout the
world, that is to every place where Britons have made their homes,
and that one can truly say is the wide, wide world.

In North America the “Robin” is the American Thrush
( Turdus migratorius) , which is also popularly known as the “ Red¬
breast,” “Robin Redbreast.” Here also these names are commonly
applied to the Bluebird {Sicilia). In the West Indies “ Redbreast,”
“ Robin Redbreast ” indicate the Todies, while in South America the
Marsh-Starling ( Leistes ), owes to his red breast the honour of this
name among the English speaking dwellers in that half-continent.

In Australia and New Zealand it was some of the Flycatchers,
which reminded, more by their habits than their colours, the early
settlers of the “ Robin ” they had left behind, and these ( Petroeca ,
Miro, etc.) to this day bear the familiar name.

Everywhere we may expect to find some “ Robin,” although
in many cases the bearer of this love-name, as one may call it, is a
bird which differs widely from its original. As an instance one may
take the Knot, which in a certain stage of plumage is popularly
known to gunners both at home and in North America under the
name, “ Robin,” “ Robin Redbreast,” or simply “ Redbreast.” The
Red-breasted Merganser, too, is another water-bird, with nothing
robin-like about it but the colour of its breast, which is also locally
known under the name of “ Robin.”

It is however when the name is used with qualifying epithets,
that its very wide distribution is brought most strikingly to one’s
attention, for thus used, it not only supplies popular or vernacular
names, but provides or has provided both old and modern writers
with suitable book-names for all sorts and conditions of birds, as
the following alphabetical list, in which vernaculars are distinguished
by their inclusion in inverted commas, attempts to show.

“ AMERICAN ROBIN,” Turdus migratorius.

“ BEACH ROBIN,” a local British and American popular name for the

KNOT ( Tringa canutus).

“ BLACK ROBIN ” in Australia is the Flycatcher, Petroeca bicolor. BLACK

Robins.

347

ROBIN as a book name indicates one of the Bush-Chats, Thamnolaea
nigra.

INDIAN BLACK ROBIN, a name used by Jerdon for one of
“ INDIAN ROBINS ” ( Thamnobia fulicata ).

WHITE-WINGED BLACK ROBIN, also Jerdon’s, was his
name for the PIED STONECHAT, Pratincola caprata.

“ BLUE ROBIN,” American popular and English dealer’s name for the
BLUEBIRD, Sialia.

BLUE-HEADED ROBIN, one of the Asiatic Robins, Adelura caeruleo-
cephala.

BLUE-THROATED ROBIN, the BLUETHROAT, Cyanecula suecica.

“ BOB ROBIN,” an occasional local variant of " ROBIN.”

BUFF-SIDED ROBIN, a book name, originally given by Gould, of the
Australian Flycatcher, Poecilodryas cerviniventris.

BUSH-ROBINS, a book name which is applied to several of the true Robins
and their allies, as the

BLACK BUSH-ROBIN, Cercotrichas podobe, of Africa.

RED-FLANKED BUSH-ROBIN, Ianthia rnflata.

RUFOUS-BELLIED BUSH-ROBIN, I. hypererythra.

WHITE-BROWED BUSH-ROBIN, I. indica, all three Asiatic
species.

and also to a few Flycatchers, for example, the

GOLDEN BUSH-ROBIN is Tarsiger chrysaeus, of the Himalayas.

SILENT BUSH-ROBIN is the name used in Stark and Sclater’s
Birds of South Africa for Bradyornis silens.

WHITE-STARRED BUSH-ROBIN, the same author’s name
for another African species, Pogonocichla stellata.

" CANADA ROBIN ” is a local American* vernacular of the “ CEDAR-
BIRD ” ( Ampelis cedrorum).

“ CAPE ROBIN ” (South African vernac.), the CAPE ROBIN-CHAT
( Cossypha caff r a).

CHAT-ROBINS, a modern book-name for Chats of the genus Cercomela
and its allies.

ANT-EATING CHAT-ROBIN, Myrmecocichla formicivora.

BLACK-THROATED CHAT-ROBIN, M. bifasciata.

BLANFORD’S CHAT-ROBIN, Cercomela fuscicaudata.

INDIAN CHAT-ROBIN, C. fusca.

SICKLE-WINGED CHAT-ROBINS, the South African Chats
of the genus Poliocichla, specifically P. sinuata.

TEMMINCIv’S CHAT-ROBIN, Cercomela melanura.

CHATHAM ISLAND ROBIN, Miro traversi.

COREAN ROBIN, the name incorrectly used by Seebohm for the LOOCHOO
ROBIN.

DUSKY ROBIN (Gould), Petroeca vitlata.

FLAME-BREASTED ROBIN, also a name of Gould’s, P. phoenicea.

FLY-ROBIN, a name applied by Australian writers to the Flycatchers of
the genus Heteromyias.

ASHY-FRONTED FLY-ROBIN, H. cinereifrons.

348

Dr. E. Hopkinson,

“ GOLDEN ROBIN,” local American popular name for the " BALTIMORE
ORIOLE” ( Icterus baltimore).

GREY-BREASTED ROBIN, Gould’s name for one of the SHRIKE-ROBINS,
Eopsaltria georgiana.

GROUND-ROBINS, a modern book-name for the ROBIN-CHATS of the
genus Erythvopygia, of Africa. It is also sometimes applied to the
allied Cossypha.

ABYSSINIAN GROUND-ROBIN, Erythvopygia leucoptera.

CAPE GROUND-ROBIN, E. coryphaeus.

RUFOUS-BREASTED GROUND-ROBIN, Cossypha quad-
vivirgata.

SMITH’S GROUND-ROBIN, Erythvopygia poena.

HOODED ROBIN, the Australian Flycatcher, Petroeca bicolor.

“ INDIAN ROBIN,” a popular name for certain Indian CHATS. As a
book-name particularly indicates Thamnobia.

BLACK-BACKED INDIAN ROBIN, T. fulicata.

BROWN-BACKED INDIAN ROBIN, T. cambaiensis.

JAPANESE ROBIN, (i) The JAPANESE REDBREAST, Erithacus
akahige. (2) A dealer’s variant of “ PEKIN ROBIN.”

LITTLE ROBIN, an Australian name of Poecilodryas nana, a Flycatcher.

LOOCHOO ROBIN, Icoturus komadori.

“ MAGPIE ROBIN,” Indian popular name for the ” DYAL-BIRD,” Cop-
sychus saularis. (2) As a book-name is applied to birds of the allied
Madagascar genus Gervaisia.

“ MARSH ROBIN,” local North American vernacular name for the TOWHEE
BUNTING, Pipilo erythrophthalmus.

“ NEW ZEALAND ROBINS,” the Flycatchers of the genus Miro. The
NORTH ISLAND ROBIN is M. australis; the SOUTH ISLAND
ROBIN, M. albifrons.

OREGON ROBIN, American author’s alternative name for the VARIED
THRUSH (Hesperocichla naevia).

“ PEKIN ROBIN,” the usual dealer’s and popular name for the Liothrix.

PIED ROBIN. The name applied by Australian and New Zealand writers
to two Flycatchers of their respective countries, Petroeca picata and
toitoi.

PINK-BREASTED ROBIN (Australian authors), P. rhodinogastra.

‘ RED ROBIN,” American popular name for both the " RED ” and " SUM¬
MER TANAGERS.”

RUBY-THROATED ROBINS, the RUBYTHROATS, Calliope.

SHRIKE-ROBINS, the Thickheads of the genus Eopsaltria.

" SWAMP-ROBIN,” local American popular name (1) for the TOWHEE
BUNTING ; (2) for the OLIVE-BACKED and HERMIT-THRUSHES

“ Ground Swamp- Robin,” local United States vernacular = the
HERMIT THRUSH.

THRUSH-ROBINS, a modern book-name for the Thrushes of the American
genus Catharus, which are also known as Nightingale Thrushes.

“ WATER-ROBIN,” Anglo-Indian name for the PLUMBEOUS REDSTART
(Rhyacornis fuliginosa).

Robins.

349

WESTERN ROBIN (American authors) = Turdus propinquus.

“ WHITE-BELLIED ROBIN,” Australian vernacular, teste Gould, for the
WHITE-BREASTED SHRIKE-ROBIN, Eopsaltria gularis.

“ WOOD-ROBIN ” (i) Local U.S.A. vernacular = the WOOD THRUSH.
(2) In New Zealand, the popular name of the NORTH and SOUTH
ISLAND ROBINS, Miro.

PINK-BREASTED WOOD-ROBIN (Gould and later writers),
Petroeca rhodinogastra.

RED-FLANKED WOOD-ROBIN, Ianthia rufilata.

ROSE-BREASTED WOOD-ROBIN (Gould), Petroeca rosea.

“ YELLOW ROBIN,” an Australian popular name (teste Gould), for the
YELLOW-BREASTED SHRIKE-ROBIN, Eopsaltria Australis.
YELLOW-BREASTED ROBIN (1) the above. (2) Petroeca macrocephala,
a Flycatcher.

Another combination of names in which the word ROBIN appears as
the prefix, gives us a further list of species and larger groups of birds.

“ ROBIN-BREAST ” is a common local name, both in Great Britain and
America for the KNOT.

ROBIN-CHATS is a book-name for the Chats of the genus Cossypha and its
allies, of which C. caffra, the CAPE ROBIN-CHAT, known in South
Africa as the “ CAPE ROBIN,” and (from its note), the ” JAN
FREDRIC,” is the typical example.

‘‘ROBIN DIPPER,” local American popular name for the BUFFLE
HEADED DUCK.

“ COCK ROBIN DUCK,” a local name in New Jersey for the HOODED
MERGANSER.

“ ROBIN HAWK,” local British name for the “ CROSSBILL.”

‘‘ ROBIN SANDPIPER,” occasional gunner’s name for the KNOT.

“ ROBIN SNIPE,” local American popular name (1) for the KNOT, and
(2) for the RED-BREASTED SNIPE-TATLER ( Macrorhamphus
griseus ) .

‘‘WHITE ROBIN-SNIPE ” = No. 1 above.

ROBIN THRUSH, a book-name which is applied to various THRUSHES,
as the SPOTTED ROBIN-THRUSH, Cichladusa guttata, of South
Africa ; and (2) by American authors to some of the true Thrushes,
as Turdus confinis, the CAPE ST. LUCAS ROBIN-THRUSH.

Both these lists could no doubt be swelled, but enough is as good as a
feast, and probably many who may have got as far as this will be thinking,
that there has been a good deal more than enough on this purely nominal
subject.

E. Hopkinson.

To the Editor, The Avicultural Magazine.

Sir, — Can any reader give the name of a poem and its author, which
I remember to have read, in which quite a number of African birds are men¬
tioned ? I have only a very hazy recollection of what it was about, but believe
Egypt, and think it must have been a prize poem, as the only two lines which
have stuck in my memory, are

350 Correspondence.

“ Where mid the (something) palms flash the Blue Roller-birds,”

and

“ Polychromatic as erst was the gift-coat of Jacob to Joseph,”
seem to fit that form of poesy.

Secondly, will some literary reader compile for us an Anthology of
modern Bird Verse, as a supplement to the Birds volume of Phil Robinson’s,
“ Poet’s Beasts and Birds,” which is long out of date ? * E. Hopkinson.

*[We cannot on the spur of the moment produce the asked for Anthology,
but we hope to be able to print portions of an interesting article on
Tennyson’s Birds from The British Review. Of course, we must not permit
Anthology (a collection of small poems) to trespass too much on the real
scope of the magazine. — Ed.].

The Editor, The Aviculturcil Magazine.

Sir, — I would suggest, as an amendment to Dr. Hopkinson’s proposed
Anthology, that it should be limited to Foreign Birds, as a much smaller
and more manageable subject, and at the same time one of special interest
from an Avicultural standpoint.

X.

CORRESPONDENCE, NOTES, ETC.

SHORT-EARED OWLS IN THE TRENCHES.

Fr. P. N. WAGGETT, S.S.J.E. (a Military Chaplain) wrote to the Editor
from France— ‘‘I forget whether I told you how in the worst of the fading winter
— in February — the short-eared owl was in troops by the tail end of front
trenches, flying of course in the day time — flapping like butterflies, and so tame,
they rested on every post and stump.

That was the second sign of the approaching defeat of winter ; the first
was wild geese flying north on one of the worst days, with storms of snow ; and
the second, this vast crowd of the diurnal owl ; making, in spite of all slush and
cold, for his resting places in the North. They stayed many days in a certain
ragged copse close to the citadel, feeding no doubt on the rats and innumerable
mice drawn there by cast off tins and pots which were being used there to fill up

along ditch.” -

THE BLACK REDSTART (Phcenicuris titys).

MR. TESCHEMAKER wrote in a letter published in ‘‘ Cage Birds ” that
the specific name of titys “ is neither Greek or Latin, and has no meaning
whatever,” when criticizing my article on the Black Redstart. We would point
out that it is a Greek word and means a small chirping bird (TITIS).

It was spelt ‘titys ’ by Gesner, and ‘ tithys ’ by Linnceus. Moreover it is
used by many eminent ornithologists who have benefitted the world by their
works on birds, men such as Morris, Yarrell, Gould, Dresser, Lord Lilford,
Seebohm, etc. : and we also find it in the “ List of British Birds, compiled by
a committee of the British Ornithologists’ Union, 1915.”

Hubert D. astley.

351

INDEX TO SUBJECTS.

A.

Aethopyga nepalensts , 166
,, saturata, 166

A (gelaeus) humeialis, 122
,, thilius, 122

A gyrttia dmbriata , 162
,, miller i, 164

Alcedo sernitorquata, 246
Alectrcenas madagascariensis , 23
,, minor , 24

,, nitidtssima, 23

,, sganzini , 24

Amazon, Lesson’s, 91
Amblyospiza albifrons, 109
American Bittern in captivity, 83
„ Blue-bird, 92
,, Robin, 124, 150
,, Solitary Sandpiper, 131

Amethyst Starling, 313

,, ,-rumped Sunbird, 165

An Aged Diamond Dove, 97
Anastomus oscitans, 264
Andean Geese, breeding. 300
Anthobaphes vio/acea, 107, 165
Anthreptes collaris, 108
Antigone australasiana, 341
Arachnechthra asiatica , 165
,, zevlonica , 165

Ardea melanocephala, 246
Artamus leucogaster , 339
,, sordidus, 336
,, snperciliosus , 336

Audubon Warbler, 148
Australian Crane, 341
„ Crow, 337

,, Dotterel, 344

,, Pectoral kail, 95

„ Quail, 79

,, Wood Duck, 1 19

B.

‘ Bakbakiri,’ 247

Bar-breasted Firefinch, 35, 55, 115
„ -tailed Godwit, 130
Bearded Tits, Breeding of, 44, 72
Beautiful Sugar-bird, A, 70
Bee-eaters, 94
Bicheno-finch, 33
Bird Neighbours, My 319
Birds in Flanders during the War, 132
,, of a Murray Island, 181
,, in a suburban garden,

Observations on, 61
,, , Notes on transport of, 37

Bittern, American, in captivity, 88
,, Common, 89
Blackbird, 62, 133
Blackcap, 64, 179
Black-breasted Plover, 78
,, -cheeked Falcon, 339
,, -faced Cuckoo-Shrike, 78
,, -necked Heron, 246
,, ,, Swan, 50

,, -tailed Godwit, 132
,, Redstart, 300
,, Tanager, 123
Blood-bird, 78

Blue-bird, American, 92
,, -bonnet, 341

,, Pie, Occipital, Breeding- of, 70
-t't, 63

,, Wren, 78, 322
Bob-o-link, 111
,, White, 47, hi
Bombay Bird-Market, the, 138
Boobook Owls, 343
Bower-bird, Spotted, 182
,, ,, , Satin, 96

‘Brandlings,’ as food for birds, 263
Breeding Bearded Reedling, 72
,, Buffon’s Touraco, 211

,, Chinese Greenfinch, 33

,, Phnperor Goose, 277

,, Hybrid Hyphantornis, 28

,, ,, Pigeons, 273

,, Lesser Saffron -Finch, 25

, ,, Malabar Parrakeets. 267

,, Notes — and others— for 1916, 330

„ of Occipital Blue Pie, 70

,, Pink-crested Touraco, 334

,, Yellow-winged Sugar-bird, 297

„ Zoo results, 297

British Softbills, Some Kxperiences with,

221

Brown -necked Parrot, 313
,, Snipe, 131

Budgerigars, Wild, 340
Buff-breasted Sandpiper, 132
Buffon’s Touraco, 120, 211
Bullfinch, 62, 94
Bunting. Cirl, 123
Butcher Bird, 80
Buzzard, Rough -legged, 135

c.

Cacntua mseicapilla, 338
Cagou (Kagul, 78
Calidris arenatin, 131
Camp bird, 125
Canadian Jay, 167
Canon Towhee, 50
Cape Robin-chat, 92
Cardinal, Red, 92
Carolina Paroquet in Florida, 124
Carphibis spinicollis , 336
Cassowary, Bennett, 84
,, Ceram, 83
,, Heck's, 85
,, violet-necked, 84
Casuarius aurantiacus, 85
,, australis, 84
,, bennetti , 85

,, casuarius, 83
,, hecki, 85

,, uniappendiculatus , 85
,, occipitalis, 85
,, violicollis, 84
Cedar Waxwing, 314
Cerchneis cenchroides, 339
Cerylt rudis, 245
Chaffinch, 133
C haradrius curontca, 132
,, hiaticula, 132

,, tricollaris, 244

,, voci/ej-us, 132

352

Index to Subjects.

Chestnut Finch in Tahiti, 282
Chrysotis lilacina , 91
Chinese Greenfinch, 33
C hlamydera maculata , 182
Chloris sinica, 33
Chlorcenas maculosa , 273
,, speciosa, 275

Chrysolampis elatus (zf moschitus ), 159
Cinnytts afer, 109

,, amethystinus , 108, 166

„ c Italy beus , 106. 165

man'quensis, 166
Cirl-Bunting, 123
Coeteba cyanea, 188
Coincidence, A, 294
Cole-tit, 63

Colitis st t tatus, 109, 247
Colour in Hybrid Ducks, 71
Coming- and Going, 201
Columba speciosa, 120
Common Firefinch, 33, 56, 92
,, Sheldrake, 71

Coracopsis bat k ley i, 24
Cordon -bleu, 37, 92
Corvus coronoides , 337
Corythornis cyanostigma, 246
Cossypha CO fra , 92
Coscoroba Swan, 50
Cotton Teal, 322
Cowbird, 48, 123
Crane, Australian, 117
,, Manchurian, 1x7
,, Sandhill, 97
,, Sams, 1 16
Craleropus platycercus. 31 1
,, rheinhardti, 31 1

Crested Pigeon, 182
Crow (Australian), 79
,, Carrion, 133
,, Hooded, 136
Cuckoo, 65

,, F'antail, 77

,, -Shrike. Hlack-faced, 78

Curlew, 13 1

,, , Australian, 78

,, -sandpiper, 132
Cuvier’s Podargus, 332

D.

Dacnis berlepschi , 70
,. cyanea, 188

Death of a Tame Snowy Owl, 134
Diamond, Ground, 78

,, Dove, an aged, 97

,, Sparrow, 79

Dicceum hitundinaceum, 171
Di lophus carunculaius, 248
Diuca Finches, breeding, 299
Doctoring of Birds, suggested advice on,

148

Double-banded Sunbird, 107
Dove, Diamond, 97
,, Palm, 118
,, Peaceful, 78
,, Turtle. 133

Drosophila: (flies for feeding Humming¬
birds), 161

Ducks, Hybrid, Colour in, 71
Duck, Mandarin, 94
,, Pink-eared, 337
,, Pintail, 72
Dunlin, 130

E.

Flagle, 125

,, Golden, 135

Eagle-Hawk, 81
,, Spotted, 6g
,, -Owl, 134

Egg Markings and Sunlight. 193
Elattus ccertileus, 245
English Names for the Parrots, 41, 66
Emus, 82

Emperor Goose, Breeding of, 277
Ephthianuta aurifrons, 336
,, tricolor, 336

Esquimaux Curlew, 131
Estrelda astnld, 244
Eudromtas australis, 344
Eulampts jugularis, 165
Etiphotiin , 44
Eustephanus galeriius, 86

F.

Fa Ico ca ndica ns, 121
,, holbcelli, 121
,, islandus, 12 1
,, labradorus, 121
,, melanogcnys, 339
Falcon, Iceland, 93, 121
Feeding a Kingfisher, 70
Field Collector, Keminiscences of a, 253
Fieldfare, 133, 136
Fiji Parrot Finches, 279
Finch, Chinese Green-, 33
,, I.esser Saffron, 25 -
Firefinch, Bar-breasted, 115
,, Common, 92

,, Masked, 115

,, Spotted 115

,, Vinaceous, 113

Flamingoes, 318
Flanders, Birds seen in, 197
Flicker, 125
Flycatcher, Grey, 77

,, Spotted, 63

French Avicuiturist in the War Zone, A,

120

Fringilla carduelts, 33
,, chloris, 33

Fruit-eater, Swallow, 43

G.

Galali (Rose-breasted Cockatoo), 338
Gambian Birds, 310
Garden -warbler, 63
Geese, Hybrid Magellanic x Ruddy¬
headed, 1 16

,, Maned, 119
Glossoptila ru/icolhs, 188
Godwit, Bartailed, 130
,, Black-tailed, 132
Gold-crest, 64, 209
Golden Eagle, 135
Golden Pheasant, 94
Goldfinch, European, 99
Goose, Ross’s, 117
Goshawk, 135

Gould’s Finches, Prolific, 69
Grass tinder Swans’ Tongues, 50
Great Tits, 63, 90
Great Mcllhenny Project, The

(Bird Protection) 149
Greater Black-backed Gulls, breeding, 299
Great Crested Grebe, 123
Greater Double-banded Sunbird, 109
., Yellowshank, 13 1
Grebe, Great Crested, 123
Greenfinch, 62
Green Sandpiper, 130
Greensliank, 130

Index to Subjects.

353

Green-tailed 'l'owhee, 50
Grey Flycatcher, Australian, 77
,, Parrot, 91
,, Phalaiope, 132
,, Plover, 131
,, Wagtail, 198
Ground Diamond, 78

H.

Haematopus ostraleyus, 131
Halcyon capo ns is, 244
Hammerkop, 246

Hearing of Pheasants and other Birds, 200
Hedge Sparrow, 63
Herefordshire, Wagtails in, 345
Hermit Thrush, 289
Heron, 123

Himantopus me lanopterus , 132
Honey-eater, Yellow-tufted, 77
Honeysuckers, 78

,, New Holland, 78

Honolulu Birds, Notes on, 186
Hooded Crow, 136
Hoopoe, African, 244
House-Martins, 318
House Wren, 46

Humming-bird, old-gold-capped, 86
,. ,, , nest of, 112

„ -birds in captivity, 43, 68
,, ,, in their Native Haunts,

86

Hybrid Ducks, Colour in, 71

„ Magellanic x Ruddy-headed

Geese, 116

,, Hyphantornis, Rearing of, 28
,, Pigeons, 275
Hyphantornis cucullatus, 28, 30
„ spilonotus, 28, 30

I.

Ibis abboiti, 24
Iceland Falcon, 93, 121
Ictendce, 123

Imitative Power of Birds, 327
Insectivorous Birds, Best System of

Feeding, 140

Intelligence of a Stanley Parrakeet, 179

J.

Jackass, Laughing, 78
Jackdaw, 63, 133
James’s Manucode, 299
Jay, 64

,, , Canadian, 167
,, , Siberian, 168
“Joree,” “Joreeker,” 49

K.

Kagu (Cagou), 78
Kakapo, tame, 181
“Kawilly," 129
Kestrel, 118,133
Kildeer Plover, 132
Kingfisher, 93, 133

„ Feeding a, 70

,, Pied, 246

King Parrot, 92
Knot, 131

L.

Lagonosticta larvata, 116
,, minor , 36

,, niveoguttata, 59

„ rufopicta , 36, 55, 116

,, senegala, 57

,, vinacea, 55, 1 13

Lark, 133
„ Crested, 197
Lanins collaris, log
., gutturalis, 247
Lapp Owl, 134

Lesser Double-banded Sunbird, 109, 165
,, Saffron Finch, Breeding of, 25
,, Whitethroat, 265
Lesson’s Amazon, 91
Levaillant’s Amazon, gr
Letter damaged in post-box, 236
Limosa melanura, 132
,, rnfa , 132
Linnet, 94
Little Owl, 197
,, Ringed Plover, 132
,, Stint, 132
Long-tailed lit, 63
Lorikeets, Swainson’s, 137
Louis Agassiz Fuertes, 239
Lyre Bird, 215, 256

M.

Macedonia, Birds in, 248
Machetes pugnax, 121, 122, 132
Macrorhamphus griseus, 132
Magpie, 112, 125, 133, 136
,, Australian, 81
Malabar Parrakeets, 267
Malachite Sunbird, 168, 105
Malacorhynchus viembranaceus, 337
Mandarin Duck, 94
Maned Geese, 119, 341
Mango Humming-Bird, 159
Masked Firefinch, 115

,, Wood-Swallows, 282
May Bird, 13 1
Meadow-lark, 47, in
Melba finches, 59
Melodious Grey Thrush, 80
Mikado-Hlliott hybrid Pheasants, 120
Mistletoe Bird, 78, 171
Mocking-bird, 148
Momotus tnomota, 15 1

,, , the genus. 157

Montgomeryshire, Stray Notes on Birds

of, 226

Mooruk. 84

More Notes on New Humming-Birds, 157

Morning in Winter, A, 169

Motacilla capensis, 243

Motmot, 151, 322

Mouse-bird, 246

My Swainson’s Lorikeets, 137

Mynah, Chinese, 186

N.

Name of Supposed Troupial, 122, 147
Nankeen Kestrel, 339
Nectarinia famosa, to8, 165
Nesting-habits of the Mistletoe-Bird, 171
New- Holland Honeysuckers, 78

,, Humming-Birds, More Notes on, 157
Nightingale, 46
Nonpareil, 47
Notes from Salonika, 179
,, on Honolulu Birds, 186

354

Index to Subjects.

Notes on Waders seen ill the Isles of

Scilly, 127

Numenius arquatus, 131
,, borealis, 13 1

,, phceopus, 131

Nuthatches, 94

o.

Obituary Notices;

Capt. the Honble. Gerald Legge, 43
Lt.-Col. Boyd B Horsbrugh, A.S.C.,288
Observations 011 the birds in a suburban

garden, 61

Occipital Blue Pie, Breeding of, 70
Ocyphaps lophotes, 182
Orange-cheek Waxbills, 61

,, -fronted Bush-Chats, 336
-headed Bullfinch, 322
Oregon 'l'owhee, 50
Oriole, American, :io
Ostrich 82, 112

Old-gold-capped Huniining-bird. 86
Oudtshoorn, Birds near, 243
Our Winter Breakfast Guests, 90
Oven-bird, 47
Owls, Brown, 65
„ Kagle, 134
,, Lapp, 134
„ Little, 197
,, Snowy, 93, 121, 134
,, Utility of, 293
Owl Parrot, 183
Oyster Catcher, 127

P.

Palcsornis pe> isterodes, 267
Palm Dove. 118
Paradise Birds, 122
Parrakeet, Carolina. 124
„ kosella, 79

Parrots, English names for the, 41, 66
Partridge, 133, 199
Peaceful Dove, 78
Peacock, 122
Peewit, Australian, 78
Pelzeln’s Saffron Finch, 25
Pennant’s Parrakeets at Liberty, 52
Perisoreus canadensis, 167
,, in/austus, 168

Phalarope, 13 1
Phalaropus hyperboreus, 132
,, lobatus, 132

Pheasant, 133, 199

,, Golden, 94

and other Birds, Hearing of,

,, Mikado-Klliott, hybrid, 120
Phoenicut us titys, 300
Philacte canagica, 277
P hotiy ga via kerandteni, 299
Photographing a Satin Bower Bird, 96
Pigeons, Victoria Crowned, 70
,, Wood, 64

Pink-crested Touraco, 92, 322, 334
,, -eared Duck, 337
Pintail Duck, 71
Piping Crow, 81, 104
Platycercus elegaus, 52

,, flaveolus, 338

Plover, 133

„ Black-breasted, 78
,, Grey, 131
,, Kildeer, 132
,, Little Kinged, 132
„ King, 127
,’, Spurwing, 78

237

Podargus, 96

,, cuvieri, 332

Pceocephalus brutmeicollis, 313
Pochard, Common, 71
,, White-eyed, 71

Port Adelaide Parrakeet, 52
Ptocnias viridis, 43
Promet ops ca/er, 107
Psephotus xanthorrhous , 341
Pteroptochus rubecula, 247
Purple Sandpiper, 127
,, Sunbird, 165
Pyctwnotus capensis, 247
Pytclia a/ra, 59
,, trtelba, 59

Q.

Quail, Australian, 79
,. finches, 55, 60
Queen Alexandra Parrakeet, 92

B.

Kail, Australian Pectoral, 95
,, English Water, 95
Rallus aquations, 95
Kaven, 93, 289
Ked Cardinal, 92
,, -capped Kobin, 79
,, -crowned Pigeon, 23
,, -necked Phalarope, 132
Kedhead, (Sydney Waxbill), 79, 282
Kedshank, 130

,, Spotted, 131
Kedstart, Black, 300, 350
Redwing, 133

Ked-winged Bush-Shrike, 325
Reed-bird, hi

Reedlings, Bearded, Breeding, 72
Reminiscences of a Field Collector, 253
Report on the Council and

General Summer Meeting, 285
Resignation of the Hon. Secretary, 324
Kheas, 82

., Breeding, 297
Kheiuhardt’s Babbler, 311
Rice-bird, m
Ring Plover, 127
Robin, 63, 133

,, American, 46, 124, 125
,, A Rescued, 150
,, Ked-capped, 79
,, Scarlet-breasted, 181
,, Yellow, 80
Robins. 346
Robin-chat, Cape, 92
‘ Roodbekje,’ 244
Rook, 64, 133

Rose-breasted Cockatoo, 338
Rosella Parrakeets, 54, 79
Rosybill Duck, 71
Ross’s Goose, 117
Kougli-legged Buzzard, 135
Ruby Topaz Humming-Bird, 159
Ruddy Sheldrake, 71
Ruff. 121, 130
Rufous Thickhead, 77
,, Tinamous, breeding, *98

,, -necked Weaver, 34

,, -tailed Finch, 33

s.

Salonika, Notes from, 179
Saltators, 44
Sanderling, 130

Index to Subjects.

355

Sandhill Cranes, Two Civilized, 97
Sandpiper, Common, 130
,, Green, 130

,, Purple, 127

Sanzerotlea felici, 164
Sarus Crane, 323
Satin Bower-bird, 96
Scarlet-breasted Robin, 81
Scilly. Waders seen in, 127
Scopus umbretta, 246

Skcrbtakius, Monthly Notes by, 207. 232,
Shama. 31 258, 200

Sheldrake, Common, 71
,, Ruddy, 71

Shell Ibis, 264 *

Short-eared Owls iu the Trenches, 350

Shrike-tit, 96

Silky Cowbird, 123

Sir Scliomberg McDonnell’s care of

Wild Birds, 123

Site of Yellowhammer’s Nest, Extra¬
ordinary, 295

Snipe, Brown, 131
,, Summer, 130
Snowy Owl, 93, 121, 134
Snow Geese, perching in Trees, 263
Soldier Bird. 79

Some Firefinclies and other Gambian

birds, 55

Songs ofSunbirds, in music, 167
Sparrow, 62, 90, 94

,, -Diamond, 79
„ Hawk. 133

Spring in New South Wales, 77
,, Migrant, a (poem), 210
Spotted Eagle, iu Herefordshire, 69
,, Firefinch, 55, 113
,, Flycatcher, 65
,, Woodpecker, 133
Spinebill, 77
Spreo bicolor , 245
Spurwing Plover, 78
Squatarola cinerea, 132
Stanley Parrakeet, 52, 179
Star-finch, 33
Starling, 62
Stilt, 132
Stint, Little, 132

,, Temmi tick’s, 132
Straw-necked Ibis, 336
Stray Notes on the Birds of the Country¬
side, 264

Strepsilas interpres, 131
Suburban Gardens, Birds in, 61, 191
Sugar-bird, A Beautiful, 70
,, „ Blue, 188, 324

,, ,, Red-throated Blue, 188

,, ,, Yellow-winged Blue, 188

,, Birds, 86

,, ,, breeding, 188, 324

Summer Meeting, 285
Summer Snipe, 130
Sunbird, Greater Double-banded, iog
,, Lesser ,, ,, 109

,, Malachite, 109

,, Wedge-tailed, 165
Supposed Troupial, Name of, 122, 147, 269,
236, 263

Swainson’s Lorikeets, 137
Swallow Fruit-eater, The, 43
Swan, Black-necked, 50
,, Coscoroba, 50
Swans’ Tongues, grass under, 50
Sy ccilis minor , 25
Sydney Waxbill, 79

T.

Tachyphonus mclaleucus, 123

Teeniopygia castanolis , 31
Tahite, Birds in, 282
Tanager, a long-lived, 43
,, Black, 123
Tanas’? idee, I23
Tarsiger si lens, 245
Telephon rus australis minor, 325
“Tell tale,” 13 1
Temminck’s Stint, 132
Tendencies, Murderous iu Birds, 293
The Bio-Club, 283
Thickhead, Rufous, 77

,, Yellow-breasted, 77
Thrush, 62, 133

,, Hermit, 289
,, Melodious Grey, 80
Tinamou, Rufous, 298
Tits, 94

„ Australian, 79
,, Great Shrike-, 90
To the Members, 44
Totta Finch, 107
Touraco, Buffon’s, 120
,, Pink-crested. 92
Towhee, The, 45

Transport of Birds, Some Notes on, 37
Tree-Creeper, 64, 133
Trochilus mango, 159

Troupial. Supposed, r22, 147, 209. 236, 263
Turacus buffoni, 211

,, eiythrolophus, 334
Turtle Dove, x 33
Turkey-Buzzard, 125
Turnstone, 127

Two Civilized Sand-hill Cranes, 97

u.

Upupa a fricana, 244
Utility of Owls, 295

Veery, 46

Victoria Ci owned Pigeons, 70
“Vigour and Heredity,” 93, 120
Vinaceous Firefinch, 113
Violet-eared Waxbill, 92
Visit to Briusop Court, A, 317

w.

Waders in Scilly, Notes on, 127
Wagtail, Cape, 243
,, Pied, 133, 296
., Yellow, 133
Warbler, Audubon, 148
,, Garden, 63

,, Willow, 63

Warbling Grass-Parrot (Budgeiigar) 340
Water-hen, X33
,, Rail, 95
Wattled Starling, 248
Waxbill, Sydney, 79

,, Violet-eared, 92
Waxwings, five little, 314

„ Irruption of into Norfolk, 219
Wedge-tailed Sunbird, 165
Whimbrel, 131

Whiskey Jack and another, 167
White Storks, breeding, 299
,, -browed Wood-Swallows, 116
„ eyes, 73
,, eyed Pochard, 72
,, -necked Cranes, 318
,, -rumped Wood-Swallow, 339
Whitethroat, Lesser, 2O5

356

Index to Subjects.

Wild Duck, 71
Willow-warbler, 63
Winter Wren, 47

,, , A Morning- in, 169

,, Breakfast Guests, Our, 90
Wood Duck, Australian, 119
,, Sandpiper, 132
,, Wren, 191
Woodpecker, Green, 64

,, Lesser Spotted, 64

„ Spotted, 133

Woodpigeon. 64, 133
Wonders of the Birds’ Nests, 109
Wonderful Find, A, 190
Wren, 63

,, climbing like Creeper, 209
,, Blue, 78
,, House, 46
,, Winter, 47
Worms, Brandling, 294, 324

Y.

Yanko Creek, Birds on, 335
Yellow Robin, 80
,, Parrot, 338

Yellow-breasted Thickhead, 77
„ -rumped Parrakeet, 53
,, -tufted Honey -eater, 77
,, -vented Bulbul, 247
,, -winged Sugar-bird, 273, 324
Yellowhammer, 62, 295
Yellowshank, Greater, 131

z.

Zebra Finch, 31
Zosterops, the genus, 73
Zosterops capensis, 77, 244
„ simplex, 75
,, vniJis, 76

Zoological Gardens, Nesting Notes from,

297

I.T. MOULTON A CO. . LTO .CHURCH ST , BRIGHTON

AVICULTURAL
MAGAZ INE.

CONTENTS.

CONTENTS.

Officers for the Year 1915-6 ... ... ... ... ••• ... 1

List of Members ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 3

Rules of the Avicultural Society ... ... ... ... ... 18

The Society’s Medal... ... ... ... ... ... ... 22

The Red-Crowned Pigeon ( Illustrated ), by E. G. B. MEADE-WALDO ... 23

Breeding of the Lesser Saffron Pinch, by MAURICE AMSLER, M.B. ... 25

Rearing of Hybrid Hyphantornis cucullatus X H. spilonotus,

by Mrs. RALPH HOLDEN ... 28

The Zebra Pinch, by Dr. A. G. BUTLER ... ... ... ... 31

The Breeding of the Chinese Greenfinch (Illustrated) , by W. SHORE BAILY 33
Bar-breasted Fire-finches, by ALLEN SILVER ... ... ... ... 35

Some notes on the transport of birds, by ALBERT PAM ... ... 37

English Names for the Parrots, by Dr. E. HOPKINSON ... ... 41

OBITUARY' : Capt. the Honble. Gerald Legge ... ... ... ... 43

CORRESPONDENCE : — A long-lived tanager : Humming birds in captivity ;

The swallow fruit-eater ; Previous breeding of bearded tits ; To the
members ... ... ... ... ... ... 43 — 44

Third Series. The price of this NOVEMBER,

Vol. VII. No. I. Number is 2 16 -1915.-

NOTE — A new volume commences every November.

All Subscriptions

should be sent to the Publishers,

Messrs. WEST. NEWMAIN &. Co., 54. Hatton Garden, E.C

AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.

Persons wishing to join the AviCULTURAL Society are lequested to

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The Magazine can also be had fiom the Publisliers by NON-MEMBERS

at a Subscription of 15/- per annum.

NOTICES TO MEMBERS.

The Subscription to the Avicuhural Society is 10/- per annum, due on
the 1st of November in each \ ear, ami is pat able in advance. The entrance
fee is io/6. The Avicultural Magazine is sent free to members monthly.
Members joining at any time dining the tear aie entitled to the back
numbers for the current year, on the payment of entrance fee and
subscription .

All MSS. for publication in the Magazine , Books foi Review, and
Private Advertisements should be addiessed to the Kditor, Hubert D.
ASTLEY, Esq., Brinsop Couit, Heieford.

All Queries respecting Birds (except post mortem cases) should be
addressed to the Honorary Con espondence .Secretary, Hr. A. G. BUTLER,
124, Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent. [Enclose stamp for reply].

All other correspondence, should be sent to the Honorary Business
Secretary, Mr. T. H. Newman, *■ Newlands,” Hairowdette Road, Wembley,
Middlesex. Any change of address should be at once notified to him.

Dead Birds for post mot tern examination should be sent to Prof.
G. H. Wooldridge, Zoological Society, Regent’s Park, N.W.

Advice is given, by post, by members of the Council to members of
the Society, upon the subjects connected with Foreign and British birds.
All queries are to be addressed to the Hon. Correspondence Secretary and
should contain a penny stamp. Those marked “private” will not be
published.

The Magazine is published 1>\ Messrs. West, Newman & Co. (54,
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Cases for binding the Magazine (in art cloth, with gold block on side,
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„ Vols. II. to VII., 16/- each to members; 21 /- ,, ,,

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Vols. I., III. & IV., are out of print. Second-hand copies sometimes
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Noticks to Mkmbkrs — (Continued from page n. of cover./

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Pair of Brown's parrakeets, ,£to; pair of pennants, £5; one cock red
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True pair crimson-ringed whydahs; true pair brown.capped fire-finches;
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The Zoologist,

The recognised Monthly Journal devoted to Zoological Subjects.
Edited by frank Finn,

Illustrated as subjects require. I/-, postage Id.

Begun in 1843 by EDWARD Newman.

Contains original articles, by well-known Naturalists, on every
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Communications on Zoology for publication are welcomed from
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The Towhee [with coloured plate), by T. GILBERT PEARSON ... ... 45

Grass under Swans’ tongues [Illustrated] , by ALBERT PAM ... ... 50

Pennants’ Parrakeets at liberty, by THE MARQUIS OF TAVISTOCK ... 52

Some Firefinches and other Gambian birds, by Dr. E. HOPKINSON ... 55

Observations on the birds in a suburban garden, by 0. J. STONE ... 61

REVIEW : — British Birds. Thorburn ... ... ... ... ... ... 65

English Names for the Parrots (Concluded) by Dr. E. HOPKINSON ... 66

CORRESPONDENCE : —

Humming birds in captivity ; Adult spotted eagle in Herefordshire ;
Prolific Gould’s finches ; Victoria crowned pigeons ; Breeding of
the occipital blue pie ; Feeding a kingfisher : A beautiful sugar-
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lings in captivity ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 68 — 72

Third Series. The price of this DECEMBER,

Vol. VII. No. 2. Number is T6. — 1915.—

AVICULTURAL
MAGAZ INE.

NOTE - A new volume commences every November.

All Subscriptions

should be sent to the Publishers,

Messrs. WEST. NEWMAN &. Co., 54, Hatton Garden, E.C

AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.

Persons wishing to join the Aviculturae Society are requested to

communicate with either of the Hon. Secretaries or the Editor.

The Magazine can also be had from the Publishers by NON-MEMBERS

at a Subscription of 15/- per annum.

NOTICES TO MEMBERS.

The Subscription to the Avicultural Society is 10/- per annum, due on
the 1st of November in each year, and is payable in advance. The entrance
fee is io/6. The Avicultural Magazine is sent free to members monthly.
Members joining at any time during the year are entitled to the back
numbers for the current year, on the payment of entrance fee and
subscription.

All MSS. for publication in the Magazine , Books foi Review , and
Private Advertisements should be addressed to the Editor, Hubert D.
AsTEEY, Esq., Brinsop Court, Hereford.

All Queries respecting Birds (except post mortem cases) should be
addressed to the Honorary Correspondence Secretary, Dr. A. G. BUTEER,
124, Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent. [Bnclose stamp for reply).

All other correspondence, should be sent to the Honorary Business
Secretary, Mr. T. H. Newman, “ Newlands,” Harrowdene Road, Wembley,
Middlesex. Any change of address should be at once notified to him.

Dead Birds for post mortem examination should be sent to Prof.
G. H. Wooed RIDGE, Zoological Society, Regent’s Park, N.W,

Advice is given, bv post, by members of the Council to members of
the Society, upon the subjects connected with Foreign and British birds.
All queries are to be addressed to the Hon. Correspondence Secretary and
should contain a penny' stamp. Those marked “ private ” will not be
published.

The Magazine is published by Messrs. WEST, Newman & Co. (54,
Hatton Garden, E.C.) to whom all SUBSCRIPTIONS, orders for extra
copies, back numbers and bound volumes (accompanied by remittance)
should be addressed.

Cases for binding the Magazine (in art cloth, with gold block on side,
can be obtained from the Publishers, post free and carefully packed, at 1/6
each ; or the Publishers will undeitake the binding of the Volume for 2/6,
plus 8d. for packing and postage. Members are requested to state whether
they want the wrappers and advertisements bound in at the end or not.

BOUND COPIES OF THE “ AVICULTURAL MAGAZINE.”

The following can be obtained from the Publishers at the prices given
below. Postage 6d. per volume extra.

Vol. II., 6/- to members ; 8/6 to the public. Vols. V. to VII., 10/6 each to
members ; 12/6 each to the public. Vol. VIII., 14/- to members ; 17/6 to

the public.

New Series — Vols. I. to IV., (sets only) ^4 net to members ; £5 to the public.

,, Vols. II. to VII., 16/- each to members; 21/- ,, „

Third Series — Vol. I. to VI., 16/- ,, ,, 21/- ,, „

Current Monthly Numbers 1/3 each (except in special cases, such as the
Number containing the List of Members, Index, etc., when the Com¬
mittee may increase the price), by post 1/4 ; for back numbers a higher
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Vols. I., III. & IV., are out of print. Second-hand copies sometimes
reach the Publishers, to whom application should be made.

Notices to Members — (Continued, from page n. of cover. j

RE-ELECTED AS MEMBER.

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DONATIONS.

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Wanted. — One male and two females of Chinese painted quail ( Exfalcatoria ).

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Wanted. — All-blue macaws, Hyacinthine, glaucous, Lear’s, Spix’s, green
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Guildings and other large parrots, golden conures, solstitian conures,
rare par rakeets, rare Australian pigeons.

Albert Edward Jamrach, 180, St. George Street, East,

near Mark Lane Station and the Tower.

The Zoologist,

The recognised Monthly Journal devoted to Zoological Subjects.

Edited by FRANK FINN,

Illustrated as subjects require. I/-, postage Id.

Begun in 1843 by Edward Newman.

Contains original articles, by well-known Naturalists, on every
branch of Zoology. ,

Communications on Zoology for publication are welcomed from
all readers. Subscriptions for the year, including postage to any
part of the world, 12/-

PUBLISHED BY

Messrs. WEST, NEWMAN & CO., 54, Hatton Garden, London, E.C.

T ROWER & CO.,

WHOLESALE SEED MERCHANTS and

BIRD FOOD SPECIALISTS,
436,438 & 442, CALEDONIAN ROAD, LONDON,

_ N .

EXTRA LARGE SPANISH CANARY SEED

CHOICE G K R M AN S U M M K R RAPE S R K I)

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British. Foreign, and Canaries.

as supplied by us to the leading Fanciers and Exhibitors at the Crystal Palace and
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“ PUPTn the best Insectivorous Food on the Market, 1/- per lb
LLL1U, postpaid 1/3.

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AVICULTURAL
MAGAZ I N E .

CONTENTS.

CONTENTS.

The Genus Zosierops (White-Eyes) ( Illustrated ), by Dr. A. G. BUTLER ... 73

Spring in New South Wales, by G. A. HEUMANN ... ... ... 77

Cassowaries ( Illustrated ), by GRAHAM RENSHAW, M„D., F.R.S.E. ... 82

Humming Birds in their native haunts, by F. E. BLAAUW ... ... 86

The American Bittern in Captivity, by INNIS DORRIEN-SMITH ... 88

Our Winter Breakfast Guests, by KATHARINE CURREY ... ... 90

Notes ... ... ... ... ... — ... ... 91

REVIEW: “Vigour and Heredity” ... ... ... ... 93

CORRESPONDENCE : The English Water Rail ; Photographing a Satin

Bower-bird ; An aged Diamond Dove ; Two civilized Sandhill Cranes 95 — 97

Third Series. The price of this JANUARY,

Vol. VII. No. 3. Number is 1/3- — 1916. —

NOTE — A new volume commences every November.

All Subscriptions

should be sent to the Publishers, ADLARD & SON (and WEST,
NEWMAN & Co.), 76 Newgate Street. London, E.C.

AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.

Persons wishing to join the Avicuctukai, Society are requested to
communicate with either of the Hon. Secretaries or the Kditor.

tJjlT The Magazine can also be had from the Publishers by NON-MEMBERS
at a Subscription of 15/- per annum.

NOTICES TO MEMBERS.

The Subscription to the Aviculturai Society is 10 - per annum, due on
the 1st of November in each y ear, and is payable in advance. The entrance
fee is io,6. The Avicultin al Magazine is sent free to members monthly.
Members joining at any time during the year aie entitled to the back
numbers for the current year, on the payment of entrance fee and
subscription.

All MSS. fen publication in the Magazine , Books foi Review , and
Private Advertisements should be addtessed to the Kditor, Hubert D.
ASTLKY, Esq., Brinsop Court, Heieford.

All Queries respecting Bn ds (except post mortem cases) should be
addressed to the Honorary Correspondence Secretary, I)r. A. G. BU'fLKR,
124, Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent. [Enclose stamp for reply'].

All other Correspondence, should be sent to the Honorary Business
Secretary, Mr. T. H. Newman, “ Newlands,” Hairowdene Road, Wembley,
Middlesex. Any change of address should be at once notified to him.

Dead Birds for post mortem examination should be sent to Piof.
G. H. Wooi.dk 1 DGE, Zoological Society, Regent’s Park, N.W.

Advice is given, by post, by members of the Council to members of
the Society, upon the subjects connected with Foreign and British birds.
All queries are to be addressed to the Hon. Correspondence Secretary and
should contain a penny stamp. Those marked “piivate” will not be
published.

The Magazine is published by Messrs. Adt.akd & Son (and WEST,
Newman & Co.) 76, Newgate Street, E.C. to whom all SUBSCRIPTIONS,
orders for extra copies, back numbers and bound volumes (accompanied
by' remittance) should be addressed.

Cases for binding the Magazine (in art cloth, with gold block on side)
can be obtained from the Publishers, post free and carefully packed, at 1/6
each ; or the Publishers will undeitake the binding of the Volume for 2/6,
plus 8d. for packing and postage. Members aie requested to state whether
they want the wrappers and advertisements bound in at the end or not.

BOUND COPIES OK THE “ AVICUI/l'URAI, MAGAZINE.”

The following can be obtained from the Publishers at the prices given
below. Postage 6d. per volume extra.

Vol. II., 6/- to members ; 8/6 to the public. Vols. V. to VII., 10/6 each to
members; 12/6 each to the public. Vol. VIII., 14/- to members; 17/6 to

the public.

New Series — Vols. I. to IV.. (sets only) £4 net to members ; £5 to the public.

,, Vols. II. to VII., 16/- each to members; 2 r /- ,, ,,

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Current Monthly Numbers 13 each (except in special cases, such as the

Number containing the List of Members, Index, etc., when the Com¬
mittee may increase the price), bv post 1/4 ; for back numbers a higher
price is charged according to circumstances.

Vols. I., III. & IV., are out of print. Second-hand copies sometimes
reach the Publishers, to whom application should be made.

Noticks to Mkmbkks — (Continued from page u. of covet./

CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS.

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NOTICE

MORE ARTICLES AND NOTES are greatly needed if the
Magazine is to be continued with any success.

I appeal to several members who have always been ready contribu¬
tors ; who, in spite of distraction and abnormal conditions caused by the
war, will I feel sure do what they can to help The Editor.

MEMBERS’ PRIVATE SALE AND EXCHANGE COLUMN.

The charge for pi ivate advertisements is sixpence for eighteen
words or i.ESS, and one penny for every additional three words or less.
Trade advertisements are not ai.i.owed in this column. Dealers
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Advertisements must reach the Editor on or before the 26th of the
month. The Council reset ve the right oj refusing any advertisement
they may consider undesirable.

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PALM DOVES ( Tnrtnr senegalensis) for turning out. Not the African
collared doves, but the smaller dove found in Egypt, of a vinaceous
colour. If any member knows of anyone in Africa who could send
twenty or thirty, Mr. AsTLEY (Brinsop Court, Heretord) will be much
obliged.

In Rhodesia and many parts of Africa, this dove is very abundant.
Doves need a canvas top to the travelling cage, otherwise they injure
their heads.

The Zoologist,

The recognised Monthly Journal devoted to Zoological Subjects.

Edited by FRANK FINN.

Illustrated as subjects require. I/-, postage Id.

Begun in 1843 by Edward Newman.

Contains original articles, by well-known Naturalists, on every
branch of Zoology. ,

Communications on Zoology for publication are welcomed from
all readers. Subscriptions for the year, including postage to any
part of the world, 12/-

PUBLISHED BY

ADLARD & SON (and WEST, NEWMAN & CO.,)
76, Newgate Street, London, E.C.

TROW EH & CO..

WHOLESALE SEED MERCHANTS and

BIRD FOOD SPECIALISTS,

436,438 & 442, CALEDONIAN ROAD, LONDON,

_ _ _ _ _ N.

EXTRA LARGE SPANISH CANARY SEED

CHOICE GERMAN S U M M E R RAPE S E E D

Finest Selected Seeds for all kinds of Cage or Aviary Birds
British. Foreign, and Canaries,

as supplied by us to the leading Fanciers and Exhibitors at the Crystal Palace and
other Shows. PRICE LIST. SAMPLES FREE,

it pppTfl ” the best Insectivorous Food on the Market, 1 /«• uer lb
ULU 1 KJ, postpaid 1/3.

Ground Silk Worm Pupae, Mealworms, Ants’ Flggs, Dried Flies, etc

EGBISCO,” the finest Egg and

Biscuit Food
3d, 6<1, l/«

yet made,
and 2 -

Tins

CONTENTS.

The European Goldfinch {Illustrated) , by Dr. A. G. BUTLER ... ... 99

My Piping Crow, by Mrs. STAVELEY-HlLL ... ... ... ... 104

Sunbirds in their native haunts, by F. E. BLAAUW ... ... ... 106

Wonders of the Birds’ Nests, by FELIX J. KOCH ... ... ... 109

Some Firefinches and other Gambian Birds, by Dr. E. HOPKINSON ... 113
Miscellaneous Notes, by HUBERT D. ASTLEY... ... ... ... 116

CORRESPONDENCE : A French Aviculturist in the war zone ; Foreign
Bird Exhibitors’ League Club Show; “Vigour and Heredity”;

Name of Supposed Troupial ; Sir Schomberg McDonnell’s care of
Wild Birds ; The Carolina Paroquet in Florida ; The Campbird 120 — 126

Third Series. The price of this FEBRUARY,

Vol. VII. No. 4. Number is I 3 -1916.-

AVICULTURAL
MAGAZ I N E .

NOTE.— A new volume commences every November.

All Subscriptions

should be sent to the Publishers, ADLARD & SON (and WEST,
NEWMAN & Co.), 76 Newgate Street. London, E.C.

AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.

Persons wishing to join the AviCUETURAE Society are leqnested to

communicate with either of the Hon. Secretaries or the Editor.

The Magazine can also be had fioni the Publishers by NON-MEMBERS

at a Subscription of 15/- per annum.

NOTICES TO MEMBERS.

The Subscription to the Avicultural Society is 10 - per annum, due on
the 1st of November in each \ ear, and is payable in advance. Ttie entrance
fee is io/6. The Avicultural Magazine is sent free to members monthly.
Members joining at any time during the year aie entitled to the back
numbers for the current \ ear, on the payment of entrance fee and
subscription.

All MSS. for publication in the Magazine , Books foi Review , and
Private Advertisements should be addressed to the Editor. Hubert D.
ASTEEY, Esq., Brinsop Couit, Heieford.

All Queries lespecting Birds (except post mot tern cases) should be
addressed to the Honorary Correspondence Secretary, Dr. A. G. BUTLER,
124, Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent. \_hnclose stamp for reply].

All other correspondence, s’hould be sent to the Honorary Business
Secretary, Mr. T. H. Newman, “ Newlands,” Hairowdene Road, Wembley,
Middlesex. Any change of address should be at once notified to him.

Dead Birds for post mortem examination should be sent to Prof.
G. H. WooedridgE, Zoological Society, Regent’s Park, N.W.

Advice is given, by post, by members of the Council to members of
the Society, upon the subjects connected with Foreign and British birds.
All queries are to be addressed to the Hon. Correspondence Secretary and
should contain a penny stamp. Those marked “ private ” will not be
published.

The Magazine is published by Messrs. Adeard & Son (and WEST,
Newman & Co.) 76, Newgate Street, E.C. to whom all SUBSCRIPTIONS,
orders for extra copies, back numbers and bound volumes (accompanied
by remittance) should be addressed.

Cases for binding the Magazine (in art cloth, with gold block on side)
can be obtained from the Publishers, post free and carefully packed, at 1/6
each ; or the Publishers will undeitake the binding of the Volume for 2/6,
plus 8d. for packing and postage. Members aie requested to state whether
they want the wrappeis and advertisements bound in at the end or not.

BOUND COPIES OK THE “ A VICUI/1'U R AI, MAGAZINE.”

The following can be obtained from the Publishers at the prices given
below. Postage 6d. per volume extra.

Vol. II., 6/- to members ; 8/6 to the public. Vols. V. to VII., 10/6 each to
members; 12/6 each to the public. Vol. VIII., T4/- to members; 17/6 to

the public.

New Series — Vols. I. to IV., (sets only) net to members ; £5 to the public.

,, Vols. II. to VII., 16/- each to members; 21/- ,, ,,

Third Series — Vol. I. to VI., 16/- ,, ,, 21/- ,, ,,

Current Monthly Numbers 1/3 each (except in special cases, such as the
Number containing the Inst of Members, Index, etc., when the Com¬
mittee may increase the price), by post 1/4 ; for back numbers a higher
price is charged according to circumstances.

Vols. I., III. & IV., are out of print. Second-hand copies sometimes
reach the Publishers, to whom application should be made.

Notices to Mkmhkks — (Continued from page it. of covet./

CANDIDATES FOR* ELECTION.

ILLUSTRATION FUND.

- £ s. d.

Mrs. Charles E. Maud.. ,. .. o io o

Miss Howmaii .. .. .. 050

Miss Sybil Mundy .. .. .. o 10 o

MEMBERS’ PRIVATE SALE AND EXCHANGE COLUMN.

The charge for private advertisements is sixpence for eighteen
words or DESS, and one penny for every additional three words or less.
Trade advertisements are not a 1.1,0 wed in this coi.umn. Dealers
who are members , wishing to advei Use , should apply to the Publisher for terms.
Advertisements must reach the Editor on or before the 26th of the
month. The Council- reserve the right of refusing any advertisement
they may consider undesirable.

For Sale. — Two male Australian crimson-winged parrakeets in magnificent
condition. Outdoor unlieated aviary. £5 5s. od. each. Must part
with them. Honble. Mary Hawke, Wighill Park, Tadcaster.

WAN T S .

the charge Jor members' advertisements under this heading is four
pence for twelve words or under, and one penny for every additional
thr ee words or less.

NOTICE.

MORE ARTICLES AND NOTES are greatly needed if the
Magazine is to be continued with any success.

I appeal to several members who have always been ready contribu¬
tors ; who, in spite of distraction and abnormal conditions caused by the
war, will I feel sure do what they can to help The Editor.

The Zoologist,

The recognised Monthly Journal devoted to Zoological Subjects.

Edited by FRANK FINN.

Illustrated as subjects require. I/-, postage Id.

Begun in 1843 by Edward Newman.

Contains original articles, by well-known Naturalists, on every
branch of Zoology.

Communications on Zoology for publication are welcomed from
all readers. Subscriptions for the year, including postage to any
part of the world, 12/-

PUBLISHED BY

ADLARD & SON (and WEST, NEWMAN &c CO.,)
76, Newgate Street, London, E.C.

TROWER & CO..

WHOLESALE SEED MERCHANTS and

BIRD FOOD SPECIALISTS,
436,438 & 442, CALEDONIAN ROAD, LONDON,

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ N .

EXTRA LARGE SPANISH CANARY SEED.

CHOICE GERMAN SUMMER RAPE SEED

Finest Selected Seeds for all kinds of Cage or Aviary Birds

British, Foreign, and Canaries,

As supplied by us to the leading Fanciers and Exhibitors at the Crystal Palace and
other Shows. PRICE LIST. SAMPLES FREE.

it PF'CTO ” the best Insectivorous Food on the Market, 1 /- per lb

VylLUiU, postpaid 1/3-

Giouud Silk Worm Pupae, Mealworms, Ants’ Eggs, Dried Flies, etc

ii I7flRlQr,n ” the finest Egg and Biscuit hood yet made.

EUdIjCU, 3d, Od, I/- and 2/- Tins

AVICULTURAL

MAGAZINE.

Notes on Waders seen in the Isles of Scilly. [Illustrated) ,

by Miss E. INNIS DORRIEN-SMITH ... 127
Birds in Flanders during the War, by Lt.-Col. W. TWEEDIE ... 133

Death of a tame Snowy owl, by W. H. ST. QUINTIN ... ... 134

My Swainson’s lorikeets, by GUY FALKNER... ... ... ... 137

The Bombay Bird-Market, by E. WM. HARPER ... ... ... 138

On the best system of Feeding insectivorous birds,

by P. F. M. Galloway ... 140

Correspondence, Notes, etc. :

Name of supposed Troupial ; That Mockingbird ; Bird Protection :

the Great Mcllhenny Project ; A rescued Robin... ... 147 — 150

Third Series.

Vol. VII. No. 5.

The price of this
Number is 1/3-

MARCH,

-1916.-

NOTE — A new volume commences every November.

All Subscriptions

should be sent to the Publishers,

ADLARD & SON AND WEST NEWMAN,

Bartholomew Close, LONDON, E.C. (Temp. Address: 76, Neicgate Street).

AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.

Persons wishing to join the AVICULTURAL Society are requested to
communicate with either of the Hon. Secretaries or the Editor.

t§^" The Magazine can also be had from the Publishers by NON-MEMBERS
at a Subscription of 15/- per annum.

NOTICES TO MEMBERS.

The Subscription to the Avicultural Society is 10/- per annum, due on
the 1st of November in each year, and is payable in advance. The entrance
fee is io/6. The Avicultural Magazine is sent free to members monthly.
Members joining at any time during the year are entitled to the back
numbers for the current year, on the payment of entrance fee and
subscription.

All MSS. for publication in the Magazine, Books foi Review, and
Private Advertisements should be addressed to the Editor, Hubert D.
ASTLEY, Esq., Brinsop Couit, Heteford.

All Queries respecting Birds (except post mortem cases) should be
addressed to the Honorary Correspondence Secretary', Dr. A. G. BUTLER,
124, Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent. [Enclose stamp for reply].

All other correspondence, should be sent to the Honorary Business
Secretary, Mr. T. H. Newman, “ Newlands,” Hatrowdene Road, Wembley,
Middlesex. Any change of address should be at once notified to him.

Dead Birds for post mortem examination should be sent to Prof.
G. H. Woo EDRIDGE, Zoological Society, Regent’s Park, N.W.

Advice is given, by post, by members of the Council to members of
the Society', upon the subjects connected with Foreign and British birds.
All queries are to be addressed to the Hon. Correspondence Secretary and
should contain a penny stamp. Those marked “ private ” will not be
published.

The Magazine is published by Messrs. Adi.aro & Son and WEST
Newman, Bartholomew Close, E.C.. to whom all SUBSCRIPTIONS,
orders for extra copies, back numbers and bound volumes (accompanied
by remittance) should be addressed.

Cases for binding the Magazine (in art cloth, with gold block 011 side)
can be obtained from the Publishers, post free and carefully packed, at 1/6
each ; or the Publishers will undertake the binding of the Volume for 2/6,
plus 8d. for packing and postage. Members are requested to state whether
they want the wrappers and advertisements bound in at the end or not.

BOUND COPIES OE THE “AVICULTURAL MAGAZINE.”

The following can be obtained from the Publishers at the prices given
below. Postage 6d. per volume extra.

Vol. II., 6/- to members ; 8/6 to the public. Vols. V. to VII., 10/6 each to
members; 12/6 each to the public. Vol. VIII., 14/- to members; 17/6 to

the public.

New Series — Vols. I. to IV., (sets only) net to members ; ^5 to the public.

„ Vols. II. to VII., 16/- each to members; 21/- ,, „

Third Series — Vol. I. to VI., 16/- ,, ,, 21/- ,, ,,

Current Monthly Numbers 1/3 each (except in special cases, such as the
Number containing the List of Members, Index, etc., when the Com¬
mittee may increase the price), by post 1/4 ; for back numbers a higher
price is charged according to circumstances.

Vols. I., III. & IV., are out of print. Second-hand copies sometimes
reach the Publishers, to whom application should be made.

Noticks to Mkmbkks — (Continued from page n. of cover./

CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION.

Mr. Percy Warnrr, Nashville, Tenn., U.S.A.

Proposed by Mr. Clare Lovktt.
Lieut. J. DklaCOUR, 28, Rue de Madrid, Paris.

Proposed by Mrs. Johnstone.
Mr. Alexander Goodall, 5, Maria Street, Kirkcaldy.

Proposed by Mr. T. H. Newman.

ILLUSTRATION FUND.

- £ s. d.

The Editor .. .. .. 110

I

MEMliERS’ PRIVATE SALE AND EXCHANGE COLUMN.

The charge for pi ivate advertisements is sixpence for eighteen
words or less, and one penny for every additional three words or less.
Trade advertisements ark not allowed in this column. Dealers
who are members , wishing to advei Use , should apply to the Publisher for terms.
Advertisements must reach the Editor on or before the 26th of the
month. The Council reserve the right of refusing any advertisement
they may consider undesirable.

WANTS.

The charge Jor members' advertisements under this heading is four
pence for twelve words or under, and one penny for every additional
three words or less.

The Zoologist,

The recognised Monthly Journal devoted to Zoological Subjects.
Edited by frank: finn.

Illustrated as subjects require. I/-, postage Id.

Begun in 1843 by EDWARD Newman.

Contains original articles, by well-known Naturalists, on every
branch of Zoology.

Communications on Zoology for publication are welcomed from
all readers. Subscriptions for the year, including postage to any
part of the world, 12/-

PUBLISHED BY

ADLARD & SON and WEST NEWMAN,
Bartholomew Close, London, E.C.

TROWER & CO..

WHOLESALE SEED MERCHANTS and

BIRD FOOD SPECIALISTS,
436,438 & 442, CALEDONIAN ROAD, LONDON,

_ N .

EXTRA LARGE SPANISH CANARY SEED.

CHOICE GERMAN SUMMER RAPE SEED

Finest Selected Seeds for all kinds of Cage or Aviary Birds

British, Foreign, and Canaries,

As supplied by us to the leading Fanciers and Exhibitors at the Crystal Palaoa «n<t
other Shows. PRICE LIST. SAMPLES FREE.

“ PPfTn the best Insectivorous Food on the Market, 1 /«• per lb
1 U’ postpaid 1/3.

Ground Silk Worm Pupae, Mealworms, Ants’ Kiggs, Dried Flies, etc

(i ” the finest Egg and Biscuit Food yet made.

3d, 6d, 1/- and 2/- Tins

AVI CULT URAL

MAGAZ INE.

CONTENTS.

The Motmot, by HUBERT D. ASTLEY ( with coloured plate, and photos) 151
More Notes on New Humming Birds, by a FRENCH MEMBER ... 157

Whiskey Jack and Another, by AUBYN TREVOR-BATTYE ... ... 167

A Morning in Winter, by HUBERT D. ASTLEY ... ... ... ... 169

Nesting Habits of the Mistletoe-bird,

By S. A. Lawrence and R. T. Littlejohns ... 171

On the best system of Feeding insectivorous birds, ( Illustrated ),

[Concluded), by P. F. M. GALLOWAY ... 176

Correspondence, Notes, etc. :

Intelligence of a Stanley parrakeet ; An early Blackcap warbler
at the Front — B.E.F ; Notes from Salonika ; A wonderful
find : Birds of a Murray Island... ... ... ... 179 — 182

Third Series. The price of this APRIL,

Vol. VII. No. 6. Number is 13 -1916.-

NOTE — A new volume commences every November.

All Subscriptions

should be sent to the Publishers,

ADLARD & SON AND WEST NEWMAN,

Bartholomew Close, LONDON, E.C. (Temp. Address: 76, Newgate Street).

AVICULTU2AL SOCIETY.

Persons wishing to join the Avicultural Society are lequested to

coinmunicate with either of the lion. Secretaries or the Editor.

The Magazine can also be had from the Publishers by NON-MEMBERS

at a Subscription of 15/- per annum.

NOTICES TO MEMBERS.

The Subscription to the Avicultiu.il Society is 10 - per annum, due on
the 1st of November in each \ ear, and is ay able in advance. The entrance
fee is io/6. The Avicultural Magazine if sent free to members monthly.
Members joining at any time during th \ear ate entitled to the back
numbers for the current year, on the traymejit of entrance fee and
subscription .

All MSS. for publication in the Magazitie, Books for Review, and
Private Advertisements should be addressed to the Editor, HUBERT I).
ASTLEY, Esq., Brinsop Court, Hereford.

All Queries respecting Birds (except -po& mortem cases) should be
addressed to the Honorary Correspondence Secretary, J)r. A. G. BUTLER,
124, Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent. [Bnc/ose stamp for r eply).

All other correspondence, should be sent to the Honorary Business
Secretary, Mr. T. H. Newman, “ Newlands,” Harr wdene Road, Wembley,
Middlesex. Any change of address should be at once notified to him.

Dead Birds for post mot tern examination should b«* sent to Ptof.
G. H. Wooldridge, Zoological Society. Regent’s I

Advice is given, by post, by members of the Co
the Society', upon the subjects connected with Fotei, ...ms.

All queries are to be addressed to the Hon. Correspondence Secretary7 and
should contain a penny stamp. Those marked “ priv a ” will not be
published.

The Magazine is published by' Messrs. Adlard & Son and WEST
Newman, Bartholomew Close, E.C., to whom all SUBSCRIPTIONS,
outers for extra copies, back numbers and bound volunu (accompanied
by remittance) should be addressed.

Cases for binding the Magazine (in art cloth, with gold block on side)
can be obtained from the Publishers, post free and carefully packed, at 1/6
each ; or the Publishers will undeitake the binding of the Vo'ume for 2/6,
plus 8d. for packing and postage. Members aie requested to state whether
they want the wrappeisand advertisements bound in at the end or not.

BOUND COPIES OK THE “ A VICUI/1'UR AI, MAGAZINE.”

The following can be obtained from the Publishers at the prices given
below. Postage 6d. per volume extra.

Vol. II., 6/- to members; 8/6 to the public. Vols. V. to VII., 10/6 each to
members; 12/6 each to the public. Vol. VIII., T4/- to members; 17/6 to

the public.

New Series — Vols. I. to IV., (sets only) £\ net to members ; ^5 to the public.

,, Vols. II. to VII., 16/- each to members; 21- ,, ,,

Third Series — Vol. I. to VI., 16/- ,, ,, 21/- ,, ,,

Current Monthly Numbers 13 each (except in special cases, such as the
Number containing the List of Members, Index, etc., when the Com¬
mittee may increase the price), by post 1/4 ; for back numbers a higher
price is charged according to circumstances.

Vols. I., III. & IV., are out of print. Second-hand copies sometimes
reach the Publishers, to whom application should be made.

Noticks To Members — < Continued from page li. of cover).

CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION.

ILLUSTRATION FUND.

The Baroness Amherst of Hackney

(Lady William Cecil)

Mr. Thomas Hebb
Mr. Fred Naville ...

£ s. d.

l i o
o io o
036

ALTERATION TO RULES.

At a Meeting of the Council, which was held on Feb. 17th, the fol¬
lowing addition to the Rules was made; — “That eacli Member (not, a
Dealer) be entitled to one advertisement, free of charge, each month, the
Editor to be sole iudge as to whether such advertisement can and shall be
published or not, priority shall be given to those who apply first.

It was also decided that, in future, Membeis will only be entitled to
the Medal providing no account of the event has previously appeared
elsewhere.’’

PLEASK NOTICE.

It will be seen that copy has to be borrowed from other ornithological
journals; and the Editor will be very much obliged if Members will do
their best to send him original articles and notes.

Also a great portion of this month’s magazine is filled up by the
Editor himself, and by a French member. Some copy must be kept as a
reserve.

MEMBERS’ PRIVATE SALE AND EXCHANGE COLUMN.

l'he charge for private advertisements is sixpence for k i g h t ken
words ok r.K.ss, and one penny for every additional three words or less.
Trade advertisements are not allowed in this column. Dealers
who are members , wishing to advet Use , should apply to the Publisher for Le> ms.
Advertisements must reach the Editor on or before the 26th of the
month. The Council reserve the right of refusing any advertisement
they may consider undesirable.

For Sale or Exchange. - One female Australian Crane; two male Brazilian
Teal ; nine Chiloe Wigeon. All pinioned.

Apply to The Lord Newton, Lyme Park, Disley, Cheshire.

Bionzewing Pigeons, pair, 50/; cock Bleeding Heart Pigeon, 25/-; Emerald
Spotted Doves, pair, 20/-.

E. W. H. Br.AGG, Cheadle, Staffordshire.

WANTS.

rlhe charge Jor members' advertisements under this heading is four
pence for twelve words or under, and one penny for every additional
three words or less.

A healthy hen English Goldfinch.

Mrs. L'EstrangE Malone, West Lodge, Malton, Yorkshire.

Wanted. — Magellanic gander. State lowest price.

Mrs. H. Dennis, St. Leonard’s Park, Horsham.

The Zoologist,

The recognised Monthly Journal devoted to Zoological Subjects.
Edited by frank: FINN.

Illustrated as subjects require. I/-, postage Id.

Begun in 1843 by EDWARD Newman.

Contains original articles, by well-known Naturalists, on every
branch of Zoology.

Communications on Zoology for publication are welcomed from
all readers. Subscriptions for the year, including postage to any
part of the world, 12/-

PUBLISHED BY

ADLARD & SON and WEST NEWMAN,
Bartholomew Close, London, E.C.

TROWER & CO.,

WHOLESALE SEED MERCHANTS and

BIRD FOOD SPECIALISTS,
436,438 & 442, CALEDONIAN ROAD, LONDON,

_ _ _ N .

EXTRA LARGE SPANISH CANARY SEED.

CHOICE GERMAN SUMMER RAPE SEED

Finest Selected Seeds for all kinds of Cage or Aviary Birds

British, Foreign, and Canaries,

As supplied by us to the leading Fanciers and Exhibitors at the Crystal Palace and
other Shows. PRICE LIST. SAMPLES FREE.

“ PETTO ” tli e best Insectivorous Food on the Market, 1 - tier lb
LLC1U, postpaid 1/3.

Ground Silk Worm Pupae, Mealworms, Ants’ F.ggs, Dried Flies, etc

41 EGBISCO ” fi,iesl RKK a,|d Biscuit Food yet made.

3d, 6d, 1/- and 2 - Tins

AVI CULT URAL
MAGAZ I N E .

Third Series. The price of this MAY,

Vol. VII. No. 7. Number is 1/3- — 1916. —

CONTENTS.

The Owl Parrot, by GRAHAM RENSHAW, M.D. ( illustrated ) ... 183

Notes on Honolulu Birds, by Mrs. C. E. MAUD ... ... ... 186

Three Attempts at Breeding Sugar-birds, by Miss E. F. CHAWNER ... 188

Observations on the Birds iu a Suburban Garden, by A. A. GOODALL 191

Egg Markings and Sunlight, by Dr. A. G. BUTLER ... ... 193

Birds seen in Flanders ( Illustrated ), by Captain P. GOSSE... ... 197

The Hearing of Pheasants and other Birds, by C. BARNBY SMITH ... 200

Coming and Going, by Miss R. ALDERSON ... ... ... 201

Notes for the Month— May — by SECRETARIES ... ... ... 207

Correspondence, notes, etc. :

Fearlessness of Golden Crested Wrens ; Supposed Troupial ; Correction 209
A Spring Migrant, 1916, by A. T-B. ... ... ... ... 210

NOTE.— A new volume commences every November

All Subscriptions

should he sent to the Publishers,

ADLARD & SON AND WEST NEWMAN,

Bartholomew Close, LONDON, E.C. (Temp. Address: 76, Newgate Street).

AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.

Persons wishing to join the Avicultural Society are requested to
communicate with either of the Hon. Secretaries or the Kditor.

ijgT The Magazine can also he had from the Publishers by NON-MEMBERS
at a Subscription of 15/- pet annum.

NOTICES TO MEMBERS.

The Subscription to the Avicult ural Societ v is 10 - per annum, <1 tie on
the 1st of November in each \ ear, and is pa\ able in advance. The entrance
fee is io/6. The Avicultural Magazine is sent free to members monthly.
Members joining at any time dining the year ate entitled to the back
numbers for the current year, on the payment of entrance fee and
subscription.

All MSS. for publication in the Magazine, Books foi Review, and
Private Advertisements should be addressed to the Kditor. Hubert D.
ASTLKY, Esq., Brinsop Corn l, Heieford.

All Queries respecting Biids (except post mortem cases) should be
addressed to the Honorary Correspondence Secretary, Dr. A. G. Butler,
124, Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent. [Enclose stamp for reply].

All other correspondence, should be sent to the Honorary Business
Secretary, Dr. L. LovellKeays. Park bodge, East Hoathly, Sussex.
Any change of address should be at once notified to him.

Dead Birds for post mortem examination should be sent to Prof.
G. H. Woo EDRIDGE, Zoological Society. Regent’s Park, N.W.

Advice is given, by post, byT members of the Council to members of
the Society, upon the subjects connected with Foreign and British birds.
All queries are to be addressed to the Hon. Con espondence .Secretary and
should contain a penny stamp. Those marked “ private ” will not be
published.

The Magazine is published by Messrs. Adlakd & Son and West
Newman, Bartholomew Close, E.C., to whom all SUBSCRIPTIONS,
orders for extra copies, back numbers and bound volumes (accompanied
by remittance) should be addressed.

Cases for binding the Magazine (in art cloth, with gold block on side)
can be obtained from the Publishers, post free and carefully packed, at 1/6
each ; or the Publishers will umleitake the binding of the Volume for 2/6,
plus 8d. for packing and postage. Members aie requested to state whether
they want the wrappeis and advertisements bound in at the end or not.

BOUND COPIES OK the “AVICULTURAL MAGAZINE.”

The following can be obtained from the Publishers at the prices given
below. Postage 6d. per volume extra.

Vol. II., 6/- to members ; 8/6 to the public. Vols. V. to VII., 10/6 each to
members; 12/6 each to the public. Vol. VIII., 14/- to members; 17 jb to

the public.

New Series — Vols. I. to IV., (sets only) ^4 net to members ; ^5 to the public.

,, Vols. II. to VII., 16/- each to members; 21/- ,, ,,

Third Series — Vol. I. to VI., 16/- ,, ,, 21/- „ ,,

Current Monthly Numbeis 1/3 each (except in special cases, such as the
Number containing the List of Members, Index, etc., when the Com¬
mittee may increase the price), by post 1/4 ; for back numbers a higher
price is charged according to circumstances.

Vols. I., III. & IV., are out of print. Second-hand copies sometimes
reach the Publishers, to whom application should be made.

Noticks to Mkmhkks — (Continued from page it. of cover).

CANDIDATE FOR ELECTION.

Miss E. Maud Knable, 32, Tavistock Square, London, W.C.

Proposed by Thk HonblE. Mrs. A. Bourke,

MEMBERS’ PRIVATE SALE AND EXCHANGE COLUMN.

The charge for pi ivate advertisements is sixpence kor eighteen
words or less, and one penny for every additional three words or less.
Trade advertisements are not aeiowKD in this column. Dealers
who are members , wishing to advei Use. should apply to the Publisher for terms.
Advertisements must reach the Editor on or before the 26th of the
month. The Council reset ve the right of refusing any advertisement
they may consider undesirable.

1914 cock Nightingale, exceptional size, not singing, 15/-.

Wanted. — Cock Cuban Finch, Snow-buntings

Teschemaker, Ringniore, Teignniouth.

Parrakeets from nnheated outside aviary : Perfect pair Moustache Parra-
keets, 30/-; cock Redrump, 30/- ; blue Bonnet, 40/-; also true pair
Leadbeater’s Cockatoos.

L. Bart.ow-Massicks, The Mount, Rotherham.
Bronzewing Pigeon, pair, 50s. ; cock Bleeding Heart Pigeon, 25s.

E. W. H. Bi.AGG, Cheadle, .Staffordshire.

WAN T S .

the chaige for members' advertisements under this heading is four
pence for twelve words 01 under , and one penny for ei’ety additional
three words or less.

Wanted. — Cocks : Cuban, Fire, Mexican. Rose finches, Dnrfesnes’ Waxbill.

Hens: Cordon Bleu, Lavender, Whitethi oated and Mexican
Collared finches.

Pairs: Orange breasted Waxbills, Coidon Bleus.

For Sale. — 1914 cock Golden Pheasant, 5/- each. Hens. 12/6.

Dr. KEAYS, East Hoathly.

THE HON. BUSINESS SECRETARY.

Mr. T. H. Newman, to whom the Avicultural Society is greatly
indebted for his able and helpful work as Hon. Business Secretary, has felt
compelled to resign owing to the necessity of serving his country in the
war.

Dr. L. Loveli.-Keays has most kindly undertaken to fill the post.
[See “ Notices to Members.”]

The Zoologist,

The recognised Monthly Journal devoted to Zoological Subjects.
Edited by frank Finn.

Illustrated as subjects require. I/-, postage Id.

Begun in 1843 by Edward Newman.

Contains original articles, by well-known Naturalists, on every
branch of Zoology.

Communications on Zoology for publication are welcomed from
all readers. Subscriptions for the year, including postage to any
part of the world, 12/-

PUBLISHED BY

ADLARD & SON and WEST NEWMAN,
Bartholomew Close, London, E.C.

TROWER & CO..

WHOLESALE SEED MERCHANTS and

BIRD FOOD SPECIALISTS,
436,438 & 442, CALEDONIAN ROAD, LONDON,

EXTRA LARGE SPANISH CANARY SEED

CHOICK G K R MAN S U M M K R R A V K S li K D

Finest Selected Seeds for all kinds of Cage or Aviary Birds
British, Foreign, and Canaries.

as supplied by us to the loading Fanciers and Exhibitors at the Crystal Palace and
other Shows. PRICE LIST SAMPLES FREE

»• CECTO *' l*le best l,,seCtivorous Food on the Market, 1/- per lb
m postpaid 1/3.

Giound Silk Worm Pupae, Mealworms, Ants’ F,ggs, Dried Flies, etc

“ EGBISCO,” fi|iesl Egg and Biscuit Food _'et made.

3u. 6d, 1 - and 2 -

Tins

AVICULTURAL
MAGAZ I N E .

CONTENTS.

Breeding of Buffon’s Touracos in France ( with coloured plate )

by Monsieur JEAN DELACOURT

The Lyre Bird, by EDWIN ASHBY

The Irruption of Waxwings into Norfolk during the winter of 1913-14,
by J. H. GURNEY, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.

Some Experiences with British Softbills, by L. LOVELE-KEAYS

Stray Notes on the Birds of the Country-side (Montgomeryshire)

by G. E. RATTIGAN ...

Monthly Notes for June, by SECRETARIES

Correspondence, notes, etc. :

Letter damaged in Post Box ; Supposed Troupial ; “ASpring Migrant” ;

“ Hearing of Pheasants and other Birds” ; The owl parrot 236 — 238

Important Notice — p. 3 of cover.

211

215

219

221

226

232

Third Series. The price of this JUNE,

Vol. VII. No. 8. Number is 1/3- -1916.-

NOTE - A new volume commences every November.

All Subscriptions

should be sent to the Publishers,

ADLARD & SON AND WEST NEWMAN,

Bartholomew Close, LONDON, E.C. (Temp. Address: 76, Newgate Street).

AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.

Persons wishing to join the Avicultural Society are requested to
communicate with either of the Hon. Secretaries or the Kditor.

The Magazine can also be had from the Publishers by NON-MEMBERS
at a Subscription of 15/- per annum.

NOTICES TO MEMBERS.

The Subscription to the Avicultural Society is 10/— per annum, due on
the 1st of November in each year, and is payable in advance. The entrance
fee is io/6. The Avicultural Magazine is sent free to members monthly.
Members joining at any time during the year are entitled to the back
numbers for the current year, on the payment of entrance fee and
subscription.

All MSS. for publication in the Magazine, Books foi Review, and
Private Advertisements should be addressed to the Editor, Hubert D.
ASTLEY, Esq., Brinsop Court, Heieford.

All Queries respecting Birds (except post mortem cases), should be
addressed to the Honorary Correspondence Secretary, Dr. A. G. BUTLER,
124, Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent. (Enclose stamp for reply).

All other correspondence, should be sent to the Honorary Business
Secretary, Dr. L. I.OVELL-Keays, Park bodge, East Hoathlv, .Sussex.
Any change of address should be at once notified to him.

Dead Birds for post mortem examination should be sent to Prof.
G. H. Woo ED RIDGE, Zoological Society, Regent’s Park, N.W.

Advice is given, by post, by members of the Council to members of
the Society, upon the subjects connected with Foreign and British birds.
All queries are to be addressed to the Hon. Correspondence Secretary and
should contain a penny stamp. Those marked “ private ” will not be
published.

The Magazine is published by Messrs. Adlakd & Son and WEST
Newman, Bartholomew Close, E.C., to whom all SUBSCRIPTIONS,
orders for extra copies, back numbers and bound volumes (accompanied
by remittance) should be addressed.

Cases for binding the Magazine (in art cloth, with gold block on side)
can be obtained from the Publishers, post free and carefully packed, at 1/6
each ; or the Publishers will nndeitake the binding of the Volume for 2/6,
plus 8d. for packing and postage. Members are requested to state whether
they want the wrappers and advertisements bound in at the end or not.

BOUND COPIES OF THE “AVICULTURAL MAGAZINE.”

The following can be obtained from the Publishers at the prices given
below. Postage 6d. per volume extra.

Vol. II., 6/- to members ; 8/6 to the public. Vols. V. to VII., 10/6 each to
members ; 12/6 each to the public. Vol. VIII., 14/- to members ; 17/6 to

the public.

New Series — Vols. I. to IV., (sets only) £ 4 net to members ; ^5 to the public.

„ Vols. II. to VII., 16/- each to members; 21/- ,, ,,

Third Series— Vol. I. to VI., 16/- „ „ 21/-

Current Monthly Numbers 1/3 each (except in special cases, such as the
Number containing the List of Members, Index, etc., when the Com¬
mittee may increase the price), by post 1/4 ; for back numbers a higher
price is charged according to circumstances.

Vols. I., III. & IV., are out of print. Second-hand copies sometimes
reach the Publishers, to whom application should be made.

Noticks to Membkks — (Continued from page n. of cover).

CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION.

Lady Samuelson, Hatchford Park, Cobhatn, Surrey.

Proposed by Mr. Hubert I). Astley.

Mrs. L. LovELL-Kkays, Park Lodge, East Hoathly, Sussex.

Proposed by Dr. L. Lovell-Keays.

ALTERATION TO RULES.

At a Meeting of the Council, which was held on Feb. 17th, the fol¬
lowing addition to the Rules was made: — “That each Member (not a
Dealer) be entitled to one advertisement, free of charge, each month, the
Editor to be sole judge as to whether such advertisement can and shall be
published or not, priority shall be given to those who apply first.”

MEMBERS’ PRIVATE SALE AND EXCHANGE COLUMN.

A very fine young pair Red-collared lorikeets, £4 10/-; also cocks: Rainbow
bunting, 35/- ; Indigo bunting, 30/-, in colour ; fine “All Green ” Tanager,
35/-; ail in good condition. Miss Peddie Waddell.

Balguhatstone, Slamannan, Stirlingshire.

IMPORTANT NOTICE.

The summer meeting of the Council will take place, by kind
permission of the Zoological Society, in the Council Room, at 3 p.m.
on the fourth Thursday in June ( i.e . the 22nd). After which there
will be a meeting of the Members in the Gardens, when the Council
hope that as many as can possibly spare the time will come. It
affords an excellent opportunity of getting to know other bird-lovers ;
and the exchange of ideas is good for us and for the pursuit of bird¬
keeping. It also shows interest in the Society to which you belong.

The fact that it is war time only makes it the more important
that we should all make a special effort to be present. Tea will be
provided in the Fellows’ enclosure at 4 o’clock, to which all members
are heartily invited.

Will any member not personally known to the Editor (or
Secretary) very kindly make themselves known to either or both,
and will they bear in mind that the Avicultural Society is a Society
for the exchange of ideas and the making of friends and not a species
of Bird-book club whose sole object is to publish a magazine.

We trust therefore that June 22nd, 1916, will not leave us —
the Council — disappointed. L. Lovell-Keays,

Hon. Business Secretary.

N.B. — The Editor and Secretary have a number of spare
admission tickets which they would gladly send to any member
intending to be present on application being made at Park Lodge,
East Hoathly, Sussex.

The Zoologist,

The recognised Monthly Journal devoted to Zoological Subjects.
Edited by frank Finn.

Illustrated as subjects require. I/-, postage Id.

Begun in 1843 by Edward Newman.

Contains original articles, by well-known Naturalists, on every
branch of Zoology.

Communications on Zoology for publication are welcomed from
all readers. Subscriptions for the year, including postage to any
part of the world, 12/-

PTJBLISHED BY

ADLARD & SON and WEST NEWMAN,
Bartholomew Close, London, E.C.

TROWER & CO..

WHOLESALE SEED MERCHANTS and

BIRD FOOD SPECIALISTS,

436,438 & 442, CALEDONIAN ROAD, LONDON,

_ _ _ _ _ N .

EXTRA LARGE SPANISH CANARY SEED.

CHOICE GERMAN SUMMER RAPE SEED

Finest Selected Seeds for all kinds of Cage or Aviary Birds

British, Foreign, and Canaries,

As supplied by us to the leading Fanciers and Exhibitors at the Crystal Paiaoe and
other Shows. PRICE LIST. SAMPLES FREE.

it FE'f'Tn the best Insectivorous Food on the Market, 1 /•« per lb
— postpaid 1/3.

Ground Silk Worm Pupae, Mealworms, Ants’ Eggs, Dried Flies, etc

«' ” the finest Egg and Biscuit Food vet made.

3d, 6d, 1/-' and 2/- Tine

AVICULTURAL
MAGAZ I N E .

CONTENTS.

Louis Agassiz Fuertes — Painter of Bird Portraits ( illustrated ),

By Frank M. Chapman ... 239

About Birds along the River near Oudtshoorn, by F. E. BLAAUW ... 243

Birds in Macedonia, by CAPTAIN BERNARD E. POTTER ... ... 248

Reminiscences of a Field Collector, by A. J. CAMPBELL, C.M.B.O.U. 253
Monthly Notes for July, by SECRETARIES ... ... ... 258

REVIEW British Birds ” ... ... ... ... ... 261

More Articles Needed ... ... ... ... ... ... 262

Correspondence, notes, etc. :

Snow Geese perching in trees ; ‘Brandlings’ (Worms) as food
for birds; Supposed Troupial; The “Shell Ibis”; Stray
Notes on the Birds of the Country-side (Errata) ... ... 264

Third Series. The price of this JULY,

Vol. VII. No. 9. Number is T3- — 1916.—

NOTE — A new volume commences every November.

All Subscriptions

should he sent to the Publishers,

ADLARD & SON AND WEST NEWMAN,

Bartholomew close, LONDON, E.C. (Temp. Address: 76, Newgate Street).

AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.

Persons wishing to join the AviCULTU kai, Society are requested to
conmiunicale with either of the lion. Secretaries or the Editor.

<£§" The Magazine can also be hah from the Publishers by NON-MEMBERS
at a Subscription of 15/- per annum.

NOTICES TO MEMBERS.

The Subscription to the Avicultural Society is 10/- per annum, due on
the 1st of November in each year, and is payable in advance. The entrance
fee is io/6. The Avicultural Magazine is sent free to members monthly.
Members joining at any time during the year aie entitled to the back
numbers for the current year, on the payment of entrance fee and
subscription.

All MSS. for publication i?i the Magazine , Books foi Review, and
Private Advertisements should be addressed to the Editor, Hubert D.
Astley, Esq., Brinsop Court, Heieford.

All Queries respecting Birds (except post mortem cases) should be
addressed to the Honorary Correspondence Secretary, Dr. A. G. BUTI.KR,
124, Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent. (Enclose stamp for reply\

All othei coirespondence. should be sent to the Honorary Business
Secretary, Dr. I,. I.OVELL-Keays, Park Dodge, East Hoathly, Sussex.
An} change of address should be at once notified to him.

Dead Birds for post mortem examination should be sent to Prof.
G. H. Woo EDRIDGE, Zoological Society, Regent’s Park, N.W.

Advice is given, by post, by members of the Council to members of
the Society, upon the subjects connected with Foreign and British birds.
All queries are to be addressed to the Hon. Correspondence .Secretary and
should contain a penny stamp. Those marked “ private ” will not be
published.

The Magazine is published by Messrs. Adi.ard & Son and WEST
Newman, Bartholomew Close, E.C., to whom all SUBSCRIPTIONS,
orders for extra copies, back numbers and bound volumes (accompanied
by lemittance) should be addressed.

Cases for binding the Magazine (in art cloth, with gold block 011 side)
can be obtained from the Publishers, post free and carefully packed, at 1/6
each ; or the Publishers will undei take the binding of the Volume for 2/6,
plus 8d. for packing and postage. Members are requested to state whether
they want the wrappers and advertisements bound in at the end or not.

BOUND COPIES OK the “ AVICULTURAL MAGAZINE.”

The following can be obtained from the Publishers at the prices given
below. Postage 6d. per volume extra.

Vol. II., 6/- to members ; 8/6 to the public. Vols. V. to VII., 10/6 each to
members; 12/6 each to the public. Vol. VIII., 14/- to members; 17/6 to

the public.

New Series — Vols. I. to IV., (sets only) net to members ; ^5 to the public.

,, Vols. II. to VII., 16/- each to members; 21/- ,, ,,

Third Series — Vol. I. to VI., 16/- ,, ,, 21/- ,, ,,

Current Monthly Numbers 1/3 each (except in special cases, such as the
Number containing the List of Members, Index, etc., when the Com¬
mittee may increase the price), by post 1/4 ; for back numbers a higher
price is charged according to circumstances.

Vols. I., III. & IV., are out of print. Second-hand copies sometimes
reach the Publishers, to whom application should be made.

N'ni’iCKS To Members — > Continued from page u. of cover).

NEW MEMBERS.

Lady SamUELSON, Hatch ford Park, Cobham, Surrey.

Mrs. L. I.ovELL-KeayS, Park Lodge, East Hoathly, Sussex.

CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION.

ALTERATION TO RULES.

At a Meeting of the Council, which was held on Feb. 17th, the fol¬
lowing addition to the Rules was made: — “That each Member (not a
Dealer) be entitled to one advertisement, free of charge, each month, the
Editor to be sole judge as to whether such advertisement can and shall be
published or not, priority shall be given to those who apply first.”

MEMBERS’ PRIVATE SALE AND EXCHANGE COLUMN.

The charge for pi ivate advertisements is sixpence kok eighteen
words ok less, and one penny for every additional three words or less
Trade ADVERTISEMENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED IN THIS COLUMN. Dealet s
who are members , wishing to advei Use, should apply to the Publisher for te> ms
Advertisements must reach the Editor on or before the 26th of the
month. The Council reset ve the right of refusing any advertisement
they may consider undesirable.

For Sale.— Swinlioes, 1 cock, 2 hens, £6 the pen ; cock Yellow-flank parra.
keet, 25/-; cock Canary-wing, 25/ ; Brown-throated Cmiure, £l.

Mrs. C. H. Williams, 3, Manor Road, S. Thomas, F.xeter.

WANTS.

'The charge for members' advertisements under this heading is four
pence for TWELVE words or under, and one penny for eveiy additional
three words or less.

Cocks : Scarlet tanager, Red-vented bulbul ; hen Red-crested Cardinal ; or
sell hen Red-vented bulbul, guaranteed builder, reared \011ng last
season. RATTIGAN, Caersws, Montgomeryshire.

The Zoologist,

The recognised Monthly Journal devoted to Zoological Subjects.
Edited by frank: fin n.

Illustrated as subjects require. I/-, postage Id.

Begun in 1843 by Edward Newman.

Contains original articles, by well-known Naturalists, on every
branch of Zoology.

Communications on Zoology for publication are welcomed from
all readers. Subscriptions for the year, including postage to any
part of the world, 12/-

PUBLISHED BY

ADLARD & SON and WEST NEWMAN,
Bartholomew Close, London, E.C.

T ROWER & CO..

WHOLESALE SEED MERCHANTS and

BIRD FOOD SPECIALISTS,

436,438 & 442, CALEDONIAN ROAD, LONDON,

_ _ _ _ ________ N.

EXTRA LARGE SPANISH CANARY SEED.

CHOICE GERMAN SUMMER RAPE SEED

Finest Selected Seeds for all kinds of Cage or Aviary Birds
British, Foreign, and Canaries.

as supplied by us to the leading Fanciers and Exhibitors at the Crystal Palace ano
other Shows. PRICE LIST. SAMPLES FREE.

• * PE'CTO lit e best Insectivorous Food on the Market, 1/- per lb
1UI_ postpaid 1/3-

Giound Silk Worm Pupae, Mealworms, Ants’ FIggs, Dried Flies, etc

( I l?r Dicrn ” the finest Egg and Biscuit hood vet made.

LUDlOOU. 3,1. ©d, 1/- and 2,- Tins

AVICULTURAL
MAGAZ I N E .

CONTENTS.

CONTENTS.

The Lesser Whitethroat (illustrated), by Dr. A. G. BUTLER * ... 265

Nesting of the Malabar Parrakeets, by Dr. L. LOVELL-KEAYS ... 267

Another Attempt at Breeding Yellow-winged Sugar-birds,

. by Miss E. F. OHAWNER... 270

Hybrid Pigeons, by Monsieur JEAN DELACOUR ... ... ... 275

On the Breeding of the Emperor Goose at Gooilust, (Illustrated) ,

by F. E. BLAAUW 277

On Fiji Parrot-Finches and other South Sea Island matters,

By An Australian Bird-Lover ... 279

The Bio-Club, a new French Association for Lovers of Nature ... 283

Reports on the Council and General Summer Meeting ... ... 285

Obituary .— Lt. -Col. Boyd R. Horsbrugh, A.S.C. ... ... 288

The Hermit Thrush (Poem), by WINIFRED HOLWAY PALMER ... 289

Monthly Notes for August, by SECRETARIES ... ... ... 290

Correspondence, notes, etc. :

Murderous Tendencies in Birds ; ‘Brandlings’ (Worms) as food
for birds ; A Coincidence ; The Utility of Owls ; Extraordinary
Site of a Yellow-hammer’s Nest ... ... ... 293 — 295

Third. Series. The price of this AUGUST,

Vol. VII. No. 10. Number is 1/3- -1916.-

NOTE — A new volume commences every November.

All Subscriptions

should be sent to the Publishers,

ADLARD & SON AND WEST NEWMAN,

Bartholomew Close, LONDON, E.C.

AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.

Persons wishing to join the AVICULTURAL Society are lequested to
communicate with either of the Hon. Secretaries or the Kditor.

GaP1 The Magazine can also be had from the Publishers by NON-MEMBERS
at a Subscription' of 15/- per annum.

NOTICES TO MEMBERS.

The Subscription to the Avicultural Society is 10 - per annum, due on
the 1st of November in each year, and is payable in advance. The entrance
fee is 10 6. The Avicultural Magazine is sent free to members monthly.
Members joining at any time during the year are entitled to the back
numbers for the current year, on the payment of entrance fee and
subscription .

All MSS. for publication in the Magazine . Books fot Review, and
Pi mate Advertisements should be addressed to the Editor, Hubert D.
ASTT.ey, Esq., Brinsop Couit, Heteford.

All Queues respecting Birds (except post mortem cases) should be
addressed to the Honorary Correspondence Secretary, Dr. A. G. BUTLER.
124, Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent. [Enclose stamp for reply].

All other coi respondence, should be sent to the Honorary Business
Secietarv, Dr. L. I.OVEU/Kkavs, Park Lodge, East Hoathly, Sussex.
Any change of address should be at once notified to him.

Dead Birds for post mot tern examination should be sent to Pi of.
G. H. Wooi.dridge, Zoological Society, Regent’s Park, N.W.

Advice is given, by post, by members of the Council to members of
the Society, upon the subjects connected with Foreign and British birds.
All queries are to be addressed to the Hon. Correspondence .Secretary and
should contain a penny stamp. Those marked “ private ” will not he
published.

The Magazine is published by Messrs. Adi.ard & SON and WEST
Newman, Bartholomew Ci.ose, E.C., to whom all SUBSCRIPTIONS,
orders for extra copies, back numbers and bound volumes (accompanied
bv remittance) should be addressed.

Cases for binding the Magazine (in art cloth, with gold block on side)
can be obtained from the Publishers, post free and carefully packed, at 1 6
each ; or the Publishers will undertake the binding of the Volume for 2/6,
plus 8d. for packing and postage. Members aie requested to state whether
they want the wrappeis and advertisements bound in at the end or not.

BOUND COPIES OK THE “AVICULTURAL MAGAZINE.”

The following can be obtained from the Publishers at the prices given
below. Postage 6d. per volume extra.

Vol. II., 6/- to members; 8 6 to the public. Vols. V. to VII., 10/6 each to
members; 12 6 each to the public. Vol. VIII., 14/- to members; 17/b to

the public.

New Series — Vols. I. to IV., (sets only) £4 net to members ; £ 5 to the public.

,, Vols. II. to VII., 16/- each to members; 21/- ,, ,,

Third Series — Vol. I. to VI., 16/- ,, ,, 21/- ,, ,,

Current Monthly Numbers 13 each (except in special cases, such as the
Number containing the List of Members. Index, etc., when the Com¬
mittee may increase the price), by post 1/4 ; for back numbers a higher
pi ice is charged according to circumstances.

Vols. I., III. & IV., are out of print. Second-hand copies sometimes
reach the Publishers, to whom application should be made.

Notices to Members — (Continued from page it. of cover).

NEW MEMBER.

Miss E. Maud Enable, 32, Tavistock Square, Loudon, W.C.

CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION.

Monsieur le Professeur Heim, 34, Rue Hauielin, Paris.

Proposed by M. le Comte de Seguk.

Mr. vS. A. Lawrence, “Miya,” Alma Road, E. St. Kilda, Vic. Australia.

Proposed by Mr. I). Le Souef.

ALTERATION TO RULES.

At a Meeting of the Council, which was held on Feb. 17th, the fol¬
lowing addition to the Rules was made: — “That each Member (not a
Dealer) be entitled to one advertisement, free of charge, each month, the
Editor to be sole judge as to whether such advertisement can and shall be
published or not, priority shall be given to those who apply first.”

MEMBERS’ PRIVATE SALE AND EXCHANGE COLUMN.

The charge for pt ivate advertisements is sixpence for eighteen
words or LESS, and one penny for every additional three words or less.
Trade advertisements are not allowed in this column. Dealers
zvho are members, wishing to advet tise, should apply to the Publisher for terms.
Advertisements must reach the Editor on or before the 26th of the
month. The Council reserve the right of refusing any advertisement
they may consider undesirable.

WANTS.

The charge for members' advertisements under this heading is four
pence for TWELVE words or under , and one penny for ei'ety additional
three words or less.

Male Australian chestnut-breasted teal and male Australian maned goose.

H. D. ASTLEY, Briusop Court, Hereford.

The Zoologist,

The recognised Monthly Journal devoted to Zoological Subjects.
Edited by frank Finn.

Illustrated as subjects require. I/-, postage Id.

Begun in 1843 by EDWARD NEWMAN.

Contains original articles, by well-known Naturalists, on every
branch of Zoology.

Communications on Zoology for publication are welcomed from
all readers. Subscriptions for the year, including postage to any
part of the world, 12/-

PUBLISHED BY

ADLARD & SON and WEST NEWMAN,
Bartholomew Close, London, E.C.

TROWER & CO.,

WHOLESALE SEED MERCHANTS and

BIRD FOOD SPECIALISTS,
436,438 & 442, CALEDONIAN ROAD, LONDON,

_ _ _ _ _ N.

EXTRA LARGE SPANISH CANARY SEED.

CHOICE GERMAN SUMMER RAPE SEED

Finest Selected Seeds for all kinds of Cage or Aviary Birds

British, Foreign, and Canaries,

as supplied by us to the leading Fanciers and Exhibitors at the Crystal Palace and
other Shows. PRICE LIST. SAMPLES FREE.

i* rurTH ” the best Insectivorous Food on the Market, 1/- per lb
1 U< postpaid 1/3-

Ground Silk Worm Pupae, Mealworms, Ants’ Eggs, Dried Flies, etc

(i ” the finest Egg and Biscuit Food yet made.

bbDiabU, 3d 6d. 1/-' and 2- Tins

CONTENTS.

Nesting Notes from the Zoological Gardens (illustrated) ,

by David Seth-Smith, F.Z.S. ... 297

The Black Redstart and its Breeding Haunts, by HUBERT D. ASTLEY 300
Bird Song, by 1 ‘ BlRDLOVER ’ ’ ... ... ... ... ... 304

Some Firefinches and other Gambian Birds, by Dr. E. HOPKINSON 310
Five little Waxwings and how they grew, by GEORGE G. PHILLIPS 314
A Visit to Brinsop Court, by a GUEST ... ... ... ... 317

My Bird Neighbours, by Mrs. L. H. TOUSSAINT ... ... ... 319

Miscellaneous Notes from Brinsop Court ... ... ... ... 321

Correspondence, Notes, etc. :

The Illustration Fund ; Brandling Worms ; Resignation of the

Hon. Secretary ; Breeding of Yellow-winged Sugar-birds 323 — 324

Third Series. The price of this SEPTEMBER,

Vol. VII. No. 11. Number is 1/3 -1916.-

AVICULTURAL
MAGAZ I N E .

NOTE — A new volume commences every November.

All Subscriptions

should be sent to the Publishers,

ADLARD & SON AND WEST NEWMAN,

Bartholomew Close, LONDON, E.C.

AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.

Persons wishing to join the Avicultural SociKTY are requested to
communicate with either of the Hon. Secretaries or the Editor.

ifgT The Magazine can also he had from the Publishers by NON-MEMBERS
at a Subscription of 15/- per annum.

NOTICES TO MEMBERS.

The Subscription to the Avicultural Society is 10 - per annum, due on
the 1st of November in each \ear, and is payable in advance. The entrance
fee is io/6. The Avicultural Magazine is sent free to members monthly.
Members joining at any time during the year aie entitled to the back
numbers for the current year, on the payment of entrance fee and
subscription.

All MSS. foi publication in the Magazine , Books fot Review , and
Private Advertisements should be addressed to the Plditor, Hubert D.
ASTLEY, Esq., Brinsop Court, Hereford.

All Quenes respecting Bn ds (except post mortem cases)j should be
addressed to the Honorary Correspondence Secretary, Dr. A. G. Butler,
124, Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent. [Enclose stamp for reply"].

All other correspondence , should be sent to the Honorary Business
Secretary, Dr. I,. I.OVELL-Kkays, Park Lodge, East Hoathly, Sussex.
Any change of address should be at once notified to him.

Dead Birds for post mortem examination should be sent to Prof.
G. H. Wooldridge, Zoological Society, Regent’s Park, N.W.

Advice is given, by post, by members of the Council to members of
the Society, upon the subjects connected with Foreign and British birds.
All queries are to be addressed to the Hon. Correspondence Secretary and
should contain a penny stamp. Those marked “ private ” will not be
published.

The Magazine is published by Messrs. Adlard & Son and WEST
Newman, Bartholomew Close, E.C., to whom all SUBSCRIPTIONS,
orders for extra copies, back numbers and bound volumes (accompanied
by remittance) should be addressed.

Cases for binding the Magazine (in art cloth, with gold block on side)
can be obtained from the Publishers, post free and carefully packed, at 1/6
each ; or the Publishers will undertake the binding of the Volume for 2/6,
plus Sd. for packing and postage. Members are requested to state whether
they want the wrappers and advertisements bound in at the end or not.

BOUND COPIES OF THE “ AVICULTURAI. MAGAZINE.”

The following can be obtained from the Publishers at the prices given
below'. Postage 6d. per volume extra.

Vol. II., 6/- to members ; 8 6 to the public. Vols. V. to VII.. 10/6 each to
members; 12/6 each to the public. Vol. VIII., 14/- to members; 17/6 to

the public.

New Series — Vols. I. to IV., (sets only) net to members ; ^5 to the public.

,, Vols. II. to VII., 16 /- each to members; 21/* ,, „

Third Series— Vol. I. to VI., 16/- „ „ 21/-

Current Monthly Numbers 13 each (except in special cases, such as the
Number containing the List of Members, Index, etc., when the Com¬
mittee may increase the price), by post 1/4 ; for back numbers a higher
price is charged according to circumstances.

Vols. I., III. & IV., are out of print. Second-hand copies sometimes
reach the Publishers, to whom application should be made.

Noticks to Members — t Continued from page n. of cover).

NEW MEMBER.

Mr. S. A. Lawrence, “Miya,” Alma Road, E. St. Kilda, Vic. Australia.

CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION.

ALTERATION TO RULES.

At a Meeting of the Council, which was held on Feb. 17th, the fol¬
lowing addition to the Rules was made : — “ That each Member (not a
Dealer) be entitled to one advertisement, free of charge, each month, the
Editor to be sole judge as to whether such advertisement can and shall be
published or not, priority shall be given to those who apply first.”

MEMBERS’ PRIVATE SALE AND EXCHANGE COLUMN.

The charge for pi ivate advertisements is sixpence for eighteen
words or less, and one penny for every additional three words or less.
Trade advertisements are; not aij.owed in this column. Dealers
who are members , wishing to advei tise , should apply to the Publisher for terms.
Advertisements must reach the Editor on or before the 26th of the
month. The Council reserve the right of refusing any advertisement
they may consider undesirable.

For Sale. — Black Seed-finch, 12/6; few pairs of Zebra finches, 10/- per pair.

Wanted. — Hen White Java Sparrow.

Teschemaker, Ringmore, Teignmouth.

Pair Virginian Cardinals, flying at complete libeitv. Cock exceptionally
fine songster, 60/-

Second Pair. — Cock brilliant coloured bird. Hen rather old but good for
another season or two, and a free breeder. 42/- ; Diamond Doves,
perfect condition, 30/- pair ; Emerald spotted Doves. 25/-; odd cock,
defective foot, 7/6 ; black tanagers (free breeders, easy to rear) 15/- pair ;
young from above, 6/- each ; nuthatches, (in cage and avairy since last
winter), 15/- pair; common quail, 7/6 pair; Californian quail, 25/- pair ;
young from above, 10/- each ; hen scarlet tanager, 30/- ; hen red¬
faced love-bird, (show condition), 20/- ; pair Pallas’ sand grouse, 40/

Pheasants. — This season’s birds, golden, 5/- ; Amherst, 7/6; kalige, 8/6 ; adult
pair kalige, 30/-; golden plover, (Summer plumage), 6/-; grey
plover, 6/-

Aviaries. — No. I, 30ft. x 15ft. X 7ft. (J inch mesh). Complete with shelter
10-4 ft. X 5-2ft. X 7ft. Cost £30. Constructed Sept., 1915.

No. II. — 20ft. square X 7ft. (half-inch mesh), shelter, 9.6ft. X 4-2ft, X 7ft.
Cost £ 17. Constructed April, 1914.

No. III. — Pheasautry, three partitions with three separate small shelters
20ft. X 15ft X 7ft. Cost £\2 10s. Constructed May, 1916.

All above must be sold, no reasonable offer refused. Fine opportunity to
secure any or all three aviaries at nominal figure.

Rattigan, Caersws, Montgomeryshire.

WANTS.

The charge for members' advertisements under this heading is four
pknck for twelve words or under , and one penny for every additional
three words or less.

Wanted. — Ornamental waterfowl. Adult rheas for sale.

Mrs. Athkrley, Croft Castle, Kingsland, Herefordshire.

Boy of 16 or 17 to train as bird-keeper. Must be really fond of birds and
have highest references. H. D. Astley, Brinsop Court, Hereford.

The Zoologist,

The recognised Monthly Journal devoted to Zoological Subjects.
Edited by frank finn.

Illustrated as subjects require. I/-, postage Id.

Begun in 1843 by Edward Newman.

Contains original articles, by well-known Naturalists, on every
branch of Zoology.

Communications on Zoology for publication are welcomed from
all readers. Subscriptions for the year, including postage to any
part of the world, 12/-

PUBLISHED BY

ADLARD & SON and WEST NEWMAN,
Bartholomew Close, London, E.C.

T ROWER & CO..

WHOLESALE SEED MERCHANTS and

BIRD FOOD SPECIALISTS,

436,438 & 442, CALEDONIAN ROAD, LONDON,

N .

EXTRA LARGE SPANISH CANARY SEED.

CHOIC K G K R MAN S U M M K R RAPE S K E I>

Finest Selected Seeds for all kinds of Cage or Aviary Birds
British. Foreign, and Canakiks,

as supplied by us to the leading Fanciers and Exhibitors at the Crystal Palace and
other Shows. PRICE LIST. SAMPLES FREE,

i* CECTO ” l*lc *,est Insectivorous Food on the Market, 1/- per lb

postpaid 13.

Giound Silk Worm Pupae, Me. worms, Ants’ Eggs, Dried Flies, etc

“ EGBISCO,” u,e fi"esl

and Biscuit Food vet made.
3d Bd, 1/-' and 2 -

Tins

AVICULTURAL
MAGAZ I N E .

CONTENTS.

Notes od the Red-winged Bush Shrike (illustrated) ,

by Dr. V. G. L. VAN SOMEREN, etc. 325

The Imitative Power of Birds, by Dr. A. G. BUTLER ... ... 327

Breeding Notes — and others — for 1916,

by the Marquis of Tavistock... 330

Cuvier’s Podargus (illustrated) , by GRAHAM RENSHAW, M.D., F.R.S.E. 332

Breeding of the Pink-crested Touraco, by HUBERT D. ASTLEY ... 334

Bird Life on Yanko Creek, N.S.W.,

by CHARLES Barrett, C.M.Z.S., R.A.O.U., Melbourne ... 335

Wagtails in Herefordshire, by HUBERT D. ASTLEY... ... ... 345

Robins, by Dr. E. HOPKINSON ... ... ... ... ... 346

Correspondence, Notes, etc. :

Short-eared Owls in the Trenches ; The Black Redstart... ... 350

Third Series. The price of this OCTOBER,

Vol. VII. No. 12. Number is 2/6- — 1916.—

NOTE.— A new volume commences every November.

All Subscriptions

should be sent to the Publishers,

ADLARD & SON AND WEST NEWMAN,

Bartholomew Close, LONDON, E.C.

AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.

Persons wishing to join the Avicultural Society are requested to

communicate with either of the Hon. Secretaries or the Kditor.

lg§r The Magazine can also he had from the Publishers by NON-MEMBERS

at a Subscription of 15/- per annum.

NOTICES TO MEMBERS.

The Subscription to the Avicultural Society is 10 - per annum, due on
the 1st of November in each year, and is payable in advance. The entrance
fee is io/6. The Avicultural- Magazine is sent free to members monthly.
Members joining at any time during the year aie entitled to the hack
numbers for the current year, on the payment of entrance fee and
subscription .

All MSS. for publication in l he Magazine , Books for Review , and
Btivate Advertisements should be addressed to the Kditor, Hubert I).
ASTLKY, Esq., Brinsop Court, Hereford.

All Queries tespeciin° Bitds (except post mortem cases)] should be
addressed to the Honorary Correspondence Secretary, Dr. A. G. Butler,
124, Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent. [Enclose stamp for repl y].

All other cot respondence, should be sent to Miss R. Ai.derson,
Park House. Worksop, Notts. Any change of address should be at once
notified to her.

Dead Birds for post mot tern examination should be sent to Prof.
G. H. Wooldridge, Zoological Society, Regent’s Park, N.W.

Advice is given, by post, byr members of the Council to members of
the Society, upon the subjects connected with Foreign and British birds.
All queries are to he addressed to the Hon. Correspondence Secretary and
should contain a penny stamp. Those marked “private” will not be
published.

The Magazine is published by Messrs. Adi.akd & Son and West
Newman, Bartholomew Ci.ose:, E.C., to whom all SUBSCRIPTIONS,
orders for extra copies, back numbers and bound volumes (accompanied
by remittance) should be addressed.

Cases for binding the Magazine (in art cloth, with gold block on side)
can be obtained from the Publishers, post free and carefully packed, at 1/6
each ; or the Publishers will undertake the binding of the Volume for 2/6,
plus Sd. for packing and postage. Members ate requested to state whether
they want the wrappers attd advertisements bound irt at the end or not.

BOUND COPIES OK THE “AVICULTURAL MAGAZINE.”

The following can be obtained from the Publishers at the prices given
below. Postage 6d. tier volume extra.

Vol. II., 6/- to members; 8/6 to the public. Vols. V. to VII., 10/6 each to
members ; 12/6 each to the public. Vol. VIII., T4/- to members ; 17/6 to

the public.

New Series — Vols. I. to IV., (sets only.) ^4 net to members ; to the public.

,, Vols. II. to VII., 16/- each to members; 21/- ,, ,,

Third Series — Vol. I. to VI., 16/- ,, ,, 21/- ,, ,,

Current Monthly Numbers 1 3 each (except in special cases, such as the
Number containing the List of Members, Index, etc., when the Com¬
mittee lira}- increase the price), by post 1/4 ; for hack numbers a higher
price is charged according to circumstances.

Vols. I., III. & IV., are out of print. Second-hand copies sometimes
reach the Publishers, to whom application should be made.