137 



weather. Besides sop, these birds should have fruit 

 daily— apples, bananas or oranges. Many of the 

 Lories will at first refuse anything so hard as raw 

 apple, and for these there is nothing better than 

 stewed apple well sweetened, or banana mashed up in 

 orange juice. In the summer, green food may be 

 given. Dates and dried figs form a useful change of 

 diet. The dates may be given as bought, but the figs 

 should be stewed and afterwards mashed. Canary 

 seed may be supplied, and will be occasionally eaten 

 by some of the Lorikeets. All these birds resent a 

 sudden change of food, and anyone acquiring one of 

 them should ascertain how it has been fed, and supply 

 it at first with its accustomed food however unsuitable 

 it may be, until he can persuade it to take to the diet 

 here recommended. Lorikeets will often eat nothing 

 but canary-seed when they have been fed upon it for 

 a long time. (I believe that " Blue Mountain Lories" 

 are almost always so fed on the voyage from 

 Australia). On the other hand, some Lories will 

 refuse all solid food, and have to be fed at first on sop 

 made so liquid as to be little more that boiled milk, 

 and orange juice. 



For a good many years I was never without 

 Lories and Lorikeets — and kept, altogether, five 

 different species. I never lost one, and I never had 

 one sick — and these facts are, I think, sufficient proof 

 that the diet here recommended is not far wrong. 



[To be coiitimied). 



post flDorteni lRcport6. 



{Vide Rules). 



Mannikin. (Mr. Horton). Piieuinonia: had been ill some 

 days. 



NESTi^ing Grouse, three. (Mr. Pycraft). All three died of 

 that form of septicaemia kiiowu as "Grouse disease." 



