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desciibed as an atrocity, and the declaration would have unhesitatingly 

 gone forth that they weie unsuitable for cage or aviary, and that the onlv 

 humane course was to leave them in their native wilds. That was years ago, 

 hut by carefully studying the subject, it is now a known fact that not only 

 can the Nightjar be kept in perfect health and condition, but even induced 

 to breed in a room, as recorded in the interesting article which appeared ill 

 the November issue of this Magazine. 



My experience teaches me that the Swallow and Nightjar can both 

 be kept, even in cages, not merely for mouths, but years, and more ; can be 

 kept in perfect feather and vigorous health under the conditions of cage life. 



My Swallow I kept for seven years and seven months ; he was always in 

 perfect plumage and health ; often in song; be would sit in my hand and 

 sing gaily whilst ill that position. He was taken from the nest when seven 

 days old and hand-reared by me. 



My Nightjar I have now had three and a half-years and there is cer- 

 tainly not the slightest reason why he should not live and thrive for 

 another similar period. This bird I took from the nest (if you can call the 

 hare ground a nest) at the age of four days, it was then practically naked ; 

 its flesh being of a dark purplish colour, covered all over with pale straw- 

 coloured down, very much like that seen on a young pigeon. He certainly 

 was not handsome, in fact decidedly plain, even if not actually ugly ; the 

 nostrils were very prominent and the mouth, even at this age, apparently 

 out of all proportion to the size of the head. I placed it in a small box 

 without a lid, which also contained two young Thrushes, partially fledged ; 

 by this means I was able to give the Nightjar the natural blood warmth it 

 needed. The Thrushes were fed every half hour, but the Nightjar only 

 four or five times a day, the last feed being at 10 p.m. By the time the 

 Thrushes were able to leave the box-, the Nightjar had grown sufficiently to 

 do without so much brooding, and I then covered it with a piece of flannel 

 (doubled). 



It was reared upon moths, large as well as small, larvae of the cock- 

 chafers and small cockroaches; no soft cage food of any kind was given 

 until the bird was about three iweeks old. I then fed it upon the insects 

 named (alive) also large mealworms, snial lbeetles found under sacks and 

 boards lying upon the ground, and a small quantity of my insectile mix- 

 ture, "Life," moistened and made into small pellets about the size of 

 haricot beans; its growth was very rapid and it feathered well. A few drops 

 of water were given each morning and evening. 



When the bird had developed more, it did not remain continually in 

 the box ; it would run about the floor, running with its head well up and 

 sometimes its wings carried straight up over the back (very much as seen in 

 a Plover when alighting) and then would suddenly stop and squat flat on 

 the floor. 



As dusk came on it would call with a kind of double sounding croak 



