My Birds. 55 



birds demand, but the trouble entailed is not nearly so great 

 a'' it seemed, and is a hundredfold repaid by the beauty, intelli- 

 gence and interest of the birds, far in advance in our opinion 

 of all the hardbills. They include a Shama, glorious of song 

 and tame, as apparently most Shamas are, to the extent of 

 appearing entirely without fear or nerves; a pair of Red-eared 

 Bulbuls. Blue Tanagers, a Superb Tanager, Orange-headed 

 Ground Thrush, Silver-eared Mesia — a charming bird — two 

 I'ekin Robins, most amusing and impertinent, and a pair of 

 Lilac-crowned Fruit-Pigeons of great beauty. 



As regards soft-food we supply daily a mixture bought 

 ready for use from a member. Mr. Silver, or alternately our own 

 composition of three parts crushed Osborne biscuit, to one each 

 g1 ants' eggs and dried flies. This is slightly moistened and 

 mixed, either with chopped chickw^eed, which all the birds seem 

 '.c like better than lettuce, or grated carrot, boiled potato or, 

 once a week, fresh hard-boiled egg. Mealworms are given 

 at the rate of about five per bird daily, and the birds encouraged 

 t'l fly on to the meahvorm box held out to them or to catch 

 them in the air. 



The fruit consists of apple, orange, white grapes cut up, 

 and currants soaked for 12 hours. Bananas are given whole, 

 and also chopped up for the benefit of the Fruit-Pigeons, in 

 Older that they may sw'allow the pieces comfortably without 

 clogging up their bills by digging lumps out for themselves. 

 But we notice an ugly rush for this chopped banana, and if the 

 Fiuit-Pigeons are late for it they make up with currants and 

 grated carrot. All this sounds vastly more elaborate and 

 troublesome than it really is, the washing of the food pans and 

 ;lie preparation of the food taking only about half an hour 

 each morning. 



The remainder of the collection consists of parrakeets; 

 Budgerigars. Cockateels, Red-rumps, Peach-faced and Mada- 

 gascar Lovebirds. These all spend the winter in flight cages 

 in a cool conservatory, and go out into a thatched wooden 

 summerhouse. divided into three cages, each with a small 

 garden flight, in the spring. 



A pair of Orange-flanks and four Tui Parrakeets are at 

 present in cages. Last, but not least, there is a delightful and 



