54 The Awful .'leakvorm. 



own mate had been, by this time, more or less appropriated bv 

 No. 3, took to visitini4' her and paying her his addresses, allowing 

 me to approach within a few yards, and my small son within :\ 

 few feet, while he was so engaged. The display seemed to 

 consist in fetching quantities of leaves, and pieces of green stuff, 

 and chewing them up in the lady's presence. Directly one 

 morsel was dropped, he was off to fetch another. On davs 

 when he did not see much of the Barraband, he would spend his 

 time courting the hen (ireat-bill, who regarded him with fear 

 and dislike, and was by no means impressed by his advances. 

 It would seem, therefore, that a cock Crimson-wing will mate 

 with almost any female parrot or parrakeet of about his own 

 size, or larger, and is by no means particular in his choice of i 

 partner. 



Since- wrilinj;- the above I have caui^ht up the two Ijirds for the l)reed'ny 

 season. I nia\- add tliai tlie scene of the experiment was not a large country 

 demesne, hut a liouse and grounds of moderate size on ciie outskirts of a 

 town and hounded, on one side, l)y a Itusy inihHc road. Tlie sup]:)]y of cats 

 is a very Hljeral one. 







The Awful Mealworm. 



By H. L. Sich. 



As the time is arriving wlien some of us will want 

 insecti\orous food for our birds I think the following will be 

 useful. I found it in inid Aiiijiials in Caf^tk'ity by A. I). 

 Bartlett. the late superintendeiit of the Zoological Society's 

 ^'.ardens. lie states that he tried, year after year, to rear 

 nippers from the nest by feeding them on the usual soft food, 

 scraped beef, hard-boiled eggs, ants' eggs, Uies, spiders, beetles. 

 .'Kptatic snails, shrimps, salmon spawn, antl many other mixtures, 

 but all failed, until his assistant suggested scalding the meal- 

 worms. 



" It was soon apparent that in this condition the meal- 



" worms could be digested .... from tliat moment I 



" liad btit little trouble. The l)irds fed greedily upon the 



half-boiled mealworms, and I soon fotmd them readv to 



" leave tne nest." 



I have not tried it myself, but it might save a l)rood of 

 young (Juail or other birds if Vwv ants' eggs fail, or prove 

 unobtainable. 



