Some Notes of My Birds. yy 



hemp (very little), millet, and parrot seed mixture — monkey 

 nuts it simply loves, has bread and milk daily, fruit — apple, 

 grapes are greedily eaten. One day I noticed it scratching 

 among the litter on aviary floor, as do poultry, and I closely 

 watched it and saw it fmd mealworms, which had crawled in 

 from the adjoining" aviary. It now eats as many mealworms as 

 I care to give it, and watches and calls at once on seeing the 

 mealworm-box; the mealworm is sucked completely dry. but 

 the skin is never eaten. I believe it would really live on these 

 insects alone if I would allow it — it gets and eats about twenty 

 daily. Another bird which has a weakness for mealworms i> 

 the Rock Pepler Parrakeet {Polytelis meJanura), of whicii 

 species I have two specimens, but only one of them takes the 

 mealworms and he eats them greedily, and is just as keen for 

 them as the Uvaean. Possibly this live-food is what the Uvaean 

 needs to keep it in health. Have any of our members us.^d 

 them before for this species ? My bird bathes freely. 



As regards mealworms; all my Broadtails like them an 1 

 delight in hunting among the ground litter for them ; one of my 

 Hawk-headed Parrots also is fond of them; but this bird holds 

 it in its claws the same as a nut and eats the whole of it. I find 

 lots of Budgerigars like insectile mixture, and I give them a 

 little daily, mixing it with hot water, and they seem to enjoy it 

 especially the young ones. 



Satix Bower-kird (I'tilonuyhyuchus violaccns). My 

 specimen is becoming very interesting. I received it in Decem- 

 ber 1920 when it was quite a young bird in juvenile plumage; 

 some, who saw it. said it was a female. Very slowly, the last 

 few months, it has been changing colour, and now the back is 

 becoming glossy black, and the spots on the breast are running 

 LOgether; the eyes are blue now when light is behind them. 1 

 once read it took .aree years for a young male to i-each adult 

 plumage, and judging from my bird this is evidently correct, 

 and I shall note when the change is complete — my bird must now 

 be approaching three }*ears old. He is a most beautiful bird 

 and within the last few months is becoming quite tame; 

 previously it would not even come to the ground while anyone 

 was watching. It is perfectly friendly with the other occupants 

 of the aviary, of which the following is a list : 

 3 Glossy Starlings i Spot-billed Toucanette 



