Corrcspo)idcncc. 93 



DIFFICULTY OR FAILURF OF WILD lURDS TO RESCUL TLllUK 



YOUNG. 



Sir, — It is strange how rare it is, even for the most intelligent of 

 birds, to rescue their young by using the lieak to lift or carry them when they 

 have fallen into some place of danger. Cranes arc devoted parents, but 

 if their chicks become imbedded in soft mud, they are quite unable to release 

 ilieni. The other day I came across the body of a young raven, which had 

 fallen from its nest on to the ground not many feet below. It must have 

 been botii visil)le aiul audible tij the jjarents, yet, with all their sagacity, it had 

 not occurred to them to carry it back. 



The American Xaturalist and writer Long records having seen a 

 Canadi;ni gander pull his offspring out of a bog hole into which it had fallen. 

 1 have alwavs wanted to find out if the incident were fact or fiction. 



Havant. .April 7. 1922. (Tlit- .Marquis of) TAVISTOCK. 



PHEASANTS AND ELDER AS GREENFOOD. 



Sir, — I have been surprised to notice the Golden Pheasants, which 

 have been entirely wild here, for more th.in twenty years, feeding g'reedilv 

 on the young shoots of the elder trees. The foliage of this tree is so strongly 

 flavoured that even captive birds usually leave it alone. 



Havant. .March 2-. iqjj. (The Marquis of) TAVISTOCK. 



I Ca])live birds will certainly eat elder, though less freelv than thev 

 do other kinds. Some years ago, when 1 lived at liedford Park, I ])lanted 

 elder in my very modest aviary in the hope of having some living green : 

 1 allowed the bushes to get a start before turning in the birds, but before 

 a year had passed the elder bushes were a mass of dead sticks, owing to 

 l!ie birtls refusing to allow shoots from the base, or buds along the branches, 

 to develop. Quail were responsible for the destruction of the base shoots, 

 and various passerine species for the branch buds. Later I built an aviarv 

 a1 Mitcham. enclo.sing in the flight large clumps of elder, hazel, privet and 

 hawthorn fifteen feet high — the elder had lateral arms twelve feet long; this 

 elder bush was. of course, too huge to be readily killed bv the birds, but tliey 

 did all I he pniiiiug required. This, of course, with such a rapid growing 

 iree, meant "some" ])runing ! I noticed that comparatively few flowers 

 were allowed, these being eaten in the bud stage; of the flowers which did 

 open only an occasional berry was allowed to ripen, as these were readily 

 eaten in the green stage. I have seen Pekin Robins, Black and also Blue 

 Tanagers, Malabar Mynahs, and Cardinals feeding on the unripe berries, i.e., 

 berries of full grown size but totally unripe. On one occasion the late LI. 

 Goodchild saw them doing so, and was very astonished when I told him 

 they did so regularly. As regards the interesting instance recorded above 

 by the Marquis of Tavistock I can make no comment save that I have seen 

 wild Turdidae feeding on unripe elderberries. Certainly, e.xcept in 

 (luite large aviaries captive birds will not allow elder to e.xist any more than 

 more edible (from our ]ioint of view) kinds of shrubs and plants. — W. T. Page] 



