Concspondcncc. 279 



llie inniales. and left off Iryinq- frf)m above. In addition, as I found small 

 hirds very fond of roosting close to the wires, I fastened a good thick bundle 

 o*" heather to the outside of the aviary wherever a perch or bush was near 

 tl'.c wires. This completely hid the bird from the owls, so that it could 

 neither be frightened nor injured by them. After adopting this plan I never 

 los; a l)n-d from owls or cats. (Miss) E. F. CHAWNER. 



BREEDING r.ULLFINCHES IN CAPTIVITY. 

 Sir, — " Re Breeding Bullfinches." I never found any difficulty in 

 breechng them in a small aviary, with an opeu flight containing a few thuja 

 trees. The nests were always built of heather twigs and lined with dried 

 grass. The eggs were almost invariably fertile and the young fully reared 

 with no assistance from me ; in fact the more they were left to themselves 

 llie better they did. A good many other birds were in the same aviary, 

 bnt I did not find that they interfered with the Bullfinches, except when a 

 cock Pckin Robin, who had young close by-, annoyed his neighbours by 

 insisting on feeding their babies as well as his own. 



(Miss) E. F. CHAWNER. 



ENGLISH TICK KILLING BIRDS. 

 Sir, — Since my last communication on this matter I have had another 

 letter from Mr. Kirby, as follows : 



" I have had, ])erhaps, an unicpie e.xperience of gaining information in 

 " my profession, as my father and grandfather both followed the same 

 '■ calling, and, 1 have a son who is making out to be a good student at the 

 " san:e game. AIv profession has always been mv hobby, so that I have 

 " taken a great deal of notice of things which might have escaped anyone 

 " less observant." 



" My first experience of TICKS was when I was a boy, that brute I 

 " got from a sheep's head — it bit me on the thigh, dad wanted to know 

 '■ why I was so uncasv. After explanation he told me to go and examine 

 " myself, and, F found the brute on my thigh, where it had dug itself 

 " well in." 



" The next one I found on the head of a Common Snipe, that, I remember, 

 ' had been picked up alive. The bird was very badh' bitten about the 

 '' head and eyes; the body was in a very bad and poor condition, as though 

 " its tormentor had been on it some time." 



" I also rememl)er finding one on a Chaffinch — that was aljout five 

 " years ago." 



" The most remarkable was one I found on the head of a Mole, that had 

 " been caught in a traj). The mole was in a poor state, with blood on 

 " the head; same as the birds. How it got on the mole it is hard to say. 

 " unless it had dropped on a mound made by the moles." 



" If a tick once gets foothold he is a sticker .... they are perfect 

 " demons. I shall be glad to answer any questions, as the .subject interests 

 " me greatly.— F. KIRBY, R.Z.S.I., Nov. 20, 1922." 



Mr. Kirby recently had a Starling sent to him which had been killed 

 bv a TICK, and presented the same appearance as my finches on post mortem 

 examination being made. The bird was picked up alive, and died soon after. 

 Havant, Nov. 23. 1922, (The Marquis of) TAVISTOCK. 



