ISO 



in a compartment of the aviar}'. She built a nice 

 nest in a German cage, and laid five eggs. Like the 

 former hen, she evicted the china eggs, but did not 

 touch some real Greenfinch eggs which I gave her. 



The above circumstances prove conclusively, I 

 think, that birds do know the difference between 

 artificial and real eggs. 



The hybrid breeder has really a very trying time 

 of it, and I do not wonder that so many give up the 

 hobby in despair. Some hens may do very well one 

 year, and, the next, make a sad mess of it. As an 

 instance of this, I have a Bully hen, which, mated to a 

 Linnet cock last year, had over a dozen fertile eggs. 

 This 3'ear, with the same cock, and in the same 

 aviar}^ her eggs have been all bad so far, although 

 both birds seem to be in perfect health. 



On the wdiole, my Bully hens have been much 

 later than usual in starting to nest this 3'ear. At 

 this date (9th June) I have five hens that have not 

 began operations even yet. 



My success up to now has been nz'I, but I am still 

 very hopeful. I have two hens laying to Greenfinch 

 cocks. Both these hens had fertile eggs last season ; 

 the one to her present mate, and the other to a 

 Greenfinch, which, much to my regret, escaped from 

 the aviar}^ some time ago. 



I am sorr}^ to say that I have had a good many 

 deaths among the finches, both cocks and hens, and 

 have been wondering wdiether the fact of my giving 

 dandelion heads ad. lib. has had an}^ bad effect. I 

 always understood that wild seeds could be given with 

 safet}^ in any quantity ; but I am informed b}^ an old 

 fancier that this is an erroneous idea, especially as 

 res:ards dandelion. 



