303 



The appreciation of soaked l)read by his feeding birds, 

 and even their assumed asking for it that makes such a pretty 

 word-picture, is scarcely an argument that it is good for their 

 young ones. Even human beings with their much more 

 liighl}' specialized brain functions need to be sometimes 

 protected against their longings and likings, and we can all of 

 us immediately recall to our minds many very nice things that 

 are allowed on all hands to be bad for us. 



My critic very pointedly assumes that I have not much 

 experience in feeding Parrots. This is a mistake on his part 

 and therefore cannot help him in his argument. It is now 

 nearly thirty years since I first possessed one of these birds; 

 since then, and more especially in later years, I have been on 

 terms of great intimacy with a ver}' great number, and have 

 moreover studied with diligence the breeding habits of great 

 numbers of Parrakeets. As a result of this " much experience " 

 I am in a position to say that it is the solitary Parrot in a cage 

 that is addicted to dropping his food occasionally into the 

 water, and that then it is generally by a palpable accident or 

 else when he is not hungry and desires to play with his biscuit 

 or crust in default of a better toy; of course he often eats it 

 afterwards — sometimes to his own disadvantage. In the same 

 way he will often deliberately place a cotton-reel or a coin in 

 the water, and fish it out again time after time. 



When I have seen breeding Parrakeets (including my own) 

 supplied with bread they have just eaten it as it was. But it is 

 not absolutely necessary to them, and it will be found on 

 reference that when writing the phrase " If bread is necessaiy " 

 I emphasized the "//"" ; to my own knowledge many hundreds 

 of Budgerigars have been brought up on nothing but seed, 

 greenmeat, and water. That they can be brought up in even 

 batches of ten on this diet is not unknown, nor is it " un- 

 reasonable" seeing that it is natural to them, but even sup- 

 posing that their parents are too lazy when well fed to shell 

 sufficient seed for so large a number, it would be better to 

 sacrifice half of them than to run the risk of killing all. I can 

 assure Mr. Seth-Smith that there is this risk, and that I have 

 come to this conclusion only after a considerable experience of 

 ])eing behind the scenes after death to an extent which I 

 am sure is appreciated by neither himself, nor any other 

 aviculturist. 



And now comes another and the most mischievous 

 assumption of all. Mr. vSeth-Smith says that although he 



