All unfledged faniil}- of Tree Sparrows all crowding 

 together presents a pretty sight indeed, with their brown 

 and white patches and black spots of colonr. 



These birds are comparatively rare in this conntr}', 

 but abroad I have seen quite a colony of them occupying 

 the hollow branches of some old and decaying tree, in 

 which they live, breed and rear their young, without an}^ 

 outward sign of their occupancy — ver}" different from 

 the habits of their relations, who share man's home so 

 unceremoniousl3\ It is amusing to see numbers of the 

 prettier species diving head foremost into a small hole, 

 anvl emerging from the branch in quite a distant part, 

 having, in the transit, visited their nest and probabl}' 

 one or two others. 



One or a pair of Tree vSparrows will be found a 

 pleasing adjunct to the amateur's aviary. 



A FOREIGN AVICULTURIST'S BOOKSHELF. 



By H. R. Fir.r,Mp;R. 

 (Continued from page 20^J . 



'^Foreign Cage Birds.''' By August F. Wiener, F.Z.S. 

 This well known and justly valued work is the third 

 and concluding portion of Cassell's "• Canaries and 

 Cage Birds," of which it forms nearly one fourth. It is 

 illustrated by 24 coloured plates of foreign birds from 

 drawings by W. Rutledge, executed in chromo-litho- 

 graphy of second-rate quality. The book is undated, 

 but I gather that it was written in the latter part of 1879. 

 So far as I am aware, it is the only important work on 

 birds from Mr. Wiener's pen, but he still continues to 

 write occasional articles on the subject. 



No doubt Mr. Wiener was considerably indebted to 

 the works of his friend the late Dr. Karl Russ — and 

 indeed he freely acknowledges this. But this fact in no 

 way detracts from the value of " Foreign Cage Birds" as 



