I 



331 



Willow Wren, and the Wood Wren. But the Honey- 

 eaters and the Warl)lers are not really near relations, and 

 the difference in the dietary is j^reat. The Zosterops 

 are easy birds to cater for, but the Chiff-chaff and its 

 cousins require most careful feeding, and seldom live in 

 captivity for more than a few weeks. 



H. R. Fir,i,MER. 



A VETERAN BLACKCAP. 



Of all soft-billed birds, for song and tameness, I 

 prefer the Blackcap. He is rightly called the " Mock 

 Nightingale," and he sings from early in the morning 

 until late at night, and nearly all theyear round— at least 

 mine does. 



I have had several Blackcaps, but I believe the one I 

 now possess beats the record for age— at least I have been 

 told so by experienced judges. I bought him at the Crystal 

 Palace Show in 1896, of Messrs. Francis Brothers. He was 

 then nearly two years old, and had taken only H.C. 

 Since then he has taken no end of prizes, and last year 

 won, at the Palace, the vSilver Medal for the best British 

 bird shown by a lady. He sings even at Shows, and one 

 of the reporters remarked about him last year — "Jolly 

 little chap, he sung while we reported on him." 



He is never ill, but at the Aquarium this year 

 increasing years and the cold told on him, and he failed 

 to gain any award, but came home with the word "sick " 

 written on the label. However, he is all right again, 

 and singing, and has since taken a second prize at 

 Cirencester. 



He is fed on soft food, and is very fond of currants 

 and sponge cake — but in the season for green figs he eats 

 nothing else, disposing of about two a day. He never 

 takes a bath, in fact he won't bathe, but makes pretence 

 of doing so in his drinking water. He seldom gets his 



