BIRD NEWS 



THE PAINTED FINCH. 



(Emblema picta) 



As noticed in our former issue sev- 

 eral specimens of this bird were re- 

 cently on exhibition in London. It 

 is questionable if any of the fancy 

 finches can rival this specimen in ar- 

 tistic coloring. No mere description 

 could do it justice. It is a master 

 piece of tinted combinations from its 

 yellowish tail coverts to its beak, the 

 upper mandible of which is black, 

 tipped with scarlet, interlaced with 

 green, the lower mandible being scar- 

 let, with a patch of brilliant blue 

 at the base. 



The Painted Finch is a native of 

 Northern and Central Australia. It 

 is so protected by the government 

 that but few specimens are imported 

 and the fortunate owner is certainly 

 to be envied. It is of the astrild 

 or wax-bill family, and like them 

 feeds upon seeds and insects. Mil- 

 let, flowering grass and a few meal- 

 worms would form a good diet for 

 aviary specimens. It is sometimes 

 called the Mountain Diamond Spar- 

 row. The spotted character of the 

 breast and abdomen accounting for 

 this confusion with the Diamond 

 Sparrow, so common in Southern 

 Australia. 



DRIED FLIES. 



What bird fancier has not heard 

 of "dried flies?" The very name sug- 

 gests to the "soft-billed" owner a 

 way out from many of the difl[icul- 

 ties which surround his particular 

 hobby. "Flies" are really dried tro- 

 pical insects, principally of the 

 "beetle" series and are collected in 

 the equatorial swamps and vast lakes 

 of Mexico. They are found in my- 

 riads in these localities. They are 

 gathered by the natives into baskets 

 and after being dried in the sun, 

 they are taken to market and sold 



like any other "garden truck." These 

 "flies" feeding as they do upon the 

 rich, over stimulated vegetation com- 

 mon to their habitat, are rich in 

 tissue forming qualities and there- 

 fore constitute a valuable article of 

 nutrition. 



The dark brown samples are the 

 best and should be free from undue 

 amounts of dust or stones. 



Ground Silkworm Pupae is now 

 upon the market. It is imported 

 from Italy, and is sold in two de- 

 grees of fineness, coarse and pow- 

 dered. The powder has a rather 

 strong odor, but this does not seem 

 to be objected to by ^he birds, as 

 they take readily to it for food. 



The Italian fanciers simply mix 

 the powder, moist or dry, with bis- 

 cuit crumbs and find it readily eaten. 

 Silkworms thrive readily in Califor- 

 nia; they eat lettuce leaves with as 

 much avidity as those of the mul- 

 berry. Why not raise silk worms': 

 They will add variety to the menu 

 of the soft-billed birds. A beneficial 

 change from gentles and meal worms. 

 Try the experiment and let us know 

 tne result. 



AX EMPEKOK PENGIIX HUNT. 



In our last issue of Bird News we 

 published some notes about the Em- 

 peror Penguins, great birds of the 

 Antartic. From the experience of 

 Mr. Burn Murdoch, of Edinburgh 

 memory, we are enabled to pub- 

 lish the following interesting account 

 of the capturing of an Emperor pen- 

 guin: 



That great bird of the cold re- 

 gions showed its royal blood in its 

 quiet but firm resistance to deposi- 

 tion. The description makes one 

 feel that man is too petty and trifl- 

 ing a being to interfere with the 

 monarchy of nature, or to overthrow 



