86 Editorial. 



" anywhere. That ithere was a (uest I was certain, for the old birds 

 " had something in their months, and after flying a few yards off 

 " would return to a particular ti-ee (the one next t > that in which 

 " the nest was situated), and would fly off again. Determined to 

 " find the nest, I ordered my man t > climb each tree in turn, and 

 "make a systematic search on all the branches. While he was 

 " thus employed I examined som-^ of the branches with a pair 

 "of binoculars. After a fruitless search lasting over an hour and 

 " a half, I decided to go home, and visit the spot^^ on the following 

 " day. We had just gathered up cur guns and other things, and 

 " on taking the ' last look,' I happened to spot the nest. Tt was 

 " placed on the surface of a horizontal bough of a Cedar, about 

 " 25-30 feet from the ground. Its outline could only just be 

 " seen from below. Needless to say, my climber was up the tree 

 " like a monkey, and wlien he got close to the nest, the birds 

 (who apparently knew for certain by this time that their family 

 " was in danger), became quite desperate, and began to behave 

 " in exactly the same manner as previously related. The nest in 

 " this case contained two young ones, fully fledged, both of them 

 "flew off the nest as scon as my man got close to it" (.J.B.N.H.S. 

 " Vol. XX, No. 2.) 



" P. T. L. DODSWORTH, F.Z.S. 



The Spotted Munia (Vrolovcha pu7ichilata) and the 

 Indian Eed Munia (Sporceginthns amandava). 



" This afternoon, after a, heavy shower of rain, termites started 

 " to fly out of a hole near one of my aviaries. They flew straight 

 " through the wire-netting, and whilst watching them, I noticed 

 " some of the Spotted Munias* pick them off as they went through 

 " and two or three of the Red Muniasf caught them in the air 

 " with their bills and devoured them whilst hovering. I can find no 

 " note of any of these birds doing this before, and it seems to 

 "be most interesting. J (J.B.N.H.S., Vol. xx., No. 2) : 

 Laheri Sirai, 18th June, 1910. 



" CHAS M. TNGLTS."' 

 *Spice or Nutmeg Finch. fCommon Avadavat. J Signifi- 

 cant of the extent to which insect life plays a part in the " bill of 

 fare " when wild. 



The Maturing op Black-cheeked Lovebirds (Aga- 

 pornis nigrigenis). From a recent letter received from our 

 esteemed member, Rev. J. M. Paterson, it is apparent that this 

 species becomes fully mature within the twelve months. He 

 states that a pair of Black-cheeks which were hatched in either 

 March or April, 1910, laid the first egg of a clutch on Febru- 

 ary 23rd, so that this pair has started nesting before they are 

 twelve months old, This species appears to be very hardy, as 



