weather mends, and the roads give any signs of be- 

 coming passable, I assure your Lordship that I will 

 take care to be beforehand with him.' 



I find that my Bearded Tits, while making my 

 soft mixture their staple diet, do not despise canary 

 and millet seed. They are terribly wasteful where 

 seed is concerned, as they stand in the middle of a 

 full pot and scatter it right and left until they find a 

 bit to suit their dainty palate. I need hardly say that 

 they require a regular supply of insect food, though 

 this need not be given in any alarming quantities. 

 When seeking food on the ground they have the same 

 curious habit of scratching, as the Combassou and 

 the Whydah. 



For those who are not familiar with the appear- 

 ance of the Bearded Reedling I append the following 

 brief description : The length of the bird is 6^ in., 

 of which the tail exceeds 3 ins. ; the bill is rather 

 long, thin, slightly curved at the point and of an 

 orange colour ; the eyes are ' gravel ' ; the nape of 

 the neck, back, rump, and tail are what we used to 

 call, in Mice, rich sable ; the outer feathers of the tail 

 being tipped with white ; over and below each eye, 

 and running to a point at the sides of the neck, is a 

 black marking almost in the form of an acute triangle 

 — hence the name 'Bearded Tit'; the throat and 

 lower part of the neck are silvery white ; the breast is 

 pale salmon white, sides and thighs pale yellow, the 

 vent black ; the quill feathers of the wing are blackish 

 brown edged with white, the lesser coverts are of the 

 same colour, the greater coverts chestnut orange with 

 pale margins ; legs and feet lead colour. 



The hen has no cheek markings, the vent is the 

 same colour as the abdomen, and the body colour is 

 altogether paler. Here is the advantage of buying 

 Bearded Tits : you can always be sure of picking out 

 a cock and a hen. 



