133 



The Nicobar Pigeons have laid one egg and are sitting 

 well on it. They had one young one last j-ear, but when a 

 week old it fell out of the nest and died. It was just like 

 black leather, with no sign of down or feather. This year they 

 have chosen a smooth flat place in the middle of the rockery, 

 and I hope they will be more successful. 



My two hen Californian Quails have laid seventy-one eggs, 

 but the young ones do not seem very strong this year; twelve 

 were brought out by a Bantam, and eight are doing fairly well, 

 and six more hatched to-day. One Californian hen died just 

 as she was going to sit. 



My Green Bulbul is tamer than ever, he flys to me whenever 

 he sees me and takes a mealworm out of my fingers while on 

 thawing; he is terribly fat and I have now brought him in and 

 am dosing him with Epsom salts and giving him meagre diet ; 

 he was looking very puffy, but he is already looking better. 



I only took in this year this Bulbul, the Scarlet Tanagers, 

 and a few very small Waxbills; all the others wintered out and 

 have done well. All the nests are out of doors, and of course 

 none of the birds are shut in at night now. 



My Virginian Nightingales show no sign of making a nest, 

 though the cock feeds the hen — the latter whistles almost as 

 well as the cock. They are in a place by themselves. 



The Green Cardinals were with all the other birds. Pekiu 

 Robins, Tanagers, all the Weavers, Whydahs and Glossy 

 Starlings I kept in a division by themselves. 



I have a pair of Indian Buntings, brown heads and necks, 

 and a good deal of yellow on the body. Can any of your readers 

 tell me if they are likely to breed, or if they would hurt the 

 eggs or nests of small birds ? They are at present with the 

 mischievous birds. N. L. F. Duni.EaTh. 



[The vSaffron Finches were most likely responsible for the 

 loss of the Bullfinch eggs. — Ed.] 



BIRDS IN vST. JAMES' PARK IN 1665. 



Sir, — I venture to send you the following extract from 

 Evelyn's Diary, under date of February 9th, 1665. 



" I went into St. James' Parke where I saw various animals 

 and examined the throate of the Onocratylus or Pelican, a 

 fowle between a Stork and a Swan ; a melancholy waterfowl 

 brought from Astracan by the Russian Ambassador, it was 

 diverting to see how he would toss up and turn a flat fish. 



