134 



plaice or flounder, to get it riglit into its gullet at its lower 

 beak, which, being filnij', stretches to a prodigious wideness 

 when it devours a great fish. Here was also a small waterfowl, 

 not bigger than a niore-heu, that went about quite erect like 

 tlie Penguin of America ; it would eate as much fish as its 

 whole body weigh'd. I never saw so uusatiable a devourer, 

 yet tlie body did not appear to swell the bigger. The Solan 

 Geese liere also are greate devourers, and are said soon to 

 exhaust all the fish in a pond. Here was a curious sort of 

 poultry not much exceeding the size of a tame pigeon, with 

 legs so short as their crops seem'd to touch the earth ; a milk 

 white raven; a stork which was a rarity at this season, seeing 

 he was loose and could flie loftily; two Balerian cranes, one of 

 which liaving had one of his leggs broken and cut off above 

 the knee, had a wooden or boxen leg and thigh, with a joynt 

 so accurately made that the creature could walke and use it as 

 well as if it had ben natural ; it was made by a souldier. The 

 Parke was at this time stored with numerous flocks of severall 

 sorts of ordinary and extraordinary wild fowle, breeding 

 about the Decoy, which for being neere so greate a Citty, and 

 among such a concourse of souldiers and people, is a singular 



and diverting thing There were withy-potts or 



nests for the wild fowle to lay their eggs in, a little above the 

 surface of the water." CORVUS. 



[The above is exceedingl}' interesting, and it is hoped that 

 other readersAvill, from time to time, favour us with selected 

 extracts bearing on our subject, from works which themselves 

 are not primarily' devoted to Ornithology or Aviculture. — Ed.] 



BULLFINCH FEEDING YOUNG. 



Sir, — The following may perhaps be of some interest to 

 the readers of Bird Notes. I have four young Bullfinches, 

 which I put into the cage of a hand-i'eared 1904 cock. At first 

 he would not go near them; but in two days' time took to 

 feeding them, all day long catching flies for them from the 

 windows and about the room, as he is allowed out of his cage. 

 I should like to know how soon one can distinguish 3'oung 

 liens from the cocks. Also the best food to hand-rear Canaries 

 on .' E. Brooksbank. 



[The sexes will be distinguishable as soon as the moult 

 produces the breast feathers. Young Canaries may be hand- 

 reared on scalded rape seed and soaked ants' eggs made into a 

 paste with powdered unsweetened biscuit. — Ed.] 



