Bakloh Aviary Notes, 191 6. 285 



and shooing off other iiirds. I shall strangle that Rock 

 Thrush some day, turn your back for a second and some 

 hours' work is gone in a few gulps. The infant does nothing 

 for itself, yet so if parents take to nesting, be prepared for 

 the worst. Mealworms will be' well on by time the next 

 young come out, that's something. 



July 5th. — Three young Chats, v'ery dark speckly over 

 head, and back varying into very dark brown, almost black 

 tail, very dark wings (the long feathers), the upper-parts 

 darkish brown and speckly with bits of white, not like uniform 

 brown of hen, pale brown fronts. Parents seem to have 

 given up the idea of nesting again. 



Tits looking only fairly well, moulting heavily and one 

 doing so badly. Babbler in far aviary very bad, put it in 

 a cage, the one in near aviary not too fit. 



July 6th. — Babbler in cage died, rather light but a 

 full crop and well covered breast bone. (Note: The warm 

 deluge of the " rains " seems to try most birds, especially 

 Australian, far hiore than the cold rains and snow of winter; 

 probably old food is the danger here, a clean up would 

 also do no harm, especially just before the rains. — G.A.P.). 



July 8th.— Chats are feeding themselves a little at any 

 rate on live things, though still being fed by parents. 



July 10th. — Tailor Bird growing a tail and gohig 

 very strong. It seems to have deterred its parents front 

 nesting again. It bosses them entirely. The Chats arc feed- 

 ing themselves a good bit. They are very pretty now, their 

 plumage is so variegaled. Shoulders very speckled yellowisli 

 and brown, then a band of light yellowish and then iiuite 

 dark tips to the wings and tail. Head dark brown, breast 

 ashy but browner and more speckled by throat and neck and 

 then changing to> a more uniform colouration. Trobably this 

 one is a cock, anothei is certainly less variegated and less 

 ^marked in colour, though not the uniform brown of the hen. 



July 1 2lh. — Tailor's tail growing apace, parents not 

 nesting. All youngsters doing well. 



