Biccdin;! of flic Great-Tit in Captivity. 24;i 



St Tar I lie food, apart lioni ii 

 consisted ciitiiclN of i^ctitles, lucalw oni 

 liul iiuw 111.' iiareiil birds hc.i^aii lo usi' 



Oil dune lltli, the ^ouiig lieiu 

 1 closed tile aviary for good. 



Un June IGtli, four \ouug had left the nest, and another 

 chick followed them on the 17th, the sixth I found dried up 

 in the nest many days later. The general colour of the young 

 birds was, back olive green, chest and under part, yellowish 

 green, head, and i)ecLoral streak dark grey; flights dark grey. 

 The while winij-bar so clearly seen in adult birds was visible 

 in the nesl at 11 days of age. 



Un June ibth, all live were lusty and strong on the 

 wing, but by evening, one had died; on the 19th two more were 

 looking seedy and preferred sitting on the ground to perching, 

 and by the 28th I was left with one youngster only, 'who 

 fortunately was very active and forward. 



By the 25th he could eat suet, Yoj'k cheese, and "'soft- 

 food,'' and seemed quite as independent as his parents, whom 

 he equalled in size. 



As I wanted the aviary for other birds I liberated 

 the birds on June 30th, but left the aviary door open for a 

 few days, they often returned but were never so confiding as in 

 former days wdien there were six happy youngsters to feed. 



1 have ringed all the birds and shall be interested to 

 see whether they are still ajiiongst the birds who come here 

 foj" food in the cold days of winter. 



The rearing of these birds, although not a noteworthy 

 fact, is instructive, in showing the importance of getting mated 

 birds when possible, for I do not think a strange cock and 

 hen would have settled down so quickly. It also brings home 

 a fact, with which Ave are all familiar, the extreme confidence 

 of captive birds when feeding young; perhaps, the fact that all 

 three birds returned several times to the aviary after libera- 

 tion at a season wdien there is abundance of food outside might 

 pacify a few of the less rabid " humanitarians." 



