Correspondence. 268 



III tlie sunimer of 1912 I found a l)r')\vnish coloured bird, on tlie floor 

 of the ;iviary, which looked at first sij^ht like a young Sharp-tailed Finch 

 Imt proved to he a Black-headed Nun {.]f^uN.t n/nni,;//,,) from the fad that 

 tliey fed it. It was of a nondescript hi-owii, iiiihti'i- helovv. witli a t,'re_vish 

 heak autl one white featlier in its wing. The parents were occasionally seen 

 to feed it, and we conchide that it tnianated from a coco-nut husk, because 

 the parents were observed hopping about a particuhir one. 



I a:n afraid this little strang3r did notiaterest u^ greitly, and we hook 

 very little notice of it at the time and we are not sure if it is still living. Of 

 course if the parents should go to nest again this year w • will carefully note 

 all we can concerning the episode. 



We showed the little bird to our Hon. Editor, as he hnjipened to call 

 very soon after the discovery of the fledgeling and he was interested at once. 

 He is really responsible for what has appeared in " B.N." concerning it. 



1 am aware this is not very satisfactory and that the episode adds 

 nothing to our knowledge of the life history of the species, save the bare 

 fact that we do now know of one instance of a young bird of this species 

 liaving been reared in captivity. (MRS.) J. EASTON SCOTT. 



[I saw the young bird referred to above on several occasions and saw 

 the parent birds (Black-headed Nuns; feeding it more than once, and also 

 saw the parents and young bird on the husk together several times, and in 

 my opinion there can be no doubt, either as to the parentage of the J'oung 

 bii-d or the deductions drawn above from the few details observed.— El).]. 



MENU OF CAGE BIRDS. 



Sir, -I wonder how many people- not experienced avicultnrists^ 

 think of giving their caged foreign Finches anything more than just seed and 

 water. If they provided them with more variety there would not be such 

 great mortality ]\Iine have every morning, among other things, a little tray 

 of dried ants' "eggs," on which boiling water has been i>onred, then well 

 drained away; there is never never one left next day. One ijttle Blue- 

 breasted Waxbill I watch eating from 12 to 14 without stoi)}>ing, when 

 newly placed in the cage ; but a circumstance connected Avith some freshly 

 fathered " eggs " from the garden, seems to me worth relating : Yesterday 

 morning, July 28th, I counted the said little Blue-breast swallowing 87 

 without a i>anse, this morning he partook of '.11, only stopjting once for "a 

 drink." n.u.-h nL^Mk-d. omc w.ndd say. I may nay that two,,f nseonnt.'d this 

 p,-rf(.rui;inre, liiat n,>r should do s<. uiiglii he too great a t;i.x upon credulity. 

 ((Jarden ants' eggs are only about half the size of imi)orted on«;s, be it siid). 

 liut. does not this show of what immense use our wild insect eating biids 

 must be in demolishing garden, orchard, and agricultural pests V They 

 deserve a better fate than they ordinarily meet with. To return to the 

 "bread and water" diet of the average poor little cage bird, mine always 

 have a lump of sugar in a little tin lid, cuttlefish bouc, and last though by no 

 means least, a big bunch of flowering grass, i)lanted in a potted-meat vessel, 

 and well moistened. When grass in flower is not obtainable, grass without 

 the flower does just as well, and the blades are eaten close down, as a salad. 

 Is it not worth while to be at the trouble of all this for 'their annisement, to 



