Correspondence. 260 



say nothing,' (if tlie liciulit tiic.v .IciivL- t'loni the vaiiod diet ? Some people 

 f,Mve mciilwonus. l.ut inv tiny iiiiti.:s ilnn't seL-iii ahio to tackle these. Green 

 fly from the roses and otlicr plants they like. If any member can suggest 

 a still further e.xtension of nionn loi- the small foreign Finches, I hope they 

 will do so. (.AIllS.l E. A. H. HARTLEY. 



TURQUOISINE PARRAKEETS. 

 Sir, — It would l)e intei-esting to hear if Lord Tavistock succeeded in 

 in obtaining a cock Tuniuoisine. A member offered me one last October 

 ■which I would have purchased had F been able to jirocure a hen, but that I 

 regarded as impossible. I understand that coek is now at the Zoo, but should 

 be glad to hear it had been transferred to Wolmrn. affording the means of 

 breeding that most lovely, and now. alas I almost extinct Parrakeet. IMany 

 years ago (too many to reflect upon) wlien 1 was new to aviculture. I chanced 

 to breed two broods in one season, seven in all, 1 think, or it may have been 

 nine, and when advertised at 50s. pair, I lemember being inundated with 

 checpies and telegrams. I gave .£2 for the parents which arrived perfect 

 specimens — think of that now I It makes me snd to recall their fate, the 

 cock was harassed to death l)y a nesting Blue Robin, the hen went blind, and 

 finally died of starvation fioni an oveigiowii beak. T know better how to 

 look after my birds now. l>nt one lias to pay dearly for one's experience. 



OIis. E. \ H. HARTLEY. 

 July ;'.()th. St. Helen's l.od-e. llastinys 



NESTING OF OCCIPITAL BLUE-PIES 

 Sir. — Another ilisa]ipointnieiit Occipital Blue-Pies nested again as I 

 think you know. Thei'e were three fertile eggs, one hatched out all right 

 and the hen ate the other two. The yor.iig bird did well for a week, the hen 

 seeming to be a good mother This moriiing, when I visited the aviaries, I 

 found the wretched bird calmly eating the chick. The nest was a very loose 

 structure in a birch tree that I cut and fastened into the inner house ; it was 

 so loose that the young bird could be plainly seen through the nest from be- 

 low. I thiidc the period of incubation was 16 days. The young bird was 

 without fluff and covered with a shining brown skin. E. J. BROOK 



Hoddam Castle, Ecclefechan, N.R.. •J4/7/"i:'.. 



British Bird Calendar. 



//<'.•< iinjmlhj rcfjiirMnl that Meinhfrs fimit all I'^iuul the ■ coast will 

 note the nuiremeiitx <il hinU. more experUilhj in the SmitheDi mid Eastern 

 C'oHKtie^. (tw/ rei/nl.irl// C-'.^/h uf earh i„i:ntli) seiifl in their notes— On thiS the 



ultimate success and permanent interest of the Calendar will depend.— 



Ei.. 



Jtdy 1. — A family of Lesser-spotted Woodjieckers are fre(iuenting this gar- 

 den ; the party consists of two old l)irds and four newly fledged 

 young. "W'e have heard them calling for some weeks l)ut have not 

 seen them until to-day. I imagine that they had their nest in 

 an old acacia or high up in a Sjianish Chestnut ; both these 

 trees are suitable. Last week a party of (Toldlinches were 



