Editorial. 131 



perched on the stem. A more entrancini^- picture than this 

 feathered jewel disportini^- himself so naturally, his airy j^race- 

 fulness, and lis^htnin,-;- darts after a passin.-^" midi^'e completes a 

 j)icture too excpiisite for words. 



( )i!rrr.ARY. — ( )ur recently elected member. (). Murray- 

 Di.Kon. the artist of the frontispiece of our last issue, was killed 

 in action in I^-ance. a few days before the ap])earance of the 

 issue. We tender sincere condolences to his sorrowinj^- parents 

 and o-reatly ret^Tet that the first s])ecimen of his skilful brush .n 

 our pai^-es. drawn amid the sinister surromulin-^-s of the trenches, 

 must be the last, unless his parents ha\e other drawiui^s they 

 would lend for reproduction. 



With 14'reatest re.i^ret we have to announce the trai.;'.c 

 death of Ladv Webster. She was bathin;^- on the evenint;- of 

 the 15th inst.. in the lake at Battle Abbey, Sussex, with her 

 voung-est daug'hter, wlio .^ot into difficulties. Lady Webster 

 went to her assistance, but thou.^h a s^ood swimmer she had a 

 weak heart and sank, and her body was not recovered till mid- 

 ni.^-ht. Her dau!.^-hter was saved by the i^overness. We tender 

 sincere condolence to Sir .\. Webster and family in their trai^ic 

 bereavement. 



ERK.\rr.\i : Pa.^'e SS. line 2t,. " chillint^- conftision " should 

 read cJiilling expression. 



0-M^ 



Correspondence. 



AN AUSTRALIAN A\"1ARY. 



Sir, — One incident may interest you : I have two I'-iue Mountain Lori- 

 keets, wliicli are in one avi.iry. alon<i- with weavers, I'ekin nit^'htinpi'ales, 

 blood finclies. love ])arrois. etc.. and these I'.lue ^Mountains have lived with 

 me for over seven years. X(j doubt they eat some seed (canary, panicuni, 

 and millet), but they set every day bread soaked in boiling milk. It must 

 be boiled fresh milk in this climate, otherwise it soon turns sour. All the 

 finches seem to like the bread and milk. In this aviary I also place a small 

 lot of cracked corn (maize), and a little rice, more especially for the Parsons. 



O. BARTELS. 

 Mavne. Queensland 



AVL^RY NOTES. 



Sir. — In mv aviary a hen (jrey .Singfingfinch has paired with ;i rioldfinch 

 and she is now sitting. Has this cross been bred before?* I don't much 

 care for hvbrids and it seems to be my fate to rear them. 



The good old Nonpareil hen, which is paired with an Indigo Hunting, 

 is nesting for the third season in succession. I still have the first two young 

 ones she bred.+ ( )nc which lives in my sitting room is a charmingly tame 

 bird and a great- beauty. These hybrids differ from their Indigo father in 



