196 



records these Crackles as being very quarrelsome, and also 

 very common in New Guinea. 



The following have reared young : Senegal Dove, 2 ; 

 Brush Bronze- wing Pigeon, 2; Wonga Wonga Pigeon, 2; 

 Turtle Doves, 7; Crested Pigeon, 4. The Silver-eared Mesias 

 hatched out 3 young, unfortunately they were killed by the 

 Pheasants occupying their enclosure. Meyer's Pigeons laid, 

 but eggs were clear. The Redshanks, which were noted in 

 July issue as having hatched out, are now almost full grown 

 and scarceh' distingnisliable from the adults. They are fed on 

 chopped mealworms, meat, egg and crissel. 



A New Hybrid : In my aviary I have had, by the chance 

 pairing of two odd birds, an interesting hybrid reared, viz., 

 Bronze-wing x Magpie Mannikin. It is about seven weeks 

 old and can fend for itself. At present as to size and form it 

 shows more of the Bronze-wing, but its plumage is of a very 

 nondescript ap})earance, being dark umber brown above, 

 suffused with chocolate on the upper back, and a lighter umber 

 brown below ; the sides of the body are slightly suffused with 

 a yellowish-brown. Its appearance will be greatly altered as 

 soon as it assumes adult plumage, as there is sure to be a fair 

 amount of white in same. I believe two were hatched, but 

 they left Ihe nest while I was away on my holidays ; I was tohl 

 on my return that a young bird had died, which was put on a 

 garden seat for a moment while the birds were fed, and a cat 

 took it, and I surmise it was the missing Mannikin hybrid. 



Mortality among Newly Imported Foreign Birds: So 

 many complaints reach me on this subject, that I feel called 

 upon to make some comment. In some cases certainly bad 

 housing and packing by the dealer have been as much respon- 

 sible for the mortality as the conditions of importation. It 

 seems to me, we aviculturists have the matter in our own 

 hands, if we only conform to conditions somewhat as under: 

 I. To strictly refuse to trade with any dealers whose 



shops are insanitary, and whose conditions of caging etc. 



approach cruelty, i. e. either by smallness of cage, un- 



cleanliness, or overcrowding. 



