304 



the top of llie house. It must have been oue of these that 

 took up its position on the liack of a garden seat early one 

 morning this summer, close to my small aviary and a few yards 

 from the drawing room windows; I watched him and admired 

 his beautiful plumage as he sat motionless in the sunshine, 

 not doubting that he would make a sudden dash at the wires, 

 but he never took the least notice of the little birds and after 

 remaining there for some time, slowh' and carefully swung 

 liiinself down on to the grass and began pecking about, as if 

 looking for insects when the sudden opening of a window, 

 however, frightened him away. As we have neither game 

 preserves nor keepers I hope we may still be favoured with 

 friendly visits from these handsome birds occasionally. 

 Alluding to the aviary mentioned above, I regret to say it is 

 now empty. The six little foreign birds consisting of a pair 

 of CulLhroats, a female Cordon Blen and three other kinds of 

 Waxbills, were all found lying dead about a fortnight ago. It 

 is supposed that the heavy rains and constant damp weather 

 in November mnsl have been the cause, although they lived 

 through last winter and spring under the same conditions 

 without any injury and were in the best of health and 

 plumage when I left home in the middle of last month. 



jfecDino auD Bcclnuatismt} jforciQii 



By WESI.EV T. Page, F.Z.S. 

 (Continued Jroni page 241.7 



Rape: Very few species of foreign birds will eat 

 ■either English, German, Winter or Summer Rape. I 

 have found the genus Serimcs take a little, and one or 

 two species of the South American Meadow Starlings ; 

 nievertheless a little is always included in my general 

 mixture, and a little is also scattered in the open flight 

 of aviary : here none is wasted, what the birds fail to 

 -eat sprouts and makes good green food and also cover 



