3o8 



During that portion of the year when it can be 

 procured S07i?id a.nd free from frost, nothing surpasses 

 tufts of grass, and any non-poisonous garden and 

 hedge-row weeds ; these are nearly always infested 

 more or less with small bugs, lice and other insects, 

 and certainly play an important part in the well-being 

 of the birds. For such species as will not eat soft food, 

 it is highly important, and such should have a fresh 

 supply twice daily, as sucli green food plays an im- 

 portant part in the rearing of their young. When I 

 was a keeper of British birds some years ago, I was 

 very successful in breeding Bullfinches, this success 

 was preceded by almost continuous failure till I 

 adopted the practice of supplying the parent birds 

 with an unlimited supply of chickweed, groundsel, 

 and other weeds, fresh, two or three times a day. 



Most species of the Fri)ioillida;, however, eat soft 

 food freely when feeding young, and partially rear 

 their young on this. As the suitable mixture has 

 already been given at the commencement of this paper, 

 nothing further is required here. 



But before leaving this matter I would like to make my 

 attitude quite clear on the vexed question of egg or no egg. 

 Personally may attitude is, that it is neither necessary nor yet 

 desirable, for the following reasons: — For cage birds I con- 

 sider it too concentrated, stimulating, and fattening, and 

 with the most vigilant care a fragment sooner or later gets 

 left in some crevice, putrifies, and in that condition is little 

 short of poison to the unfortunate bird that picks it up. 

 Again, I'm a busy man, and under the necessity of giving my 

 birds a supply each morning, so that it is always in cage or 

 aviary 24 liours, even in the hottest weather; now whichever 

 is used, sterilized or fresh egg once damped, in hot weather 

 at any rate, putrification is very rapid, and in such a state it 

 is positively a danger in the aviary. The small death rate 



