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P/aclical Bird-Keeping .— VII. 7 anagcts.


could see that the eye ball had been damaged by another bird,

I was assured that it would soon be allright, but I did not buy

it. However, it was sold, and about a fortnight after, the dealer

told me he had heard from the lady who had bought, it that the

bird could see, and the eye had almost recovered. Unfortunately

for the truth of his story I came across the buyer of the bird,

quite by accident, about eight months afterwards and was told

that the eye never changed in appearance and the bird had just

died.


I give my birds a simple insectivorous mixture made of

Spratt’s Puppy Cakes ground to a meal and ants’ cocoons scalded

with enough water to just damp the meal, and sometimes some

ground silkworms’ cocoons, mixed with grated carrot and chopped

lettuce, when obtainable ; this of course is freshly made each

morning. I also give them plenty of ripe fruit, such as banana,

orange, tangerine, apple, pear, grapes, strawberries, cherries, etc.

So many of the smaller Tanagers live almost entirely upon fruit,

but I always try to encourage them to eat some of the insecti¬

vorous food, and they most of them enjoy a mealworm or so

during the day, but I do not give them more than this, as in cage

life I think they can be overdone. Occasionally, about a tea¬

spoonful of scalded bluebottles is mixed into the food, and

I find these are much appreciated, especially in the winter

months.


It is said that some Tanagers can be kept on seed alone,

such as the Black, but I do not believe it. I had a Black Tanager

for some years, to which I used to give a little Canary seed, but I

am sure it would not have survived long on that alone. I once

had a Black-necked Tanager that never would touch anything

but banana, and even that had to be exactly to its liking. If you

gave it a piece either not ripe enough or too ripe, it would go

without for hours, until it was changed.


All Tanagers are particularly fond of bathing, but some to

a more marked extent than others, some will lie in the bath and

literally soak, before splashing in the usual way, and come out so

wet, that they are totally'’ unable to get to their top perches, and

others go in and make a great splashing and hop straight to the

top perch, having hardly wetted themselves at all. It is curious



