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Change of Colour in Blue Wren.



from my hand from the first, was never the least flustered, used to

clean himself when I was close by the cage, and I let him out quite

well and happy when the frost broke.”


I caught a cock Blackbird in a stable in the first week of

February which looked half-starved and put him in a cage, where he

at once began to eat and drink. The next morning his feathers were

tight and he looked as well as possible, in spite of having lost flesh.

When I put my hand in the cage he sat perfectly still in a composed

manner and pecked at my fingers. He has never once attempted to

flutter against the bars or show signs of wishing to get away, and on

the third day after being caged he had a bath.


The Duchess of Bedford also relates a very interesting fact of

her experience with a Storm Petrel. The Duchess writes: “My

sailors on the yacht always keep for me any birds which fly against

the lanterns at night. As has often happened, they saved for me a

Storm Petrel. As a rule I had released these birds at once by day¬

light and they dropped into the sea, where they floated away, and I

expected were more or less injured. This one, however, I thought

I would keep till night to see what would happen. I took it out of

the basket that morning and offered it its liberty. The bird crept

on to my forefinger and started to clean itself; it lifted its wings to

preen underneath, scratched itself, and w T as absolutely at home. As

I could not feed it, and seeing that it was obviously quite well, I

held it out on my forefinger over the bulwarks, but every time I did

so it crawled back up my arm. So I kept it till dark and then tried

again. It was off like a shot! ” H. D. A.



CHANGE OF COLOUR IN BLUE WREN

(.Malurus cyaneus) AS AFFECTED BV"

SEASONS.


By Hubert D. Astley.


In July, 1914, I became the possessor of four Australian Blue

Wrens, the males being in eclipse plumage, since they arrived in

their winter time. That same autumn they partly donned their

beautiful spring colouring of black velvet and turquoise blue silk.



