Notes for the Month.



233



tiny young birds on “giants 1 ’ any more than you could expect a

human mother to rear a baby by giving it a bottle and expect the

infant to swallow the bottle. It is a case of 3 into 2 won’t go. If

one has a tin of breeding mealworms to go at and young birds are

hatched, the small worms about half-an-inch are sought for and

given to the parents. With these it is my belief that any bird can

be reared. But don’t run away with the idea that you can breed

your own mealworms. You will be speedily undeceived. You will

have to depend upon the dealers for mealworms for the old birds.

But they should be cut up for the smaller birds or either they will

not eat them or if they do are likely to have fits. Also don’t

imagine because an aviary is large and contains a few flowers and

plants that it will provide enough live food to rear the young. This

is also a popular fallacy with many. Few of us have the courage to

keep to one pair of birds in an aviary and even if one did they would

soon clear the place of natural food. If you are still incredulous try

it and tell us the result of the post mortem. Finally let us remember

our old friend the popular mealworm and look to him principally to

rear our bird families.


Another excellent and in many respects even better food is

live ants’ eggs (cocoons). If good and fresh there is nothing better

and you can rear nearly any bird on them. But alas ! they have

two disadvantages. In the first place it is very difficult to get a

constant supply of fresh eggs, and, secondly, the supply depends

very largely indeed on the weather. No sun, no eggs is the rule.

There is a third thing against them and that is they are very dear.

But if you can ensure a regular supply of ants’ eggs you may

sleep in peace and leave the birds to rear their young without any

misgivings.


The next commonest and of course cheapest article of food is

the larva of the blue-bottle and popularly known as gentles. Care¬

ful observation has convinced me that in the vast majority of cases

they are not suitable for either very young or very small birds. For

adult birds and the larger species of young they may prove excellent.

One aviculturist, at least, has suggested pricking the tough horrid

skin before giving them to the birds. It need hardly be said that

they must be well scoured. To sum up, they are not a bad substi-



