236



Correspondence.



number and frequency of the supply must be entirely governed by

circumstances. Newly-hatched chicks will not eat more than five or

six in a day. A chick ten days old will eat twenty or thirty at least

and thrive on them. If then you should have the good fortune to

get some softbills (or even some hardbills) to nest and hatch out

there should he every prospect of rearing the young if one is me¬

thodical, thoughtful, and thorough. The method advocated has

been thoroughly tried and proved successful, hut the writer would

he the first to acknowledge the truth of Quot homines, tot sententiae.


P.S.—Owing to short notice there was no time to correct the

proofs of last month’s “ notes ” consequently one or two rather

amusing if somewhat unintelligible misprints crept in. On page 208

the sentence “ Only 100 1 + 1 for the breeding aviary please,”

suggests an algrebraical formula. If we substitute “ 100 A 1 ” some

of our readers will recognise the hall mark of a first-class ship as

used by Lloyds. “ Grit is food fgr them ” should read “ grit is good

for them.” Then “Trek” should read “Rape.”



CORRESPONDENCE. NOTES, ETC



LETTER DAMAGED IN POST BOX.


Mr. C. BARNBY-SMITH received a letter in a long envelope on the 10th of

May, a large portion of which was torn and pecked. On the envelope was

written by the postal authorities '* Damaged by bird building in letter-box ” as

well as a printed label “ Found open (or torn) ” affixed to a part of the rent.

Probably a great tit.



I believe that in error I called Lt.-Col. Tweedie’s mouse the “ Spanish

dormouse,” it should be called the “ Garden dormouse ” (Eliomys quercinus).


Philip Gosse.


[Is not this animal also called the Oak Dormouse? - ED.] cf. p. 134.


SUPPOSED TROUPIAL.


I notice that Dr. E. Hopkinson suggests that Mr. Shore-Baily’s supposed

troupial may be the bobolink (see p. 209). I have kept the bobolink, and of all

the Icteridce that is about the last I should have selected to represent Mr. Shore-

Baily’s species : its bill is not long and bears not the least resemblance to that of

the military troupial ; in fact it is bunting-like in outline. The bobolink is not



