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Correspondence.



financial position, and he is furthermore constantly working in connection with

the War. The Editor has lately received some beautiful full-page photographs

from Nairobi, sent by Dr. V. G. L. Van Someren, which certainly ought to be

reproduced for the magazine.


Will not members who have neglected to send their subscriptions, add, for

conscience sake, five shillings ?


BRANDLING WORMS.


DEAR Sir,—‘ Secretarius ’ is clearly right in his identification of the

worms as brandlings ; and his discovery that they are suitable food for ouzels, at

any rate is interesting and useful, and I must admit, a great surprise to me. At

the same time, I do not regret having sounded a note of warning as to the general

use of brandlings; some birds can eat unscoured gentles without disaster .


. . quod cibus .... venenum . . . . !


I am, yours, etc., TAVISTOCK.


RESIGNATION OF THE HON. SECRETARY.


It is with the greatest regret that we have to announce the resignation of

Dr. L. LOVELL-KEAYS as Hon. Sec. He has been very unwell, and further¬

more has now offered himself for service in the army. This is a real loss to the

Society, for there has never been anyone, holding the post of Hon. Sec., who

has been keener or more helpful. Dr. Lovell-Keays has thrown himself into the

work with the greatest enthusiasm, backed by experience and knowledge of the

first order.


BREEDING OF YELLOW-WINGED SUGAR-BIRDS.


MISS CHAWNER writes to the Editor : “ You will be interested I know to

hear that two little Yellow-winged sugar-birds left their nest this morning and

are comfortably perched on twigs near to it. Their mother now feeds them on

sop as well as live food which is a relief, as the weather seems to have broken and

sweeping may become difficult. They were a fortnight old yesterday and are

well feathered for their age, Sunday however very nearly bore out its reputation

for catastrophe, for when I went to the aviary this morning one nestling was

hanging and doing ‘ roast pig,’ having got entangled in the tow-lining of the nest.

Fortunately it had not long been thus and seems none the worse now. The

hot weather has brought them on much more quickly and they are now as

well feathered and strong as their brothers were at the age of seventeen days. I

hope presently to be able to report that they have begun to feed themselves.

This brood has been reared mainly on those little grey moths which abound in

meadows just now, and I fell back on stick insects instead of mealworms, when

the dew was too heavy for ‘ sweeping ’ Let us hope that the weather this time

will be kind till the little ones can fend for themselves. It will be interesting to

see how long their beaks take growing, they are quite short at present.”


Lyndhzirst, 13th August, 1916.



