158



likely, they take to feather plucking on the voyage, and when

they arrive in dock all are minus their feathers but perhaps one

or two. The dealer said he had one pair ‘ fair,’ the rest in the

usual condition. I wired off—“How many are there?” The

reply soon came flashing over the wires—“There are six more

bally Zosterops.” I replied—“ Send the six bally Zosterops,”

and the next morning they came to hand. A more ragged

regiment I never saw. They had hardly a feather among them ;

just head, flight, and tail, the rest naked body! Poor little

beggars, how they did shiver! I put them each into a nice

clean cage, gave them half an orange, and a good bath. How

they did enjoy themselves to be sure. They soon began to

mend, and after about six weeks’ solitary confinement, each in his

little cage apart, they came into the most perfect feather, and I

only wished my dealer friend could have seen his poor‘bally*

scarecrows; but then, how the price would have gone up by

leaps and bounds !


Zosterops are very affectionate little things, and always go

off in pairs as far as they will go.


I think I have seen it said somewhere that Zosterops have

no song. This is a great mistake. The cock Zosterops has a

most beautiful song, almost equal to the English Blackcap. The

first time I heard one open out, I wondered what bird it was.


A pair of Zosterops would be simply invaluable in a

greenhouse, as they revel in green fly, that pest of the flower

grower, and they would do no harm to the most tender plants;

but then conservatory owners are such unreasonable beings!


I feed my Zosterops on my home made soft mixture, and

half an orange a-day. They are intensely fond of bathing, and

get so wet that they can only stagger about the cage for quite a

long time after. They are very active little mites, and creep in

and out among the shrubs, and hang head downwards like our

English Tits ; and it must be a wily gnat indeed that can escape

their sharp little eyes.


I may say, for the sake of the unlearned and ignorant,,

that ‘ Zosterops’ means ‘ girdled eyes’; hence the name Spectacle

birds.


My ambition is to breed the Zosterops ; the only thing I

wonder about is, on what they feed their young ? I think it

must be minute insects like aphides and gnats. They are very

fond of stewed apple well sweetened with sugar. They do

not care for insects of the mealworm order.



