II



We have received a copy of a small monthly called “ Foreign Bird

Notes.” It is issued by a new Society calling itself the Foreign Bird Club,

and contains several papers relating to the keeping and breeding of foreign

birds in captivity. The Editor is Mr. H. R. Fillmer, the originator and

founder of the Avicultural Society. We must all regret that Mr. Fillmer

has seen fit to sever his connection with the Avicultural Society, and we

much doubt the wisdom of starting another bird paper, but we think that

perhaps his new cheap monthly may have tapped a new section of foreign

bird keepers, who require a popular and unscientific journal, and therefore

we hope the new venture will do good work in encouraging the keeping

of foreign birds.



CORRESPONDENCE.



NESTING OF VIRGINIAN CARDINALS.


Sir, —In reply to Miss Hawke—My Virginian Nightingales have

reared three fine young ones this season.


They share an aviary (24 ft. by 6 ft.) with pairs of Cockatiels, Zebra

Finches, Cutthroats, White-headed Nuns, Black-headed Gouldians, three

pairs Budgerigars, a Blue Robin, Liotlirix, Lavender Finch, and Bengalese.


I11 the early spring the Virginians wished to nest; but 110 nest we

coidd supply would satisfy the hen, and she eventually laid two eggs in a

seed tin : then we hung up a wire basket, stuffed it with hay, shaping a

hollow in the middle, and put in her eggs. She laid another egg in the

seed tin, which was just above the basket; we put it in the basket and

removed the tin ; she then put a few blades of fresh grass round the edge,

laid two more eggs, and sat steadil)' for twelve days, when three young ones

were hatched.


The food in the aviary is always canary- and millet-seed ; thin lunch

biscuit soaked in hot water, squeezed dry and mixed with Abrahams’ yolk

of egg (two biscuits and about a dessertspoonful of egg); ants’ eggs, cock¬

roaches, scalded bread, and a few white oats. Mealworms we give as

required.


For the first few days the hen did the feeding; the cock brought the

food and was eager to try, but the hen took it from him and gave it to the

nestlings herself; later both birds fed them. The mealworms were bitten

up small at first, later they had their heads bitten off and were given whole.

Biscuit and egg were given, also green peas and banana, and I think a few

fresh ants’ eggs and bits of cockroach ; but I never saw them give dried

ants’ eggs. The cock often gave them soaked bread.


They feathered quickly, leaving the nest at the end of a fortnight.

The parents continued to feed them even after their second nest had

hatched, two of which died at the end of a fortnight; then we put the

first youngsters into another aviary.


The parents laid and hatched again (two) ; but they fell victims to

a hen Californian Ouail which, with nine chicks, we were obliged to put in

the Cardinals’ aviary.



