13



BREEDING PENNANTS AND BLOODWINGS.


Sir, —This year I have again to record the nesting of my Pennants,

and the successful rearing of a fine brood. The young were marked exactly

as all others have been (vide my articles in past numbers of the Magazine).

The old birds, as I also said, are quite good to tell apart by their tails. They

are, moreover, common or garden Pennants, and not half-bred Adelaides!


My Bloodvvings also nested as usual. They laid four eggs and hatched

three strong young ones. These lived for ten days; then one died and

poisoned the nest, and the parents would not feed the other two. When I

found them the} - were perfectly sweet and not in the least discoloured ; but

the other was like Solomon’s love—black—but certainly not comely.

Better luck next time !


One never knows what to do in these cases. If you touch the nest

the old ones desert; if you leave a dead one in, the youngsters are allowed

to perish.


I hope next season, if we all live and are well, to be able to record

the breeding of several rare kinds of Parrakeets. C. D. Farrar.



MOCKING-BIRD WITH COUGH, ETC.


Sir, — I have a Mocking-bird suffering from a bad cough, and would

be much pleased to have advice. It troubles him in the day, but, curious

enough, he never seems to suffer at night. It is quite a dry cough, as if he

were choking and trying to get something up out of his throat. He feeds

well on soft food and fruit, but refuses all insect food since getting this cold.

He is fairly lively, but is getting a worn out look since getting this cold. I

have kept him in a dry room, between 6o° and 55 0 , but with no draughts.


So far as I can make out, he is Mimus thenca of Chili. He is a

much larger bird than the North American, with a distinct eyebrow

mark. I have also an Icte>us Hangnest, which was sold to me as the

Baltimore Oriole, but, on examination of skins, I should think it is Icterus

vulgaris. Is not this the one usually imported ? I examined a number in

London the other day, and they appeared to be vulgaris not jamacaii, as

mostly stated. I find the Irish climate very damp for foreign birds, more

especially in summer, when they are out. Very often in June we have wet

days at about 45^. I enclose a photograph of my aviary: the two lower

windows_sliow the heated compartments for birds; one for the seed-eaters,

the other for insectivorous species. H. B. RaThborne.


[We are much obliged to Mr. Rathborue for the photo, which gives

a very clear view of his aviary. — E d.]



The following reply was sent to Mr. Rathborue :


The cough may be due either to a cold, or to indigestion. You do not

say what soft food you give your birds, and there are several worthless ones

on the market.


I think I have tried most of the foods offered to the public, and I

find the best to be that prepared by our member Mr. Fulljames (almost the

same as I prepare for my own birds). Some mixtures that are sold as food



