56



Volume) lias the same blood-thirsty characteristics as Mr. Pliillipps’

Whistling-bird.


I had several accidents in the aviary that I could not account for,

often finding small birds lying about partly eaten. For some time I kept

my Mocking friend all to himself, but, when feeding him the other day,

a Goldfinch got in from the other compartment. I went away, and,

returning in about an hour, found the Goldfinch on the ground with its

head open, and brains completely devoured. I caught the Mocking-bird

afterwards chasing the smaller birds; he darts at them and catches them

with his legs, and kills them like a Hawk. He still has the cold; but I

will not despair of him as long as he is able to feed on Goldfinches and

Orange Bishops.


I wish some of our members would write about the importation of

foreign birds, and the various ports they are picked up at, and how and by

whom they are caught. H. B. Rathbokne.



[Noth.—T he question asked by Mr. Rathborne embraces too much

ground for any one person to be acquainted with. Hr. Butler’s article in

this number deals with a somewhat kindred subject as regards the birds of

South Africa. Perhaps some other of our members may be able to give

us information concerning birds coming from different parts of the

world.—R. P.]


NESTING OF THE BRACK-HEADED GOURDI AN FINCH.


SIR.— Several of our members have succeeded in raising the beautiful

Gouldians, and from time to time accounts have appeared of the nesting.

Each record adds somewhat to one's knowledge as to the ways and means

by which this happy result may be attained. I therefore take up my pen

in the hope that what I have to tell may contain some little hints that may

be of use to others.


First, it seems to me absolutely necessary that Gouldian-finches

should be perfectly strong and thoroughly acclimatized before they are

allowed to go to nest, or clear eggs only are the result. 1 tried, and failed

again and again with somewhat newly imported birds; but this season I set

to work more hopefully, as my two hen Black-heads had been in England

over two years. I had a good healthy cock ; and a member of our Society

kindly supplied me with another that had been raised in his bird-room.


I gave my Gouldians—and a pair of Diamond Sparrows—a small

garden aviary to themselves. It was late in May before they were put in,

and verv soon after they began to moult. The moulting over, they fussed

about so long over the choice of a nesting-place that the best part of the

summer passed before any progress was made.


For nesting material my Gouldians have invariably chosen a fine

sort of grass that grows on heath land ; and without this, it seems to me,

they would not build at all—they use this and nothing else. The nests

being built, eggs were laid, the sitting commenced, and in due course the

sound of chirps from many voices came from both nests.


Unfortunately they were too close together, one nest being just

above the other : the hen of the upper one began chasing the other, and

preventing her from going to feed the young. I hoped the cock would



