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twenty Crows had been seen, in company with Gulls, hawking about over

the sea, and evidently looking for fish. Surely this is a somewhat unusual

proceeding on their part! Chari.ES Cushny.


The following reply—in part—was sent to Mr. Cushny : perhaps some of our

members will supplement it.


According to the late Mr. Joseph Abrahams, there have been but two

instances recorded of the rearing of Blue Budgerigars; and the parents of

both of these were Yellows. He had a painting of one or both of these

Blue Budgerigars. More than once he told me about these two birds, but I

forget the particulars ; they were male and female.


Certainly the Rosella and the Mealy have been interbred, and the

young reared; but I cannot say whether the young were fertile.


I suppose a White Vasa is not impossible, but I never heard of one.


Gulls consort with Rooks on land; and it is possible enough that, in

hard weather, when food is scarce, the Rooks might return the visit and

join the Gulls on the arrival, close in shore, of a shoal of herrings or other

small fry ; for the Rook will eat pretty nearly anything when hard pressed ;

and I have seen them feeding along the shore. But a “ flock ” of twenty

“Crows,” whether Hooded or Carrion, would be unusual in any circum¬

stances. Nevertheless in some places the Hooded Crows are so common,

especially in the autumn, when the members of each family would be

together, that twenty individuals might be attracted together by some

object of common interest (such as a shoal of fish) ; but they do not go

about in flocks like Rooks, Choughs, and Jackdaws. The word “ Crow,

unfortunately, is very loosely used. In many parts, especially perhaps in

Scotland, a Rook is always called a Crow ; and, at any rate in some parts of

the Lowlands, the only “ Carrion Crow” recognized is the Hoodie, the true

Carrion Crow not being distinguished from the Rook.


Reginald Phili.ipps.



COCKATIEL KILLING MICE.


Sir, —Did you ever know an instance of a Cockatiel killing and

eating a mouse ? I have had one of these birds some years. Of late mice

have been rather troublesome, and have prowled about the cages at

night after waste seed. A few weeks ago I found a mouse dead, and partly

eaten, on the bottom of the Cockatiel’s cage; yesterday I made a similar

discovery. The head of the mouse was the portion attacked and eaten.

The equanimity of the bird did not appear to have been disturbed on

either occasion. T. B. \\ hytehead.



THE AGE OF BIRDS IN CAPTIVITY.


Sir,—I have always been interested in testing the length of time

that Waxbills will exist in a state of cage captivity. Have any of our

members known a Zebra Waxbill to live longer than the one I have just

lost ? A hen (the last of my little friends) has just gone to her loug home.


A pair came into my possession on 12th June, 1890. I give an extract

from the letter of that date, sent by the gentleman from whom I bought



