Correspondence.



the front of the bird’s face, near the bill. If they drop ont, leaving the

skin bare, then it is a Rook. It will be very useful if you carefully watch

the process, noting particulars and dates, and report to us for publication,

as the exact manner in which a Rook gains its bare face is not certainly



Reginald Philupps.



known.



[The solitary nature of the Carrion Crow is well known, but it is not

so well known that, under certain conditions, the species will breed in

miniature colonies. When the attraction is only the collection of specially

suitable trees (in a wood) within a limited area, the nests will not be near

enough to one another to deserve the name. So far as I have myself seen,

the “colony” occurs only iu districts where the keeper is active, and

where, by some chance, a wood or portion of one escapes his unwelcome

attentions.


In a long out-lying wood at one time well known to me, and ever

sacred as the one in which I found my first Hobby’s nest, in a corner of

immature oaks (it had been thinned ont a few years previously), with but

little covert of any kind, and a most unlikely place for Crows, and which

the keepers had almost given up in despair because of the distance and of

its close proximity to a hamlet of evil repute, I came oue year upon a

remarkable colony of Carrion Crows, quite a number of nests being herded

together, each one that I examined having its full complement of semi-

incubated eggs.—R. P.]



NESTING OF SPICE BIRDS.



Sir, — I noticed last year Lady Dunleath wrote you saying she had

bred and reared Spice Birds in her aviary which, I think, is the first

authentic notification of these birds breeding in captivity in England.


This year I have had three young ones of this species successfully'

reared in my aviary. Many were the attempts the old birds made to nest,

but until this time they' were unsuccessful. Either the Yellow Budgerigars

would wilfully destroy the nest, or the Golden Weavers would borrow the

nesting materials, and on one occasion a pair of Starlings purloined the

eggs. The last time not only did they deceive the other birds, but me also,

for I did not even know they were building. One day to my surprise, when

feeding, I saw the old birds flying about and feeding three young ones

which were nearly' as large as their parents, and in perfect feather and tight

as wax. They are now feeding themselves, but are still iu nestling plumage,

which is of a uniform brown and, excepting for the white colour at the

junction of the upper and lower mandibles, might be taken for adult birds

of some other species.


The old birds have been in my' outdoor aviary for about two years*

Having such a variety of birds in this aviary, my chances of successfully



