40



Correspondence.



My sister-in-law, who gave me the bird, as she thought in a very

large cage or loose in a bird-100111 it might get rid of the habit of feather

picking, wrote me the other day from German}’that a friend of hers had

cured two Grey Parrots of feather eating by feeding them on crusts of

bread soaked in water, and strongly advised me to keep the bird on that

diet to try whether it had any effect. I have powdered it with toilet

powder and Fuller’s earth powder. The bird rather likes it, but very

strongly objects to lanoline cream or other similar preparation with which

I have rubbed the bare spots. I will put a little magnesia into its drinking

water, and hope a beneficial result will follow.


Yon did not say what seed to give the Parrot, but I expect you meant

maize and canary. At present I am giving it green peas in the pod and also

cherries, but it certainly does not care for the latter nor yet for any other

fruit excepting apples, which are regularly supplied. My Salvin’s Amazon

is fond of carrot, but Jardine’s will not take to it.


August 19th, 1902.—I am sending you two eggs my Gulielmi laid

lately. What a pity I have not a cock bird ! It still pecks itself bare,

although I apply lanoline every day, and have also powdered it with a very

cooling powder. I have given it a great quantity of peas, both in the pod and

otherwise. The eggs were laid in a box which I put into the cage to be

bitten to pieces. Noticing the bird sitting as if brooding I took her out,


and lo! there were two eggs.(August 22nd)—Herewith another egg


he Jardinelaid this morning. The colour of her eye is brown.


F. MOERSCHEUv.


The following are a feiv of the hints suggested to Mr. Moerschell:


If I may venture to advise you, I should strongly recommend that

you take away the egg, nest, and everything appertaining thereto; nay, if

it be practicable, put the Parrot into a strange cage, so as to divert her

thoughts as much as possible. The sitting on the nest increases the fever

of the body and the consequent irritation of the skin. Put fluid magnesia

into the drinking water, and give fruit, so as to cool the blood.


Hemp seed is bad, as regards feather picking, and sunflower is

nearly as bad. Nothing under the sun will do any good unless you stop the

hemp and moderate the sunflower. I should banish them both. The bird

cannot be fed too simply. Let it have canary, oats, a little plain fruit (not

stone fruit), and green food, with occasional doses (in the drinking water) of

fluid magnesia and fluid extract of taraxacum. I am doubtful about the

lanoline, unless mixed with quassia or something bitter. It might acquire

a taste for the lauoline by itself.


Of the two eggs sent to me on the 19th of August, one was smashed

in the post. The other is a very round blunt egg, x-5/i6ths inch long by

i-2/i6ths inch broad. The third, laid on the 22nd, is oval, i-5/i6ths inch

long by one inch broad.



