on the Ruff.



H3



They eat a large quantity of canary seed, swallowing it

whole, and although this certainly is not natural it does not seem

to disagree, as they are in perfect condition. I suppose it is too

much to hope to breed them, but then the unexpected often

happens. I have certainly given them every opportunity, as the

aviary is close on one hundred feet long with plenty of cover.

As I have previously remarked, they are extremely fond of a

bath, which they take dipping up and down like a duck. Among

themselves they are extremely quarrelsome and merit to the full

their names “machetes” and “ pugnax,” bickerings frequently

taking place among the Reeves, which at meal times sometimes

develop into stand-up fights. Beyond pulling a few feathers

out of each other, however, they do not do each other much

harm. I have never seen them attack any other species, with

the exception of the Corncrake, who allows himself to be bullied

by every bird in the aviary, and the Porphyrios who, however,

are quite capable of looking after themselves.


Judging by the small space the study of wading birds

takes up in our Magazine, they do not appear to find much favour

with aviculturists, which is I think surprising, as they are

extremely tame and healthy, and combine beauty with an

unrivalled gracefulness of form. They present a very different

appearance in an outdoor aviary to the wretched specimens I saw

cooped up in the Fish House at the Zoological Gardens on my

last visit there. The birds appeared to be kept at an unnatural

temperature and fed on unsuitable food, and certainly looked

very unhappy.


What a pity an enclosure out of doors, like that provided for

the Gulls, cannot be given to them. I have kept several species

of wading birds, but none of them cared for any kind of soft-

billed food. During the winter they have lived almost entirely

on mealworms, which so far from proving “ too stimulating,”

seems to agree with them perfectly.


I have just read with some interest the article entitled

“ The Misuse of the Mealworm,” and may say that my

experience is very different. I have found that mealworms form

a perfect food for all waders, rails, etc., and the} 7 cannot possibly



