33S



Correspondence, Notes, etc.



CORDON BLEUvS NESTING.


Sir. —My Cordon Bleus have made a nest of fibre in a small pine tree in

an out-door aviary. There is one egg—possibly more—in the nest, and the

birds are sitting. I am afraid that I shall not be able to supply them with

any insects but house flies and mealworms. Both old birds are very fond

of these, but will they give them to the young birds? I have Abrahams’

food and preserved egg. and could get dried ar.ts’ eggs and mealworms

from London. The nest is the shape of a small soda water bottle and is not

lined. I should be grateful for any instructions as to food.


(Mrs.) R. S. Vivian.


The following reply has been sent to Mrs. Vivian:


Dr. Russ says that Cordon Bleus should have fresh small ants’

cocoons ; or, if these cannot be obtained, they must be accustomed to

soaked ants’ cocoons with egg-bread and soaked (scalded) seeds.


Years ago I repeatedly tried Waxbills and Grass-Finches with

scalded ants’ eggs, and they never touched them, simply ignored them.


I should, therefore, be inclined to mix dried ants’ eggs with yolk of

egg and biscuit, adding a few small mealworms and some blight from roses

if you can get that easily (we have too much of it this year).


Whatever the old birds eat they must necessarily give to the young

birds, because they feed them from the crop. Let them have plenty of

chickweed and flowering grass, which are (I believe) as important as

insect food for rearing the young. A. G. Buteer.



PASSERINE PARRAKEETS NESTING.


Sir, —Can you tell me what is the proper food for Blue-winged

Parraquets having young ones. The hen laid seven eggs and hatched six.

She began to sit when she had laid three eggs and has hardly been off

since. The first young one was hatched June 30th, and five more during

that week. The cock sat on the first young ones while the hen had the

eggs. The young ones don’t thrive and four have died. The others look

thin and miserable as if they were starved. They have canary, millet,

oats, hemp, soaked bread, and soaked biscuits and egg food, and fresh

flowering grass. B. Shepherd.


The following reply was sent to Miss Shepherd:


It is very strange that the young ones should not thrive on the

liberal diet that you have been supplying them with. You might try

bread-and-milk, though it is doubtful whether this would be an improve¬

ment on the soaked bread.


Mr. Cresswell bred this species in a small cage in 1896, and one young

bird was reared, chiefly on hemp seed. (See Vol. II., p. 144.)


I cannot imagine a diet on which the young would be more likely to



