Tanaokrs. 57 



Another difficulty I find in writing about Tanagers is the 

 wide difference in individual birds of the same species. Take for 

 instance the Violet. If you buy one one week and write out a 

 bill of fare for it, from what you have observed that it takes to 

 readily, it does not follow that the same bill of fare will do for all 

 Violets, the next one you get may be a bird of entirely different 

 tastes and absolutely decline to touch the provisions enjoyed by 

 the first. I think the best plan with a newly-bought Tanager is 

 to follow no rule, but to try diffeient things in the way of food 

 and fruit, and you will soon see what it likes and what seems to 

 suit it the best. 



While I am on the subject of buying I may say I have 

 found it the best plan not to go for the bird in the best condition, 

 with regard to feather. A bird just come over in a large consign- 

 ment, that has a bright eye and a fairly plump chest, though he 

 may not have a whole feather on him, is very often worth six 

 birds that are in apparently perfect plumage but have breast bones 

 like a knife edge. Again 1 would much rather be in time to buy 

 a Tanager in the dirty state it arrives in, it is so much better to 

 get it like that, before anybody has had time to try and clean it 

 up for sale. I do not like my birds to be dry cleaned. 



Having bought the bird 1 get it home as quickly as 

 possible, put it in a cage by itself, give it some slightly tepid 

 water, sometimes with a little port in it, if the bird seems run 

 down and a choice of fruit and some insectivorous food, and keep 

 it as quiet as possible, only watching to see that it finds its way 

 to the water, etc. I keep it like this, away from all other birds, 

 for a fortnight or more, according to its condition ; when it has a 

 clean bill of health, I take it up in the birdrooni and look round 

 for a suitable companion for it, this is a difficult task, as there is 

 always a great uncertainty as to what birds will agree together, 

 but I think it is better to have two birds together, if you have a 

 large enough cage, it promotes exercise and stops over-feeding. 

 With two Tanagers in one cage, if one of them is over fond, say of 

 ants' cocoons, the other will probably prevent him from picking 

 them all out of the food at once, and he in his turn will perhaps 

 prevent the other from eating half an orange, or banana, at a 

 sitting, as some Tanagers seem to want to do. One of the 



