THE NIGHTINGALE. 15 



expiration of which time it should be examined, but 

 not deeply disturbed, and some more meal should be 

 added; on the top of which should be placed a piece 

 of coarse sacking and the receptacle be covered as 

 before and left for another period of two or three 

 months, at the expiration of which a number of meal- 

 worms will always be found congregated under the 

 sacking and can be collected as required. More meal 

 must be added from time to time, and if the above 

 instructions are carried out a fair supply of the insects 

 will be available for a considerable time. Ground dog- 

 biscuit may be substituted for meal, and is thought 

 to discourage the development of the acarus already 

 referred to. 



It is better not to introduce dead birds, or mice, or 

 animal matter of any kind (except what is contained 

 in the dog-biscuit), but a regular supply of food must 

 be kept up, and if the barrel is kept in a dry place 

 pieces of blotting paper moistened in water, or beer, 

 should be occasionally added, for although the meal- 

 worm itself does not require much moisture, the full- 

 grown beetle does, and will not breed successfully unless 

 it can quench its thirst as well as satisfy its hunger. 



On the whole, however, the mealworm cannot be 

 propagated without a certain amount of trouble, and 

 even when most carefully attended to entails far more 

 care on the aviarist than an other insect, which I 

 have often wondered is not more generally utilised for 



