46 Song Birds. 



6. Bechstein records a way of taking ants' eggs,, 

 which I think will be found useful, and is no doubt 

 practised in many places in laying up stores for game. 



On a fine day in summer the ant-hill is turned 

 over, and the earth containing the eggs being shovelled 

 on to a cloth, a few green boughs are laid on one side, 

 under which immediately the ants convey the eggs. 

 The eggs are then dried in a frying-pan with a little 

 sand, and thus stored away in jars till required for use, 

 when boiling water is poured on them to soften them. 



7. The German paste is also a very useful food, par- 

 ticularly for all the soft-billed birds, or warblers. I 

 find it answers best to have this paste made at home, 

 as it is scarcely any trouble. Good materials can 

 then be depended on ; the price is also a third or 

 fourth only of that at which it can be purchased 

 genuine. As far as I know, with the exception of 

 Nightingales, all soft -billed birds will thrive well on 

 this paste, with some grated stale-bread crumbs, 

 and a few canary and hemp seeds now and then as 

 a change. The seeds need not be bruised, as these 

 birds swallow them whole, and are provided with 

 gizzards for their digestion. A few morsels sometimes 

 of quite fresh meat (neither salt meat nor meat that 

 has any salt on it will do), given either raw or cooked, 

 will be good for most of them ; and the Nightingales,. 

 in particular, should be chiefly fed on raw meat finely 

 chopped up with some hard-boiled egg. In this. 



