48 Song Birds. 



Most birds are fond of it, and it often tempts a 

 sickly one to eat, while it is an excellent preparation 

 for keeping them in good plumage. German paste, 

 however, should never be bought ready-made at an 

 inferior shop, as many other things are used in it less 

 good for the birds, besides which, damaged pea-meal 

 is continually employed, making the composition 

 extremely unwholesome for them. When this paste is 

 good a well-boiled mealy potato, well beaten up, which 

 is very popular among birds, does also well to mix 

 with it. 



The lard in this paste of course supplies a little 

 the place of insects ; but there are very few birds 

 which do not seem the better for sometimes having a 

 little food of that kind. 



8. Even the Goldfinches, which are supposed to be 

 the strictest vegetarians, will make the complete st 

 clearance of anything like greenflies or aphides on a 

 flower stem. When birds are moulting, and especially 

 when they have young broods, some food of this 

 nature seems to be particularly required, and if no 

 insects, such .as aphides, or ants' eggs, are forthcom- 

 ing, some finely chopped hard-boiled egg, or a little 

 chopped-up meat, is a useful substitute for even these 

 hard-billed birds ; always being careful that anything 

 of this kind is perfectly fresh and quite untouched by 

 salt. I fully believe myself that all young birds are 

 partly brought up on insects of some description. 



