THE ZooLocist—Auveust, 1872. 3187 
again frequenting the gardens at Ramsdale, as I have seen ten (all old 
ones) on a hedge close by. These birds committed great havoc amongst the 
peas last year, and as they have hardly touched them this year we have 
been at a loss to find out on what they were feeding. But to-day, seeing 
them fly off some wild cherry trees which grow close by the garden, I shot 
the bird, which I enclose: it is very much mauled, but will answer the 
purpose. If you look in its mouth, you will see that it has been feeding on 
the kernels of the wild cherry. Many would think it impossible for so 
small a bird to break so hard a stone, but as I enclose some of the cherries 
you will see that the kernels agree with those in the bird’s mouth. I also 
enclose some of the pieces of stones found scattered under the trees, I had 
no idea that they were so hard to break till I tried them myself to-day.— 
J. Whitaker, jun. ; Ramsdale. 
Siskins breeding in Confinement.—I have at the present time a pair of 
siskins which built two nests last year in a common canary breeding-cage ; 
the nests were built on the floor of the cage, and three or four eggs 
respectively were laid. One young one was hatched out of the first nest, 
which lived to be a month old. I have had two nests this year, and have 
now a young one five weeks old; but, as was the case last year, with an 
increasing appetite the youngster grows weaker and thinner day by day. 
The fault lies, I think, with the food, which is as follows :—Groundsel, 
maw-seed, poppy-seed, hard-boiled egg, sopped bread, and the chrysalids of 
the common gentle. The latter is his favourite food, and is what the old 
ones prefer to feed the young with, though they do not eat them much at 
other times. The old ones, when not breeding, are fed on canary and 
millet, neither of which are eaten by the young one. As the old ones are 
going to nest again, I should be very glad if any of your readers who have 
hatched and reared young bullfinches, chaffinches, or any bird requiring 
insect food, would kindly give me the benefit of their experience — Field,’ 
Nesting of Pennant’s Parrakeet in Confinement.— An account of this 
Species breeding in the open air may interest some of your readers. For 
six years I had a pair in a cage, and, thinking they might breed if at 
liberty, let them fly in April, 1871. They nested in the hollow of an elm, 
and hatched three out of the four eggs in July. One bird is now alive, two 
are preserved, and the egg I have in my possession. The birds returned in 
November to a cage placed for them, spent the winter in their old quarters, 
and are now nesting in the same place as last year, having turned them out 
on the 15th of April Hubert Jary; Battlesden Park, Wobern. [Pennant’s 
parrakeet (Platycercus Pennantii) is a native of New South Wales. We are 
not surprised to hear of its breeding in this country, for we believe that this 
and many others of the parrot family would do so under favourable circum- 
stances, were it not for the fact that the two sexes are seldom received 
together by one person.—Editor of ‘ Field.’) 
