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As a cage-bird it is not very suitable: being wild, it soon

knocks its plumage about ; while its song is liable, from the

frequency with which it is uttered, to become monotonous. In

an aviary, on the other hand, it is a most delightful pet, con¬

tinually on the move and keeping the whole place bright with

its cheerful call-note. It is a hardy bird in captivity; living

many years, and requiring no food other than the ordinary mixed

seeds, thriving well without any insects or §oft food, though if

these latter be supplied it will freely partake of them.



THE BRUTALITY OF NATURE.


By Charles L,. Rothera, B.A.


In birds as men there is a strange variety,


On sea or land, it matters not an ace,


You find the feathered or unfeathered race

Of bipeds, showing every form and figure,


But everywhere the sharp-clawed and the bigger

Still pressing on the lesser and forlorn.


* * -* * *


I walk in cities ’mong the human herds

And then I think of birds ;


I walk in woods among the birds, and then

I think of men.


’Tis quite impossible in one or other


To walk, and see not man and bird are brother.


Mary Howitt.


In previous communications (Nov., 1895, and May, 1896)

I have discussed some of the difficulties the aviculturist is sure

to meet with, and the subject of dangerous birds. I now

propose to narrate some of my experiences of an analogous

character drawn from various groups of birds, and which can

be best described by the expression adopted as the title for this

paper.


Bast year I reared some fancy Pheasants under Bantam

hens. I set two within a day or two of each other, but the

second one did not take kindly to her nest, and by dint of

scratching and worrying about broke most of her eggs; however,

she eventually settled to her work and hatched one chick. The

other hen had brought off some five or six chicks about 24 hours

previously. Not wishing to keep a hen isolated for several weeks

with only one baby, I transferred it to the other hen on the

evening of its first day and saw it safely nestled under her

before I left them. Next morning I noticed the little one looked

very dejedted and made great efforts to hide itself under the hen,



