CORRESPONDENCE.



A CHEAP FOOD FOR INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.


Sir, —I shall be obliged if you could let me know if the dried insects

mentioned by Dr. Butler, on page 79 of the Magazine, are to be obtained in

England and where ? W. Oakey.



The following reply was sent to Mr. Oakey.


I have not heard of any dealer having imported the Indian dried

insects mentioned by me on page 79 of the Magazine; but Mr. Frank Finn,

of the Indian Museum, Calcutta, would be able to tell you definitely

whether any proposal has been made to arrange for the importation of

these insects. Now that ants’ cocoons are so difficult to obtain at a

reasonable rate, they would undoubtedly be a great boon to us all.


A. G. BuTerr.



WHAT NAME ?


Sir, —Perhaps some of our numerous members might be able to

identify, from the following somewhat imperfect description, a bird that

has been in my possession some months, and which I have been unable, so

far, to name.


Colour, bright gloss}' black showing bluish reflection in the sun ;

around eyes, small ill-defined ring of white; both upper and lower mandible

black ; upper mandible covering lower, when beak is closed, on one side;

lower mandible covering upper on reverse side, so that action of beak

becomes exactly like a pair of scissors; culmen, high and fiat; iris, light

brown; legs, black; total length, 13m. ; tail, 7m.; tarsus, 5m.


He came from a well-known Loudon dealer, who told me that he

had never seen a similar one before. Whether the beak, which is

extraordinary, is natural, or is a deformity, I am unable to determine.


Thanking you in anticipation. RussERE Humphrys.



THE TUI.


Sir, —Mr. Whytehead writes that he kept some of these most

interesting birds for some months in New Zealand, feeding them entirely

on boiled potatoes mashed up finely with plenty of sugar.


This is a very interesting and for amateurs most valuable confirmation

of what I had heard from dealers and could scarcely credit.


Mr. Whytehead found his birds thriving on this diet in captivity.

That there was no mistake about this is proved by the fact that he kept

them for some mouths and that they then had energy enough left to escape,

and though quite tame, declined to return, which I should have expected

a weak and sickly bird to do.


I wish Mr. Whytehead had been good enough to say whether the

boiled potatoes were the dry mealy kind or the watery Dutch sort, whether

he used powdered lump sugar or moist sugar and in what proximate

proportion.



