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CHEAP FOODS FOR INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.


Sir, —In the February number of the Avicultural Magazine , Dr. Butler

writes of an Indian insedtivorous food for birds, that might prove cheaper

than the ordinary ants’ cocoons and dried flies, as sold.


Having been in South Africa for some years, it struck me, on reading

Dr. Butler’s letter, that there was a possibility of collecting and drying the

undeveloped locust, in that stage called by Colonials “ hoppers.”


As the Locust Bird feeds entirely on the developed insedt, I should

think it very possible that many of the larger insectivorous-feeding birds

would take the insect in the smaller or hopper” stage. Possibly some of

our members of the Avicultural Society have tried them.


Having written to a friend of mine at the Cape who takes interest in

these matters, asking him to send me some on their next appearance—

which has been unpleasantly frequent of late, — I hope to be able to let you

know, later on, how my birds take to them. Instead of collecting these

pests in handfuls, they might be gathered in sacks : and to turn a plague

into a commercial industry would be a pleasing anomally.


Ceaude Verraer.



BREEDING THE MANY-COLOURED PARRAKEET IN

CAPTIVITY.


Sir, —I do not know if this lovely Parrakeet has been bred in an}'

aviary in England, but in several instances it has been, successfully, in

France. I have succeeded in breeding it myself this season, and a few

notes may interest our readers.


A pair was offered for sale last autumn in the neighbourhood of

Bordeaux, and, being desirous of trying my luck with these beautiful birds,

I purchased them at a good figure. The gentleman wrote me :—“If you

wish to be successful in breeding with them, put them in an aviary alone

and give plenty of green food.” The latter they have had, but as I could

not lodge them alone they have been, since their arrival, in an aviary with

at least thirty small birds, from Waxbills up to Saffron Finches and Pekin

Robins. They wintered in an outdoor aviary, as most of my birds do, but

the aviary has a glass door that can be shut when the weather is very cold

or damp. I ought to say though, perhaps, that a small oil-stove was burned

in the aviary for about a couple of hours in the mornings of about a dozen

of the worse days during the winter, not on account of the Parrakeets, but

principally for the small Waxbills, which seemed to feel the winter and

looked most uncomfortable. The Many-coloureds, being in the same aviary,

had their share of the warmth too; but had they been alone I should not

have put in the stove, the winter not being a very severe one.


Things went on exceedingly well, and towards the beginning of May

the hen began visiting the nest-boxes, and looked like nesting. The

cock was most attentive, and fed her continually. A box was eventually

chosen and four white eggs laid, not very large. One of the eggs was

broken during incubation ; I patched it over with thin gum paper, but it



