90



white and spray, with a few green flies, when procurable. The caterpillars

found on rose-leaves appear to be a great treat. T have tried it with

small mealworms and ants’-eggs, which it will not touch. It does not seem

to care much for flowering grasses or groundsel, but will pull and peck at

sods of grass, as if seeking for food. From the shape of its beak, I should

say it is more an insect or worm-eating than a seed-eating bird. It has a

habit of giving sharp taps, just like a Woodpecker, at a piece of sepia fixed

in the bars of its cage.


The hen Wieneri has not always an easy time of it, as the cock Melba

chases it about very often, especially if the former should attempt to bathe

first.


I have impressed on my friend at Tovada, that when next he visits

Europe, he should bring me fewer and more selected birds: especially have I

impressed upon him to bring as many pairs as procurable of the various

birds, and as I took the precaution of providing him with a model of the

travelling bird-cage he should use—one which admits of fresh water and

seed being given more frequently — I cherish the hope that I may be able,

at some future time, to report some further rare birds from the West Coast.

It is astonishing how very seldom one sees scarce African birds advertised.

I have not seen or heard of any Aurora Finches for more than 18 months.

I bought a pair in Liverpool, some nine j-ears back, and it -was only 12

months ago that the last one died. They did not nest; but, for three or

four years, the hen laid two or three eggs on the bottom of the cage :

though perhaps if given a larger cage in a quiet corner, I might have

succeeded in breeding them. At the present time, I have two hen Red¬

headed Finches sitting on eggs.



BREEDING VIRGINIAN CARDINALS.


By A. Savage.


Seeing in last month’s number of the magazine that the experience

of members who have attempted breeding these handsome birds is

solicited, I am pleased to give mine. But although I hat*e not been, so

far, very successful, thej^ have undoubtedly been bred frequentfy bv other,

more fortunate, amateurs. Success, in my opinion, much depends on the

disposition of the pair kept: for some I have had made attempts to nest,

and others, none. The first bird of this species I ever had, was offered to

me, five or six years ago, by a bird-dealer in the town where I reside, being

“ a disgrace to his establishment.” The poor thing -was nearly naked :

scarcely any feathers on it; but as it seemed plump and lively, I accepted

it, and "took it home to nurse. It had been living, or rather lingering,_ for

weeks on alpiste* and millet, and had got, with such insufficient food, into

the above wretched condition. I lost no time in putting it into a large

cage, with plenty of sand and water. It immediately took a bath, and

seemed quite proud in preening its dozen feathers ! I changed its diet to

the following: A constant supply (mixture) of alpiste, millet, sunflower-

seed and a little hemp; a spray of millet in the ear hung in the cage; a

teaspoonful of scalded ants’-eggs given daily in a separate saucer, and two

or three mealworms, also, daily.' With this treatment and a little green

food, my Cardinal (a hen) improved rapidly. In a week, spike-like feathers

were to be seen growing all over its body, and in six or eight weeks, the

bird was in perfect health and plumage. As Spring came round, I mated her

with a fine male bird, and placed the pair alone in a good-sized garden aviary

fitted up with bushes and nest boxes, in the hope that the} T would breed.

A good deal of chasing about took place, but no attempt at breeding was

made ; not even a nest was begun that 3 r ear. I lost the hen the following

winter, and have now an imported male, mated with an aviary-bred hen,

purchased. They are in a large aviar}- with various other birds, and are in

the best of health and plumage. In 1893 they built a nest in a bush, and



Alpiste is the French name for canary-seed.— Ed.



