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have no prolonged song, but have some clear and sweet notes, pleasant to

listen to. They are sober in colour, having black heads and tails, dark

brown backs, their breasts being of a lighter hue, and the feathers under

the tail of a beautiful primrose colour. I wonder they are not more often kept

as pets, for as EHA says, they are easy to keep, and will eat almost any¬

thing. I give mine as their staple food a preparation for soft-billed birds,

made by Mr. Hawkins, of Bear Street, Leicester Square, and as a treat they

have a mealworm or two, of which they are very fond. A pair of Bulbuls,

which I had about two years ago, paired, built in my conservatory, and

brought out two young ones on two occasions, but for some reason or other

the young birds died, and after a time the mother bird died also. On both

occasions she laid two eggs, and showed great excitement if any one

approached the nest, built in a hanging basket, and lined seemingly with

her own feathers. I am hoping that the birds I have now may also pair,

and I trust that their efforts at bringing up a family may be more successful.


I have looked in vain in the shops of bird-sellers for the Syrian

Bulbul, though the White-checked species, and the Black Bulbul with red

on its cheeks and under its tail, are commonly to be met with. I have

had the three birds, but prefer to the others the Syrian Bulbul of which I

write. Charles D. Bell, D.D.



THE DOMINICAN CARDINAL.


Sir, — I should be glad to learn how to treat Pope birds (Crestless

Cardinals) when nesting. Mine have nested frequently, but always lost

their young ones. The} 7 have seed, prepared food for insectivorous birds,

bread, and occasionally boiled potatoes, &c., and plenty of green food,

fruits, &c.


They are in a large outdoor aviary, but are not disturbed by the other


birds.


- A. A. Thom.


In answer to Mr. Thom's question, I have no hesitation in saying

that the cause of his failure to rear the Popes or Dominican Cardinals is

that they need inserts above all other things for rearing their young: if he

could procure plenty of cockroaches, grasshoppers, caterpillars, spiders, or

living ants’ cocoons, he would certainly succeed : mealworms are too heating.


Whilst young Cardinals are in the nest, a little egg food is given in

addition to insedts r but when the young have left the nest, the parents

seem not to give anything but inserts, and if these cannot be provided, I

proved this year (to my cost) that the young have to starve.


- " A. G. Butler.


MAXIMILIAN’S PARROT.


Sir, —Having a parrot that I have hitherto been unable to identify,

it occurred to me that a description might be of interest to some of your

readers and lead to its identification. I cannot find it described in any of

my books. It was bought as a Red-vented parrot.


The head is hawk-like in appearance: the iris brownish red, the cere

bare, oblong and white. The feathers of the head and neck are of a dull

bronze green, edged with black, a patch of dull blue feathers forming a

band under the chin. The feathers of the breast are a dull green. The

under tail coverts are bright carmine. The feathers of the back are of a

deep bronze green, looking almost black in some lights. The wing coverts

are bronze green of a peculiar hue, appearing almost yellow in some lights,

the quills are also green. The tail is bright green with the tips of the two

outer feathers blue. Feet ashy grey, nails black, bill black at base, merging

into light horn at the tip, the lower mandible light. The colours are all

metallic in character and vary much in different lights.


W. OSBALDESTON.


[The parrot is P'ionus Maxinnliani (Maximilian’s Parrot): it is a native

of Brazil.— A. G. Butler.]



