At tlie present time my Quails are quite tame and

confiding, wandering about like young chicken, running to

seize cockroaches or spiders when thrown into the aviary, and

clambering into a demon beetle-trap to pick out the insedts if it

is placed upon the floor. They now never fly, but often stretcH

their bodies and flap their wings.


The note of these birds is very faint and I am never quite

sure, when I hear it, that it is not a muttered observation of

some other of my feathered family; but, on one occasion — and

only one — whilst watching one of the cock birds, I saw him

stretch himself and utter the tiniest and most ridiculous little

crow conceivable. '"*'


On several occasions, when hay and feathers have been

dragged together and roughly moulded into a vague kind of

saucer, I have hoped that my Quails were preparing to breed,

but no eggs have ever been produced.


Although I have never seen the slightest approach towards

quarrelling on the part of my two pairs, one circumstance has

rather annoyed me. A hen of one of the pairs, when first

purchased had the crown of the head quite bare, and the other

birds seem to regard it as a solemn duty not to permit this

unfortunate lady ever to retain a covering upon her head ;

indeed they recently denuded her of feathers down to the back

of her neck.f


THE SMALLER WARBLERS AS AVIARY BIRDS.


By Septimus Perkins.


Among the many avicultural experiences upon which I

can look back with pleasure and satisfaction there are a few

which I can now only recall with feelings of regret and disap-

pointment. Among these last unfortunate episodes is my

attempt (made many years ago) to keep some of our tiny British

Warblers in my aviary. In our Magazine we have frequent

records of success ; perhaps, for a change, some readers will

bear, for once in a while, with a tale of failure.


I had seen a beautiful specimen of the Willow Wren at a

Bird Show, and I was fired with the ambition to possess one like

it, and eventually, in spite of warnings from more experienced

friends, I made up my mind to "go in " for the smaller Warblers.

It was the autumn, when such birds are obtainable, and I got


* The usual note is a feeble twittering, usually described as peeping-. Since writing the


above I have again heard the bird crow three times in succession. — A. G. B.

t One of ray two hens was killed by the other in this manner.— R. P.



