i66


this lias not been clone, we can hardly blame naturalists if they do not

follow avicultural results, (g)


If aviculturists, however, are remiss in recording their experiences, it

must be acknowledged that naturalists are most inattentive to living birds

in captivity ; and so the former should take every means of publishing the

knowledge they acquire as widely as possible — in the Zoologist, for instance,

as well as in our little publication, which, I fear, is probably less well known

among scientific ornithologists than it deserves to be.


F. Finn.



FOOD FOR SOFT-BIIvLED BIRDS.


Sir, — It is with great reluctance that I continue this discvission, but

inasmuch as Mr. Perkins ignores facts which have been clearly stated, I feel

it a duty to the Society as well as to myself to repeat them here.


As regards his first assertion that, " If a Tanager may be called a

Finch, surely a Nightingale ma}' be called a Warbler," I must reply that,

according to Dr. Sclater, a Tanager is simply a deutirostral Finch, that is to

say, a fruit-eating Finch whose beak has been adapted to its mode of

feeding; whereas a Nightingale is merely a small Thrush, having spotted

young ; and is about as nearly related to the Warblers as the Tanagers are :

the same is true also of the Chats.


His second statement, respecting Dr. Bradburn, hardly needs a reply;

for an5'one who has read the book (I believe I was its first reviewer) will find

that raw or cooked meat is recommended by its author for the Song-Thrush,

Missel-Thrush, Blackbird, Ring Ouzel, Skylark (b}' implication — the Wood-

lark), the Shorelark, Meadow-Pipit, Tree-Pipit, etc., etc., etc. The book is

a fairly good one, but contains some serious blunders, one of which is —

*' Never attempt to hand-rear Wagtails of an}' description or you will fail."

I do not doubt that the cause of Dr. Bradburn's failure to rear this least

difficult of all birds, was — that he gave scraped raw beef to the nestlings.


I do not suppose that Mr. Perkins makes an arbitrary distinction

between British and Foreign birds: if he reckons the Nightingale British

because it comes here in the spring, and the Blue-throat Foreign because it

comes here in the autumn, I know that he does so. The Redstart and

Whinchat are both said to eat growing corn, and the Redstart and Wheat-

ear to eat fruits : the Redstart which I now possess, and have had for

nearly two years, lives principally upon bread and seed ; for the &^^ and

ants' cocoons in its mixture are usually seized by other birds before it can

get more than a taste. On the other hand the American Blue-bird is almost

exclusively insectivorous until the aiitumn, when it does what Mr. Perkins

credits the Nightingale with doing; yet who will say that bread disagrees

with a Blue-bird .? Not I, certainly, for I have my male still in perfect

health, and I purchased it from Mr. Abrahams, I think, at least nine years

ago.


I will, however, candidly confess, that Mr. Fulljames' practical

experience has so far convinced me that a Nightingale may be better with-

out bread (even though it 7nay be able to digest it), that I give none to my



(gj The Avicultural Magazine is forwarded monthly to the Library of the Zoological

Society of London, and also to the Zoological. Library at the Nat. Hist. Museum, .South

Kensington. We believe that complete copies of the JIagazine from its commencement

are preserved at both these Libraries.— Kd.



