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mandible nearly in two. It was only held by a piece of skin,

and to make matters worse the break was so high up in the beak

that it was quite impossible for him to hold his food. I feared

he would die of starvation, and, with very faint hopes, I cut up

some raw meat very finely and after adding a small quantity of

water, held it in a spoon to the side of his beak. To my delight

he sucked the fluid in. I fed him every hour or so for days

(fortunately the broken half of the beak could rest on the lower

part) and eventually the injured portion knit together again

quite firmly. It was not quite straight, but he could eat as well

as ever, though he loved to be fed with a spoon long after it was

quite unnecessary. Joey was intensely grateful, and when he

caught sight of me down the garden, even at some distance off,

he would start calling twee ! twee! very loudly.


We kept the Owls for some years, and then Jimmy (who

had never been so contented as the younger bird) began to grow

restless. One day he flew at my face, but instinctively putting

up my hand I only received a few claw marks. After this we

thought it was perhaps kinder to give him his liberty, and as

Joey would have been very lonety by himself we decided to let

both of them go. We took them in a hamper into Clumber

Park, and in a beautiful woodland glade opened the hamper lid,

and then retired some distance off to watch the result. Jimmy

was off at once, but Joey bade us a long adieu. I felt a strong

inclination to run forward and shut the lid and take him home

again—but I refrained, and so ended my only experience of

Tawny Owls.



THE NESTING OF THE BEARDED SEED-EATER

AND OTHER BIRDS.


By Miss Grace Ashford.


Last autumn, I purchased, what I understood to be, a pair

of Green Singing Finches, but what I now judge to be, from Dr.

Butler’s description, “ Bearded Seed-eaters.”


As time went on they both sang loudly and continously,

there was just a shade of difference in size but none in colouring

or song (since May, the colouring of the male is much brighter).

I made up my mind they were two males, and turned them

into the aviary, which is an outdoor, unlieated one, with a hen

Canary and a hen Green Singing-finch ; these four with a pair

of Pekin Robins and an Orange Bishop, out of colour, spent the



