6 4



that the proportions of the various ingredients vary. I do not profess to be

able to properly analyse any of these foods, but the use of my eyes, nose and

mouth leads me to believe that they consist of a mixture of—r, Abrahams’

Preserved Yolk of Egg. 2. Ants’eggs. 3. German paste (or at least some

mixture which I am unable to differentiate from that venerable concoction).


The Preserved Egg is a very valuable preparation, though I do not

think that it is so nourishing as fresh egg. The ants’ eggs are better still,

but the proportion of these is usually very small indeed, and being in the

dry state they are not so digestible as when properly soaked. The German

paste is utterly unsuitable food for any bird. Fortunately most birds pick

ont the egg and ants’ eggs (the only digestible and nourishing parts of the

food) and leave the rest—therefore they are not injured by the German paste

for the simple reason that they don’t eat it.


If there are any readers of the Avicultural Magazine who are not

acquainted with German Paste, they may like to know that it is a delicious

mixture of pea-meal, crushed hempseed, oatmeal, moist sugar, olive oil,

mawseed, and other things—but the chief ingredients are usually pea-meal

and hempseed, although the various recipes vary greatl} 7 .


It is fair to add that there are at least two foods in the market which

do not contain German Paste or anything resembling German Paste. I

shall be pleased to give the names of the makers of these privately, but I

do not think it would be fair to the other makers to publish them here.

Neither of them is mentioned by Mr. Astle} 7 . Even these foods, however,

are very inferior, in my opinion, to freshly prepared food.


The fact that Mr. Astley and other people have kept birds in health

for years on the food he mentions by no means proves that it is the best

possible diet. Many a man could live and retain his health on a diet

chiefly composed of pease pudding and shrimps (the latter eaten skins and

all) but nothing would persuade me that such a diet would be desirable

and wholesome for mankind, and nothing will persuade me that a diet

of pea-meal and crushed hempseed is desirable and wholesome for

insectivorous birds.


I hope that the whole question of food for insectivorous birds will

now be thoroughly thrashed out in our columns.


Horatio R. Fieemer.



COEOUR OF TPIE BIFF OF THE AUSTRAFIAN

GREEN-WINGED DOVE.


Sir, —Can any member explain how it is that in the Australian

Green-winged Dove (Chalcophaps chrysochlora) some specimens have red bills

and some yellow? I at first believed the difference to be sexual; but

this, apparently, is not so: for two birds of mine, which I am nearly

certain are both cocks, differ in the colour of the bill, that of the one

being like red sealing-wax, while that of the other is yellow.


I know the yellow-billed one to be a cock ; and the one with the red

bill was sold to me by a lady-member of our Society as such, and as it is

fond of fighting with and driving about the other, I think that lady was

right. I have never heard the red-billed one coo, but the other coos

frequently.


I have two more of these Doves which I obtained very recently, and

these differ in the same way. D. Seth-SmiTh.



