7 6



have never seen him molest them. For two years there was a Comoro

Weaver in the aviary, and these two quarrelled constantly in a nagging sort

of way; last autumn, however, matters came to a crisis and the Comoro

was killed.


I can entirely confirm what Mr. Fillmer says regarding the Pintail

Nonpareil. Rather more than two years ago I bought six individuals; of

these five died within two months, in spite of paddy rice, but the survivor

I have still in perfect health, and he has never given me a moment’s

anxiety ; he appears to subsist mainly on Canary seed. Undoubtedly these

birds require very careful treatment when they first arrive, and should,

perhaps, be kept rather warm, but when once acclimatised they seem to be

hardy enough.


I should like to know what is the general experience as to the

hardiness of the Indigo Finch : I mean as to whether it will endure the

winter in an open-air aviary in this country ? In its native country it

appears always to migrate to a warmer climate in the winter, but I have

never observed the bird to show any desire to migrate here. My own

experience is that it will do well enough if deprived of all green food

during the cold season ; in an aviary with a small grass lawn I have twice

lost it from scouring in the winter, but in another which has nothing but

gravel it survived. Another cause of delicacy is, perhaps, the very early

season at which the bird assumes its summer plumage, mine is already

coming into colour; during this change it must naturally be susceptible to

inclement weather. On the whole it is, perhaps, safest under cover in the

winter. I find the Nonpareil far hardier and, by the way, far more inclined

to breed, though for some reason or other mine never get to the point of

hatching their eggs.


I had great hopes of young Diuca Finches this year; but my pair

were in a rather crowded aviary, and one morning I found the eggs thrown

out and broken, with almost fully-formed 5 r ouug birds inside. The Diuca

is very fond of cold potato, it is the first thing that they pick out of the

saucer of soft food every morning; thej 7 do not seem to care for fruit.


The question of providing fruit for Tauagers in the winter is rather a

serious one, if it be considered that only tropical fruits are suitable ; I find,

however, that apples serve the purpose perfedtly well, all my Tanagers take

to them readil} 7 . On the whole, however, I doubt the necessity of fruit; I

have kept my birds (Scarlet, Superb, Sayaca and Black Tanagers) for

months together without fruit of any kind and never noticed them to be in

the slightest degree the worse for it, but they always have potato in their

food-mixture. R. A. Todd.



“ NOTES ON CAGE BIRDS.”


Sir, —I quite agree with you : several of my letters to the Bazaar which

were fully signed have only my initials in the reproduction, notably p. 172

re Bengals, Masked Parrakeets, pp. 178 and 179, and other birds on pp. 180,

181 and other pages. I was much disappointed not to know the names of

the contributors to the Bazaar who have given their experiences. All

letters I have written for the Press have been fully signed, and Dr. Greene

ought not to have suppressed them in “Notes on Cage Birds.”


Edwin J. Poyser, F.Z.S.



