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live on this ? In my bird-rooms three distinct qualities of soft-food at leas

are given. Sncli birds as Nightingales, Blackcaps, Bearded and Crested

Tits, the various Warblers, and such of the fruit-eaters as will take it, are

supplied with the mixture above mentioned as having been given to the

Dacnis, with the addition of chopped lettuce, groundsel, watercress or

other greenstuff. The aviaries are provided with the mixture I have

before recommended in the Magazine (ground biscuit, crissel, ants’ cocoons,

yolk of egg, dried flies, breadcrumbs, and boiled potato or grated carrot).

The Thrushes, Blackbirds, and sucli-like get a proportion of the latter

mixtnre supplemented (considerably) by ground dog-biscuit or more bread¬

crumbs and potato. Some discrimination in offering food to soft-bills

•seems to me to be absolutely necessary, as, while the delicate birds would

starve or die of indigestion on the Thrushes’ food, the Thrushes would

burst themselves on the first-named mixture.


To proceed to the letter of Mrs. Hartley ; I have pleasure in following

Hr. Butler’s example by saying that my aviaries are always open to the

inspection of members, by appointment of course. The Hon. and Rev.

F. G. Dutton has already written an instructive and interesting article on

the Parrot section of niv birds, and some member of journalistic tendencies

and with a penchant for other foreign birds or “Britishers,” might,

perchance, find material in such a visit for another article for our

Magazine.


I have no objection in complying with Dr. Butler’s hint in his foot¬

note to Mr. Cushny’s enquiry re Rmerald Bird of Paradise. Upon hearing

from Mr. Cross that he had the bird, I went to Liverpool to see it. When I

arrived it was, to all appearances, healthy, and was feeding freely' upon

chopped beef and mealworms, and I was told it would eat ordinary

“ insectivorous food.” The price asked was ^)ioo. After considerable

bargaining I paid £60 for it, and brought it home next morning. When I

got it home, I took the bird out of its cage with the intention of washing

its peculiarly' beautiful wing coverts, and at once knew that I had made a

mistake in not “ handling ” it before purchase. The bird was little more

than a skeleton, and I knew at once that it would be a miracle if I could

preserve it. The meat diet had “ scoured ” it almost to death. Unremitting

attention was bestowed upon it without avail. With me it absolutely-

refused meat, but ate freely of hot-house grapes and mealworms. Small

cockroaches it w T ould also take, but day by day' it got gradually weaker

until, in about a fortnight, a series of fits, most painful to witness, ended

its miserable life.


I believe only' one other had ever been imported into England, and

this, I understand, was brought by' a gentleman in his own yacht from the

Arrow (or Aroo) Islands ( e ). These Islands form a small group immediately

to the South of Papua (New Guinea) in lat. 6°-7 Q S. I believe the only

trade with the Islands is in cocoa-nuts and Bird of Paradise skins! ! The

natives, it appears, have no notion of attempting to keep the birds in

-captivity, and it is only by' the merest accident that a live specimen can be

•obtained. Although my experience with my one bird was so particularly

unfortunate, I have little hesitation in saying that if the bird could be

provided with suitable food, not raw beef, there seems to be no reason why

it could not be successfully imported and successfully kept.


Henry J. Fueejames.



(e.) Generally spelt “ Aru.”—A.G.B.



