in it at first—it is a wonder the eggs were not broken, as they conld roll

about on the bottom of the box.



Is it usual for Blue Robins to treat their families in this inhuman

manner, or was there something wrong in my feeding or management ?



My birds are very tame, and my presence never seems to frighten


them.



(Miss) E. E. West.



THE MAGAZINE.


Sir,—I see you complain of want of subjedt-niafter for the magazine.


Could not members record their acquisitions, if they got anything

out of the common ? Mr. Fulljames’ most interesting account of the

Emerald Bird of Paradise suggests this idea to me.


It is a great pity that no one will comment on my notes (b). It is very

unfair to any bird that its character should be left in the hands of one man.


Short notes may often contain a great deal of information, and yet

not take much time to write.


F. G. Dutton.



THE TORTOISE AND THE TOAD.


Sir, —At page 136, Mr. Farrar tells us of the Macaw and the cat's meat;

perhaps the following story may be allowed a corner in the Avicultural,

although it is not about a bird. The heroine of the story is known to my

sister, who told it to me but a few days ago.


A lady recently was going away from home. She had a favourite

tortoise, and, being solicitous for its welfare during her absence, resolved

on the following course for ensuring its safety. She carefully packed it up

in a boot-box, securely fastened the box, and stowed it away on the top of

a cabinet.


She was absent for from five to six weeks. O11 her return, without

the faintest foreboding of evil, she took down the boot-box, unwrapped the

creature, and, lo, 'twas — dead. Greatly aggrieved, and with the feeling

that somehow she had been deeply wronged, the lady poured forth her

woes into the rather unsympathetic ears of my sister. The latter reminded

her how that previously she had always fed the tortoise regularly, on bread

and milk, lettuce, etc., to the full, and how could she have supposed that it

would have lived for over five weeks without food, water, or air !


The lady evidently regarded my sister’s remarks as absurd, and gave

the following crushing reply. She had read in books, in good books too,

how that toads had been found at the bottom of coal pits hundreds of yards

deep entombed in blocks of coal, where they had been living for — 0I1! for

ever so many years without food, water, or air, and when released had

hopped about joyful and active, so of course the tortoise ought to have

lived a paltry six weeks in the boot-box perfectly well.


Reginald Phielipps.



(i)We heartily wish that those members who have experience with Amazon Parrots

would adopt Mr. Dutton's suggestion.—E d.



