of health and feather. It has been said that it was a pity that a hen was

not shown with the cock Melba at the Crystal Palace Show in October,

instead of separately. It would have been a far greater pity if it had been,

or except in the case of the Shama I have never known a hen to be so

ill-treated by its mate. When first received they were the best of friends,

and so remained for nearly two months, when one morning the hen was

found with several feathers missing, and the head bleeding, in a corner of

the cage. Each bird was then kept in a separate cage, and about eyery

two weeks an attempt was made to put them together, but the persecution

always recommenced immediately. This state of things continued till the

death of the hen in November.


The pair of Pytelia afra on the contrary always remained together in

perfect friendship, and three white eggs were laid on the floor of the cage,

with an interval of about a week between each. The first egg was placed

in a nest suspended in the cage, but the other eggs were laid on the floor as

before. The three eggs were kept in the nest for a long time, but the birds

took no further notice of them. If they had returned in safety from the

Crystal Palace they would have been allowed to try again in an aviary, but

unfortunately only the hen returned alive.


All attempts to mate the hen Afra with the cock Melba have proved

most unsuccessful. E. W. Hawkins.



BEARDED TITS.


Sir, —In the last number of the Magazine Mr. Phillipps writes of a

pair of Bearded Tits in his aviary as “inveterate egg stealers.’’ It is much

to be hoped that the pair he kept were exceptions to the rule in regard to

behaviour. I have not kept these interesting birds till this season, but now

have a pair in a small aviary, which is built over a ditch, and in which my

Kingfisher “Johnnie” lived four years; though it is an ideal place for

Bearded Tits they have made no attempt at nesting, but in the same place

are a pair of Goldfinches, which have successfully nested, also a cock

Serin Finch mated with a hen Lesser Redpoll—these have also nested—and

though I have seen the Bearded Tits daily within a few inches of each nest

no egg has been disturbed. The hen Redpoll laid five eggs, but only two were

fertile: one young one died, the other is a fine bird now flying about, and

the hen Redpoll is again sitting on five eggs. I am not sure if this cross

has been previously recorded, but I fancy they should be pretty little

hybrids.


It seems a pity the American Goldfinch or Siskin ( C . tristis) should

be so difficult to keep. I have had several but they all seem to go off in a

few months; many dozens W’ere imported in Londou this spring and I

should imagine not a tenth part are now alive. If we could only get some

bred here they might be hardier.


I am afraid the very changeable weather we have had this summer

will have made it a bad season for the breeding of British birds in aviaries.


G. C. Swaipbs.



THE NESTING OE THE NONPAREIL.


Sir, — I am sending the Magazine another account of nesting, which,

I think, will be interesting to all our readers, namely that of the American

Nonpareil.


The bird itself, at least the male, is well-known to all, as the bird



