Correspondence.



187



The following reply has been sent to Miss Mundy :—


If you possess Yol. I. of my Foreign Birds for Cage and Aviary and look

at p. 154 you will see the following:—“A pair of Avadavats built a nest in a

box-tree, which I introduced, in a pot, into my bird-room ; but no sooner was it

finished than a pair of Cordon Bleus took possession, to be in turn ejected by

Lavender Finches,” &c. I think this will sufficiently prove that box-trees are

not injurious to Waxbills, but I have frequently introduced them into other

aviaries in which Waxbills or Grassfinches were living and, in spite of the

offensive catty smell of these bushes, I consider them quite harmless to bird-life.


A. G. Butler.



WHITE BLACKBIRD WITH ASTHMA.


SIR,—I have in my possession a pure white Blackbird ; the eyes are red

and the beak yellow. He has been reared from a nest of five, all white birds.

I do not know if the parents were white. I am sorry to say he has a bad

asthmatical cough. Could you kindly tell me what is a good thing to give a bird

to cure this, I am so anxious he should get well and live. He is very lively and

enjoys a bath every day, but he coughs every two or three seconds. I feed him

on Abrahams’ soft-bill bird food and puppy cake broken up and all kinds of

insects. E. STAVELEY-HlLL.


The following reply has been sent to Mrs. E. Staveley-Hill :—


Albino birds are always delicate, and thus your bird has readily caught

cold. The best remedy is—first a drop or two of castor oil placed well back in the

open bill (so that it may be swallowed and not flung away by the bird) ; then

daily in the drinking-water put eight drops of glycerine and a similar quantity of

dissolved gum arabic to each wineglassful of water, well stirring the mixture with

a glass rod (perhaps a steel knitting-needle would do as well).


When the breathing becomes normal, give a tonic. I prefer iron to any¬

thing else,—a crystal or two of sulphate of iron the size of a grey pea dissolved in

the drinking-water daily for a week or two, but Syrup of Phosphates is also an

excellent thing.


When obtainable a little fresh lettuce chopped up finely and mixed with

the food is good. By the way, you should give fruit : all my Blackbirds have

grapes and oranges at this time of year and other fruits when in season,


A. G. Butler.



SIR,—I have a tame Australian Piping Crow, she is a most amusing pet;

I have had her three years, she was only a young bird half-grown when I got her.

If it would be of any interest to the readers of the Avicultural Magazine I will

get a good snapshot of her and send it up to you, with a short account of her

habits. At present she is busy building a nest in a chair in the conservatory.

She is not caged and goes in and out when she likes, following me about the

garden whistling and talking. E. STAVELEY-HlLL.



