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Miss R. Anderson,



That there is no difficulty in hand-rearing Wagtails, and

that they make the most intelligent and delightful of house-pets

I proved in 1892 in the case of the Pied species ; and a corres¬

pondent to the “ Feathered World*’ had a similar experience a

year or two ago with the Yellow Wagtail: the late Dr. Bradburn’s

failure to rear these birds was doubtless due to the fact that he

gave the nestlings meat, instead of confining himself to biscuit,

egg, ants’ egg and dried flies : that a little ground lentils would

not be injurious seems evident, from the fact that I mixed a

certain quantity of Abrahams’ food with my mixture.* 1



STORIES FROM REAL LIFE.


By Miss Rosie Alderson.


I always think of my collection of birds in their various

aviaries as if they were a small village, with all the events that go

to make up life taking place amidst them just the same as if they

were human beings.


For birds have their various characters just the same as

people—good, bad, and indifferent—their loves and hates are

very genuine, as well as their other characteristics.


With the nesting birds some parents are so kind-hearted

that they will not only be devoted to their own young ones, but

to other birds’ young ones as well, whilst others seem to weary of

their nestlings and forsake or neglect them without scruple. Just

at this time I have a pair of Bronzewings bringing up a forsaken

young Half-collared Turtle with their own young bird, and it

was put in the nest when the difference in plumage would at

once be noticed by the old birds. Yet the Bronzewings, so far

from resenting the stranger, are taking every care of it.


But it is not about Doves I am going to tell you but about

my Barnard’s Parrakeets. Some years ago.I bought a pair of

these lovely birds for, if I remember rightly, 60/-, at that time

they were dearer than they are now. Both were fine birds, and

the cock “ Barnie” was the prettiest specimen of his kind I have

ever seen.



* Mr. Abrahams assured me that he did not use pea-meal, so he probably sub¬

stituted lentils.



