226



Bird Notes from the Zoological Gardens.



seed, white millet and spray millet, and also relish a few meal¬

worms and spiders. Mine are fond of green food such as chick-

weed, lettuce, etc., but I have heard all will not eat it.


If I were asked I should recommend anyone wishing to

start in the foreign cage bird fancy to try Weavers, for, as I have

pointed out, you have in them hardy, inexpensive, beautiful, and

interesting birds, and what more could be desired. Should any

of my readers at any time wish to procure any and are unable

to do so, being close to the London dealers and able to frequently

visit them I shall be only too delighted to get any specimens

they wish. To assist in adding another member to our ranks

is to me always a pleasure.



BIRD NOTES FROM THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS.


By The Curator.


The arrivals for the past month have been few. Mr.

Meade-Waldo has presented a very fine male Ural Owl, which

had lived in his possession for no less than twenty-eight years.

The Society has only possessed three specimens previously.


Eight of the iaie Ruffed Lorikeets (Callipti/us solitarius)

from Fiji were temporarily deposited in the gardens, these and

the pair recently deposited by Dr. Balir being the only specimens

ever imported, so far as one knows.


In the King’s Nepalese Collection the only birds of any

importance are a pair of Monaul Pheasants, two cock Cheer

Pheasants, a pair of Black-backed Kalij Pheasants and two males

of the rare Kokla or Wedge-tailed Fruit Pigeon, of which species

a coloured plate and a most interesting aiticle appeared in the

March number of this journal.


The White Storks succeeded in hatching no less than five

young birds, the first of which appeared nearly a week before

the last. All went well until the eldest was about ten days old,

when four of them died, one after the other. Dr. Plimmer, the

Society’s Pathologist, made a post mortem examination and

reported that they had every appearance of having suffered from

gout, the body cavity being coated with uric acid crystals. They



