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Mr. W. E. Teschemakek,



very midst of villages and even towns, from which habit pre¬

sumably it derives its German popular name, ‘ hausrothschwanz.’

Of course, as we know, there are town mice and country mice

and the habits of the town mouse are not those of the country

mouse, but this does not altogether explain the matter to me,

for, in an aviary at all events, the Black Redstart appears to be a

very shy little bird, which never courts attention unless it is

hungry or has some particular request to make. Perhaps the

Black Redstart has an enemy, like our Missel-Thrush, who finds

it safer to rear its young in close proximity to houses—albeit

a very shy bird—in order to avoid the depredations of the

Jackdaw.


As with most other species in my aviary, I was content to

study the habits and requirements of the Black Redstart for several

years before attempting to breed it. In the August number of

the Magazine Dr. Butler has told 11s (unless I have misunderstood

him) that “special knowledge” is not indispensable to the

breeder; if only the latter has “luck,” he will wake up some

fine morning to find that he has attained his object without exer¬

tion. Without doubt a fluke comes in most usefully at times, but

I fear that the beginner who starts bird-keeping on this principle

will have to wait a long time for any results above the ordinary ;

and, moreover, even if he should secure the desired fluke, he will

probably find the latter very little use to him unless he has

special knowledge Be this as it may, I do not consider the

time I devoted to studying this species wasted. In the first place

I ascertained that the Black Redstart is very deadly in a mixed

community. His colouring is suggestive—black, the garb of night

and of the deeds of darkness, and red, which connotes battle and

bloodshed. If one could only persuade oneself that a‘systematic

naturalist ’ was likely to know enough about the actual character

of a species, which is but a rare straggler in his country, to

correctly guage its disposition, it vrould be tempting to think

that Linnaeus really meant to write “ tites" (instead of “ titys' , ') y

for the Black Redstart is indeed an “ Avenger.” I once received

from one of our lady members a pair of hand-reared Blue-Tits,

which would perch on one’s shoulder as soon as one entered the

aviary, begging for a mealworm. One day, whilst they were in



