Red-crested Cardinals at Woburn.



53



My old birds both died in 1899, having been in my

possession about ten years ; they were about as pleasing as any

birds I ever possessed, utterly fearless, ready at. all times to fly

down and take dainties from one’s fingers and showing very little

anxiety even when one looked into their nest and examined their

young ; indeed with one of my nests I tried to help the parents by

dropping egg-food into the months of the youngsters ; the cock

bird flew down to see what I was about, uttered his soft call note,

and then flew away apparently quite satisfied that I was doing no

harm to his family. I believe that, when bird-owners warn one

never to approach a nest with young lest the parents desert them,

it is often true as regards those particular bird-owners ; but it is

a known fact that with some of us our feathered friends are far

more trustful, they instinctively feel that we shall not hurt them

and they soon cease to be at all alarmed. I have had so many tame

birds in my time that I feel sure that I can safely run risks which

many breeders would not venture upon. I have more than once

had birds tame enough to eat from my fingers three days after

their capture, and I do not think there are many aviculturists who

could say that excepting perhaps in the case of the English

Robin, which, in its wild state, has been known to take meal¬

worms from the fingers. I have not tried this in the open

garden, but I have with a newly caught Robin in an aviary,

which hopped up with the greatest assurance and snatched the

grub out of my fingers.



RED-CRESTED CARDINALS AT WOBURN.


The Duchess of Bedford writes:—


“ A year ago we turned a lot of Red-crested Cardinals out

and a few came to feed on my bird trays throughout the winter.


“They nested in the tops of the Cedar trees in the garden

and brought up one family, a second being destroyed by

Jackdaws.


“ We turned out more this summer, but a second lot arrived

so late in the autumn that we decided to keep them through the

winter in an outdoor aviary.


“ Both the Red-crested Cardinals and Saffron Finches

survived the winter at large in the garden.”



