11 Bobs ” and ‘ Billy."



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The inmates of the Waxbill Aviary are a sight for color con¬

ditions and plumage. The Fire-finch is quite lovely. I have two

cock Grey Singing Finches and one hen. One cock bird sings

beautifully and continually, the other has never uttered a sound. I

have heard that sometimes they never do sing.


The pair have mated and the hen is sitting now, she has

built herself a lovely nest on the top of a box lined with horse-hair.

She was badly egg bound the other day but I was able to save her,

and she is all right and sitting steadily now. Apparently the noisy

inmates don’t in the least disturb her. The Hunting Cissa is really

a most funny pet, he is not like a bird at all, letting one pick him up,

hold him close to one and ruffle his feathers, all he does is to make

a growling noise and spread out his wings. He collects all the

shoes, handkerchiefs, etc., he can find in a heap, and will play a tug

of war with the girdle of a gown, pulling for all he is worth.

He hides meat in one’s shoes, and if given a dead Sparrow eats it,

bones, head and all.


I shall be going to a more salubrious part of Scotland next

spring and shall hope to have more birds and aviaries. I have also

one pair Long-tailed Tits, very tame and very pretty. This ends

my list.



“BOBS” & “BILLY.”


By Mrs. CURREY.


“ Bobs ” was a most charming specimen of the robin family.

He first made my acquaintance during the hot summer of 1911,

when he was still in his baby clothes. Two days after our intro¬

duction an enticing mealworm brought him into my lap, and after

that we became fast friends and I never had any peace when sitting

in his particular piece of the garden, but his district seemed to have a

definite limit.


He always came to the dining room for meals, and one hot

night slept on the curtains and caused a fearful commotion by falling

out of bed in the middle of dinner and landing on the butler’s head.

The room had to be darkened and a lamp put in the garden before he

could be persuaded to leave the room. Sometimes he would be in a



