Correspondence. 195


CORRESPONDENCE, NOTES, ETC



TO CONTRIBUTORS OF ARTICLES AND NOTES.


THE EDITOR hopes that any members who can write about birds, in

freedom or captivity, will always kindly do so ; and that if their articles are

not published directly, they will not be under the impression that their labours

were unnecessary, or unappreciated.


Articles that are accompanied by photographic illustrations cannot appear

in some cases until after a certain lapse of time, owing to the expense of the

illustrations, which have to be limited, whilst in the case of other copy, it is

not always an easy task to fit in what the Editor would like to publish without

delay, since the number of pages have to be limited, in the Magazine.


If therefore some members who are good enough to write, find that their

literary contributions are pro. tern, pigeon-holed, the Editor hastens to assure

them that such pen-fruit is none the less appreciated.



NIGHTJAR, SNIPE, AND PHALARAOPE.


SIR,—I have read the letters by Mr. Galloway and Mr. Rattigan in the

March number of the Magazine with great interest, and should be glad if you

can find room to add these few queries and notes in your next issue. Mr.

Galloway does not say if his tame Nightjar ever learnt to feed itself. I caught a

nearly full grown young one on August 1st last year (it could flv about 20 yards at a

time), I put it into a cartridge bag, where it had to remain all day, and in the evening

brought it home and stuffed it with moths, etc., it soon learnt to open its mouth

(one can’t call it anything else !) when it was hungry and I took to feeding it

almost entirely on grasshoppers, a most unnatural diet, but it throve very well on

them- Of course I gave it some moths and butterflies as well. I kept it for a

fortnight and then gave it to some friends near by, who still have it, but it has'

never learnt to feed itself and always has to be hand fed ; it is now extra¬

ordinarily tame and likes to sit on a log by the fireside, it has had several narrow

escapes from being trodden on, as it spends all the day loose in the schoolroom.

It steadfastly refuses any “ soft ” food, and only has maggots, mealworms, and

raw meat, and occasionally hard-boiled egg now that insects are impossible to

get, but it is in perfect health and condition. Mr. Heatley Noble tells me that

he knew of another tame Nightjar which never learnt to feed itself, and I should

be glad if Mr. Galloway would let me know if his ever did so. The subject of

these notes made a few half-hearted efforts to catch moths thrown up for it

in the summer, but now it won’t try at all !


Be Mr. Rattigan’s article, I must differ from him where he says that the

Snipe “ is a delightful bird for an aviary.”


The Snipe is most certainly a perfectly charming cage bird, but compared

with other Waders not a good aviary bird. Kept in an aviary a Snipe must be



