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Mr. A. Ezra,



cepting the Wlrydahs and Song-Sparrows, only do it in order to

uncover their favourite article of diet. Parrakeets are the least

wasteful feeders in my experience, but they drop all the husks in

the pan until the seed becomes entirely hidden.


It has been asserted that waste may be prevented by having

a separate hopper or pan for each kind of seed. Theoretically that

looks all right, but I have tried it : I found that the finch who was

looking for hemp and alighted on the canary hopper kept on stirring

away until the entire contents were transferred to the floor, and the

same is true of the open pan.


I thought out another plan for saving seed from mice, which

I adopted in an outdoor aviary, the back of which was boarded and

smooth. I had two square zinc pans made about three inches

in depth, the back being made high and pierced in the centre by an

inverted keyhole shaped opening. The rounded part of the keyhole

was slipped over a screw, driven well into the woodwork at a good

height from the floor in the covered part of the aviary, and then

lowered through the slot of the keyhole on to the body of the screw,

so that it could not slip off, and thus the pan w T as maintained at

right angles to the back of the aviary. In the centre of this pan I

placed a smaller and much shallower circular zinc pan which I

filled with seed : thus all seed thrown over remained in the deeper

outer pan ; and, when the husks were blown off, could be mixed

with the new supply. I believe Miss Alderson told me that she

had adopted a somewhat similar plan in her own aviaries.



MY HUMMING BIRDS.


By A. Ezra.


How little Londoners realise as they walk down Mount Street

on their way to Berkeley Square, or to Hyde Park, etc., or as they

buzz past in taxi-cabs that they are passing a house in which two

Humming birds are buzzing still more rapidly !


Our members will be interested to know that both of them

are still alive and in perfect health, in spite of the London soots

and the oft-time smoky atmosphere. The Garnet-throated Carib

(Eulampis jugularis) I have had a little over fourteen months, and



