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Correspondence.



of a country house belonging to my friend, Mr. Charles Row, of Long Melford.

A nest was commenced on Friday, 30 th, and on Tuesday, May 4 th, the first egg

was laid. In this there is nothing out of the way except that the same thing

has occurred three years in succession in almost the identical site. Many typical

nesting sites abound quite near, but have never been used, and the rapidity of the

domestic arrangements has always been the same. ALLEN SILVER.


WINTER TREATMENT OF FOREIGN BIRDS.


SIR,—I was much interested in Dr. Lovell-Keays’ paper on the Winter

Treatment of Foreign Birds in this month’s Magazine, but I do not entirely

agree with all his contentions. He says “Foreign birds if left to their own

devices will not use a shelter. This, in my experience, is only the case where

the aviary contains a large amount of natural cover. Where the flight is

simply furnished with branches of trees for perches my birds go inside at night,

and they are doing it this hot weather, when one would think that they would

be much more comfortable outside. Into two of my aviaries the birds were

only introduced late in the Spring and no attempt has been made to drive them

inside. With his other conclusions I am in agreement, but go still further and

think that it is absolutely necessary that all young birds bred in the aviary

should be taken indoors in the Autumn, and kept there until after the Spring

moult.


You will be interested to hear that I have bred Melopyrrha nigra this

Spring, after nearly succeeding last season. I also have now incubating pairs

of Chloris sinicus and Conurus ocularis. I believe that neither of these species

have been bred in Great Britain. W. SHORE BAILY.


Boyers House, Westbury, June 8th.


ADVERTISEMENTS IN THE MAGAZINE.


SIR,—I note your remarks with respect to advertisements in the Avi-

cultural Magazine.


I should like to say that I have over and over again urged on our Editors

some different system of advertising so as to attract our members. By the

present arrangement advertisements have to be posted on the 25 th of each

month ; it has often happened that the Magazine has not reached us until a

week after the opening of the month, you will at once see what a length of time

elapses before being able to purchase or dispose of anything.


I have suggested, and do so again, that the advertisements should be on a

separate slip of paper, to be inserted in the Magazine at the last moment before

postage. There is some reason why members do not advertise, and this appears

to me to be the one.


Your idea that some one should take up that department is an admirable

one, would that I could do it, but I have 500 orphans who take up much of my

life. ARTHUR P. BLATHWAYT.


Northwood Grange, R.S.O., Middlesex, 5th June.



