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D. Seth-Smith — Stray Notes



two to London, but unfortunately his arrival coincided with the change

from warm to cool weather. They were placed for one day in cages in

the Bird House at the Zoological Gardens, but one which had frayed

wings and could not fly, died. The other, which was for Mr. Astley,

was temporarily taken charge of by the Hon. Mrs. Bourke, who, by

dint of unremitting care and attention, kept it alive until Bailey, the

Zoo keeper, was able to conduct it personally to Brinsop Court.


Some idea of the difficulty in keeping Humming-birds can be

gathered from extracts from a letter from Mrs. Bourke : “ You will be

glad to hear the Humming-bird is very well. I got it safely home,

with a temperature of 75° all the way, as it was hot and the sun out

just the half-hour we were in the train. I packed the cage with two

small hot-water bottles, covered it in brown paper, and left an end

loose which I raised in the train, so it fed all the way. ... I heated

some water and put it in the milk tin and held it in front of the bird,

and you should have seen its delight in bathing and splashing like

a big bird, and then preening itself. All this was at midnight and

the cage at a temperature of 85°. ... I am keeping it now at a

temperature of 75°, as it seems to have quite recovered its breathing

and only pants if one has to handle it to get it up on to its perch. . . .

I find this one much worse than a baby, as anyhow that sometimes

sleeps, but this never seems to.”


So far I hear this little bird is still alive and doing well at Brinsop

Court, and Mr. Astley will, I hope, tell us how he has provided the

necessary temperature without which these mites succumb like flies.

They are delightful birds in captivity, providing one has the facilities

for keeping them in a uniform temperature of from 75° to 80° Fahr.,

powerful electric light to take the place of sunlight when this is absent,

and an attendant whose whole time is devoted to them !


The species of Humming-birds above mentioned was Thalurania

furcata, from Guiana, known as the Cayenne Wood Nymph. There

are many genera and species of Humming-birds, some of which occur

at considerable elevations and comparatively northern latitudes, and

some should therefore be far less susceptible to changes of temperature

than others.


Breeding Golden-eye Ducks. — Mr. Blaauw writes : “ I have a



