on bird-talk.



85



friend a little Green Singing Finch. The friendship was really

grotesque. Each day I regaled my Partridge with meal-worms, and,

although it would not allow any other bird to touch them, it always

called its little friend, and, having seen it partake of one first, then

itself would eat of what was left. This bird seemed to take the lead

in that flight, and decide if a caterpillar should or should not be

eaten ; if not, it would utter a warning call, and no bird—I often

watched it—would go near it. It is strange how tastes differ even

amongst birds. We have a moth here, a veritable pest in the cater¬

pillar stage, which even fowls and ducks— I tried them—refused.

The only birds I have ever seen eating them were the Melodious

Honey-eater and the Fan-tail Cuckoo. None of my aviary birds or

another kind of native bird would touch them. We had a Sparrow

once rejoicing in the name of “ Billy.” One day “ Billy ” begun to

ail, and became weaker as the days went by. Examining it closely,

I found between the shoulders two small lumps which moved to the

touch of a pin. They proved to be maggots, conical in shape, and

quite ^ in. long. The stern really formed the lump, and when the

maggots were removed two big gaping holes showed in the skin.

“ Billy” recovered, but eventually died an inglorious death by being

drowned in the soup — mourned by the whole household. Some of

my birds like Dayals and Chinese Starlings are allowed their freedom,

and it has often puzzled me to know why these birds on summer

evenings collect big ants, put them under their wings, keep them

there for a while, and then replace them with fresh ones. The ants

used are the soldier ants, which only nip, certainly very unpleasantly

sometimes. It is hard to imagine a place without Sparrows, but

here in New South Wales the whole of the north is free from them,

simply because the railway does not run so far yet. This is a fact,

"that as far as the railway runs so far the Sparrow is to be found;

the next township, a few miles further, is free from them. Concluding

these notes, I will mention a little episode seen hut once, years ago

out in the west. Rising early, I saw one morning a big flock of

White Cockatoos settle not more than 300 to 400 ft. away from me

on two solitary gum-trees standing a little distance apart. Evidently

the look-out bird had not seen me, and I was able to witness a sight

to which but few white men have been treated. These birds went



