308



Gapes.



terrific pace. The result was that the stick missed the mouth and

the gruel went all over his head and eyes, and had to be wiped off.

Constant applications of gruel were not conducive to the growth of

feathers, with the result that, long after Willy’s head was well

covered, Billy’s alternated between feathers and gruel stains.”


The author uses both camera and pencil in illustrating the

book, and we especially like the frontispiece, depicting an Eagle in

flight, bearing a Pheasant in its talons. There is also a good photo¬

graph of the nest of a Baya Weaver.


The illustrations, unfortunately, are of unequal merit; several

— apparently enlargements — being quite indistinct. There are also

errors in the letter-press : judging from remarks on pp. 12 and 36,

the writer believes that the maw of a bird is its mouth, while several

misprints also occur. We do not know what tint “ isabeline ” may

be, though acquainted with “ isabeZZine,” so called from Queen

Isabella. The “ b four r el ” is unknown to zoology, the Himalayan

blue sheep being styled burrhel; it would indeed be interesting to

see a trained Weaver Bird let off a toy “ canon,” and we can well

believe the statement on p. 24, that “ everything hinges on his first

mastery of this secret.” G. B.



GAPES.



Mr. Alfred Thom writes :


Speaking of gapes, I notice that Mr. Moody does not mention

the cure of putting turpentine down the wind-pipe with a feather,

which I have always found successful with young chickens.


For diarrhoea, I have found putting small birds for some hours

in my airing cupboard, which is very hot, a very good cure. It is

nearly as hot as the hottest room of a Turkish bath. Often I leave

them in it all night. For egg-binding I also find it very good, even

without anointing.



