on the Silver-eared Mesia.



45



was it simply that, having got into the habit of feeding the last

young bird with wasp-grubs—which had to be carried and given

whole—they had learned a bad lesson, and continued to carry

and feed with the whole insect ? And this is not unlikely, for I

noticed that when I brought in a pan of mealworms, no matter

how many there might be, should there be a white one (new

skin) it was immediately picked out, doubtless from its similarity

in colour to the wasp-grub. Thus it would seem that we may

teach bad habits to our birds.


They would take a mealworm, hold it under one foot,

gradually shorten it working from the head, and then carry it to

the nest and present it as it was to the youngster.


Towards the end of the month, for several days, they were

greatly disturbed by a large noisy dog being introduced into the

next garden, and both birds frequently left the nest to cry at the

enemy.


On the 2nd October it dawned upon me that for two or

three days the male had given up sitting. I had been too busy

to watch, and am not sure when he deserted.


He was in full moult; and I wondered if he found it too

cold to sit on the nest, and so the female had taken up his work

iu addition to her own. I did not see the female leave the nest

once until the morning of the 3rd, when I found the nest

deserted.


There were two eggs in it, but I could not find any trace

of the young bird. I suppose it had died and been removed;

the male was too wise to sit on the two clear eggs, and eventually

the female (also in full moult) had likewise given them up as

hopeless. From early morn and all day, on the day that the

female ceased to sit, a mournful four-note song or call was often

uttered, and is still occasionally heard. Poor little creatures :

five nests—and not a single young bird reared to reward them

for all their toil and labour.—R. P.



