78 Correspo?ide?Lce.


These birds evidently lay two clutches a year. The Emus are sitting,

the male bird doing most of the work of incubating. The Brush-

Turk eys (Telegallus) have made a very large nesting- mound earl}' this

3 r ear, or rather the male bird has, as the hen only looks on. If she

comes near he drives her away."



CORRESPONDENCE.



THE SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENTS.


Sir, — I think Mr. Attewell in the October number makes a mistake

in supposing that birds feel as he feels. It is just what they don't do.

Some birds feel the cold much more than he does, and some much less.

What we want to arrive at is, How do the birds feel ? And we can only

arrive at this by experimenting. But it need not be done with cruelty. A

little observation will show what the bird is feeling as to cold. About

heat it is more difficult. One soon sees that Hang-nests can stand no

cold at all. I lost one from the change produced by a hailstorm coming

over during the afternoon wbeu I was out, and had left my stud}' window

open. It was odd the bird had not enough sense to go into its flannel-lined

basket as it did at night. But it takes some time, and I am afraid some

cruelty, however unintentional, to discover that a King Parrot suffers from

heat. Unfortunately, there is little to guide us. You cannot say allthe

members of one family will feel alike. The Continental Amazons are

hardy ; the Island ones more sensitive. Nor can you say that the birds

of one region will feel alike. The Macaw can enjoy a snow-storm ; the

Caique dislikes any cold. Palcsornis docilis can stand cold ; Pyocephalus

senegalensis cannot— and while Pal. docilis is hardy, longicauda is by no

means so. Most of the Parrots can stand a great deal of cold after they

have been a year in England. But they never can stand draught.


One of our members, who is a very successful breeder of the Aus-

tralian varieties, says that Parrakeets do not mind cold, if the sleeping

house is warm. But I believe he excepts Turquoisiues.


So you can only find out what each bird likes by watching it. When

you find it "cheerful " in a frost then I think there is no doubt it is happier

in a spacious aviary, if it has it to itself. But birds are happy in cages.

I have known wild caught ones return to their cages of their own accord.

Birds' sufferings come from fear, and hunger, and thirst.


F. G. DUTTON.



Sir, — Without question no avicnlturist who has experimented with

foreign birds in this country will agree with Mr. Attewell. Feathers are

probably a greater protection against extremes of temperature than fur;

and, if we are to accept the testimony of Hagenbeck, the polar bear de-

lights to bask and roll in the sun in hot weather; so one cannot conclude,



