2oo Rev. Hubert D. Astley,


Insect food being so scanty in February the parents had to

fall back on midges, which they spent hours in catching.


Of the two young hatched one was killed, when about a

week old, by another hen : the other is alive and well as I write

(April ioth) and quite independent. The young in nest plumage

have the yellow rump quite as distinctly marked as the adults.

The pencillings on the breast are darker and more numerous

than in the case of the adults, but on a lighter ground. The

call-note of the young is ch'e-ch'e.


I have not been able to ascertain as yet whether the

Yellow- rumped Serin has been bred in this country or not.

Although such a hardy species and common enough in its own

country, not very many seem to have been yet imported.


Our Zoological Gardens had quite a small colony of these

Serins, in an outdoor enclosure near the Ostrich sheds, last

summer, which I watched with much interest. Several nests

were built about the same time, and the young did well up to a

certain age but, some very wet weather coming on, they all

perished. Later in the year I was sorry to hear that the adults

had nearly all been killed by rats.



A VISIT TO MESSRS. PAYNE & WALLACE


AT BATH.

By Rev. Hubert D. Astley, M.A.


It was with great pleasure and satisfaction that I spent two

hours at the Little Zoo on Lyncombe Hill, and I chose a pro-

pitious day, for Mr. Wallace had only just returned from Australia

with the yearly importation of birds that he and Mr. Payne know

so well how to pack and care for. If only all bird-dealers were

to keep their birds as clean and to take an equal pride in them,

one would not have to write upon the " Ruthless importations."

Mr. Payne apologized to me for the lack of order and cleanliness,

for, as he remarked, Mr. Wallace had only arrived a couple of

days before, and they had little time for putting such a number

of birds into proper order. Nevertheless I have never seen so

many birds in such splendid condition, or so evidently cared

for.



