6 British Birds, with their Nests and Eggs. 



nest, the youngsters quickly settled the difficult}- by leaping out and fluttering 

 to the earth, screaming loudly the while. What with the old and young 

 birds together, the noise was something to be remembered. 



I reared both these birds without the slightest trouble, upon snails (dropped 

 into boiling water, taken from their shells, and cut into small pieces,) small 

 worms, and a paste made of oat-flour, known as " fig-dust," and fine pea- 

 meal; as the}- grew older, however, they refused both worms and large snails, 

 though the}- would readily swallow small living snails in their shells, they 

 also ate both hawthorn berries and wheat greedil}-, subsequently ejecting the 

 seeds of the former and the tough skin of the latter from the crop with 

 considerable force, so that I have frequently found the ejected pellets several 

 feet from their cage. 



These two birds proved to be unmistakably a pair, the male having a 

 distinctly narrower head, slimmer build, more alert carriage and more master- 

 ful disposition; indeed, after a time, he so tormented his companion, pulling 

 out her feathers and scolding, whenever she approached him, that when a 

 friend took a fancy to her, I gladl}- gave her to him. 



As the male bird gained strength, I gave him, as staple food, a mixture 

 of oat-flour, pea-meal, and Spratt's food (crushed dog biscuit), moistened with 

 sufficient water to form a crumb-paste; on this diet he lived, with the addition 

 of an occasional insect or earthworm, and throve amazingly for nearly four 

 years, never having a da}-'s illness, and always being ready for a frolic. If 

 I put ui}- finger into his cage he would put one foot on it and thus holding 

 it down would flap his wings and hammer it with his bill; when I wished 

 to move him from one cage to another, he never attempted to get away until 

 I had grasped him firmly, then indeed he would kick a bit and utter his 

 harsh guttural call. 



At length, in 1890, when my friend was three years and nine months 

 old, I was persuaded to send him to a show, but, unhappily, he who had 

 never tasted a particle of flesh was fed entirely on a mixture of finely minced 

 raw beef mixed with breadcrumbs; the result ma}- be imagined — ^he had in- 

 cessant fits during the week of the show, was returned to me in a state of 

 apoplex}- and died in a fit about an hour after he reached home. Never give 

 ra\^- flesh to any but predaceous birds. 



Although hand-reared birds may make amusing pets, unless taught hv 

 a wild bird, the}- never learn the wild song; ni}- INIissel Thrush only sang 

 two notes, one high, the other low, its song was far behind that of the 

 Ox-eye Tit for melod}-. There is not the least trouble in keeping and taming 



