_ GENERAL CARE 75 



birds of both groups, although a certain few will touch 

 nothing of the sort. Meal worms are the most common and 

 convenient form. They are supplied by dealers, or are 

 easily reared, if one has space to devote to their culture. 



Meal worms require dark but well-ventilated quarters, 

 and an even temperature of 65° or 70°. A metal ash-can 

 set away in an out-of-the-way corner will produce enough 

 for a small aviary, but larger establishments find broad, 

 low trays or boxes more convenient. The boxes should 

 be half filled with fine meal, such as flour, middlings and a 

 little bran, whole wheat finely ground being perhaps the best. 

 With this should be mixed a quantity of rags and paper, 

 to relieve the pressure of the meal. A quantity of meal 

 worms must be secured and placed in the boxes. If they 

 are regularly fed on dampened bread (soaked in stale beer, 

 by preference), green foods and fresh vegetables, in due 

 time the larvae will metamorphose to sluggish black beetles. 

 This usually occurs early in spring, but varying conditions 

 may have a retarding effect. Care must be taken to remove 

 surplus food before it can decompose, and to keep the boxes 

 free from excessive heat or dampness. A short time after 

 the beetles appear they deposit their eggs and promptly 

 die. If all goes well, however, a myriad of tiny wriggling 

 meal worms soon will be found in the meal. They must 

 be well fed and will grow rapidly. When they are required 

 for feeding, they are easily removed by running the meal 

 through a small sieve. Of course, a few must be allowed 

 to mature for a renewal of the supply. 



Other insects are equally valuable, but more difficult to 

 obtain. Nothing is superior to the huge Oriental roach, 

 which has gained a foothold in many places. Flies, spiders 

 and certain caterpillars are eaten greedily, if they can be 

 secured. Maggots or gentles are popular with some bird- 

 keepers. If allowed to scour in bran or sand for at least 



