39 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



Miss E. S. Twyman writes from Leominster: "I am very sorry 

 to have to tell you that my Swift [see ' Zoologist,' 1914, p. 152] died 

 about two months after you were here. [This was on a lecturing 

 engagement terminating in March, 1914.] It continued to thrive and 

 to take its food right up to the end. It died in a fit, brought on, I am 

 afraid, as the result of fright. A few minutes before it was cling- 

 ing in its usual place, on the front of my dress, under my chin. My 

 sister, who is Secretary of the Women's Adult School here, brought 

 in two of the members who had expressed a wish to see the Swift ; 

 they were strangers, and the bird had of course not heard their 

 voices before. I noticed it was more . than usually nervous, but 

 being anxious to encourage the interest taken in the bird, I continued 

 to show them all its habits, and placed it in its basket, that they 

 might see how it spent the night, when it almost immediately had the 

 fit. I think it would not have happened if I had kept it on my hand 

 or my dress. It was a great disappointment to lose it. The 

 plumage was much healthier after the moult. 



"I have generally been successful in rearing young birds. About 

 nine years ago I found a whole nest of Sparrows on the ground ; 

 they had been dragged from the nest by the parent bird, by one of 

 those untidy ends which Sparrows are so fond of leaving hanging 

 from their nests. This nest was in the point of a gable in a house 

 three stories high. They all lived, and when fully fledged I found 

 homes for them. I gave one to my sister, which is still alive, and a 

 most interesting companion. It has always been allowed to fly 

 about the room for a part of every day ; the door or window can be 

 left open— it will not attempt to fly away. One of its legs was 

 injured in the fall, but it has lived its life very cheerfully, hopping 

 about on one leg. Another one was injured on the side of its head, 

 and no feathers developed on that part. It is wonderful what a 

 Sparrow will survive. 



" I have also reared Starlings which have fallen from the nest at 

 a few days old — one lived for five years. I found them the most 

 companionable birds I have kept. I clipped one wing and they were 

 let out in the garden for the greater part of the day ; they would 



