208 
The Breedhiq of Ihr Bearded Tit. 
hardbills. Their diet should consist of the Iwst obtainable- 
insoctile mixture, fi-eshly and proper'h/ prepared. The food 
must not be dry and chaffy noj- lumpy and stodgy. If you 
do not prepare your food just right you had better give up 
Reedling.- l>eforc they give you up. They must have live- 
food as well, and, 1 have always given mine nieahvorms, 
and without stint. In a cage I always provide them with 
banana, and this seems to counteract the richness of the meal- 
worms. In an aAnary Reedlings will not eat banana but al- 
way.^ will in a cage. I have never had a Reedling suffer 
from fits. They are, however, terribly prone to pneumonia 
at all seasons of the year. The,y are also ver_y nervous 
birds, and Owls are, I fear, responsible for more than one 
death among these, almost my favourite, birds. 
They are absolutely gregarious and ver.v friendly towai'ds 
one another. The birds pair up for life, and are most faithful 
and loyal to the spouse of their choice. They have an in- 
tense affection for one another, and it is a heart-rending sight 
to see a grief -stricken and anxious cock trying to cheer up 
his sick wife. He cuddles up to hor, kisses and fondles her 
as though he knew that a parting was soon to te. I could 
fill a whole number of " Bird Notes " with a desci-iption of 
their quaint little ways and queer antics. They are never 
dull from the nursery to old age. Even as babies they show 
a very high degree of intelligence. They soon get to know 
their owner, and several have learnt to take mealworms fi'oni 
my fingers, but since losing a Very tame and beautiiul Violet - 
eared Waxbill I have given up having "spoilt children." 
As I have already hinted, these birds are b\' no means 
robust and in spite of their 'being indigenous are by no means 
absolutely hardy. Pneumonia is their great enemy, and I do 
not think it safe to leave them out all the winter,/ but, I 
would strongly recommend that they be driven in at night. 
Even then mortality will be higher than one would wish. 
It is, of course, obvious, that "before birds will breed 
you must get them into the pink of condition, and, in attain- 
ing this end, diet must oome first and foremost. Tisc the best 
soft-food (insectile mixture) that you can get, and it must 
be prepared with boiling water, to get the full flavour out. 
I use about a pound of soft -food a day, and I do not think 
