I20 
The Emu. 
I have always been surprised at so few insectivorous birds 
being kept in captivity in Australia * seeing the large field one 
has to work upon to secure some magnificent birds, such as the 
Robins and Wrens, but apparently the food supply is the great 
drawback ; but why should this be, when the country is overrun 
with the natural food of such birds as the Wrens ? I refer to 
ants and their cocoons. A paper on the taking of the cocoons 
I have handed to the Editors, who will, no doubt, make further 
reference to it if necessary 
As to food for " soft-bills," stock should consist of ants' 
cocoons, yolk of egg (preserved), crushed Osborne biscuit, and 
crissel (powdered dry meat prepared by Spratts), equal parts by 
measure, and damped to a crumbly paste (must not be wet or 
sloppy) by adding a little grated raw carrot or boiled potato. 
Almost all soft-bills will eat this readily ; but for the more 
delicate Warblers and Fly-catchers leave out the carrot or 
potato and scald the ants' cocoons (dried), squeezing the water well 
out and adding crushed sweet biscuit (Osborne's preferred), and 
yolk of egg, either fresh or preserved, to bring it up to a dry, 
crumbly paste. With fresh-caught specimens sprinkle a few 
meal-worms on top of food ; other insects, such as spiders, flies, 
and even the common black cockroach will do equally well, but 
* In some States it is illegal to do so. — Eds. 
+ The article, " The Collecting of Ants' Cocoons as Food for Insectivorous Birds," 
referred to by Mr. Carrick, is an interesting one, contributed to Fur and Feather 
(1899) by Mr. H. J. Fulljames, a successful English aviculturist. As there is some 
analogy between the habits and life-history of European and Australian ants, the 
gist of Mr. Fulljames's article here follows : — Ants' cocoons, improperly termed 
ants' eggs, form an indispensable food for insectivorous birds. This is known 
to such an extent in Britain and on the continent that from many firms the article 
can be had all the year round, dried and tinned. But any energetic aviculturist 
could with very little trouble procure the cocoons for himself and lay by his 
own supply. During the spring and summer months ants, like bees, are busily 
engaged in reanng immense numbers of young. These, after bemg hatched from the 
egg, are in existence as cylindrical legless grubs, with an almost transparent body. 
They are entirely in the care of the worker atits, which feed them and carry them 
about from one gallery to another. The next stage, that of chrysalis or pupa, is entered 
upon when larvae or grubs are full grown. They proceed to envelop themselves in a 
small silky cocoon. Only the ants of one genus, however, spin this cocoon ; the other 
genera are without such a covering during their pupa stage, but the worker ants pay 
just as much attention to cocoons and pupae as they do to larvae, keeping them 
snugly in special galleries, carrying them out at set periods for fresh air, &c., &c. To 
collect the cocoons it is necessary to uncover the ant-hill until these subterranean 
nurseries are reached, having the hands well gloved to prevent the ants biting. The 
cocoons, together with ants and all debris that may be among them, must be quickly 
scooped into some convenient receptacle and carried elsewhere for cleaning. The 
ant-hills can be robbed several times in a season if care be taken to cover in the top 
again, for the rearing galleries are generally near the surface. To clean the cocoons of 
all rubbish the operator must cruelly make use of the instinct of those ants which were 
so roughly removed together with their charges. The whole "take " is spread out 
on a large sheet, with upturned edges. At several points on the outskirts, shelters of 
bracken or brushwood, or even newspaper, are placed, and under these the nurse ants 
quickly carry their charges, away from the light, leaving all refuse in the centre of the 
sheet. The cocoons, and amongst them may often be great numbers of larvae, are 
well dried, and will then keep a week or more. Of course it is advisable to give them 
to the birds fresh when procurable, but the dried article when prepared with boiling 
water is just as nutritious. — Eds. 
