British Birds : 
the}' are asking for more. They are of an extremely restless 
nature, always on the move; at present they live alone in a large 
aviary cage, but as soon as I think them able to fend for them- 
selves they will go out to the aviaries. 
Regarding feeding, during the first days of a newly-taken 
birds' life, it is absolutely essential that they should be fed not 
later than five a.m., and from then every half-hour till sunset ; 
after a while the time between meals can be gradually lengthened 
up to an hour till they can feed themselves. It is a wise thing to 
give birds a late feed, say at ten p.m., just one mouthful each. 
Blackcaps: These are quite different in their ways from 
the Flycatchers, even as tiny nestlings. Their nest was found 
among the thick undergrowth in the wood, in an elder tree. 
After two unsuccessful attempts, the third (which is never like 
the rest) was crowned with success, and the mother bird and 
nestlings taken together. They were put into a cage (the bars 
being covered with muslin) and left quiet till early morning. 
At about four a.m. I heard the little clucking sound the 
young make, and put in some caterpillars for the mother; after a 
few minutes I heard sounds of knocking on the perches, she was 
killing the insects for the young to eat. and it was a jo3'ful 
moment when I heard her feed the three calling babies. How 
great must be the maternal instinct, that will cause a freshly- 
caught wild bird to forget its own captivity and settle down to 
feed its young. She fed for two days and then was allowed to go 
free. 
The young never stayed in their nest, but took to the 
perches, but how different from the restless Flycatchers. They 
hardly ever came oflF the same perch, sitting head to tail as close 
as possible, only very rarely flying across to the opposite perch. 
When fed, they hump up their backs, stretch their legs and 
wings and settle back to dose till next meal time. 
I have had them one week ; they can feed well for them- 
selves, but prefer me to do the work. One of them already sings 
softly to himself in the early morning, so I conclude it is a cock 
bird. I feed them the same as Flycatchers, but they have more 
fruit mixed with the soft food. They are just beginning to take 
a bath and enjoy the water immensely. I think they are quite 
the sweete.st baby birds of any species. 
