220 
Thfl Ndstmg of the Blue Sugarhird. 
beings. My early days in aviculture were halcyon days in- 
deed. Birds lived as if by magic ; certainly a fairy god- 
mother had charge of my feathered pets in those days. Their 
diet consisted solely of milk -sop, and banana rather sparingly. 
I didn't worry about diet in those days. All the summer they 
lived well, but towards autumn I began to see that my little 
blind friend remained the demure little lady she always was 
and still is, but the two on whom the Goddess of Beauty had 
smiled got more blueish about the primaries. AH three slept 
out until late November, and I verily believe would have 
wintered out of doors pei'fectly well, but on the advice of 
our universal and mutual friend — our Hon. Editor, I went 
out one night and gently caught up three tiny balls of green 
fluff and put them into my heated bird -room. Hei-e they lived 
and played till April 12th, when the two favoured cocks 
showed their full dress colouration of exquisite turquoise -bine 
blejided with a lovely .soft sea-green and pencilled with pure 
black So far my .story is but an old-fashioned fairy .story 
with no malevolent fairies and no evil-minded witches. Thi.; 
continued till about May 10th, when the hen l)ird would 
croucTi on a twig, spread her wings, and call for food in 
imitation of a •young bird. The cock birds were not slow 
to discern the maternal yeai'nings, and paid her considerable 
attention, but, beyond saying pretty nothings, didn't help 
things on very much. But the hen was determined this 
should be no modern marriage, and built herself a house • 
the house being all nurseries. As her husband, for she chose 
one, would not help her to build a home, seemingly preferring 
to live a rather gay hotel -club existence, I perforce had 
to help her. I got some tow out of my cupboard and un- 
ravelled string, and with this the little architect built the 
prettiest little cradle-nest imaginable in a Retinospora, 
attached Gold-crest fashion to the underside of a bough; but 
either she or another bird didn't approve, for it was deserted 
and nothing further happened till May 20th, when she again 
started building. 1 used to take the tow in my hand, and 
she would prefer to take it from me rather than that hanging 
on a tree. She also had a pretty little trick of settling on 
my wife's head and trying to purloin some of her hair. But 
that blind eye seemed to bother her and she could never 
