122 
Correspondence. 
Correspondence. 
UNUSUAL NESTING SITE OF BUDGERIGARS IN CAPTIVITY. 
Sir, — Last year my birds were accommodated in a span-roof stone 
building ; about i8ft. from the ground a stone projected outwards, on which 
birds alighted. One day I was surprised to see mortar on the floor beneath 
the stone, and on looking upwards found a pair of Budgerigars busy making 
a hole in the wall, which they accomplished in the end. 
The wall is hollow, and they actually managed to scoop out a cavity 
in the stone and laid eggs therein, to the number of six; of these five hatched 
out, in spite of the coldness of the stone. 
They obviously preferred this to wooden boxes, etc.. of which a 
number were vacafit in the room. 
St. Annes-on-Sea, May ist, 1921. A. E. SNAPE. 
❖ 
THE COMING OF THE CUCKOO. 
Sir, — The " Harbinger of Spring " was first heard in this district, bv 
nie, on April 13th at 7 a.m., and from then on its pleasant call has been 
heard daily. I do not think it is so numerous this year as last, as I've, .so 
far, only heard one bird calling at the same time, and it has been here .i 
month now. Last year the birds were very numerous and were calling from 
a'l points of the compass at the same time, or nearly so, making a sort ot 
sound-chain, cuckoo, cuckoo ad infinitum. To-day, Ma}' 19th, two (possibly 
a pair) passed over my hold-ng, but only one was calling. 
This year I have been too much occupied to note the coming of the 
other migrants, though I have seen most of them now. 
Lingfield, Surrey, May 28th. 1921. WESLEY T. PAGE. 
<^ 
OBITUARY NOTICE. 
Sir. — It is with deep regret that I have to chronicle the death of Mr. 
Walter Gilbey Perc'val from pneumonic plague at the hospital, Narobi, on 
March 14th. 
Only four or five days prior to his death I was chatting with him, and, 
apparently he seemed in his usual health. He referred with pleasure to his 
recent visit to England, and the happy time he spent at your house. He had 
only been back in this colony about a fortnight when he died. I attended 
the funeral, where those of his friends who could be present paid their last 
respect to a departed comrade. 
Burials, in the tropics, take place a few hours after death; and poor 
Percival was dead and buried before many of his friends knew he was ill. 
Percival was a keen and enthusiastic aviculturist and angler. His 
