Visits to Members' Aviaries. 
i6i 
h is native to North and Eastern Australia^ tlie northern 
birds being smaller than the eastern ones. 
Habits: Quoting Gould : — 
•■ The extensive belts of Acacia pciulitla whicli diver^ily the plains 
of eastern Australia are tenanted by this bird, either in sniall companies 
of six or eig-ht, or in flocks of a much greater number. It is beyond my 
power to describe the beauty of the Red-wing when seen among the silvery 
branches of the Acacia, particularly when the tlocks comprise a large number 
of adult males, the gorgeous scarlet of whose shoulders offers so striking 
a contrast to surrounding objects .... Being naturally shy and 
w.iry, it is more difficult of approach than the generality of parrakeets, and 
it seldom becomes tame or familiar in captivity." 
'■ Its food consists of berries, the fruit of a species of Loranthus, 
and the pollen of flowers, to which is added a species of scaly bug-like 
insect that infests the branches of its favourite trees; and in all probability 
small caterpillars, for I have found them in the crops of several of the 
I'latyccrci. It breeds in the holes of the large Eucalypti growing on the 
fjanks of rivers; the eggs, which are white, are four or five in number, 
about an inch and an eighth long by seven-eighths broad." 
Mrs. Burgess' birds were a very fine pair, apparently 
quite satisfied and content with their quarters, but one longed 
to see them in a roomy outdoor aviary, with the opportunity 
to reproduce their kind. 
They are hardy and robust birds when once acclimatised, 
and can be left out of doors all the year round. {To be 
eontinued). 
NESTING NOTES from Ewhukst Park: On Friday, 
June 17th, I once more had the privilege of looking through 
the fine series of aviaries at Ewhurst Park, but as I have only 
recently described them and given a list of the birds they contain 
in Bird Notes, to go over the ground again would be unprofit- 
able repetition. The coal strike was still on and train service 
bad, so I arrived later than usual; after lunch and an interesting 
avicultural talk, the Duchess of Wellington and Tstarted on our 
tour of the aviaries, and, though these do not include many 
rarities — beauty and colour, especially blue, counts for more 
than rarity with H.G. of Wellington — they do contain many 
beautiful birds, even if such be well known species ; such birds 
a? : Indigo and Nonpareil Buntings one is never tired of seeing, 
especially in the setting of a naturally planted wilderness aviary. 
The spectacle of Cyanospica cyanca and C. ciris flitting to and 
