158 
NATURE NOTES 
House Martins. — I have observed for the last four or five years that there 
has been a great falling off in the numbers of these birds, and it appears to me 
that the numbers decrease every year. I have seen but few this year. Now I 
find in Nature Notes that Mr. Plowright, of King’s Lynn, has observed the 
same thing. I have asked for an explanation once or twice in the columns of 
Nature Notes without success. As the bird is a most interesting summer 
visitor, which used to swarm here, I should be glad to know the reason why of its 
scarcity. 
lVoodtow7t, Devon. W. F. COLLIER. 
July I, 1901. 
Red. Mite on Canary. — Can and will any bird-lover tell me what treat- 
ment he or she has found to succeed in freeing a pet bird — mine is a canary — from 
red mite ? On his first suffering from them, a year ago, he appeared to be cured 
after constant washing by me in quassia, the chips having had boiling water 
poured over them, but after a few weeks they again troubled him, and this time 
the washing seemed to have lost its efficacy, and perhaps because the weather 
was colder, he became so weak I discontinued the washing. He has picked up 
his strength and spirits, but is badly bare of feathers on head, neck and breast, 
and at times worried by his invisible tormentors. He will now take his bath in 
the quas.sia and water himself. He has a tin cage, over which we pour boiling 
water from time to time. 
M. C. 
[Having submitted tbis query to an expert, Mr. Kenneth J. Mackenzie, he 
informs us that to get rid of this mite, Dermanyssus avium, the canary should 
be painted all over with oil of cloves by means of a camel’s-hair brush in the 
evening, without making the bird so wet that it may take cold. This will kill 
the young mites and drive off the others. Next morning the cage and all its 
fittings, troughs, perch, &c., must be thoroughly scalded with boiling water. 
This process must be repeated three times at intervals of four days, as there is an 
egg-stage in the life-history of the mite, and it will secrete itself in any cranny 
where even boiling water may fail at first to reach it. — Ed. A’iA^.] 
Toad eating Bees. — The following interesting letter appeared in the Pall 
Mall Gazette : — 
“ I have been daily expecting to hear what the beekeeper would have to 
say with regard to the harmlessness of my old friend the toad. Not being an 
apiarist, I did not feel justified in casting the first stone at him, but most of my 
friends who keep bees assure me that a toad (out of the hole) in the neighbourhood 
of a hive makes the ‘busy bee’ look a fool from a business point of view. No 
doubt in past days the toad has suffered a great deal, simply on account of his 
ugliness, but in these more enlightened times he has a good many friends, and 
justly so. At the same time, one cannot reasonably expect the beekeeper to sing 
his praises any more than he would those of the fussy little tomtits who provide 
me with so much amusement throughout the winter months in my back garden, 
whither I attract them with a piece of fat bacon. You might as well expect the 
professional fruit-grower to sing the praises of the blackbird. 
“ Your correspondent, Mr. Heath, might be interested to hear that there is an 
old West of England saying regarding a useless article that it is ‘ as much use as 
a side pocket to a toad.’ 
“ I think it quite possible that the viper would swallow a toad, but I feel certain 
he would prefer the lively frog were it available. Yours sincerely, 
Ju7te2-]. “Tadpole.” 
Frog-tadpole eating Young Pike. — As there is no reference to such a 
habit in Dr. Gadow's hook which we review on another page, we have taken the 
following from Mr. F. G. Aflalo’s interesting causerie about animals in the 
Morning Leader for July 10 : — 
“ I think that I must have mentioned in this column a week or two ago a case 
of frog-tadpoles devouring not merely pike spawn, but even the young jack them- 
selves. The gentleman who .sent me this interesting item of information (of great 
practical importance to the hatcher of trout) from Loch Awe has added some 
further particulars in a subsequent communication, which may, I think, interest 
