57 
SELBORNIANA. 
Cast Feathers on Chinese Walls. —Our readers will be interested to 
learn that, in answer to a private letter from the Editor, Miss Edith Stock has 
forwarded specimens of the feathers referred to in her note (Nature Notes, 
1896, p. 236), with a letter concerning them. The latter she desires to be con- 
sidered as a private communication, and we of course respect her wish. The 
feathers have been submitted to Dr. Bowdler Sharpe, who says they are the 
breeding plume of one of the larger egrets, probably Herodias intermedia or 
H. alba. In connection with this matter, the following extract may be made from 
an interview with one of the managers of V'yse & Sons, reported in the H'est- 
minster Gazette of February i6. 
“ While on the subject of hats,” writes our representative, “ I thought I might 
improve the occasion by discovering whether the aigrette plume, which is said to 
involve great cruelty to obtain, was worn as much as ever. On the ground floor 
of the warehouse was a showroom of feathers and plumes. Near some magnifi- 
cent ostrich feathers were apparently a collection of the aigrette plumes — 
“‘So, in spite of cruelty, fashion still insists on these feathers?’ I asked. 
The manager of the department laughed. 
“ ‘ Why, these plumes are taken from the bantam, and these others ’ — he held 
up a spray of apparently delicate heron plumes — ‘ are from an ordinary fowl. 
How are they made? Well, that's a secret of the trade, but I can assure you 
that not more than one in a thousand of the so-called aigrette plumes are taken 
from the heron. And,’ he added, ‘ it is a ridiculous fable that it involves cruelty 
to obtain the real heron’s plume. -\nd no one would shoot the bird at the 
breeding season, when its plumes are not at the best.’ ” 
It is gratifying that public opinion should have so far influenced those who 
tr.ade in aigrettes as to induce them to explain away or apologise for their practice. 
But we imagine our readers will agree with the Star in preferring to accept the 
verdict of Sir William Flower in a matter of this kind. 
Tame Birds (p. 38). — I venture to beg that no one will give liberty to any 
bird who has been caged for some time. It is quite true what Mrs. Bright wen 
says about bird-boycotting. I am an old woman of 73 years, and have several 
times turned out birds, usually hens, in the spring, and always have found, or had 
reason to fear, that the poor things had been killed by their own relations within 
a few hours. Last year it is true that I turned out a brood of sparrows that I had 
found starving in a nest torn dowm by some boy, but I gave them their liberty 
first in a chickens’ coop and then removed a bar so that they could go out and in, 
but even these most likely were killed. The only birds I ever turned out success- 
fully was a brood of swallows; these were rlelightful little pets, and were, till the 
autumn, loose in a large empty room ; they would take a fly or some of their food 
out of my fingers while flying. Late in the summer I opened the window wide 
and they came out and in for a week or two, but gradually cared less for artificial 
food, and, I have reason to believe, emigrated with their fellow swallows. I 
need hardly tell you these were also from a fallen nest, and I may safely say that 
all my bird pets were picked up and would have died if not rescued. A night- 
ingale I had once who w'as delightfully tame, and after his bath would nestle in 
my warm hands to dry himself, but he met with a sad end. I had covered a cage 
of canaries w’ith a red shawl to slop their singing, and when I let the nightingale 
out for his bath and a fly round the room, he suddenly caught sight of the shawl, 
and, in a panic, flew against the window and fell down dead. 
I had a robin once, who had been caught in a trap and lost part of one leg, so 
I kept him. He sang delightfully, but if the window' was open and he loose, he 
would fight another robin outside through the wire netting and get hurt. 1 have 
reared a cuckoo, and many other birds, but it would weary you if I wrote more of 
my pets. The food I have found which suited best all soft-billed birds, consists 
of equal parts of scraped raw meat or sheep’s liver, and yolk of hard-boiled egg, 
but in summer this must be made fresh twice a day. Many or most will do with 
bread crumbs with w'hich yolk of hard-boiled eggs is well mixed, finely bruised 
hemp seed, and some hard-boiled liver grated. All require every day two or 
