ON HAND-REARING BIRDS. 
29 
Great Tit, the Cole Tit, and the Blue Tit, but was only perfectly 
successful with the last mentioned, although all living until able to 
fly. The great Tits killed themselves by eating some wadding 
which had been put into their beds to keep them warm, and the 
Cole Tits, which 1 had to leave to the tender mercies of a young 
girl, who at that time looked after my birds when 1 was up in town, 
were allowed to get into so filthy a condition that they did not have 
a chance Of the Blue Tits 1 received a nest of ten, and success- 
fully reared five upon a mixture of Abrahams’ food, biscuit, egg, 
and ants’ eggs. I believe it was on the first occasion when our 
Editor visited me that she found me in one of my aviaries with 
these youngsters clambering all over me ; I know it was one of my 
bird-loving friends. , _ 
T have reared the Pied Wagtail, and do not doubt that I should 
have been successful with the whole of the family if a cat had not 
taken all but one from, the nest whilst I was consulting with my 
wife as tfl her willingness to feed them during my absence m town. 
1 hardly expected to be successful, because the remaining baby was 
not discovered until the following day, shivering and wheezing 
behind a board. We warmed it up, put it in a cage with a thick 
layer of moss over the bottom, ami covered it with a piece of vvaim 
flannel. It was fed upon the same food as my Blue 1 its, and lived 
to be the family pet for several years. .... , 
No birds that yon can hand-rear make more interesting and 
intelligent pets than Wagtails; and therefore I would recommend 
all who have the chance to jump at it. They are not only perfect 
companions and playmates; they not only vary their calls so that 
you can quite comprehend when they scold, expostulate, oi beg to 
be let out for a flight, but they sing their pretty wild song as you 
rarely, if ever, hear it from the wild bird. 
I might have tried the Meadow Pipit, but, bemg on a visit, 
did not want the bother with such common birds, and no later 
opportunity has offered. 
But these notes are getting too prolix; therefore I will 
summarise the remainder. I have reared House Martins and Sand 
Martins on biscuit, egg, and ants’ eggs, but they ate too greedily, 
and took too little exercise; therefore they did not live very long. 
Of Pinches I have only successfully reared Chaffinches and Linnets, 
not having been able to obtain others when I wanted them I 
found biscuit, egg, and small green caterpillars do well until they 
began to peck • then scalded seed had to be given in a separate pot. 
Unless kept apart from other birds, I found that these hand-reared 
Pinches became wilder than those which had been caught ; but it 
caged separately, played with, and allowed to fly about a room, they 
remained as tame as insectivorous birds. ^ 
I received my Jay when it was beginning to feed itself ; it had 
been reared upon sopped bread and minced raw beef, and, as it was 
in good health, I suppose this is sufficient Lor very young birds of 
the Crow family. My Wrynecks were a little too old when I took 
