28 
HINTS ON CAGE-BIRDS. 
but I was so busy making my collection of birds' eggs that 1 could 
not afford to lose the chance of securing fresh clutches for the sake 
of adding to my live stock ; consequently I was generally too early 
to obtain the latter. 
Of the smaller Thrushes a nest of Robins was brought to me 
by a lad, who declared that it was a nest of Nightingales. I told 
him that he was mistaken, but sent him away happy with a shilling 
and advised him to try again ; yet I did not get a nest of genuine 
Nightingales until, I think, two or three years later. I fed the 
Robins at first on biscuit, egg, and ants’ eggs made into a stiff paste, 
and they were doing well upon this, when I must needs give them 
some finely- minced raw meat, which killed the whole of them 
immediately. I was more fortunate with the Nightingales, though 
I again tried a little meat for a day or two ; as, after losing two, I 
returned to a mixture of four parts poundod dog-biscuit, four parts 
oat flour, two parts pea flour, two parts yolk of egg, one part ants’ 
eggs, mixed into a moist paste, (in this strange mess I succeeded 
in rearing the three others. 
Undoubtedly the best food for rearing young Nightingales should 
be made of two parts sweet biscuit, to one part yolk of egg, and one 
part ants’ eggs, made very moist, until the birds are able to feed 
themselves. As for sheep’s heart, boiled and grated, I don’t for a 
moment believe in it. 1 am sure that it was this meat diet which 
prevented the late Dr. Bradburn from successfully rearing Wagtails. 
In his book British Birds, he observes : “Never attempt to hand-rear 
Wagtails of any description, or you will fail,” whereas I succeeded 
without the least trouble. Dr. Bradbum’s book, in most respects, 
is a valuable one, and contains much useful infonnation ; but he 
was mistaken in giving meat to young insectivorous birds. 
Of course, when rearing the more delicate soft-billed species, if 
you can obtain plenty of fresh wasp grubs or living ants’ eggs, you 
will find them most useful as a change from the usual paste ; but 
even if these cannot be secured, small, smooth caterpillars, or even 
mealworms cut in half, answer the purpose tolerably well ; and 
house flies, pinched between the fingers, are not to be despised. 
Of the Warblers 1 was only able to get hold of the Lesser 
Whitethroat and the Sedge Warbler, rearing two out of four of the 
former upon Abrahams’ Insectivorous Food well moistened, and one 
out of two of the latter upon the same mess upon which my Night- 
ingales were reared. In both cases the birds became too fat, and, 
whilst still young, died of apoplexy. Had I fed them upon biscuit, 
egg, and ants’ eggs, I should probably have kept them all in perfect 
health. 
I once took a nest of young Hedge Sparrows when at a great 
distance from home, and, in order to stay their stomachs, gave them 
part of my lunch, which consisted of a meat pie. When I got home 
in the evening 1 mixed up some hard-boiled egg and sweet biscuit 
for them, but they only lived a day or two. They should have had 
plenty of ants’ eggs and other insect food. Of the Tits, I tried the 
