Some Interesting 
Soft Bills. 
THE BIRD WORLD. 
(* 1 9 ) 
white collar; his breast is a warm brown, 
and when he flies he shows a con¬ 
spicuous white patch on his back just 
above his tail. In the winter the. head 
and throat are brown, and the white 
collar is duller in colour. The hen’s 
colouring is duller, with less white. 
Carefully Hidden Nest . 
The Stonechat’s nest is most carefully 
hidden; it is generally placed on the 
ground—usually under a gorsebush. 
The nest is made of dry grass and moss, 
and lined with hair and feathers. There 
are generally four or five eggs, which are 
pale greenish-blue in colour, with spots 
on the larger end of reddish-brown. 
The colouring of the eggs varies very 
much. 
The song of the Stonechat is sweet, 
but not very loud, though if the bird is 
carefully fed its song improves in cap¬ 
tivity. When wild he may sometimes 
be seen fluttering in the air w T hile he 
sings, as the Whinchat does, though 
more often he chooses to perch on a 
projecting branch. 
When wild, Stoneehats live on insects 
and their larvae and worms, and in cap¬ 
tivity they always need plenty of insects, 
particularly in autumn during the moult. 
Young birds taken from the nest may be 
reared as suggested for Whinchats, but 
if you want to meat-off adult Stoneehats 
you will need a very large supply of live 
insects. 
All the Chats should be kept in box 
cages, by which is meant those wired 
only in front. Cocoanut fibre makes a 
very good covering for the tray, especi¬ 
ally if it be damped and then well 
pressed down. It is dangerous to the 
bird if it gets mixed with the food and 
is swallowed. 
Although these birds spend the winter 
in England when at liberty they must 
not be left out of doors all the year 
round, even in a large aviary, for cold 
and damp will kill them when in cap¬ 
tivity. They should be brought indoors 
before the cold weather comes, and kept 
in a temperature of not less than 50 
degrees. 
Swallows in a Bedroom. 
At the house of Mr. J. S. Pritchett, 
of Hill Top, King’s Norton, a pair of 
Swallows (Hirindo rustica) have con¬ 
structed their nest in the maid’s bed¬ 
room, and the female has laid five eggs. 
The maid is a wise young woman, and 
keeps her bedroom window open all 
night. The benefit she derives from 
this may be seen in her fresh complexion. 
She says that the Swallows are in no 
way alarmed at her daily occupation in 
the room, but perch on articles of 
furniture and chatter to her in their 
usual loving and confiding way. They 
always leave the bedroom at 4 a.m. to 
commence their daily search for insects. 
So proud is this young lady of her com¬ 
panions, and so fearful that the bed¬ 
room window might by accident be 
closed, and thus prevent the birds pass¬ 
ing in and out, that she prefers to 
decline her mistress’s offer to take a 
holiday until her sweet little charges 
have reared their brood in safety. Very 
pleasing indeed is this kindly interest 
in our beautiful birds. This pair of 
Swallows will return year after year to 
the nest if they are not refused admission. 
The Bishop and the 
Ladies. 
The Bishop of Birmingham is very 
severe on women who wear birds’ wings 
in their hats. Preaching at St. George’s 
Church, Great Hampton Row, recently, 
Bishop Gore said he wished all ladies 
would make a resolution that, by laugh¬ 
ing at it, and in every other way in which 
they could make their influence felt, 
they would do their utmost to put an 
end to this cruel and horrible habit. 
“ How many nestlings,” he asked, “ do 
you suppose have been turned out of a 
happy scene of young life this very year 
into a scene of misery and unhappiness ? 
How many homes that were intended to 
be beautiful have been given over to 
carnage and bloodshed because of this 
cruel and silly fashion ? ” We trust the 
Bishop’s words will bear fruit. 
