112 Correspondence


BIRDS OF PARADISE AND BLUE RING-NECKED

PARRAKEETS IN INDIA



When in India recently, I visited Mr. Mullick’s Marble Palace

in Calcutta, where I saw over a dozen Birds of Paradise, all in tip-top

condition and colour. A good many of these birds live to a ripe old

age, some of them have been with their present owner for over sixteen

years. These birds are fed on bread and milk with a piece of papya

fruit only. It must be the climate that agrees with them so well.

In Europe it is difficult to keep Birds of Paradise in perfect condition

for more than eight or ten years, and very often not so long. The

birds I envied most of all at Mr. Mullick’s place were a pair of the blue

variety of the Ring-necked Parrakeets. They were the most beautiful

things I have ever seen, and I wish I had them here to breed some blue

Ring-necks. Alfred Ezra.



A USEFUL FOOD


There is a most useful food on the market which I think

aviculturists are probably not familiar with because I have never

seen it mentioned in any avicultural articles. The food I refer to is

a preparation of maize and beans. The maize, I understand, is partially

steamed or cooked along with the beans and then seems to be rolled

out into very thin irregular wafers and allowed to dry and become quite

crisp. It is beautifully clean and I understand is sold under various

names, such as “ Clarendo ”, “ Feedal,” etc. It is extremely light in

weight and a stone takes a large bag and only costs a shilling

for 14 lb.


I use this food in various ways, for instance, during hard weather

I mix a little dry with the wheat, etc. for the fancy ducks and give

it to them on their floating tray. They love it and it does them no harm

as a treat. The Demoiselle and Crowned Cranes get it mixed with their

ordinary seeds and they seem very fond of it, a friend feeds his Crowned

Cranes on nothing else ; by the way, can any member get Cranes to

eat animal food during the winter when live food is scarce ? I have

tried cooked and raw meat without success, bread broken small they

like in small quantities. I find my Trumpeters exceedingly fond of this



