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Sydney Porter—The Parrot Ban



of meal-worms for the Sibia and their general feeding. He increases

the number of meal-worms from 6-8 in summer to 10-12 in winter.


Hawking insects on the wing is a method by which the Sibias

are adepts while the Mesias usually run and hop along a branch and

but seldom fly after the tiny victim. So a reduction in meal-worms is

rather necessary in summer. In a large flight more meal-worms may

be given with a corresponding reduction in a cage. An increase in

number is allowed when moulting.


My brother-in-law once said, after seeing some meal-worms in bran,

etc. : “I suppose there is as much goodness in two or three gnats

as in one meal-worm.” How far wrong was he ? ”



THE PARROT BAN


By Sydney Porter


There has been a lot of talk recently as to whether the “ Parrot

Ban ” will ever be lifted. Personally I shall be glad if it is never lifted.

I don’t want to give the impression that because I have a permit I am

taking a dog-in-the-manger attitude in not wanting anyone else to

have one—far from that. In this letter I am dealing only with the

commercial side of the question.


Most of those people who clamour to have the restrictions removed

are those who profit by the sale of Parrots. The people who advertise,

“ Talking Parrot and Cage, 30s. ; money back if not satisfied,” etc.


To me it has always seemed iniquitous to make such intelligent

animals as Parrots the object of commercial exploitation. The

plumage trade was bad enough but the Parrot trade was equally as

bad. Though the methods were different, the end was the same.


Before the Parrot ban thousands and thousands of wretched

Parrots were shipped to this country in miserably small and insanitary

cages, hundreds together with hardly room to move: very often they

were left to the tender mercies of the butcher, or someone else on

the ship who knew very little about them. They were fed mainly

on soaked maize and kept exposed on the open deck. Hundreds died



