160



Correspondence



CORRESPONDENCE, NOTES, ETC.


TAME BIRDS


The article “ Two Tame Birds ” in your March issue gave me a great

deal of pleasure inasmuch as it must appeal particularly to the member

whose experience of aviculture is not particularly great and whose oppor¬

tunities of experimenting are, for various reasons, limited. In my own case

I started with Waxbills in a large cage outside, followed very shortly by

a small aviary with Diamond Doves, Java Sparrows, and Rainbow Buntings.

Next an octagonal aviary 7 feet across with Longtails, Zebras, Cubans,

and Singing Finches ; and still something lacking. So after lunch, reading,

and inquiry, I bought a Golden-fronted Fruitsucker, believing him to have

a golden voice and confiding manner. He was all Mr. Workman says he is.

He flung orange, apple, grape skins, pips, and unwanted ants’ cocoons all

round the room and shouted l i ke an urchin. Meal-worms he despised, but

the sight or sound of a fly would drive him nearly frantic until I had caught

it for him. But he was no use as a tame, really tame, bird. He was only

happy in his cage. Outside of it he sat motionless for hours and had to be

driven in again without deriving any benefit. I had no permanent aviary

accommodation for him as I dare not put him with smaller birds on account

of the vicious disposition I believed these birds to have. So back he went

to the dealer for a pound less than I gave for him.


I then built two aviaries round an existing privet hedge and some laurel

bushes. In May I put a “ pair ” of Spreo Starlings in one and a pair of

Shamas in the other. Both very quickly became tame and always came

to a point of vantage on my approach. One Starling I frequently had out

in the garden where it would follow me about or explore for insects without

ever leaving its bounds. The other was more adventurous and occasionally

spent a night out, eventually disappearing altogether after some weeks.


At liberty Spreos are delightful but in an aviary or cage are bored and

uninteresting, except when singing their peculiar repetition song, through

their teeth as it were, with a mouth full of meal-worms all wriggling in a row.

They made no attempt to nest.


The Shamas were the more attractive and both sang a few loud notes,

the cock only whistling softly to himself in a comer quite hidden from view.

Twice the hen escaped but returned immediately to the meal-worm tin.

Though not showy I think the hen Shama an extremely beautiful bird and

very graceful.


Now I am waiting for someone to follow Mr. Workman’s example and

let us have a similar article on birds perhaps less well known but as beautiful,

tame, and easy to care for as the two he finds so pleasing. I feed mine on

mosquito with occasional carrot, apple, Bemax, or halibut oil mixed into it.


Geoffrey Banks.



MICE


Most bird-keepers at some time or another seem to be troubled with

that foul pest, the common mouse. It is one of those pests which no amount

of cleanliness will keep out of one’s bird-room. When once a mouse gets in

it almost seems as though by some kind of telepathy it communicates the



