60 Avicultural Society of New Zealand



FURTHER EXTRACTS FROM THE ANNUAL

REPORT OF THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY OF

NEW ZEALAND


A FEW INTERESTING TIPS IN FEEDING BIRDS

By Dr. Ranston and the Hon. Secretary


The feeding of “ blighties ” or Zosterops. —In England they treat

them as Sunbirds, giving them quantities of Snnbird nectar, of course

liquid. Better results will be obtained by feeding them a soft-billed

mixture such as is used for Pekin Nightingales, together with apple

and other fruit such as pears, and, to a minor extent, bananas. On

this diet, they will retain perfect plumage and live in an aviary for

many years. Several birds have been kept on this diet by Dr. Ranston

for five years.


Bengalese. —These little birds appreciate a diet containing plenty

of paddy rice and, on this seed, develop and grow considerably larger

than the usual small imported bird.


Pekin Nightingales and Zoster ops are partial to the skin of hulled

oats when other seed-eating birds have already eaten the kernel.


Honey-eating birds. —A tip picked up in Australia. The usual

nectar given is fed as a solution of far too great strength. As an

alternative diet, offer a teaspoonful of good honey to half a teacupful

of warm water with, added to it, as much genuine raw sugar as will

cover a sixpenny piece. The usual No. 3 brown sugar is not satis¬

factory, being refined to a certain extent. It is necessary to obtain

the genuine raw sugar as it comes into the refinery. This sugar is now

sold by many shops. It adds to the weak solution of honey and water

food substances missing in the honey. The mixture as fed to the

birds should taste only slightly sweet to humans.



BREEDING OF WHITE-WINGED WHYDAHS


On 14th November I noticed the male Whydah carrying straws

about—so on watching I saw him building a nest. He fastened it very

securely to the branches of a currant bush in a very exposed position.



