410 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
days, sticking some of them into a paste of bread and 
milk and liempseed, until they at length become accustomed 
to the paste alone; they should then be fed either on that, 
or, in addition, with meat and egg chopped small, and occa¬ 
sionally a branch with aphides upon it, which they will very 
soon clear, or a few maggots. The young ones are reared 
in the same manner as the Wood Wren. The Willow Wren 
is fond of milk, and will drink it out of a teaspoon if held 
out to it, after being kept for a short time. It soon becomes 
excessively tame, picking the flies or other insects offered to 
it from the lingers of its keeper; and is a very interesting 
pretty little bird, nestling at night close up to its congeners 
for the sake of warmth, or if you have many, occupying the 
perch in a row like a soldier’s rank. 
THE CHIEF CHAFF. 
Insessores Dentirostres. Sylviad® Insectivora. 
Sylvia Hippolais; Motacilla Hippolais; Trochilus minor; 
Regulus Hippolais; Sylvia Rnfa; Curruca Hippolais; 
Sylvia loquax. Lesser Pettychaps; Least Willow Wren; 
Hedge Warbler. 
This is almost the first of our summer visitants, arriving 
here very early in the spring; is of a lively and active dispo¬ 
sition, uttering its peculiar song as it hops from tree to tree, 
which may be readily distinguished from every other bird by 
its singularity, resembling, as near as words can express, 
“ Chipp-chopp, cherry-cherry ; chip-chop, cherry.” On their 
arrival, their food consists of larvar of different species of 
insects found rolled up in the leaves and buds of trees, and, 
while flying from tree to tree, catching any winged insects, 
such as gnats, that may come in their way. They are purely 
insectivorous. This bird, like the two former, is easily kept 
in confinement, resorting to the same means, which I need 
not here repeat. The three species above-named are rather 
more delicate than the Nightingales, Blackcaps, or White- 
throats, and are seldomer kept in confinement from their 
delicacy and having a less robust song; nevertheless, in 
shape and colour they are exceedingly beautiful, often very 
tame, and altogether very interesting. I have kept them 
some time, having all the class Sylviadse together, so that 
each can take its own choice of the variety of food placed in 
a large aviary. If kept in small cages, these must be kept 
remarkably clean. 
THE FIELDFARE. 
Insessores Dentirostres. Merulidie. 
Tardus Pilaris; Merida Pilaris; The Felt; Pigeon Felt. 
This bird is large and handsome, and is very readily kept 
in confinement. As it does not breed in this country, being 
migratory, arriving here in the month of October, and leaving 
in the month of March, old birds only can be procured, 
which, if placed in a large cage secured from observation, 
will very soon feed themselves if supplied with a number of 
the berries of hips and haws; these, if stuck in the paste 
of oatmeal, referred to in the description of the Missel 
Thrush, will soon attract the attention of the birds after 
being kept a few hours in quiet, impelled at last by hunger 
to supply themselves with the means afforded. The berries 
being his natural food, with worms, if stuck into his paste, 
he will pluck out, and as portions of the paste will often 
adhere to the berry, he will, after tasting it, at length be 
content with that alone ; but, in my treatment, I always gave 
my birds as great a variety of food as possible, throwing 
into my large aviary berries, seeds of various kinds, and 
pieces of meat, and cooked vegetables, such as potatoes, 
peas, and greens. This variety of food kept them always in 
health. The call-note of this bird is harsh and disagree¬ 
able, and whatever may be said of his song in his own 
country, in this it is one continual grating noise, a sort of 
garrulous prating of his harsh call-note, without the slightest 
pretension to song. They become soon reconciled to con¬ 
finement, but evinced no disposition to breed in my aviary, 
and I kept them some years. They are very fond of bathing, 
which should be encouraged with all birds. 
W. Rayner. 
[September 25. j 
DOMESTIC MECHANISM. 
The “Economic” Bed-room Stove. — We have long 
looked upon a cheap stove, in which the refuse of coal could 
be burned, as a desideratum. As an attempt to attain this 
we constructed a stove of the form shown in the sketch, j 
It was, in the first instance, made of 
strong block-tin, and cost, all com- I 
plete, Is. 3d. This was soon burnt 
out, although it lasted an amazing 
time considering the thinness of the i 
material. As, however, the most I 
common refuse of coal was burnt in 
it, it would have been a “ good invest¬ 
ment ” to have got a fresh one every 
month. Made of good sheet-iron, 
they lasted a long time; one, well 
treated, would easily last a winter, 
and would cost somewhere about 2s.; 
in many districts, Is. 0d., of the size as follows :—Diameter 
of stove at bottom, 8 inches ; at top, tapering to 5 inches ; i 
total height, 8 inches. Size of smoke-tube, 2£ inches 
diameter; of length, sufficient to reach the chimney when 
the stove rests on the hearth. The smoke-tube of the stove 
we had was supported in a wire ring, suspended «. few inches 
from the under-side of the chimney-bearer; when requiring 
to be cleaned, we passed a small flexible wire down the tube, 
which, having a tuft of flax at its end, soon cleared all the 
soot out. A small damper-valve should be made at or near 
where the smoke-tube joins the top of the stove; this is neces¬ 
sary to regulate the draught, as it is surprising how brightly 
and rapidly the fuel consumes in this form of stove. The 
top of the stove we had made in the form of a lid, similar to 
that of a pitcher or stewpan, but made to fit rather tightly 
in when cold; the heat expanding the metal, the lid, with the 
smoke-tube attached, could be easily removed when the 
chimney required cleaning. The fuel was supplied by the 
small door made at the side. The stove rested on a plate 
of iron; or a tray could be cheaply made on which to place 
it, and collect the ashes. We shall, in a future article, show 
how easily this simple form of stove can be adapted for cook¬ 
ing purposes. B. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
*** We request that no one will write to the departmental writers of 
The Cottage Gardener. It gives them unjustifiable trouble and 
expense. All communications should be addressed “ To the Editor of 
The Cottage Gardener, 2, Amen Corner, Paternoster Row, London, 
A Coal Fund. —A valued correspondent writes to us thus:—“In 
addition to the many excellent plans suggested in Tiie Cottage Gar¬ 
dener for improving the condition of the working-classes, there is one 
which I should like to mention, not for its novelty, but for its simplicity 
and usefulness, if rightly managed. It may be rendered serviceable in 
either town or country. It is a coal fund. We all know that coals are 
generally dearer in winter than in summer ; and the poor have mostly to 
pay the higher price. They are 6d. per bushel with us now, and in 
January will probably be 8d. or 9d. I have just contracted for our parish 
coals below the 6d. per bushel, in consequence of the quantity taken, 
and in December next shall call upon a few of my wealthier neighbours 
for their annual subscription (about ^?10); this sum will enable me not 
only to reduce the price to 4d. per bushel, but, being added to the 
amount received from their sale, allows .€’30 to be laid out in coals, or 
1200 bushels being purchased. Thus the poor families in our parish, 
which are about one hundred in number, have twelve bushels each, 
or at the rate of one bushel per week, during the three winter months. 
Further in this direction the hand of assistance need not extend. Now 
as to the mode of delivery. On Saturday morning, the week before 
Christmas, at nine o’clock, every cottager who is a resident occupier 
brings or sends one shilling, and receives for it a ticket or order on the 
merchant for three bushels of coals, to be delivered on application ; and 
the names of the recipients being alphabetically arranged in a small 
book, and successively ticked off, in half-an-hour the work is finished. 
The same plan is followed every third week ; anil the person for the use 
of the room where the tickets are given out receives, each time, 6d. 
Thus for 2s. current expenses, and with very Uttle trouble, one individual 
may so manage a coal fund, that the poor of any district can be supplied 
in winter with coals at about half their usual price.”—S, P., Rushmere. 
Alstriemeria aurea Sowing (T. D.).— If you have it true it does 
not require a greenhouse or pit to get up the seeds. Sow them in Octo- 
