Feb, 19.—1 have been making a number of experiments recently in connection with the feeding of wild birds, some of which have given me interesting results. Titmice, for example, are pernickerty little creatures but if you cannot give them fat they will take any kind of nuts pea-nuts in their shells, strung on a wire, give the most amusing results, as they are able to break the shell with their bills: Brazil Nuts or Walnuts have to be partly broken for them, and of the two I find they prefer the Walnut; a broken walnut hung up on a string. out side the window can produce a lot of fun! The more or less omnivorous species such as Sparrow, Bulbul, Blackbird, Rook, Magpie, Mynah, Dove and Shrike will take almost any thing except cooked vegetables, and one thing which has annoyed me recently is to see them turning up their bosks at ordinary boiled potatoes—a most nourishing diet and one to be strongly recommended with bread and other ingredients of the "bird-menu" at their present high cost. The wretches would help me out with the remains of yesterday's mashed potatoe: (because of the butter and milk)...but a Dove, having swallowed a piece of boiled potato, would spit it out again! Then I suddenly remembered the findings of a Naval Commission which stated that all meals served to men must be appetizing in "appearance, smell and taste" (in the order named). So I mashed the boiled potato up in the milk and water "juice" of the ordinary food; added a little sugar and then stirred it up with the bread, rice and scraps: immediately the whole lot of them came and ate it greedily because it looked, smelt and tasted well...and left-overs of potato are now part of the staple diet. So I take off my hat to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty for their useful ti
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