"OUR FEATHERED FRIENDS."

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20958, 22 August 1931, Page 4 (Supplement)

"OUR FEATHERED FRIENDS."

Dear Miss Morion,— Everyday this winter fc-e have had a regular visitor. It is a little sparrow which ha 3 been caught in a trap and in escaping has lost one of its lego. The poor little thing was hopping so painfully and slowly around on the path one Saturday morning, that we took pity on it and fed iV with crumbs. _ After that it came up every morning for its crumbs, and grew so tame that it will_ now feed ;i foot or eo away from us, without any fear. One day another one joined it, and it also had lost its leg. They both becamo Very tame and live at our place in hope of crumbs. The fantails are very tame this •winter, too, and will fly indoor 3 and n't about the kitchen looking for insects, While we lire working. Once a fantail visited rny mother on her birthday and perched on the electric light and sang a song to mum, vatching her interestedly with his bright bendy eyes all the time. Wasn't it kmd of him? I guess lie was trying to wish her a, happy birthday. A few months ago I was passing under the punga. arch when I heard pome queer squeaking noises above me. X looked up just in time to see a black starling fly into jihe hollow punga. Later, when I had a peep in, I saw three or four wee starlings in a cosy straw nest. Birds ure wonderful little creatures and ono can find out a lot of interesting facts _ about them by simply watching them quietly. Your loving pen-friend, Eunice Paul, upper Richmond Street/ Thames (ago 10). A CLEVER CANARY. "Dear Miss Morton, —We have a most outstandingly accomplished canary. At first lie had a brother and they led a jovial life in the worship of O/pheus. They enjoyed the /bright sunshine together for about a year "when .strife broke out. One morning we.; found a tiny dead mouse in the cage. Whether the mouse died of fright or whether ihe canaries killed it, we do not dispute. However, one canary seemed still on mischief bent and so killed his brother. That happened a few years ago and if the murderous little songster remembers his deed, lie certainly seems very proud of it now. If ever a bircrtried to talk, our eanury does. He has a different greeting for each member of'the family and he fries to drown the singing of the kettle, the noise_ of a Tunning tap or of a car passing in the / street. He particularly loves the hum of the vacuum cleaner and bursts into song the moment he hears it. He is hostile to nil the neighbouring thrushes who fly on to his cage and "steal his food, while he flies "furiously round his wire prison, pecking I hem at every opportunity. Of course, he is not always angry with others, for he is the dearest little bird in the world.—Love from your pen-friend, Dorothy Buchanan, 31a, Mount St. John Avenue, Epsom (age 15). V 7 THE YOUNG PUKEKOS. Dear Miss Morton, —Just below the back ,of our house 'there is a. swamp, in which two i>ukekos made their home. I'or some weeks wo very rarely caught a glimpse of either bird, until one day they appeared with five young birds. They have nil thrived and are now grown into big birds, and almost every day they are to lie seen feeding near the house. Sometimes they are close enough to be watched from p window. They prove quite amusing, for they break off a big shoot of clover and hold it in their claws. Then they use their benk and cat nil the young shoot 3 and fi'rop what remains. All the while their v.'hite fails bob up and down. One day they were frightened and they all flew back to the swamp in great haste. Down at the cowshed there are two wckns, which tome daily for some milk. They help themselves to fho rufilk, and sometimes the 3'ioliiasos and Ihe epap. too. Ido not think foiijt would be very digestible, but aa goon »» .the piece gets pmall they carry it off. However, these wekns still come around the tolled, and they ate becoming quite tame—j- rtn, = lin < your loving Pen-friend, Vera Hel--uarolienio, Kaipara, (Ago 17,) 1