1 JULY 1899, Page 25

BRAZILIAN MARMOSETS BREEDING IN ENGLAND. [TO THE EDITOR OF THE

"SPECTATOR."]

Spit,—A pair of marmosets which for the two past winters have had a free run of our greenhouse and garden (in Bucking- hamshire), produced two young ones on May 24th. They seem to thrive on freedom and exercise, and the young ones are now beginning to feed themselves. In hot weather they like to remain out all night, but at first they came in to their box in the greenhouse every evening, the male parent always carrying the twins on his back, their little, round, furry heads merely looking like small excrescences each side of his neck, and only handing them to the mother at feeding times, and then carefully lifting them back with both hands and settling them into position, where they seem to cling on without being held. Their favourite garden house appears to be an old bird's nest rather high up in a pink thorn-tree some distance from the greenhouse. They are very rarely seen upon the ground, but the female will answer to a call and come and feed from the hand. The food they like best consists of insects, bananas, an occasional young bird, and milk and