Letter: Rind robins

Sir: With reference to your conundrum about bacon rind for birds (letter, 13 November), most birds common to the British garden are unaccustomed to consuming animal fat. The salt in bacon is in a concentration unlikely to be consumed naturally by, for example, a sparrow or tit.

However, bacon rind has been discovered in the nests of some birds, where it has also had the benefit of transferring grease to the plumage of young birds, thus affording valuable waterproofing.

NATHAN SMEDLEY

Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire