On Ornamental Aviaries, 107 



Of the genus Parus, the parus major, or great titmouse. — 

 Parus coeruleus, or blue titmouse, are easily kept, and are 

 very pretty birds. I have myself kept none others of the 

 family. 



Of the coluraba, the columba turtra, turtle-dove, and se^ 

 veral foreign inmates, may be kept perfectly well, and they 

 are exceedingly prolific, gentle, and easily domesticated. There 

 is a white variety of the common Barbary dove, (which is 

 common all over the south of Europe,) which is a very ele- 

 gant and beautiful variety. The gallinacii are, perhaps, better 

 kept in an open poultry-yard than in the aviary, except the 

 gold pheasant, which is a proper appendage to it, and is to- 

 lerably hardy; but the silver and common pheasants, pi- 

 nioned by having the last joint of the wing cut off when they 

 are young, do better with a larger range than the aviary affords. 

 The genus perdix, however, are very pretty birds for the 

 aviary ; as the 



Perdix Cinerea Common Partridge 



Rufa Redlegged Partridge 



Coturnix or common Quail, 



but the latter are too delicate for this climate in general. The 

 only other bird I shall mention, as suitable for the aviary, is^ 

 the tringa vanellus, or common peewit, which feeds very well 

 on bread crumbs, worms, and other insects. I have thus enu- 

 merated most of the varieties of our British birds, which are ap- 

 propriate for the aviary. The continent of Europe and North 

 America afford many beautiful specimens which would live 

 in our climate ; and if the taste for ornamenting the aviary 

 were pursued with half as much zeal as for making acquisi- 

 tions for the green-house, the varieties would, indeed, be 

 great, and the pains well repaid ; and if the aviary were con- 

 structed with only moderate regard to preserving equal tempe- 

 rature, such as is sufficient for the ericae, proteae, acacise, 

 &c. &c., our aviaries might contain the most splendid speci- 

 mens of the merulae, tangarae, cotingae, &c., a far more inte- 

 resting mode of preserving them than as stuffed specimens. It 

 is to be hoped that the aviaries of the Zoological Society will 

 be models to show how many living beauties may be natu- 

 ralized in this country. But, if I might be allowed to make 



