Birds for London Aviaries 



a finer bird than any of these ; while any visitor 

 to the Zoo can see how far inferior are even 

 the most gaudy parrots to its splendour. The 

 only drawback is that this beautiful plumage 

 does not appear till the bird is a year old. 



The adult gold pheasant in his full splendour 

 of gold and scarlet is an expensive bird, and 

 even a yearling costs half-a-guinea. But gold 

 pheasants can be had for nothing, or even at 

 a profit, by buying a sitting of the eggs, which 

 cost about a shilling each, and confiding them 

 to a reliable hen. Then, as soon as the sexes 

 can be distinguished, those which are not wanted 

 can be sold off, and, with ordinary luck in the 

 hatching and rearing, the initial expense can 

 be more than covered. If breeding is not de- 

 sired, all the young cocks can be kept, and 

 will " grow in beauty side by side " and live 

 in peace. But if a single hen is left with them, 

 that aviary will exemplify natural selection and 

 survival of the fittest till its owner is left with 

 a fine collection of feathers suitable for salmon- 

 flies and perhaps one dilapidated bird ! Many 

 people will like, however, to breed from their 

 birds, and then the hens should be kept, and a 

 cock procured by exchange from some other 

 stock to avoid in-breeding. It will be noticed 

 that all the birds I have mentioned are foreigners, 



but some of them, at all events, are British sub- 



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