8o Spring ill Ony Avicrics. 



Spring in our Aviaries. 



By W. Shork Baily, I'.Z.S. 



To the aviciiltnrist, early spriny is always an anxious 

 time. The weather in our islands during the months of April 

 and May is always very changeable and uncertain. We are 

 quite likely to get, as happened this year, extremely warm 

 weather in April, followed by almost Arctic conditions towards 

 the end of May. This generally means many losses in the 

 aviaries from pneumonia, egg-binding, etc. The deaths' in my 

 aviaries this season from these and other causes have been veiy 

 heavy, and I can only hope that oitr other members have been 

 more forttmate in this respect. 



Towards the end of March the problem of re-stocking the 

 empty outdoor aviaries has to be considered. ( )f cotu'se, in 

 some of these aviaries there are birds that have been wintered 

 cut of doors, and it is even more important in these cases to 

 consider what fresh birds can be introduced with safety. In 

 re-stocking an empty aviary the risk of loss from qtiarrelling 

 amongst the birds is not so great, but even here a good many 

 losses from fighting will probably take place, as the different 

 pairs come into breeding condition. No hard and fast rule 

 as to what birds can be safely kept together can be drawn up, 

 but it is generally safe to keep one pair each of five or six 

 different species in a moderate-sized aviary, h^or instance, one 

 might keep one pair of Thrushes, one pair of Weavers, one pair 

 C'( Whydahs, one pair of Finches, and one pair of Buntings in 

 one aviary; while in another pairs each of Cardinals, Larks, 

 Weavers, Waxbills. and Bulbuls might be kept. It will not do 

 to keep two pairs of Thrushes, Cardinals, or Buntings in the 

 same aviary, neither is it safe to keep two totally different 

 species, if of the same colour, together. For instance, Creen 

 Cardinals would probably kill Yellow Weavers or Saffron 

 Finches, and the latter bird would certainly kill Green Singing- 

 finches or Yellow Siskins. 



About the first pair of birds to go to nest in my aviaries 

 this season were a pair of Dominican Cardinals. These went 

 to nest early in March in a conifer. The nest was extremely 

 small for the size of the bird. l)eing about the size of a 

 Blackcap's, but not so deep. Up to date (May 25th) they have 



