^U flights Reserved, 3anuari?. 1922. 



BIRD NOTES: 



~ THE — 

 JOURNAL OF THE FOREIGN BIRD CLUB. 



Mannihins. 



By Wesley T. 1'agk, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. 



To the general run of aviculturists the Mannikin group 

 are the least pleasing of the Family PLOCEIDJE, and I can 

 almost picture a grimace of disgust on the faces of some of my 

 readers when they notice the title of this article. Well, I'm a 

 bit of an outsider, for I find some members of this group both 

 pleasing and interesting, and T have kept most of them. 



I am not speaking of cage-life, for when kept in cages 

 most of them are listless and lack interest, except, perhaps, the 

 Bronze Mannikin and Bib Finch. 



My experience of them is in the garden (wilderness) 

 aviary — one that allows space for flight, and containing room 

 for several tall evergreen bushes; here, if not as vivacious as 

 the Pekin Robin, they are neither dull nor uninterestmg, far 

 from it. for seen against the foliage of some evergreen bush 

 they are noticeable and pleasing birds. 



,By wilderness aviary I do not mean merely a dense tangle 

 of wild growth, but a well planned arrangement of open spaces, 

 bushes and patches of tangled grass and herbage. While con- 

 sidering how to fill up this issue I came across a photo (taken 

 last year) of the interior of flight of the Duchess of vVellington's 

 wilderness aviary, which well illustrates this point (see opposite) ; 

 unfortunately the photo only covers the ornamental central 

 avenue of the aviary, but behind the flower beds, on either side 

 of the aviary, everything is left to grow wild, and here amid 

 the tall grass Giant Whydahs have reared young for several 

 years in succession, and Indigo Buntings also have successfullv 

 reared their offspring. The illustration also shows that it is 



