24 My Aviaries and Birds. 



The hen Black-backed Tanager (cock, whose skin 1 hav", 

 was a gors^eous specimen j is the sole survivor out of live which 

 I bottght from liamlyn last July — a tale of woe which I will 

 not enlarge upon. 



Small Terrace Aviary : This only now contains three 

 Triangular Spotted Pigeons, two of which (very tine ones) were 

 very kindly given to me by I^ord Lilford, to change my blood. 

 Besides my old breeding pair I have three young ones in the 

 Plouse Aviary, and 1 am now putting up a small lean-to tempor- 

 ary aviary for some of these birds, from which I intend to let 

 them out (to roam at liberty) by degrees, commencing in the 

 month of April, when the wild Wood-pigeon shooting in this 

 neighbourhood is over — there are larger flocks this year, it may 

 be noted in passing ! 1 see no reason why the African Speckled 

 Pigeon should not be natm-alised ; they are very hardy and nest 

 in exactly the same manner as the Stock Dove — indeed last 

 summer, by changing over the eggs, I got a young Speckled 

 Pigeon reared by a wild Stock Dove, and a beautiful pair of 

 the latter, hatched and reared by my Speckleds in the aviary ! 



It may be of interest to state that the young may be 

 separated from their parents when three weeks to a month old 

 indeed if they are left mtich longer their parents persecute them 

 relentlessly and peck them raw, especially if they have gone to 

 nest again ! 



In the Large Terrace Aviary I have : 



pair Red-billed Weavers (Qiielea quelea). 



pair Bearded Tits (Partis cristatus). 



pair Siskins (Chrysomitris spinus). 



pair Twites {Linota favirostris). 



pair Bramblintjs (Friiii^illa montifringilla). 



cock Snow P>untingf {Plectrnphenax nivalis). 



There have been many losses in this aviary during the 

 autumn and winter, and the stock is much reduced. A pair of 

 Scaly-crowned Finches {Sf'oro pipes squaniiirous) disappeared 

 before Christmas, and I have not yet found them dead or alive! 



The Bearded Tits nested twice, four infertile eggs on each 

 occasion. Cirl i Bimtings also nested and hatched out but 

 failed to rear; this pair are now dead. 



It may interest members to know that five Waxwing? 

 were seen in this parish (Leadenham. Lines.) in November 



