15 



would-be jailer, they all burst into song, such glad and 

 glorious song, that I resolved to abandon my intention 

 and accordingly retreated, my exit being hailed witli 

 such a chorus of delight that I in no way regretted 

 my determination to let them continue in liberty. 



Now, since I had decided to no more make my 

 Tanagers captives, I had to devise some means of 

 ensuring them warmth and shelter ; this I did by 

 placing small bundles of hay in the pea-sticks, and by 

 nailing the flat side of some old straw-hats, with small 

 holes cut in the crowns, to the aviary walls, thus 

 enabling the birds to get inside the hats at night for 

 warmth, whilst the hay in the pea-sticks effectually 

 sheltered them from cold and draught in the day- 

 time. This plan has succeeded admirably, and even 

 at this late period of the year — December — my birds 

 are still in the aviary, and I have never seen them in 

 better health or brighter plumage. Here let me state, 

 in passing, that I have found Dr. Creswell's assertion 

 (made in the pages of Bird Notes some time ago) that 

 any birds could be trusted in an aviary, if they were 

 protected from cold at night, to be quite justified by 

 my experiment in this direction, so perhaps some of 

 my bird keeping friends will now take courage, and 

 embark on what I have proved to be a successful and 

 pleasing venture. 



I will conclude this brief article b}^ saying that I 

 give the Tanagers, twice daily, mealworms, in addition 

 to soft food and fruit, which alone I hardly thought 

 suflScient to impart the warmth requisite to their 

 proper nourishment and well-being during these cold 

 and cheerless davs of winter. 



