10 



BIRD NEWS 



l^'xvh ^^uis 



FREDERICK W. D' EVELYN, Editor 

 Send all Manuscript to this Department 



CHILDREN'S PETS EXHIBITION. 



The first of its kind ever held iu 

 California, was held last week in the 

 famous home city of Alameda. The 

 show was most popular as was proved 

 by the constant stream of visitors 

 which thronged its aisles every hour 

 of the two days it was open. The 

 clases for birds, while somewhat 

 amateurish, owing to the tender age 

 of the average competitor, were well 

 filled. The birds — especially in the 

 canary classes — were not by any 

 means "standard types," still the in- 

 terest in the prize winners was none 

 the less intense. Most interest how- 

 ever centered around the classes for 

 "small foreign birds" — many excel- 

 lent specimens of Waxbills, Diamond 

 Finches, Bengalee and Mannikius 

 were entered. Most of which had 

 been bred in local avaries. 



A nest of "grey pates" — first 

 known to have been raised in Cali- 

 fornia — attracted much attention. 



This show may reasonably be con- 

 sidered as the first step towards a 

 "Bird Show." It may not be many 

 years before a Pacific Coast "Crystal 

 Palace," "Great National" be an- 

 nounced. 



AVIARY NOTES. 



An interested subscriber, R. H. 

 M., writes: "I know nothing about 

 birds but I am anxious to have a 

 mixed lot hard and soft bills, etc. I 

 have in mind the construction of an 

 aviary 8x12'' For the number of 

 birds to area space, read article in 

 former issue. You will find better 



satisfaction as you "known nothing 

 about birds" to take up either hard 

 or soft bills — preferably the for- 

 mer, being seed eaters, they require 

 less care, are accordingly hardier 

 and will afford object lessons by 

 which you can gain experience. Any 

 variety of seed-eaters would be suit- 

 able, canaries, Java sparrows, and 

 finches including the smaller foreign 

 varieties which are very attractive 

 and generally breed freely — "Ben- 

 galese, Diamond Sparrows, Waxbills" 

 — you will find it better to have an 

 uncovered flight. Grass sow a small 

 area. Get some coarse weeds and 

 plant thereon, also geraniums and 

 shrubs. You will obtain a better ef- 

 fect by having fewer inmates and a 

 jungly growth of plants and bushes. 

 A wax bill, a sis kin or a bishop 

 finch perching on a bunch of grow- 

 ing weeds or other green stuff — 

 amidst the sun shine is a sight 

 that looks so real and attractive that 

 it well repays the extra care to ob- 

 tain. Nothing is less attractive than 

 the effect of a big cage of all sorts 

 of birds. Make the protected part 

 of your shed free from damp, wet 

 and draught; provide cozy corners 

 for sleeping boxes and perches. Later 

 on you may increase your divisions 

 and take up larger birds — Budgeri- 

 gars, Cardinals, Cockateels, Lori- 

 keets. 



We should be pleased to receive 

 photos of birds and nests in situ, with 

 permission to have same reproduced 

 in some of our London Exchanges. 



Wesley T. Page, F. Z. S., has most 

 generously forwarded for reproduc- 

 tion in Bird News, a series of his 

 most excellent contributions to many 

 leading magazines. These will ap- 

 ])ear from time to time. 



Read Bird News — and pass it on. 



