6 Freely I))rpo)'ted Speciet^ and their Treattnent. 



B. Area under slielter shed I'e.so'ved for food lioppers, dry sand, 



grit, etc. 

 ('. .Square of plutc glass in front of B. 

 E.E.E.E. Hinged flaps Uw feeding, and rieaning jmrposes, without 



going inside aviary. 

 E. Uoor to aviai'y, was only used twice a year, foi- i-enewing 



branches and genei'al clean out. 

 G. C(tvered end, quite open to flight, under which nesting I'eceptacles 



were arranged. 

 H. Open portion of flight, which was covered witli panels of ivire- 



netting of half-inch diamond mesh. 



It only remains to say the framing was vei>' light, the 

 woodworlc all iialf-inch matching, and that the aviary was a 

 great success for three years, when it was replaced by a much 

 largei' one. It contained Java SparroAvs, Cutthroats, Ava- 

 davats, Bronze and Tri-coloui' Mannikins, Redpolls, Chalfinches, 

 Crreenfinclies, Bullfinches, and Bramblefinch; the Java Spar- 

 rows, Cutthroats, Ihonze Mannikins, a,nd Bulllinches, all l)red 

 and rearcMl young, but my slory for this month is about tlie 

 (Cutthroats only. 



This pail' of birds was i)rocured in July l.S.S"), and 

 phiced out of doors at once. There were a number of 

 nesting receptacles in the enc.dosure from among which they 

 choose a three comi)artment box, almost filling one of the outer 

 compartments with hay, grass, withered chickweed, groundsel 

 stems and feathers : tliree eggs were laid and all duly hatched 

 out, incubation lasting fourteen days; when the young were 

 about three or four days old the cock died, apparently in a fit, 

 for he was in [lerfect plumage, and showed no outw^ard evidence 

 of any ailment whatever. I was very verdant as to breeding 

 topics in those days, and my pi-evious high excitement became 

 very near akin to despair, but the hen continued to feed and 

 at the age of twenty-one days three fine young birds left the 

 nest, two hens and one cock, for the young males possess the 

 ruby collaret in the nestling plumage. I cannot attempt to 

 describe my excitement, but it was very real, and the memory 

 of it is still very fresh; their mother shared my excitement, 

 and would not let any of the other aviary inmates come near 

 her precious offspring. It was the same while the young were 

 in the nest, not a bird Avas permitted to approach the nest, 

 if one looked in he left in a great hurry — on one occasion 



