All riijlils resfirvfid. i-'KP,RT\vi;v. 1911. 



BIRD NOTES: 



THE 



JOURNAL OF THE FOREIGN BIRD CLUB. 



My Waders Aviary. 



j-)y H. WiLLFORD. 



Some onfinirit's for notes on keepin.n' Waders in cai:)tivity 

 liavin.i;' been made to our Editor, he lias asked me for an article 

 dealing with these deliglitful birds, and of course I am only too 

 pleased to comply with his request. 



Although my study of these birds in captivity is not of long 

 duration, I have for a number of years lieen interested in them in 

 a wild state, coming across many of them whilst wild fowling 

 along the coast. 



Perhaps a few notes on the consti'uction of my latest 

 Waders Aviary may l)e of interest : — It is ))uilt at the l)ack of 

 some other aviaries and measures seventy-one feet long ))y 

 seventy-one feet wide l)y nine feet high, a l^rick foundation stand- 

 ing about one foot high runs all round, and on this rest sections 

 twelve feet long, constructed of three by two inch quartering and 

 bolted together ; these sections have match-boarding two feet 

 high, which form some little protection from the weather as well 

 as stray cats or dogs. 



At one side the roof is raised and pitched to allow four or 

 five large apple trees to grow without lopping their l)ranches. 



The whole of this sti-ucture is covered with one inch mesh 

 wire netting, l)ut to any one tliinking of l)uilding such an aviary, 

 I would suggest that they use half inch mesh, for most Wadei'fe 

 appear harmless to small finches, and where there are plenty of 

 trees and bushes one might keep some of the freely imported 

 Finches or Buntings, or for that matter even Tanagers. 



In the centre of the Aviary is a pond measuring twenty 

 feet by nineteen. This consists of a hole dug out three feet deep 

 and concreted all rountl the sides and bottom to hold water — when 

 the concrete was set quite hard, sandy earth was filled in to form a 

 gradual slope from the sides to the centre, this earth also allows of 



