Foreign Birds. •■ 177 



of wing feathers white; bill blackish, with a plumbeous sheen;. 

 feet brown. Total length 4| inches, tail If. 



Female: Greenish-grey above; bluish-grey on top of 



head; entire under surface pale bluish -grey, tinged on the 

 flanks with green. Bill and feet as male. 



The EUPHONIIN^ are not among the most satisfactory 

 of birds known to aviculturists; attractive and handsome they 

 certainly are, moreover most of the species have a really 

 good song, but, alas! they are not by any means long-lived 

 in captivity, and so far as my experience goes, the hens 

 appear to be more robust than the males. I have come 

 to the conclusion that in the winter they need warm quarters,, 

 while during the summer months they certainly need the free- 

 dom of the outdoor aviary. A birdroom fitted up as a winter 

 garden and kept at a minimum temperature of ^0 to 55 deg. 

 (F.) should suit them admirably, as well as forming suitable' 

 winter quarters for many other species — so kept during the 

 winter and turned out of doors as soon as the weather becomes 

 settled, some of the species should soon be bred — I hope some 

 of our members able to give this accommodation will make 

 the attempt. I hope to do so myself another season. Plants 

 should be chosen for their winter quarters which, will thrive 

 in a dryish atmosphere. 



To he continued. 



The Aviaries and Birds at Hoddam Castle. 



By Wesley T. Page, F.Z.S., Etc. 

 By the kindness of Mr. and Mrs. Brook I recently 

 (Maj 4 to 6) had the pleasure of seeing the unique collection 

 of birds at Hoddam Castle, and with their permission I am 

 describing them, and am assured that not only will the record 

 be of great interest, but very practical also, with the aid 

 of the photos kindly taken by Mr. Brook, and the ground 

 plans, the latter prepared from details supplied by the aviary 

 attendant, Mr. Shannon. I should add that the photos were 

 taken with a hand camera, and though only small, yet definition 

 is very clear, and instead of having them enlarged and only 

 using two, I have decided to reproduce the four, same size 

 as taken. 



