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home as one can imagine for its size, and I have had 

 various British birds, especially with a view to nesting. 

 I began with pairs of the British finches and some 

 soft bills, and I tried them in crowds and in single 

 pairs. It ma\^ be stated at once, however, that the 

 study of the birds under these conditions is very in- 

 teresting, and one thoroughly learns their various 

 notes — but that although a certain amount of courtship 

 may go on — the practical nesting results are few and 

 far between ; and even where nests are made and egg» 

 laid the chances are greatly against the hatching and 

 rearing of the young. 



I think a verj^ important and practical difficulty is 

 the mating up of the birds — making sure you have a 

 real pair — as in so many species the sexes are alike. 

 One year I tried to get a true pair of hand-reared 

 Missel Thrushes, determined to give them the whole 

 place to themselves. Well, I advertised extensively. 

 When I asked for cocks I had shoals of replies ; when 

 I advertised for a hen I had also shoals of replies. A 

 few people I noticed had evidently rather short 

 memories and answered both my advertisements with 

 an offer of the same bird. To cut a long story short, 

 I finally had purchased some six or seven, until I felt 

 that I had at last secured a true pair, and consigned 

 them to the aviar}', which they had the run of for two 

 months in early spring. Nothing having happened I 

 subsequently determined by dissection that they were 

 two hens ! 



The next year, determined to be on the safe side, 

 I procured a cock and hen Bramblefinch, and they 

 also had the run of the big aviary to themselves from 

 March to July. The cock bird, as spring advanced, 

 put on very fine breeding plumage ; his head becoming 

 absolutely black, losing all the brown mottling. He 

 paid quite marked attentions to the hen, which were 

 not however reciorocated by her; and so, althoirgh in' 



