27 r 



many j-ears I debarred myself tlie pleasure of keeping these 

 lovely birds because I could not give them hothouse accommo- 

 dation ; but at last, like Mr. Farrar, I found their charms 

 irresistible, and elected to take the risk ; in due course I pro- 

 cured a pair, and though I have not yet succeeded in breeding 

 them, they are to-day (November 21st) the fittest and 

 cheeriest birds in my aviary. Of course I am aware that 

 Yorkshire is colder than London, but from my experience 

 with them I should not hesitate to keep them in any aviar\' (in 

 any locality) having a South aspect; if the situation was an 

 exposed one then I should so arrange that the aviary was only 

 open at the top and to the south. The only shelter my birds 

 get is a lean-to-shed, entirely open at the front (S), and the flight 

 is only open at the front (S) and top : possibly some will say cold 

 treatment is responsible for their not breeding, but I am sure 

 such is not the case, and the cause of ni)' lack of success in 

 that respect will be at once apparent, when I state that they 

 have for companions two species of Cardinals, Cockateels, 

 Budgerigars, etc. Kept indoors sufficient heat should be given 

 to exclude frost at least. [Why 1 — Ed]. Of course under such 

 conditions they get no special treatment ; they have access to 

 rice in the liusk, canary, millet, oats, wheat, rape, hemp, blue 

 maw, sunflower, and dari, soft food mixture consisting of fine 

 Game or Partridge Meal, household breadcrumbs, best ants' 

 cocoons, dried flies, fine crissel, grocers' currants, and boiled 

 potatoes, also fruit and greenstuff". From observation they take 

 a little of all except the hemp, which I have never seen them 

 take. I should sa)' in the summer the}' get an almost unlimited 

 supply of grass flowers, and also at the present time whenever 

 they are procurable free from frost. My birds bathe (I have a 

 glazed sink sunk in the ground for bath with a number of stones 

 in the bottom of it); the Gouldians do not go into the deepest 

 part as most of the birds do, but generally choose a place where 

 their legs are well covered, and the body only just touches the 

 water; nevertheless they splash themselves well, and get their 

 plumage thoroughly wet all over. In conclusion, for this is 

 already much longer than I anticipated, I will simply say that 

 although the weather of the past six weeks has been a mixture 

 here in London of cold, wet, fog, and frost, with only an occa- 

 sional sunu}', genial day sandwiched in between, they have come 

 through it all smiling, and if outward appearances count for 

 anything at all, they are thoroughly sound, healthy, happy, 

 and contented. 



The lovely Parrot Finch is just as hardy, and will thrive 



