174 Visits to Members^ Aviaries. 



aviaries I went on to Mr. Croker's and spent a pleasant 

 day and night' with him and his feathered and furry friends. 

 Mr, Croker's aviaries, too, have been described more than 

 once ; the main improvement, which has been carried out since 

 my hist visit, has been the additioii of a domed roof to the 

 flight of the Finch Aviary, adding materially to the space for 

 exercise. Here, too, though there were a goodly number of 

 birds, losses have not been replaced. The birds have gone 

 through the winter well and more than one brood of Cut- 

 throats and Zebra Finches have left the nest and been suc- 

 cessfully reared during its course. 



In, the various aviaries I noted the following species 

 (no,t; a full list) : 



British Species.— Gold,- Chaff-, Green-, Bramble-, and Bullfinches ; 

 Corn, Reed, and Cirl Buntings; Hedge Accentors; Blue and Cole Tits; 

 Linnets; Redpolls; Jays; Magpies; Raven; Yellow Wagtail. 



Foreign Finches and Weavers, etc.,— Rihhon, Zebra, and Saffron 

 Finches ; Paradise and Pintail Whydahs ; Russ', Red-billed Madagascar, 

 and Orange Weavers ; Gold-breasted, and Grey Wagtails ; Cordon Bleus ; 

 Black-headed Mannikins ; Combasous ; Pekin Robins; Pope Cardinals, etc. 



Pheasants. — These comprised Golden, Lady Amherst's, and hybrids 

 between these two species, also Silvers. 



Doves.— These consisted of quite a flock of Barbary and Turtle 

 Doves, and a number of fertile hybrids between the two species ; many 

 of these hybrids being very handsome. 



Parrakeets -.—i^inmerous Budgerigars, and Madagascar Lovebi.d;. ; 

 Quaker, Rosella, Moustache and Ring-neck Parrakeets. The Quaker Parra- 

 keets, whose nest we figured in last Vol. of " Bird Notes," successfully 

 rear several young birds annually. 



In cages I jioticed a fine and talented Roseate Cocka- 

 too, and a beautiful ancf rare Horsefield's Whistling Thrush 

 (probably the only one in England at the present time). 



In the Finch aviary were quite a number of Crest and 

 Crest-bred Canaries, which stay out of doors all the year 

 round, all but fully fledged young were in the nest at the time 

 of my visit. 



Mr. C. F. Le.'\ch's Aviaries: My visit was but a 

 short one, a walk round without a note book, so I must 

 jot down a few descriptive notes from memory. The aviaries 

 are 'picturesquely placed in the midst of a beautiful and spaci- 



