244 Bakloh Aviary Notes. 



there is a Jiice crop of grass and weeds in the flight, in other 

 parts floor is flagged. Outside near aviary Ligh*!: at the jconier 

 of the bungalow is a ibougainvillea anirl a fig tree, the twigs of 

 the latter I try to train through the wire in early spring, 

 but the Imali in my absence invariably prunes off these twigs 

 and I have to conteint ^myself with a few later trained twigs. 

 A fig tree inside would either die or lift the roof ofl^ wlien one 

 was away. Inside (the same corner), I Imve put in a large 

 ihiydrangea bush in a tub. Then I have built up some low 

 mounds with artificial holes for Chats, Rock Thrushes, &c., 

 with stones, earth and grass. These my wife in the feminine 

 intuitive way calls "quail 'dug-outs," they are not dug out 

 and I fhave no quail but still there you are, they " look like " 

 (as Mark Twain's Eve puts it) quail dug-outs. Anyhow, my 

 tame chats refuse to use them, preferring an unnatural Parra- 

 keet box and I bave known wild Chats use far inferior artificial 

 sites by the satae artist in the campound. I suppose I shall 

 have to get some Quail when I ^get back, I'll bet that, unsuit- 

 able for Quail as they are, they will be snapped up at once. 



Water is given iji flight twice a 'day in large shallow 

 iron pans. Food is placed under cover in dishes, standing 

 inside larger dishes, in dififerent parts. Food consists of 

 dry cake, insect Jnixture, and live food, chiefly mealworms and 

 wild things when procurable and sometimes maggots and (when 

 I had my, old mali) earthworms; fruits when procurable. 

 Flying white wints when iprocurable are good and dried ones 

 are also good, but one is able to get them in such small quan- 

 tities. There seem to be millions, but collecting them in 

 thousands, or even hundreds is dift'ej^nt; ithey do not tome out 

 at night .with us or the lamp on a brick in a basin of water 

 would do the trick. When I feel energetic enough to polish 

 up some rough letters I've startled, I hope to lay the seeds 

 of a business" wh*^re I shall be able to buy dried termites 

 and also silkworm pupae. This lajnp game and net sweep- 

 ing provide a fair amount of live food at certain seasons, 

 thoroughly dried, sun or oven, and kept in dry place in air- 

 tight receptacles. Those jam jars with screw lid, inner lid 

 and rubber waslheil are "it." I've had dried white ants 

 (texmiies-rlYing), for over two years in such! a jar and the.se 



