so Aviary Observations. 



out for myself, carefully weighing what seemed to me the 

 best points of each. Quite early I was called upon to face 

 the question of direct interference with nests and examination 

 of young, or take tlie other counse of making such observation 

 as I could unobtrusively. In other words, should I observe 

 them under the most natural conditions possible, or should I by 

 active interference and bold curiosity, set up even more arti- 

 ficial conditions than the limitations of aviary life enforced? 

 For myself I decided on the former course, viz., to practise 

 unobtrusive observation as the principal means to reach the 

 end I had in view, viz., to secure as much information as 

 possible, combined wi;h the most natural conditions my accom- 

 modation would permit. 



I will illustrate my point by referring my readers to 

 Mr. Willford's beautiful photos of bird life, which have ap- 

 peared in recent volumes of Bird Notes — compare these with 

 the earlier photos depicting similar scenes; in the latter the 

 birds mostly had an alarmed and scared appearance, while in 

 the former the birds are quite natural and unconcerned, whe- 

 ther engaged in the duties of incubation or feeding their 

 young, and so complete has been the success of the hiding- 

 tent and other similar means that time exposures are pos- 

 sible in some cases— it is idle to ask which photos are the most 

 valuable— thus unobtrusively I would glean the life history of 

 the birds in my aviary. 



At the same time I have held, and still hold, no hard 

 and fast method, but use every means, which the environment of 

 the aviary permits, and my ingenuity can contrive, to pry 

 as closely into their domestic affairs as is possible without 

 destroying the naturalness of their demeanour. 



JSIow before describing the various methods I have 

 used, among which has been the direct examination of eggs 

 and young, let me state what I have gleaned from this 

 practice and when 1 have used it. 



In the first place, when I have once bred a species, I 

 never hesitate to examme the eggs and the young in the second 

 or following nest.s, to supply any data lacking from the previ- 

 ous event. At the samo time I must confess, that with one 

 exception (Orange -cheeked ^^'axbill), all the nests I so treated 

 this past season (iyi2) were deserted m the end, such as : 



