180 Visits to Members' Avian e.^. 



a small pond, and a number of evergreen "bushes. The whole 

 effect is very pleasing, especially when viewed from the 

 rustic arbour, which forms Major Johnson's observation post. 

 The other portion is divided off into three smaller enclosures, 

 either for pugnacious species, new arrivals, or for species' 

 which are too timid for the general crowd; and here for the 

 present I must leave my description of the aviaries, simply 

 remarking that the well-kept turf and paths formed a fitting 

 setting for a unique series of our British birds. 



(The Birds: Here again, my remarks 'can only be 

 general and but little more than 'a list. Since my visit I 

 have had a most interesting letter from Major Johnson, in 

 which he says, as might be expected his breeding results are 

 small, though many attempts are made. Speaking of Waders, 

 he says. "I am fond of Waders, which do well and give little 

 "or no trouble, and I have just obtained a nice pair of Oyster- 

 " Catchers (Hemaiopus : ostralegui^) . Once I possessed the 

 "Curlew Sandpiper {Tringa suharqua^a), and the Sanderling 

 " {Calidris arenaria), but they were killed by an infernal 

 " Egyptian Rail and I do not seem able to replace them. Con- 

 " sidering the great admixture of birds, you would be surprised 

 " how few tragedies there are— one day a cock Corn Bunting 

 "ran amok and killed my pet Scarlet Grosbeak (PyrrJiuJa 

 " erythrinai), also my Black-headed Bunting (Euspiza melano- 

 " cephala); the Corn Bunting has no longer a place in the 

 " aviary." ; 



"'Jim' the old Great-Spotted Woodpecker (Dcndroeopus 

 " ma}nr) will not tolerate any other Woodpecker near him, and 

 " my Common Wren (Troglodytes parvuhts) killed nine or 

 " ten other Wrens during the last year, being evidently of the 

 " opinion that there is only room for one Wren in that aviary. 

 " Nightingales occasionally kill each other, but on the whole 

 "get bn well together." 



I have taken the liberty of including the above as it 

 conveys a general idea of the demeanour of the birds thus 

 associated together — the actual losses from malicious fighting 

 being very small, as I gathered from the laviary attendant, while it 

 was of great interest to see the number of species that came 

 down to the close -clipped grass and picked out the mealworms, 

 amiably competing for same as ^hey were scattered by the 



