Early Experiences. 153 



Losses were very small indeed anioiig the birds caught in 

 the garden, as these were fed on usual dry seeds supplemented 

 by bunches of weeds (supply unlimited), in the stage of flower 

 and seed. 



Among the bullfinches, goldfinches, and siskins, casual- 

 ties were both numerous and disheartening, as these birds are 

 usually fed by the dealers, from the moment they get them, on 

 dry seed alone, and only a small percentage were saved by 

 giving them fresh heads of seeds of otu" indigenous wild plants. 



(iREENFiNCHES : I uscd to be rather fond of this brightly 

 coloured but stoutly built species, and as they were prolific 

 breeders they proved of great interest to me. S 

 breed with me in a small aviary, 7' x 4', that many had to be 

 given their liberty as soon as they were able to fend for them- 

 selves. Their diet when rearing young was: seed mixture, 

 cake crumbs, and an unlimited supply of green weeds, in a state 

 of flower and seed; and on this regime I may sav that almost 

 without exception, all young hatched out were fully reared In 

 these days my aviaries contained no plant life, and the birds 

 mostly built their nests in small square boxes, home-made and 

 of the canary nest box type; a few nests were constructed amid 

 the twiggy branches lining the back of the aviary. The habits of 

 this well known species, plumage of nestlings, etc., are common 

 knowledge to nearly all our members and I shall not occupy 

 space by further allusion thereto. I may add that I have several 

 records of 12, 13, and 14 days as the incubation period. 



Goldfinches : This. I think, most Britishers are agreed 

 is our most beautiful indigenous seedeater. Yet a large number 

 of these are annually sacrificed by putting them on to a dry 

 seed diet at once. When wild, even in dry weather, most of 

 their food is in a more or less moist condition (either saturated 

 with dew. or from the only partially ripened condition of the 

 wild seeds they feed upon), and they are quite unable to properly 

 assimilate hard dry seed straight away, and numbers are lost 

 from this cause. 



I had several interesting instances of them successfully 

 rearing young in bird-room flights, rabbit hutch-like cages, and 

 small unplanted out-door aviary. They were fed exactly the 

 same as the greenfinches, save that they got teazle seed (fresh 



