Corrcspo)idcncc ' :20l 



aspirations i^rew. 1 then tried a few j)rize-l)re(l Borders with 

 fairly L;ood rcsuhs, l)ut later Norwich Canaries claimed my 

 attention and favour. I have to thank my friend Mr. Jas. Brown 

 for introducini^' me to Norw'ich, which were his favourites, too, 

 in the old days, when he did a i;ood bit of \^•innini;• in many parts 

 of Scotland. At present I have about a dozen hens breeding', 

 and my tirst young ones are just getting on the sticks. 



About seven years ago I got built a good sized garden 

 aviary, of which I will try and send you a photograph later. In 

 this I have gradually got together a nice collection of Britishers, 

 with a few^ hardy foreigners to give colour and variety. .Some 

 people say they will not do together, but I have never had any 

 trouble with them so far. 



My aviary is composed of three sections. The first is 

 quite enclosed, and in it my Norwich Canaries are kept in box 

 cages which can be made into long flight cages by drawnng the 

 movible partitions. This part is lift, by 9ft. The sec'ond 

 section is enclosed on three sides and roof with a net wire 

 front, and measures lift, by 5ft. At one end of this there is a 

 large flight w^here 1 can keep Hybrid pairs for breeding, and I 

 find they do well. This flight will be about 5ft. by 4ft., by 5ft. 

 high. The third section is quite open, except a little bit of roof 

 covering about 5ft. or so, and this open flight, in which I have 

 a lot of dead trees and shurbs (because the birds won't let live 

 ones grow), is lift, by 15ft. 



It is in the latter section that I keep most of my Britishers, 

 including the Thrush and Blackbird which have bred and 

 reared the Hybirds this year. In this there is a Thrush that has 

 moulted seven times, and he is as fresh to-day, and singing as 

 a young one. Last summer I got another young Thrush 

 which I took to be a hen and showed as such at our club shows. 

 However, as the season advanced and the spring weather came 

 on this young bird began to sing. This was quite a disappoint- 

 ment to me, for I thought I had got a mate for the old one, and 

 expected to breed some young from them; I had no thought 

 that there were better than young .Song- Thrushes to come. 



At»out the middle of April the Blackbird hen, which has 

 been in the aviary for three years, beg-an to build her nest in 

 her usual way, laid three eggs and began to sit. Not expecting 

 anything but the usual empty eggs, I merely took note of the 



