A Calif ornian Aviary and its Inmates. yj 



repose or in flight they are strikingly handsome birds. I do 

 not know the sex of my pair. l)tit a lady who got a single bird 

 from the same friend told me that hers mated with a hen canary. 

 Two young' were reared but did not differ in any marked way 

 from an ordinary canarv. My birds feed entirely on ordinary 

 rape seed, and though they eat sparingly of lettuce, I have never 

 seen them touch any of the grass, oats, or other wild seeds. 



Crimson Fi.xches : About nine pairs were imported last 

 summer, and I secured one pair, now, to the best of my belief, 

 the only survivors of the shipment. The male looked a little 

 out of sorts when he arrived, but completely recovered in a few 

 days, and ever since the pair have been in the pink of condition, 

 though no attempt has been made at nesting'. After all the 

 unpleasant tales I had read of the behaviour of these birds I 

 was very diffident about turning them loose where they could 

 do so much harm were they so inclined, but I was agreeably 

 surprised to find them perfectly docile, and to this day neither 

 of them have a sing'le bad mark to their debit. In addition they 

 are very beautiful birds and always look trim and neat. 



Luzon Quail: I know no other name for these birds 

 than this, which is what the dealer called them. They come 

 from tlie Philippines, and are the smallest quail I ever saw, being 

 about the size of a redwing. They soon become very tame, as 

 do all birds that are fond of mealworms ,and have not the usual 

 quail vice of dashing against the wire. Indeed mine never fly 

 at all. They have never made any attempt at nesting, happy 

 though they seem to be. Their principal food is yellow millet 

 and as many mealworms as they can get. 



Virginian Rail: I consider this a great ornament to 

 the aviary, as he is always in the foreground, generally round 

 the fountain. Though not brightly coloured he is a \'ery 

 handsome bird, about the size of a waterhen with a similar habit 

 of flirting his tail. His general colour is olive brown. When I 

 first got him he did not seem inclined to eat, but on throwing a 

 few mealworms into the fountain basin I saw him eat them 

 readily, since then he lives on the insectile mixture and 

 mealworms. 



