204 Reminiscences. 



horse to eat wooden shavings by giving" it green spectacles " the 

 silly animal went and died!" 



No, aviculture is not a one man science, and doubtless the 

 next few years will see great changes, just as the last few years 

 have. We are still in the experimental stage, and just at 

 present the avian Spartan has the field. But at this point a 

 shiver runs through me, and having" a say in my domestic 

 economy I shall order a fire tomorrow. What about the birds .'' 

 " Oh, they like it "is the reply. 1 wonder if they do any more 

 than we do. Who would remain in dreary England if the 

 sunshine of Africa were theirs for the asking. I do plead for 

 our feathered pets that they at least receive the comfort that we 

 ourselves are so anxious to get. And they have no woollv 

 garments to don in winter; no cosy fireplace to sit over; no 

 piping hot coffee to warm them ere they start on the day's toil; 

 no baked potatoes to warm the cockles of their little hearts. 

 Have you ever sat in a cold, often draughty, waiting room with 

 your coat collar turned up — your hands enshrouded in v^et 

 gloves, a piece of sickly chocolate to stay the pangs of hunger — 

 then at long length the train rolls up — after that a dragged out 

 journey, finally blowing into a cold draughty tent, sans fire, 

 sans a hot drink, and sans everything? If you have, you can 

 sympathise with the wee birdies who nestle up to each other 

 to keep warm, and tuck their little noses under their wings so 

 that the air they breathe shall have the nip taken off. Misery 

 is written all over their bodies, but we are told they are " quite 

 hardy " and enjoy it — about as much as the fox enjoys the chase. 

 To my mind it is a refined form of cruelty, and nothing will ever 

 persuade me it is humane even if it is true that most foreign birds 

 do not require heat. True, but neither do you require heat in 

 the winter, but I'll wager that by hook or by crook you manage 

 to get it all the same. To provide warmth for my birds I would 

 willingly forego my cigarettes, and that to one who has been 

 in the army is saying a lot. 



I am afraid I have commenced by writing my reminis- 

 cences and ended up with a Caudle lecture. May it not fall on 

 deaf ears. With these words I will end another diatribe worthy 

 of the gloomy dean. 



To be continued. 



