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T<ADY DUNLEATH'S AVIARIEvS. 

 SiK, — I am glad to be able this Spring to give a very good 

 account of my aviaries. I have never seen small birds in such 

 beautiful condition as my Cordon Bleus and Waxbills are now 

 in after being out the whole Winter. Every day from Novem- 

 ber 1st to middle of March the hanging duplex lamp and the 

 small duplex burner stove were ligliled. The cottage into 

 which the birds fly every night as soon as the lamps are lighted, 

 is about 40 feet long and 15 feet wide. It is divided by wire 

 netting into three compartments. In the first, are the lamps^ 

 and this contains all the small birds, such as Waxbills, Cordons, 

 Zebra Finches, Cutthroats, Mannikius, Bengalese, Canaries,. 

 Spice-birds, Avadavats, vSilverbills, Nuns, etc. I have lost very 

 few birds this Winter. On the 30th March a Canary hatched 

 one 3'onng one. She never lays more than one egg even in 

 Summer. The 3'oung one was a fine strong bird, but after two 

 days it disappeared, I am afraid a mouse must have taken it. 

 Three days ago when cutting old fern fronds I discovered a 

 Canary sitting on two eggs. The next day the rain came down 

 in torrents, I looked at the nest and found the bird off and the 

 eggs swimming in water, so I took out the eggs, dried them, 

 and put a piece of white flannel in the nest after taking out 

 the wet feathers and moss. I then put the eggs back and 

 made a little roof of wood and felt over the nest. After watch- 

 ing for a few minutes I saw the bird go back to her nest where 

 slie has been sitting ever since. I still keep the cottage doors 

 and windows shut at night. The next compartment contains 

 Cardinals, Pekin Robins, Weavers, Whydahs, Virginian Nightin- 

 gales, Cocketiels, Californian Quails, etc. The third compart- 

 ment has Pigeons and different kinds of Doves. The young 

 Nicobar Pigeon hatched last year is doing very well. He has 

 not yet got his white tail, and is not so green as his parents, but 

 is a beautiful reddish-bronze colour all over. I have had my 

 Nicobars for six years, but this is the onl}' one I have succeeded 

 in rearing. The old bird is now sitting on one egg — the}' onl}' 

 lay one egg and then sit ; I have always found the first two or 



