THE OUTDOOR AVIARY 



their little world inside the wires as nuicli 

 as possible like that outside. This putting 

 the reins of power into their own hands 

 removes all the responsibility from the 

 observer, who has nothing further to do 

 than to keep the birds' abode clean, supply 

 the neeessary sustenance for existence, 

 and to watch the goings-on of the little 

 republic. There will develop, among much 

 that is beautiful, certain forms of govern- 

 ment which the conservative fancier 

 considers subversive of all order. 



Among these disadvantages is indis- 

 criminate pairing, which renders it im- 

 possible to breed any distinct 

 Indiscrim= variety — if more than one be 



n J- „ kept — though this may not 

 lireeaing. . 



be a disadvantage to those 

 who, so long as they breed somctliiug 

 and have the pleasure of seeing it reared, 

 do not care what that something may 

 be. It would perhaps be scarcely fair 

 to charge the Canary with habitually pair- 

 ing with more than one mate ; indeed, 

 the idea is foreign to the natural habits 

 and instincts of the Finch family in a wild 

 state. Half the poetry that attaches to 

 the mere name of nest seems to consist in 

 the halo of quiet and purity which surrounds 

 it. Still there are now and then evidences 

 of a contrary' state of things even among 

 wild birds, and no doubt the commotion 

 which sometimes takes place in the ivy 

 is nothing more than a noisy public meeting 

 to take into consideration the desirability 

 of turning out of the community some ill- 

 conducted member. The occasional cap- 

 ture of a hybrid, too, is evidence of an 

 alliance having taken place between mem- 

 bers of different families. These, however, 

 are manifestly exceptions, and there are 

 many keen observers who assert that such 

 alliances have never taken place in the 

 wild state ; that they have been accom- 

 plished under the influence of man, and 

 that wild hybrids so caught have either 

 been liberated, or have escaped from an 

 aviary ; with which assertion we agree. 

 The wild bird in her beautiful little 

 home demands all her mate's care and 

 attention, and receives it. He sjiends his 



entire day in ministering to her wants, 



and is not more exclusively devoted to 



her in all his delicate attentions than is 



she to the precious treasures nestled so 



closely to her breast. But in the aviary 



things are different. Although preserving 



many natural instincts almost unimpaired, 



the Canary has had some of them modified, 



or even materiallj^ affected, by generations 



of domestication. Notwithstanding that 



he may, in the early spring, select some one 



particular bird, and that matters be 



arranged to the entire satisfaction of both, 



he yet no sooner sees his mate comfortably 



settled down on her nest than — though he 



does not forsake her — his attention is 



drawn away in other directions. This is 



all very pretty and all very well for those 



who only wish to study bird-life generally, 



and to keep the aviary well stocked ; but 



it is, for obvious reasons, not the fancier's 



way of going to work. We must, however, 



say, for the credit of the sex, that such an 



erratic disposition is not shared by the 



hens : as a rule they remain true to their 



first selection, till a lengthened separation 



and entire seclusion wean them from their 



original mate. 



We must not forget that in an aviary 



the birds are in a limited space, and on that 



account it is not advisable to 

 Quarrelsome ^^^^,^ ^^^ ^^ ^^^^^^ ^j^.^jg fl 



Males. , , ■ .1 1 1 



nig together diu'mgthe breed- 

 ing season ; much quarrelling is otherwise 

 likely to ensue, with possible injury to birds 

 of a fierce disposition. This is, in a measure, 

 guarded against when the aviary affords an 

 abundance of secluded shelter with a plenti- 

 ful amount of thick foliage. It is in this 

 direction that an outdoor aviary can be 

 made so much more advantageous than 

 one arranged indoors. The wired or 

 netted open space, or fly, of the aviary 

 can be arranged in such a manner as to 

 induce the growth of bushy shrubs and 

 evergreens, which prove a paradise to the 

 birds. They serve both as a means of 

 shelter from the interference of other birds, 

 and for the building of their nests. We 

 have known as many as forty to fifty 

 young Common Canaries to be reared in 



