Some Experiences of an Avicullurist. 331


much shaded on this side by a large greenhouse, rockeries and

trees, they nevertheless get a fair amount of sun, and in the

summer months I am satisfied that the screen may be regarded

as an advantage ; they are shown on the sketch plan marked

*' 2 .” In one of these I have a pen of three Gold Pheasants and

Budgerigars, and in the other four Amhersts, Pekin Robins,

Thrushes and Cardinals.


For a period of about three months the inmates of my

outside aviaries appeared to be doing well ; my White Crowned

Pigeons reared two nests of young, the first, a solitary bird, which

proved to be a cock, and then a nest of two, one of either sex.

The old cock bird had evidently been shot as he had one mutilated

wing, which prevented him rising from the floor, though he often

made attempts at flight; he was very wild and untractable, but

his partner was a pattern of tameness and would come to feed

from the hand at call, they were both furiously jealous of the

approach of any bird within two or three feet of the nest, which

was constructed on the top of a small rockery in one corner of

the flight. The White Bellies were constantly quarrelling with

each other and I could not sex them, though I think they were

both hens, as I found odd eggs in various parts of the aviary, but

110 attempt was made at the construction of a nest. I subse¬

quently got a pair of common Barbary Doves, under which I

placed eggs of the White Bellies, but they never hatched. The

White Wings tolerated each other and that was their limit. A

pair of Zebra Doves also built and laid, but were so wild they

left the nest on the least noise and their eggs were always blanks,

very disappointing but nothing to the debacle shortly to come.

I found one of the White Wing Doves had something wrong with

its bill, and an examination showed this member to have become

quite soft and elastic, rendering the bird incapable of picking up

food. I was recommended lime water as a drink, and soft food

for a time, but this treatment proved useless and the bird died

about a week after my noticing its condition. There was plenty

of old mortar and cuttle fish bone in the place, so the lack of these

materials could not have been the cause. Should I again have a

bird in a like state I shall resort to heroic measures, and stiffen

both mandibles with fish glue, taking care not to cover the



