34



ing, which suggested more of the farmyard than aviculture, but

I was not prepared to find it given up solely to poultry, rabbits

and guinea pigs, the only exception being three very miserable

deer, having as companions in their enclosure some wild ducks,

and a few dilapidated golden pheasants. If the scope of this

Magazine were extended, as some wish it to be, those members

might have been interested to have heard more of these exhibits.

As it was, the only thing dealing with cage birds was a gorgeous

large drawing-room aviary in the shape of a house, with all the

horrors of winding staircases, stained - glass windows, and

artificial plants on the balconies, &c. This was in the Secre¬

tary’s office, where I also found samples of every known kind of

trap and means of catching animals and birds from a lion down

to a mouse, and the largest hawks to the smallest finches. The

French seem to excel in these inventions, although I see they

call many of these—“ pi^ges anglais,” and “ ratieres anglaises,”

&c., but for such unsportsmanlike inventions as “ grains

diaboliques,” and “ Pilules du Diable,” which figure on one list

I had handed to me, I hope they take the full and sole credit of

inventing and using.


Although there is no part dealing specially with cage birds

in the Exhibition, there are, nevertheless, many exhibits of

interest to the naturalist and aviculturist in the wa)' of stuffed

specimens and cabinet skins, scattered through the Pavilions on

the Champ de Mars and also in a few of the buildings on the Rue

des Nations. In this class Canada undoubtedly stands first, both in

quantity and quality, and has a room given up entirely to her

fauna. One could wish, though, that they were classified, and

arranged better, and less crowded together. There are many

rare and interesting birds among the exhibits, and some of the

sea birds especially, are really well put up. I have found them

sufficiently interesting to visit several times. Most of the French

Colonies send collections of skins also, but without a single

exception they are all of the commonest species, and have

evidently been chosen only for their colours, and on the whole

they form one of the saddest and most dilapidated sights in the

Exhibition. Those that are mounted (generally on a large

artificial tree in the centre of a room) bear little or no re¬

semblance whatever to the living birds ; and the unmounted

skins are all nailed on the walls ruffled, shapeless, flattened out

and covered with dust. This is especially the case with the

Madagascar exhibits, although there are also one or two cases of

fairly well put up skins from that Island. Martinique exhibits



