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even to the extent, should it become necessary, of placing the

bird in a tiny cage over the kitchen range.


GREEN FOOD.—In the aviary, all the year but especially

during the winter mouths, when grass, &c., cannot be relied on

to grow freely, I regularly sow wheat as well as grass ; and it is

greatly appreciated by birds of many species. I refer, of course,

to the young growing corn ; and equally of course it must be

sown very thickly. I find no difficulty (if I can find the time)

in keeping up a plentiful supply of green food growing in the

aviary all the year round. Here, in London, at no season of the

year can the special plants and weeds so often recommended be

obtained, but with wheat, oats, grass, peas, &c., and sometimes

rape, I find it possible to do very well without them. The

Virginia Creeper shoots, too, are largely eaten by some species.

In addition to the foregoing, during the autumn and winter, cut¬

up grapes for the Orioles, Bulbuls, &c., are within the reach of

the whole avine community. In the closed cages (winter only),

I supply cooked cabbage, or greens of some kind, in little glass

dishes (never metal), of which a considerable quantity is regularly

consumed by some of the birds, apparently to their no small

benefit. Raw green food will sometimes kill birds unaccustomed

to it; but I have never known anything but good result from

green food that has been cooked.


LIGHTS AT NIGHT.—I do not say that lights in winter

are in all cases absolutely necessary, but I consider them to be

desirable, and in some cases quite necessary. It is a common

saying that more birds die during the autumn and spring than

in the winter. The moult, directly or indirectly, accounts for

the autumnal mortality, but how about the (p. 88) spring!

Privation does not necessarily kill outright, but it so weakens

the constitution that, although the poor victim may struggle on

for a while, it nevertheless sinks to so low an ebb that a

very little trial, something less than the night frosts of spring,

will too often cause it to pass away, sometimes without any very

apparent cause. Consider how near to death’s door Mr. Wiener’s

birds (p. 18) must have been when just a trifling delay in their

breakfast caused their death ! I must give one solemn warning

however; it is not sufficient to shine a light on the food dishes ;

the light must be sufficient to enable the birds to find their ways

back to the sleeping-boxes.


While considering this question, it must be borne in mind

that birds unaccustomed to artificial light do not understand it



