F. J. Hunter—Aviculture at the Scottish Zoological Park G1


it rubbed its head in a wise, old-fashioned way against the netting,

but refused to carry on a further conversation. These aviaries and

most of the others were used as restaurants by the ubiquitous Sparrows,

who were making hearty meals from the leavings of the legitimate

inhabitants. The tree-trunks and branches showed signs of many

hours of beak-sharpening, and in some cases the trunks were picked

away where they entered the ground, as if a Beaver had been at work.


Tn one of the smaller aviaries a Senegal Parrot and a Bauer’s Parrot

were living amicably together, although coming from such far removed

countries (the former from West Africa and the latter from Australia).

They appeared to be very interested in the human onlookers, as they

spent their time running to the middle of the cage for a mouthful of

maize and back to the sides to talk to the visitors with their quaint

chattering little voices.


Another large aviary was the home of Rosella, Grey-breasted,

Pennant’s, Red-necked and Alexandrine Parrakeets, and my approach

to this was the signal for a lusty and prolonged screeching by the

majority of the inmates. Here it was interesting to watch a Robin

Redbreast sharing a meal from a small dish of seed with a Red-necked

Parrakeet, and neither seemed to notice anything peculiar in the

appearance of the other or to object to its company. The old saying

that “ little birds in their nests agree ” can be truly modified, in the

case of this Zoo, to “ all birds, great and small, in their aviaries agree”.


A row of enclosures, constructed of wire-netting stretched on wooden

frames and planted with dwarf shrubs, came next. These enclosures

were all supplied with the Norwich Automatic Feeder and Exerciser,

which probably resulted in a large economy in food. In the first

enclosure an Australian Brush Turkey was sharing its meal with a

large Rat and two Thrushes, and here, again, as there was food for all,

neither took exception to the presence of the others.


Razor-billed Curassows occupied the next enclosure. One was

roosting in a small covered shelter, apparently asleep or deeply

thinking, and the remainder were strutting gaily around their

boundaries. Next door to these were living some Amherst Pheasants,

whose beautiful plumage was quite unaffected by the dirty weather.

Next came some Hybrid and Prince of Wales Pheasants, and then



