THE


Avicultural Magazine


BEING THE JOURNAL OF

THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY

FOR THE STUDY OF

FOREIGN & BRITISH BIRDS

IN FREEDOM & CAPTIVITY



Third Series. —Vol. XI.—No. 6 .—All rights reserved. JUNE, 1920.



FULL CIRCLE: REVIVED AVICULTURE


The Avicultural Magazine was founded in 1894 to promote the

study of British and foreign birds in freedom and captivity. It is with

regard to the scope of our journal that the Editor desires to speak,

and to deal with matters that have long been on his mind.


The dual nature of the Society’s activities—being devoted to birds

“ in freedom and captivity ”—of course, regulates both the amount and

the nature of the copy received. Thus one number may tend more to

field notes, while another is mainly devoted to purely avicultural work,

speaking in the restricted sense of the aviary and bird-room. In order

that in each issue there may be “ something for everybody ” the

contents are varied as much as possible, and occasionally matters of the

moment are touched upon if they appear to be of essential importance.

Thus, in recent numbers reference has been made to the Plumage Bill ;

at first sight this may seem a far from avicultural subject, but it is, of

course, of the highest moment to support any form of bird protection,

since the extermination of any species postulates its disappearance

for ever from our aviaries. What would one not give for accurate notes

on the nesting of the Dodo, the juvenal plumage of the Reunion Starling,

or the egg of the Labrador Duck ?


During the War more purely avicultural science was in abeyance,

owing to the practical closing of the bird market and the absence of

many aviculturists on active service. There was no means of replacing



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