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kleptomania ; lie will go to a neighbour’s aviary, without any

intention of coveting, and you will see him go home full of envy

hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness. Do not imagine,

sister or brother aviculturist, that I am hinting that the gentle

art is bad for the moral nature of people like you and me, but it

is bad for some people.


You or your neighbour, like most of us, can resist any

thing but temptation ; he will resist attempts to reform him,

attempts to make him tell the truth, attempts to keep him tidy ;

he will resist them painfully. But give him a real temptation,

breed something that he can’t or hasn’t bred, and he will

succumb without a struggle !


From time to time I think that all aviculturists, living

within visiting distance, ought to go and see their brother avi¬

culturists; outlie same principle as led a gloomy government

official on the Gold Coast to visit the local cemetery, because,

as he said, he wanted to get used to the place before staying there

permanently. He used to take his visitor across the well kept

grass to the newly dug graves, each covered with a wooden hood,

in a most business like way. He said nothing, but waved his

hand with a take-your-choice, they-are-both-quite-ready style.

“ We have to bring them here very quickly you know.” Well, I

always feel like that when I go to see a friend’s aviary. I always

want to go and see the cemetery. You always find people deny¬

ing having any deaths, if they can, without committing violent

perjury; if they cannot deny it, they will try and turn the

conversation.


Some enthusiastic friends, when they come to see me,

always want to see the “ pretty nests.” I sternly refuse to

gratify what is, no doubt, quite “ natural curiosity.” I know

we are told that birds don’t mind it. Mine do ; and so we must

diminish dead certainties to the level of sporting chances, or

one would never get on.


I should say that, on the whole and unless very severely

tried, aviculturists are a truthful set of men. I will give you an

example. I once, in visiting a friend’s aviary, found a nest which

he said he did not blow of: demonstrating that an aviculturist

can speak the truth !


Another pleasing trait in my brother aviculturists I find to

be that, if there is danger ahead, they wish that I should take

first risks. If some particularly delicate and, as a consequence,

expensive birds arrive, I have a friend who always strongly

advises that I should have them. Much as I once read one



