44 Practical Bird-Kkkping. 



at, therefore, that the birds of prey at most Zoological Gardens 

 become dull, listless and apathetic, often ' hanging ' in their 

 moult and generally with broken wings and tail. Yet such are 

 the facts. 



We have already pointed out that, in a wild state, Hawks 

 spend much of their time sitting in some fairly sheltered place 

 till the need of seeking a fresh meal puts them on the move, and 

 in captivit}'^ we must as far as possible try to imitate these con- 

 ditions. In the first place, the aviary must be in a sheltered 

 spot ; it is qviite useless to have an open flight with an elai)orated 

 devised house, as but few Hawks will enter the shelter of their 

 own accord, and, moreover, being of a rather wild disposition 

 there is a great tendency for them to break their flights and tail, 

 and also to damage themselves if kept entirely in an open flight. 

 The ideal aviary is one which is only open in the front and 

 boarded at the sides, top and back. It should be provided with 

 two perches placed end on to tlie observer at a moderate height 

 from the ground and a fair distance apart, so tliat the bird must 

 use his wings to get from one to the other. If the aspect is in 

 any way open to cold or wet winds there should be a flap about 

 three feet wide hinged on to the front of the roof. In ordinary 

 weather this should be raised, but in cold and wet weather, or if 

 it be very hot, it can be lowered to serve as a shelter and retreat. 

 A further perch should be placed fairly high up against the 

 back as a roosting-percli, and should only be large enough to 

 accommodate one bird at a time. This perch must be arranged 

 sufficiently high up so that the bird when on it may have the 

 advantage of the shelter given by the flap when lowered. The 

 ground of the aviary should be covered with coarse sand and 

 gravel. In such an aviary almost any species — except some of the 

 smaller and more delicate species— may be kept in all weathers. 



Now as to food. No bird of prey should be given more 

 than he can finish at a meal, and any food left untouched an 

 hour after feeding time should be removed. This, of course, 

 does not apply to freshly-caught or very wild individuals. Once 

 a day for six days a week is as often as they should be fed, and 

 the best lime is about two o'clock in the afternoon. By this 

 method the bird will have his dinner, rest, and then retire to 



