THE AVIARY 139 



In a few moments they joined in, in chorus, 

 and then the house fairly rang with canary 

 songs. 



A celebrated aviary was maintained by an 

 English resident in China, and described near- 

 ly sixty years ago by Mr. Bennett, the natural- 

 ist. This aviary was twenty feet wide and 

 forty long, and nearly as many feet in height 

 made of what he calls wire lattice. In this 

 bird-house were trees and shrubs, with nest- 

 ing-baskets for such of the tenants as wished 

 to use them. A large supply of water for all, 

 and rock -work for birds who liked it, were 

 provided. Not only every need, but every 

 wish of the birds so far as known was grati- 

 fied. There were even cages to use as places 

 of solitary confinement for belligerent or self- 

 ish birds, who, if they refused to learn wisdom 

 under this treatment, were finally cast out of 

 the bird paradise, and forced to take care of 

 themselves. 



An aviary is perhaps not so much care as 

 a bird-room, and it is in some ways more satis- 

 factory; that is, if it is large enough to give 

 play to the individuality of birds, like those I 

 have mentioned. If it is so small as to be a 



