PREFACE. 



OREIGN bird keeping is a very delightful 

 pursuit, but in order to attain complete 

 success in it, there are a few points 

 that must be observed. For instance, 

 the habits of the different little captives must be 

 studied, and their food and lodgment, as well 

 as the temperature at which they are kept, must 

 be approximated as nearly as possible to what they 

 were accustomed to in their own country ; but it is 

 only experience, gathered from reliable guide-books 

 or bought by painful disaster and loss, that will 

 enable the fancfer to select those birds best suited 

 for his circumstances, and give him the knowledge 

 necessary for their preservation and well-being, and 

 also for his own satisfaction. 



I have borne all this in view in the following 



& 



pages, and while describing the different species that 

 experience has shown to be the most suitable subjects 

 for domestication, have indicated the food and treat- 

 ment necessary for each, and any points connected 

 with their management that have seemed to me 

 likely to be of use. 



