42 AVIARIES, BIRD-ROOMS AND CAGES. 



they will pair and nest, btrt, of course, a watchful eye 

 must be kept on them, as the long beak of the Goldie is 

 likely to make acquaintance with the nest and contents 

 belonging to one of the Canaries; in a large flight, how- 

 ever, this is not so. likely to happen as when caged. 



THE " Boss OF THE SHOW." 



In a company of birds we shall always find one to 

 predominate it may take weeks before he actually 

 succeeds in getting the upper hand, but succeed he will 

 in time. And it is not always the bird we expect that 

 becomes "Cock of the Walk." I once had a flight 

 wherein a Siskin was master, although much larger 

 birds were there, and when he unfortunately escaped, a 

 tiny Redpoll, the smallest of them all, took up the 

 reigns of government, and by his very persistence and 

 cheek, ruled the roost. 



One of my aviaries stocked with a collection of 

 Finches and Buntings has experienced some curious 

 happenings. During the early part of the summer a 

 cock Siskin was the terror of all, with the exception 

 of a stoutly built Chaffinch, who would stand none of 

 his "cheek." Later the Siskin had to take a back 

 seat, for there was then continual strife between the 

 Chaffinch and a fine Yellow Bunting. The Chaffinch 

 unfortunately took "French leave" one day, without 

 even bidding us good-bye. The Bunting was then 

 "Lord of the Manor"; a bird that few would for a 

 minute suspect of being a tyrant. He first killed the 

 Siskin, then speedily stripped the back of a beautiful 

 Linnet, and would no doubt in time have been, like 

 Robinson Crusoe, " Monarch of all he surveyed," had 

 he not been promptly removed. 



These instances show how closely the birds should 

 be watched in an outside aviary, especially if the flight 

 is not large enough to allow the weaker to dodge the 

 attacks of the stronger birds. But generally speaking 

 these unseemly quarrels only take place during part of 

 the summer months, say during June, July, and part of 

 August, when, of course, the birds go into moult. It 

 is unsafe to put our larger birds hi with the Finches 

 and Buntings, and for the same reason the beautiful 

 Tit family is hardlv desirable, for although some Tits 



