Labours of Dr. Russ. 347 



Germany, and more foreign birds are kept and bred there than in the rest of Europe together. 

 Almost every city or provincial town of importance in Germany has its society of amateurs* 

 and several excellent weekly publications and magazines are devoted entirely to ornithological 

 matters. This is chiefly due to the unrivalled writings of Doctor Karl Russ, of Berlin, the guide 

 and friend of all lovers of birds, and a very esteemed friend of the writer. Between the years 1867 

 and 1870 a series of charming articles on foreign cage-birds, written by Doctor Russ, appeared in 

 German daily papers and periodicals, which attracted much attention at the time. In 1871 Doctor 

 Russ published his "handbook" on foreign cage-birds, for the use of amateurs and breeders, 

 giving a mass of valuable information and advice which no other book on the subject had 

 previously offered. In 1872 Doctor Russ established a magazine, " Die Gefiederte Welt," or " The 

 Feathered World," devoted solely to matters relating to birds ; this publication appeared first fort- 

 nightly, and soon after weekly. In it all the observations communicated by correspondents were 

 duly published and made readily available for reference hereafter by a most carefully compiled 

 index. Meanwhile Doctor Russ was preparing for a larger work on his favourite subject. Whilst 

 in his handbook of 1871 he could only occupy himself with about two hundred varieties of birds 

 then imported, new species arrived every month since then. Doctor Russ was not content to write 

 on birds from notes made on stuffed specimens in museums, but every foreign cage-bird found 

 its way into his aviary, and was carefully watched, tended, and, if possible, reared ; its habits, 

 the nest, the eggs, the young brood, were carefully described ; and as a result a magnificent 

 Get man work on foreign cage-birds is now in course of publication, which forms the most reliable 

 guide to such amateurs as are able to understand the language. The writer will frequently 

 have to refer to Doctor Russ's work ; and his own observations, experiences, and mishaps in 

 bird-keeping and rearing have mostly been at some time published as advice or warning to 

 other amateurs in Doctor Russ's magazine. I have kept for many years a collection of several 

 hundred living foreign birds, natives of every clime. Their supervision and care, the contem- 

 plation and study of their life and habits, has formed, during my leisure hours, a most agreeable 

 and valuable relief from heavy work. It was quite amusing to see the astonishment with which 

 most beholders regarded this collection of small Finches when seeing it for the first time. " How 

 troublesome, how difficult it must be to keep all these little beings ! how difficult it must be to 

 feed them ! " was the invariable remark. " How many you must lose ! " was the half-pitiful 

 sentence next addressed to one who is supposed to be somewhat enthusiastic in the matter 

 of birds. I can conscientiously state that the trouble is small ; the difficulties as regards food 

 are easily overcome ; and as to losses, they are not more — if as much — than they would be if 

 I had kept as many Canaries, or for that matter Barndoor Fowls. 



As regards the food and general treatment of foreign cage-birds, I cannot do better than 

 extract the following short directions, sketched by me in a paper contributed to the Live 

 Stock Journal Almanack for 1879, which are based on many years' experience: — 



Nobody does know, and nobody can know exactly, what a wild bird feeds on in the 

 course of twenty-four hours. If we look around us, we find our European Finches living 

 mainly on seeds, but in the breeding season becoming insectivorous ; Starlings, Thrushes, 

 Blackbirds, and Robins eating worms, insects, and fruit in summer, berries and who knows what 

 in winter. Of one thing we may be certain, and that is that birds in their wild state live on 

 an immense variety of food. Instead of laying down any hard and fast rules as to the proper 



* The German societies of bird amateurs number about two hundred. The Crown Prince of Austria is a considerable 

 authority on birds. Prince Ferdinand of Coburg-Gotha, residing at Vienna, has the largest private collection of living foreign 

 birds on the Continent. 1 he German amateurs include ladies and gentlemen of the most varied r.HlIv^i 



