THE



Hxncultural fHba0a3me t


BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE


AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.



VOL. III. — NO. 31. All rights reserved. MAY, 1897.


THE INMATES OF MY BIRD-ROOM.


By THE EATE ERSKINE AlLON."'


To describe the occupants of one’s bird-room is b} r no

means an easy matter. In the endeavour to avoid giving a

mere catalogue of names, the writer is liable to go to the opposite

extreme, and furnish minute details of the domestic concerns of

common birds, which, however much they may interest their

owner, will not be attractive to aviculturists in general, who are

quite capable of making such observations for themselves. In

order to avoid the accusation of committing either of these

offences, I may say at once that the real object of what follows

is to show that with very few exceptions all the small seed-eating

birds usually imported can be kept flying loose together in a

room which, though of a fair size, by no means answers to Dr.

Russ’ palatial requirements. Among these exceptions I include,

of course, all Parrakeets, Weavers (as a class), and Java Sparrows.

As regards many small seed-eaters, the recognised authorities on

ornithology have propagated such alarmist ideas as to the

combative habits of many kinds that my bird-room was for a

long time lacking in species that, when introduced, proved them¬

selves to be absolutely harmless. The mere fadt of three

hundred birds living together without seriously quarrelling—

much less murdering one another, speaks volumes for their

amiability. Of course, the arrangements of the bird-room have



* A melancholy interest attaches to this the only contribution to the

Avicultural Magazine from Mr. Allou’s pen, in consequence of his death

shortly after correcting the proof. Mr. Allou, though personally known to

very few of the members of the Society, was a true ornithologist, and

possessed a rare knowledge of the scarcer foreign finches. His death is a

severe loss to the Society, none the less real because most of the members

were unaware of the extent of his knowledge. Some few months ago he

sent us a long list of articles which he proposed to write for the Magazine,

and it is sad to think that this, the first of them, must also be the last.—E d.



