5



to supply a considerable amount of cover in order to ensure the production

of many broods. My own experience lias shown me that where it is

impossible to do this, the different architects are constantly at warfare ;

consequently, though many and varying nests are built throughout the

year, few, if any, broods come to perfection. This, I believe, is the reason

why my Ornamental-finch aviary, which only has one short wall available

for nesting-purposes, so rarely proves productive ; whereas, the adjoining

Weaver aviary, having a twelve-foot length of additional wall, gives fairly

satisfactory results.


The amateur who has only observed Ornamental-finches in store or

flight-cages would be apt to imagine that they were, as a class, the most

amiable and peaceable of birds; there they sit in rows close together,

preening each others feathers and lovingly caressing one another : but in

the aviary all this is changed, and especially when more than a pair of each

species is turned loose. Now disputes are frequent, more particularly when

nesting is commenced, and in the case of some of the species, not

infrequently with fatal effect.


An Ornamental-fincli aviary should not only be restricted to small

Fringilloid birds, but it should exclude Aurora, Diamond, Parson, and

Ribbon-finches, more particularly the two last-mentioned, which are both

meddlesome and murderous towards smaller or weaker birds. Then, again

(but here I am preaching that which, at present, I do not practice), a

Weaver-aviary ought not to include Bayas or soft-billed birds, some of

which are very destructive both to eggs and newly-liatched youngsters.

During the present year my two Bayas and a Yellow-bellied Leiothrix

(Pekin Nightingale) have, I know, greatly reduced the numbers of my

additions : but when I kept Blue-birds with Ornamental-finches, every egg

was stolen, almost as soon as it made its appearance in a nest.


Next year I hope to try an interesting experiment with my garden

aviaries : it is my intention, as soon as the warm weather commences, to

turn out pairs of two species into each aviary, with ample nesting accomo¬

dation and plenty of cover. I believe that, under these favourable

conditions, far better results may be anticipated, than when thirty or forty

examples of different species are associated together.


If supplied with plenty of suitable food, I think that many birds

which are usually considered unable to stand cold, become perfectly hardy

under this apparently adverse state of things. As an instance, I may

mention that, in about August or September of 1S93, I turned loose a

Redstart into one of my unheated aviaries. Now, in the article on British

birds in Cassell’s “ Cage-birds,” Mr. Swaysland mentions one that was kept

from April to December, but which always felt the cold when the ther¬

mometer fell to 40 0 , and in November the cold weather sent it into a

decline, of which it died. This bird, however, was fed partly on raw meat,

and meal-worms appear to have constituted its insect-food. Fortunately for

my birds I have a goodly number of Cockroaches in my bird-room and

stoke-hole: every night three “ demon beetle-traps” are put down; and,

each morning, summer and winter, these are transferred to my aviaries,

where they are soon cleared out by the birds.


Fast winter, on a diet of bread, potato, grocer’s currants, egg, ants’

eggs, Abrahams’ food and cockroaches (with an occasional spider) my

Redstart, a Blackcap, a Whinchat, a Yellow and a Grey Wagtail, together

with several foreign seed-eating birds, were quite indifferent to twelve

degrees of frost. All these birds, excepting the Blackcap, which was killed

by a Blossom-headed Parrakeet, are in perfect condition at the present

time ; and, so far as I can see, likely to live through the coming winter

equally well.


Perhaps I may be prejudiced, if so, my prejudice is based upon very

unpleasant experience; but I believe that raw meat is extremely unsuitable

food for any but predacious birds. I have kept Thrushes and Blackbirds in

perfect health for years without a particle of raw meat, and it is absolutely

certain that a Missel-Thrush brought up and always fed upon farinaceous



