experience, rats are the bete noire of amateur duck keepers. I

speak, of course, of fancy ducks—in my case, Mandarins and

Caroliuas. I had some beauties, a pair of each sort, and

succeeded in breeding three of the latter, rearing them to about

three-quarter size on ordinary duck meal—sharps, and a few

ants’ eggs, and hard boiled egg—nothing more. The rats took

the lot, both old and young. These ducks are such lovely pets,

I am tempted to go in for more, but how to keep out rats—unless

in runs, covered in entirely with iin. mesh net ? I am about

to erect a Dove aviary, 6oft. by 20ft. and 9ft. high. I think I

shall put in a shallow concrete pond, and introduce some Ducks

also. Rats run up wire netting, so a 3ft. netting would be of

no use against them. I never had any trouble with cats, in fact

I used to like an old cat, I had with my first bird aviaries, with

me when on mouse expeditions, and she never looked at a bird,

but it was a bad time for the mice.


DOVES.


These are most interesting birds for amateurs ; at the

same time I must own they are very disappointing, being so very

pugnacious. They must have a very large flight or be kept in pairs.

The Bronze-winged Crested Dove breeds very well: five broods

in a season being a common thing. One season I had five of the

Green-backed Doves of India ; but I find others are not so

fortunate. I believe if a pair of really healthy birds are given a

quiet aviary, they are easy to breed. I have been greatly

troubled by having their eggs continually sucked ; a friend says

it is mice, but I fancy it is one of the Weavers. Could anyone

throw light on this subject? Could mice break and suck

eggs ? I find many birds very pugnacious to Doves, especially

Parrakeets. I have got three Passerine Doves; but they are very

wild, and I am afraid when I turn them out they will do no good.

The description of these Doves, a short time ago, by one of our

members was very good.



AN OUTDOOR AVIARY.


By Frank F. Rambert.


The following description of an outdoor aviary and its

inhabitants may interest some of our readers.


The aviary is a wooden shed 15ft. long by 5ft. deep, height

7ft. gin. at back sloping to 6ft. at front, which is open for its

entire length except a gin. board dropping from under the eaves.



