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the lamp went wrong, and next morning—New Year’s day, of all

days in the year—I found half my birds dead on the floor. The

aviary was covered with soot, and the surviving birds a pitiful

sight, dirty and terrified. At the time I felt quite disheartened

and would have been thankful to anyone to have taken birds

and aviary out of my sight for ever. Many of the victims were

old favourites that I had had for years, and it was sad work

collecting the little bodies. The lamp was banished, though I

suspedt the accident was due to my own mismanagement, and

for the remainder of that winter and all the next the birds had

no artificial heat. They kept well but the winters were mild

ones and I could not expect this to be the case every year, so in

the autumn of 1899 I had a small boiler fixed under the floor at

one end of the aviary, and piping fitted in the house. It was

rather awkward to arrange, as part of the floor had to be taken

up, and some of the pipes laid underneath owing to the position

of the doors. The birds seem much brighter for the extra

warmth, and the method of heating the house is so simple that

anyone could manage it. The fire, after being mended late in

the afternoon, lasts all night and well into the next morning. I

was told that the birds would probably sit on the hot pipes and

so weaken their legs, but I never see a healthy bird sitting 011

them (except a few lazy little Doves) ; occasionally a sick or

weakly bird will perch there for the sake of the warmth, and in

this case I do not think it can be harmful. At first I had some

wire guards made to fit over the pipes, but I removed them as

they were not only unnecessary but dangerous, for having to be

moveable to keep them clean it was impossible to make them fit

quite closely, and sometimes a bird would get inside and graze

its forehead in its frightened attempts to get out again.


The following birds are kept in the aviary. I11 the

smaller division : Avadavats, Bronze Mannikins, Cordon Bleus,

Green Avadavats, Grey Waxbills, Lavender Finches, Orange¬

cheeked Waxbills, St. Helena Waxbills, one cock Cherry Finch,

one hen Zebra Waxbill, one pair of Barred Doves and two pairs of

little Passerine Doves. The latter on their arrival were very

wild and nervous. I suppose their wings must have been

clipped, for none of them could fly at first. They are quite tame

now and scarcely trouble to move out of my way ; spending all

their days on the ground, and at night going into the branches

to roost. They love to sit in a row on a sod of grass in the sun¬

shine, and always keep much together.


In the larger division are Barred Doves, Diamond Doves,



