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The young are easily hand-reared. My plan was to feed

them on barleymeal and ants’-eggs made into a crumbly paste

with raw hens’-eggs (without the shells, of course) and supple¬

mented with pieces of raw meat. On this diet they throve

rapidly and developed into fine large birds.


The above food, with the addition of beetles and other

large insects, formed the diet when adult, and I am certain that

my Jays were in much better condition and plumage than that of

the gentleman mentioned above. I allowed my birds occasionally

to come out of the cage ; they got very tame and exceedingly

impudent—nearly as “cheeky” as a Jackdaw.



THE LIMITS OF LEGITIMATE AVICULTURE.


By H. R. Fiixmer.


No doubt all aviculturists are satisfied as to the morality

of keeping birds in captivity—the fact of their being aviculturists.

shews that they do not agree with the amiable enthusiasts who

consider it cruel and wicked. But of the general public who are

not aviculturists—the outsiders in fact—there is undoubtedly a

considerable section who are opposed to the capture of wild

birds for cage or aviary, and some, like Mr. W. H. Hudson, go

so far as even to condemn the keeping of Canaries.


We may rightly regard this as fanaticism, born of

sentimentality and ignorance, but at the same time we should

be wise if we do what we can to disarm criticism by dissociating

ourselves from certain practices for which aviculture may be

blamed, and which most of us regard as outside “ the limits of

legitimate aviculture.”


I should like it to be clearly understood that I am not

seeking to lay down the law as to what is legitimate and what is

illegitimate—the decision of every point as it arises must be left

to the good sense of the avicultural community—but merely to

indicate in a general way what I believe to be the tendency of

opinion among modern aviculturists.


I think the feeling is growing that we ought, as much as

possible, to encourage the keeping of birds in aviaries, and

discourage the use of cages. While if cages be used it is agreed

that they should be fairly large ones, and the abominable little

prisons still too often seen are generally condemned.



