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open, according to the wind, for part of the day, and in warm

weather, one or two are left open all day and night. During the

seven years that the room has been put to this use, I have never

had any kind of epidemic. Many birds are taken in temporarily

as invalids from outdoor quarters, and almost invariably recover,

and I cannot remember any instance of a bird having been serious¬

ly chilled in it. In such severe weather as February, 1S95, the

thermometer almost touched freezing point on several nights,

but not for long ; though in an outdoor aviary, not fifty yards off,

it twice stood at 3 0 above Zero. The Waxbills continued blithe

and health} 7 , and a Cordon Bleu is now in blooming health,

which has been continuously in the room since May, 1892, save

for about five months last year, when he was out of doors. I

attribute the success of this room to the many hours through

which, in fine weather, the sun pours into it, and to the purity

of the hill air which blows into it.


2. I have many aviaries of wood and wire. They are, as

I have said, scattered about, nearly all within the higher and

carefully enclosed pleasure grounds of about nine acres, but even

so it is impossible entirely to guard against occasional scares

from vermin. Most of them have second lines of defence. I

have many large enclosures—some for adult Poultry, others for

coops and the rearing of chickens and foreign Pheasants. The

fences are six and seven feet high, and wire netting of small

mesh is carried a foot into the ground. Most of the aviaries are

placed within these enclosures, which are a great additional

protection to the inmates. It is no easy matter to select places

for aviaries, having regard both to appearances and the comfort

of the birds. I never put one up in a hurry, but try possible

positions in all kinds of weather—searching March winds,

Autumn fogs, and bright frosty mornings. The result is that, if

one wants to find a pleasant nook on a not-altogether-pleasant

day, it is almost invariably to be found on the South or West side

of an aviary. In this climate, I need hardly say that the

majority of them are designed to catch every ray of sun: only

two are under the pleasant shade of apple and walnut trees

through the middle of the louger days.


My aviaries are nearly all on the same plan, with many

variations in minor details. Their usual width is 6 feet, their

height 6 or 7 feet at the side to 8 or 9 feet in the centre of the

span ; and their length from 14 to 24 feet. Their narrowness

may surprise some aviculturists ; it is not of choice, but almost of

necessity, for nearly all are on sloping ground, and every foot of

width adds to the amount of brickwork, sometimes a veritable



