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ground. The floors of most of my inner houses are of wood,

somewhat raised above the level of the ground outside; those

for small birds are thickly covered with river sand, for large

ones with pine sawdust.


3. My large enclosure—“The Paradise” we call it—has

only lately been finished, and is, of course, very bare of foliage;

but yet much less so than might be expected, for when shrubs

are moved from one’s own grounds (as many of mine were) they

bear transplanting better than when procured from nurserymen.

I often longed to see the agile flight of my foreign Doves in a

larger space than my aviaries afforded ; now and then one

escaped—once many—and how happy did they look flitting from

tree to tree ! Every season, too, nest after nest was lost from the

intrusion and persecution of pairs who set their affections on the

same abode. My first idea was to enclose a bit of a wood, with

thick shrubs ready grown and trees enveloped in masses of ivy—

perfect fastnesses for nesting. Mature consideration showed that

the plan was impracticable. For a great portion of the year

such an enclosure would be dank and miserable, and the fall of

a tree might do untold damage. I therefore fell back upon a

less ambitious plan ; but one which alread3 r gives much pleasure

to myself, and, apparently, to the birds (which have been but a

fortnight in it), and promises, in the end, to be both successful

and ornamental. I was making a number of large pheasantries

for foreign Pheasants in a lofty paddock. This paddock slopes

rapidly from East to West, on both of which sides it is protected

by thick woods ; on the North it is also protected, by a fine row

of old beeches ; on the South it is entirety open. Between two

large pheasantries I got in such an ordinary aviary as I have

described, running North and South. At right angles to it, so

that instead of opening into space the door of the flight should

open out into this larger enclosure, is “ The Paradise.” It is 64

feet long sloping rapidly length-wise, and 24 feet wide. The

height of the sides is 7 feet, that of the central span between 13

and 14 feet. It is entirety covered with 1 inch mesh strong netting,

which is carried a foot into the ground, and on the North side is

partially boarded. There was some contrivance to make its span

at once perfectly strong and light to look at. The central ridge

is supported by }^oung felled oaks, up which, already, ivy and

Virginian creeper are growing Half-way between the side-posts

and the central ridge it was necessary to have strong uprights :

these are yews and spruce-firs cut down in my own grounds, with

many small side boughs left for perches ; creepers have been

planted to grow up them. Along the whole length of the North



