o?i Recollections of some Bird Friends. 69


One died at once of fits—the other lingered for a few weeks and

then died of “debility,” as thin as a shadow. This was most

disheartening, but did not in the least diminish my longing to

keep these brilliant birds. Wandering one day in Covent Garden

I discovered Robert Green’s, and to the man in charge there I

confided my wish to possess a pair of Gouldian Finches who

should not die. He said he thought he could satisfy me, and the

pair I got from him are with me now, in excellent health and

great beauty. I bought them in June, 1902. That first winter

the hen began to lay, and several times I thought I should have

lost her. She was very tame, and as soon as I saw her looking

pufty and unhappy I used to take her in my hand and sit with

her on my lap by the fire, or put her on a flannel-covered hot

water bottle in a basket. She always managed to lay her egg,

and then was all right again at once. She never got a chance of

sitting as the cock ate all the eggs. My Goulds are very fond of

green oats, and all sorts of flowering grass, and I always keep

them well supplied. I11 the winter I use lark turfs, lettuce

leaves, or growing canary seed. The hen devours a wonderful

quantity of crushed egg shell, and when she is laying she always

eats mealworms. Even the cock condescends to eat a few when

he is moulting. All my Australian finches are fond of rock-salt.


Just before I bought my first pair of Gouldian Finches, I

had purchased a pair of little Cordon Bleus for 3/6 in Seven

Dials. They were newly imported and rather bare of feathers,

and very shivery at first, but they soon got well and strong. The

cock I have still, but he has lost two wives—the first through an

accident and the second from egg-binding. They are lovely little

birds, but my cock is so fierce I cannot keep him with my cock

Gould or Parrot-finch—he chases them up and down the cage

and pulls their feathers out by the beakful. I have not found

Cordons at all delicate nor given to eating each other’s feathers,

though I have kept them with Lavender-finches and other small

birds in a cage in my sitting-room. They always have insect

food of some sort (green fly or small ants they like best of all)

and plenty of flowering grass.


As my Gouldians were thriving, I thought I might risk

buying Pintail Nonpareils, and I secured a gorgeous pair. Next



