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Capt. G. A. Perreau,



7ft. : as it allows a longer fly. I had also inner double doors 2ft.

from the outer door, but took them down as being unnecessary.

One hen Gouldian once dashed past me, being frightened by a

newly put in Cockatiel, but she had young and was soon

caught.


I had meant to go into all the ups and downs of aviary

keeping out here, but after all they do not differ much from the

ones at home and this is already a terrible length, so I will give

only an outline as brief as possible of results.


In 1901 no young were fully reared, lots of eggs and a

good many young hatched, the chief reason for failure being

shifting house, and overcrowding. When changing houses the

birds were all shut in the wooden part, the parts unhooked and

carried separately to their new quarters by an army of coolies,

very upsetting to a bird’s household arrangements. 1902 gave

two young Java Sparrows, otherwise it was much the some as

1901, less crowding, but I had to go to Chitral in September in

the middle of the best breeding time out here.


Returned from Chitral in December, 1903, to find t.en odd

birds left from the 60 I left behind : theft of course, probably by

the sweeper I left in charge. However he departed for other

and ghostly regions before my return, so he escaped my

righteous wrath.


Among the survivors were a pair of Goldfinches (Hima¬

layan), a Desert Finch, a nearly bald Red Avadavat (hen), an

Orange-clieek, and I forget the rest. After the supposed theft,

which took place in January, 1902, all my birds were put into my

6ft. cage, which is quite open except at one end (3ft. by 2jft. high)

in a very exposed position as close to the sweeper’s quarters as

possible. I wonder any survived especially as they were fed for

some months on millet only, the boy in charge swearing that he

had lots of seed. None of the birds looked too fit and the hen

Avadavat still wants feathers, however she successfully reared

three young in 1904.


I with difficulty scraped together a few birds, Canaries,

Cockatiels (who were put into a smaller cage for most of the

breeding season), Red Avadavats (three cocks and a hen), Baya

Weavers and Spice Birds. I also had two lovely pairs of



