My Experiences in Aviculture.



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I should have mentioned that the smaller aviary is divided

into three separate compartments, with wire doors from one to

the other. This arrangement has been most useful for separating

quarrelsome birds, and I have sometimes to breed individual

pairs in these small compartments, but they have always been

troubled with egg-binding, which presumably is owing to the

lack of proper space and exercise.


Having given this short description of the aviaries, I will

now try to give an account of their inmates.


In the larger aviary, with the outdoor flight, are to be

found the following:—Gouldians (Black and Red-headed), Parrot

Finches, Painted Finches, Bicheno Finches, Pintail Nonpareils,

Cuban Finches, Long-tailed Grassfinches, an Australian Fire-

finch (cock), Violet-eared Waxbills, Blue-breasted Waxbills,

Orange-breasted Waxbills, Cordon Bleus, Orange Cheeks, and

one or two other small African Waxbills.


I should mention that the Violet Ears (a very fine pair)

and the Firefinch are kept caged owing to their excessively

quarrelsome dispositions. Last February the Violet Ears (being

in a small compartment by themselves) started to nest. They

laid at first four eggs, on which they sat steadily for a week, the

cock bird taking his turn at sitting. Then they started to lay

again in the same nest but the hen, unfortunately, became egg-

bound. I was lucky enough to be able to save her, but, after

that experience, caged them both, as I did not think it wise

to let them continue nesting at that time of year, weakening

themselves unnecessarily when there was practically no chance

of rearing young birds. They laid six eggs altogether, and

made the most wonderfully constructed nest of ivy leaves and

pieces of the fir tree growing in a pot in their aviary. I had

purposely given them no nesting material, as I did not wish to

encourage nesting at that time of year. I shall hope to try them

again this summer, and, perhaps, if enough live insect food is

procurable, I may be fortunate enough to rear some young.

Unluckily their almost murderous dispositions make it abso¬

lutely necessary to give them an aviary entirely to themselves.


With the Parrot Finches I hope to be more fortunate. I

have eight at present, and there are certainly two, if not three



