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Dr. A. G. Butler,



species. With great regret I sold the Rock Peplars, and I am

hoping to hear that Miss Clare is successful in rearing some

young ones.



LUCK IN BIRD-BREEDING.


By Dr. A. G. Butler.


It is a fact too certain to be disputed, that whereas one

bird-owner may repeatedly try year after year, without success,

to breed birds both in cages and spacious aviaries (adopting every

approved method and using every appliance calculated to induce

his birds to go to nest) another owner, having no special know¬

ledge and taking no means whatever to attain his object, will

discover even such shy breeders as Waxbills bringing up a family

of youngsters in some most unsuitable receptacle fixed up in a

Crystal Palace cage standing upon a table in a dwelling-room.


At one time I had practically eleven aviaries and about

sixteen large flight-cages; I did everything I could think of or

that any of my experienced avicultural friends could suggest to

induce my numerous birds to breed, but my success was never

very brilliant, although in the case of a few common species J

had no cause for complaint, since I had to give away or sell many

of the young in order to avoid overcrowding.


During the last few years I have not felt justified in

replenishing my stock of birds, and therefore have devoted much

of my time to my old hobby—floriculture. My feathered family

has slowly dwindled to about a seventh of its former size, the

survivors being mostly more or less ancient, and all, as I supposed,

probably past the breeding age.


Towards the end of May a lady informed my son that she

was giving up her present house and did not wish to keep her

birds, which consisted of one cock Canary, two cock Budgerigars

and two Java Sparrows and she wished to know whether I would

accept them : I said O’yes. they would give no extra trouble, as

I should turn the Canary into my Finch aviary and the others

into one opposite, in which my last surviving Java Sparrow still

lived.


The day after I had let these birds fly, I observed a hen

which I take to be the St. Helena Seed-eater (given to me by



