192



Mr. Hubekt D. Astley



with blue, red and yellow glass of the most vivid hues, could be

called a garden. Pleasaunce, it certainly was not ! Builders, stone¬

masons, and all the rest of it everywhere, and relays of carts laden

with stone turning every inch of ground (after rain) in a rich soil of

old red sandstone, with a soupcon of clay, into a quagmire up to the

very windows. There was more soup than soup£on, for it was mud

of that nature through which one waded.


And only an occasional day on few occasions to strive amidst

all that turmoil, scrimmage,^and mess inexpressible, to settle upon

the future residences for the birds, and edit the Avicultural

Magazine ! The architect said, “ Where have you been ? ”

“Settling on a spot for my Crane’s paddock.” “Whereabouts?”

“ Over there,” I answered, pointing across the moat, in that

meadow where the other moat is.” “ You will, of course,

put them quite the other side ; it will never do for any wire

fencing to be seen.” I answered, “ Oh, of course ,” not having the

slightest intentions of hiding away my Cranes, especially as a whole

field intervened between the paddock I intended to form and the

verge of the garden which was being brought into being. I did

argue at first that the wire would be almost invisible from the

windows, and that Cranes were in existence in 1340 A.D. when the

house was built and bath-rooms were not ; which latter were to

have their place within the house itself. “ I should have a bath¬

room for the Cranes ; why not ? ” was the retort.


It was plainly useless to invite him to become a member of

the Avicultural Society !


“ Ducks on the moat ? The water will be filthy; you must

have water-plants.”


“ Aviaries ! Where do you propose to put them, they cannot

be in sight of the house. They would do over there,” and he pointed

to a far-off spot behind a hedge of about 30 feet in height, where the

future kitchen garden was to be. But the aviaries are up, in the

place I meant them to he, within view of the windows too, with

only the moat and an old stone wall intervening; so that I can hear

the shrill calls of Queen Alexandra Parrakeets, the booming of

Bronze-winged Pigeons, the soft cooing of Diamond Doves, and the

;softer notes of Blue Birds, etc., from my bedroom, outside which,



