My Birds at Brinsop Court.



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almost sweeping some of the windows with its branches, stands a

giant cedar, planted by Wordsworth, the poet; into the shelter and

shade of which same tree come the Palm and Crested Doves, and

even Kingfishers at times, whilst beneath it, on moonlight nights, I

see the white forms of the Black-necked Swans swimming in the

moat, and listen to their melodious whistling.


The Aviaries occupy the site of a barn, decidedly on its last

legs, which did not perish in vain, for its roof was a roof of ancient

stone moss-grown tiles, and its timbers, which it must have feared

were to be shivered, were of ancient oak ; both tiles and timbers

having found an honourable place in the restoration of the house

itself, so that all is well. The aviaries are surrounded by open

lawn, but a short time ago a foul farmyard quagmire, which

ground is enclosed by stone walls. Six flights, somewhere about

the size of those which form part of the new Bird House at the

London Zoological Gardens, perhaps a little smaller ; with roosting

houses, in each of which is a radiator and electric light.


The shelters are under the roof, higher within than the top

of the open flights, the eaves projecting two feet over the latter, and

the roof is good both in form and material, being composed of old

Georgian grey-green slates of the thickness of stone ones, beneath

which dwelt for some time the celebrated Lady Craven, afterwards

Magravine of Anspach, so that even the architect busy across the

moat had to acknowledge them to be not only inoffensive, but

distinctly good. A passage runs the whole length at the back of the

roosting houses, not only giving access to them but also to four

chambers on the other side of it, one for the heating apparatus, one

for a hospital, one for food, and the last for washing up, where hot

and cold water is laid on.


In each flight is a cement pool, with water running from one

end of the aviaries to the other. The floor of the aviaries is raised

two feet above the path that runs round them, and beneath the

flights thick steel wire meshing has been embedded, deep enough to

allow shrubs to be planted, the meshing being welded into the

cement of the foundations, so that no rats can possibly get in.


Running water, radiators, electric light, good food and

shelter ! What more do birds want ? They are like the bull that



