Dr. M. Avisler—General Notes on Aviculture



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out, but surely there must be others who could contribute something

of practical interest.


Being hors de combat owing to an accident, I hope to set

the ball rolling by writing a few notes on birds I have kept, and

ending with a plea for the crow-like birds. Soft-bills in general

are looked at askance by a good many whose souls cannot rise

higher than Gouldian and Parrot Finches, but when once you have

kept these latter birds and have bred them you realize their

limitations. They are certainly bright coloured—perhaps beautiful.

Their breeding is quite easy providing you don’t interfere too much

and have well-acclimatized birds which don’t attempt to nest in

autumn or winter.


Much the same remarks apply to the majority of Waxbills, but

these, to my mind, are much more attractive and graceful birds

than are the Grass-finches. Most of them are fairly free breeders,

and less prone to breed during the cold seasons than the Australian

Finches.


Speaking off-hand from memory, the following have reared

young successfully in my aviaries:—Blue-breasted (almost yearly),

Avadavats, Golden-breasted, Cordon Bleus, Fire-finches, St. Helena’s,

and Orange-cheeked Waxbills. I have also reared hybrids between

the Blue-breast .and Cordon Bleu Waxbills, and have once had young

of Yiolet-eared and Australian Crimson Finches, not reared to

maturity. I rather fancy the last-named is usually ranked as

a Grass-finch. Therefore, if you have a mixed collection and more

than one aviary, by all means keep a score or so of Waxbills, which

during the warmer months always look attractive and please those

who visit your aviaries. My own aviaries have good shelters, but

are unheated, and I have come to the conclusion that, though most

of these birds can winter out, they are best kept in a large cage

indoors or in a shed from November to March. This winter under

these conditions I lost four Waxbills, three of which were Black-

cheeks. Those who have kept this species will, I think, agree

with me that I might honestly have put my losses as one, the

Black-cheeked Waxbill being so impossibly delicate. How many

of us have bought small birds from dealers, and on getting home



