on the great Aviary at the Dublin Zoological Gardens. 181


the London Garden on the ferocity of a superb Himalayan Ground

Thrush. “ Oh, he is a devil, sir. (I suppose that’s the reason we

got im).’ Personally, when I kept birds, I found Zoos useful

establishments ; it lessened my liabilities—battle, murder, and sudden

death. Such is the weakness of human nature.


Waders were a great success in this big aviary. It was a

glorious sight to see a couple of dozen Ruffs all in full breeding

plumage, dancing and sparring and fighting just like a Donnybrook

fair, here and there a stately Curlew and an Oyster Catcher looking

so trim and so sleek. Dozens of Weavers’ nests hung from a large

thorn-tree, whilst one bird was building the other was pulling he

structure to pieces to make its own nest with ; they were chiefly the

Red-billed, with a few Napoleons and Orange Bishops. Saffron

finches were the only birds that bred freely; there were some

gorgeous old cocks, and a few extra lovely specimens such as you

find in the wild Yellow-Hammer.


Singers there were none, but a Canadian Fox Sparrow had a

few sweet notes that could be heard from one side of the Gardens to

the other. The Fox Sparrow had a chum, a Canadian Butcher Bird,

which resembles the smallest of our Grey Shrikes; these were

captured at sea by an enthusiastic ornithological doctor on one of

the Allan Line steamers in the Gulf of St. Lawrence ; they both

lived to be very old inhabitants. There was also a Canadian Red-

pole caught in the same manner. It was much the same as our

own birds, and is a plentiful winter migrant to British North

America ; it became a chum of the Irish crowd, although it never

wore a shamrock on St. Patrick’s Day. Two large Bustards were a

great acquisition ; these were presented by a wealthy wine merchant,

who had large estates in Oporto ; they flourished as long as live insects

were to be got, but failed when the store was exhausted. It is

strange that a grain-feeding bird like the Bustard requires live food,

which it is accustomed to pick up on the Spanish plains—locusts,

and possibly beetles, and the cockroach tribe. The male bird is quite

half as big again as the female, and struts around like a Turkey

Cock; these birds require a good dry climate. Another nice meek

bird was the Tinamou, I think the Lesser Tinamou; he, poor bird !

did nothing and interfered with nobody, which was about his chief



