Correspondence. 345


precisely the same symptoms as those individuals of its species which

succumbed to improper treatment within a few weeks: the slow breaking

down of a strong constitution does not justify the use of improper diet.


The importance of fresh air and the comparative unimportance of

heat in aviculture, have been more and more realized as the study of living

birds has advanced in this country, and Mr. Astley's views are shared by many

of those who have not had so long or so wide an experience of bird-keeping

as he has. It is true that there are some birds, like Neochmia phaeton,

Granatina granatina and apparently some of the Humming-birds, which

seem unable to bear cold ; but this may be in part due to the fact that they

have been for some time confined in a more or less close atmosphere. I

have always regarded the African Weavers as extremely hard}' birds; but,

after keeping some of these birds four or five 3'ears in an indoor aviary, I

turned four into an open aviary at the end of my garden ; the result was

that, for two months whenever the weather was dull or at all cold they

would all be seen huddled up on the branches and apparently ill ; one of

them died (plump and in perfect plumage) the others are now quite

indifferent to the weather.


In my opinion even Humming-birds, in spite of their love of sun-

shine, would stand a better chance of survival in the open air than in a

hothouse temperature: if some Humming-birds do not object to cold and

even snow, there seems no reason win- others should not become accustomed

to the same. In his " Naturalist's Notes in Ecuador," Avic. Blag. 1st series

vol. VI., p. 66, Mr. Walter Goodfellow says: — " The little Black Hummer

with a sapphire throat, known as Jameson's Humming-bird, I have seen,

when camping out on the volcano of Pichincha, Coudor shooting, flying

past our tent in a heavy snow storm, with its mournful twit, twit, at an

altitude of over 14,000 feet."


It is one thing to think one's own way of doing things the only way,

and it is much the same thing to persist in one's own way of doing things

when those whom we ourselves admit to be the highest possible authorities

have pointed out our errors : it is very human not to relish advice, but

where there is the least possible chance of our being in the wrong, and the

welfare of our fellow creatures— " Little brothers of the air " as they have

been called — is threatened, it is inhuman not to attend to it.


Mr. Astle} 7 , like all sensible avicultu lists, would be the last to over-

look the enormous labour of superintending our extensive Zoological

Gardens and the many considerations which must weigh with a Super-

intendent in deciding upon the housing and treatment of animals reputed

to be delicate ; and I am perfectly sure that iu his criticism of the

arrangements for keeping birds in the Insect and Parrot-houses, he never

thought for a moment that Mr. Pocock would consider himself to be

-personally attacked ; he merely desired to emphasize the fact that close


confinement was unnatural and not conducive to health.


A. G. Bu'rXER.



