The Budgerigar. 107 



they have barely room to turn themselves round: but in a 

 good- sized aviary or bird-room, where they have sufficient 

 space to exercise their naturally active little wings, they are 

 the gems of every collection. 



Budgerigars are very restless, and not unfrequently seized 

 by a panic at night, when they dash wildly about the aviary, 

 disturbing the rest of the inmates, and causing the loss of 

 many broods through frightening the mothers off their nests; 

 so that it is preferable to keep them by themselves, and as 

 they are eminently gregarious, as many scores, or hundreds, 

 of them as there is room for may be located in the same 

 enclosure, where they will live in perfect harmony together, 

 providing that there is a sufficiency of nest-accommodation in 

 the place, without which precaution the females will fight 

 fiercely, aye, and kill each other sometimes, in a contest for 

 a favourite site : but if a superabundance of nesting-places is 

 provided for them, they will form a truly "happy family", 

 the more the merrier, and charm their owner by their beautiful 

 plumage, lively, vivacious ways, and wonderful fecundity. 



The Budgerigar seldom gets very tame : never, unless kept 

 in a small cage, and very much talked to and fussed over. 

 In a large room, or out-door aviary, they are usually very 

 wild; quite as much so, in fact, as their brethren in the 

 bush: but that they are happier and healthier thus, than 

 when confined in a narrow space and "petted" by never so 

 gentle a hand, is, I think, unquestionable. 



I have seen these birds taught to do a number of tricks, 

 such as flying off the owner's hand, and returning to him 

 from a neighbouring tree or wall, when called or whistled 

 for; running their heads into a miniature yoke and drawing 

 a small carriage; climbing up a pole, like a white mouse, 

 and coming down again with a little flag in their beak; but 

 for my part I would utterly hate the amount of coercion, 

 euphemistically called teaching, necessary to bring about such 

 a result. 



