$) THE GARDEN BOOK OF CALIFORNIA 



while "bird-seed" must be furnished by the wholesale, the 

 only question being to watch closely to see, for instance, that 

 if there is a great demand by the small householders for 

 rape, or for millet, this allowance is increased as needed in 

 the bulk of the grains used. Materials for nest-building 

 are furnished, too, and one of the delights of the visitor is to 

 watch the tiny architects select just the particular sort of 

 building material which his family has always considered 

 best, and proceed to make his home for the next generation to 

 enjoy. One section of the aviary is given over entirely to the 

 finches, and a busy family they are, full of song and clever 

 ways. Sometimes complications arise among the families, 

 but on the whole the communities are peaceable and law- 

 abiding and to the careful observer give many suggestions in 

 the way of self-respect and self-government. 



The breeding of the birds is a matter of much moment, 

 especially of the rarer sorts. A rose-parrot, a bird said by 

 the books on the subject "never known" to rear its young 

 in captivity, has delighted Mr. Sefton by presenting him 

 with young rose-parrots. The starlings and the redbirds 

 have done as well. When the young redbirds came there 

 was much excitement about the Sefton establishment. The 

 parent birds had been very secretive about their intentions 

 and so the presentation of the young birds was in the nature 

 of a surprise to Mr. Sefton, who first discovered them by the 

 uneasy actions of the parents. Mrs. Sefton was instantly 

 sure that the parents were disturbed because they could not 

 find a sufficient amount of "live meat" for their offspring, 



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