viii INTRODUCTION. 



Fortunately there is a mode of keeping these interesting birds intermediate 

 between that of confining them to a cage, and permitting them to range at 

 freedom through the country round, namely, in a bird-room, or a good-sized 

 aviary, appropriately furnished with an adequate number of rotten logs of 

 wood: in the latter situation they can be seen almost to as great advantage 

 as when flying freely abroad, and infinitely better than when shut up in a 

 cage ; they will also, at least many of them, breed freely in an aviary, and 

 to study and observe their domestic habits, adds very materially to their 

 owner's pleasure, and forms, in many cases, the chief incentive for keeping 

 Parrakeets at all. 



In the following pages we have entered into full particulars of the treat- 

 ment necessary for preserving Parrots in health, and have expatiated at 

 some length upon the strange and unnatural prejudice that yet lingers in 

 some high quarters against allowing them water: we have also given ample 

 details of the various modes of nidification peculiar to the different species, 

 and pointed out the course of treatment necessary to induce them to per- 

 petuate their kind in captivity, which most of them are ready enough to 

 do — so ready, some of them, that under the most adverse conditions they 

 will occasionally lay their eggs, and even rear the young. 



It is by no means a long time since that to breed Parrots, or Parrakeets, 

 of any kind, in this country was looked upon as a thing impossible ; but 

 to-day we find Budgerigars, Cockatiels, Red-rumps, Turquoisines, and some 

 other species nesting as freely as our Domestic Pigeons, and bringing up 

 large families with much less fuss than our Canaries: the experience thus 

 gained should tempt connoisseurs to try some other kinds, the different 

 Lories for example, and the smaller sorts of Cockatoos. 



In Germany, where bird-keeping has been pursued as a study, if not as 

 an avocation, for very many years, amateurs and aviculturists have succeeded 

 in rearing almost every kind of Parrot hitherto imported; but with us the 

 pursuit is yet quite in its infancy, and we believe that the species bred in 

 this country might be counted on the fingers, if not of one hand, certainly on 

 those of both hands ; but every year adds to our knowledge of the delightful 

 family of the Psittacidce, and in the course of a few years more we hope 

 that we shall not be so very far behind our Teutonic friends in this respect. 



As we have said elsewhere, we do not believe in the "Diseases of Birds", 

 concerning which so much is usually said in books treating of the subject 

 we have in hand. Bechstein notwithstanding, we are of opinion that birds 

 in their wild state seldom suffer from any ailment; hunger, cold and old 

 age are the foes they have to combat, excepting, of course, predatory birds 

 and beasts; and in captivity, these, with the exception of old age, which 

 will find us all out at last, should we escape the attacks of every other 

 enemy, should not enter into our calculations at all. In a properly regulated 

 aviary our birds should never die except from age or accident. Draughts 

 and unnatural food are what too often kill captive birds, and both surely 

 can be avoided. 



