194 
Good and Bad Points in My Aviaries. 
tho shell. They are again incubating and with the warm 
weatlier now prevailing may succeed in hringing off young. 
A disaster happened to the Black-cheeked Lovebirds, the hen 
being killed by an odd Quaker Parrakeet that I was foolish 
enougl: to introduce into the aviary. The Cape and Cinnamon 
Sparrows nested, the latter having fertile eggs by the House 
Sparrow, but no young have been hatched; both are now in- 
cubating second clutclies. Very interesting birds l:e e are the 
Severe Macaws (Ara sevcra). Why Severe I Co not know! 
My birds are particularly frivolous. It is mo t amu-iiig to 
see them playing with a male Blue -crowned Conuie. The hen 
Macaw permits him to do what he likes and I have fre- 
quently seen him feed her. 
Xo 4 . Pairs each of Eosella Parrakeets ; Brush Bronze-wing 
and Diamond Doves ; Cutthroats ; Bib and Zebra Finches ; Bengalese ; 
Yellow Sparrows; Black -hoadcd Mannikins, and Spice Finches. 
Here the Ro>ellas have had seven young ones. Un- 
fortunately the hen elected to go to nest, the second time, before 
the young were very strong on the Aving, and turned nast.y with 
them, killing two by biting through their upper mandibles. 
The five surviving have been removed and are doing well. 
Diamond Doves nested twice, imt either the eggs or young 
were knocked down by the young Parrakeets, and I have 
•since lost the hen. The Brush Bronze -wing Doves went 
through the same experience, and their nests were also lost. 
I have now removed them to Xo. 9 Aviary. Canaries, Ben- 
galese, and Bil) Finches, are incubating, but so far there are 
no young. The cock Yellow Sparrow escaped and on being 
recaptured was placed with its mate in Xo. G Aviary. A 
rather curious incident has just occurred in the aviary: my man 
noticing that the seed in one of the feeding trays was disap- 
pearing at night, set a " Little Killer " trap close to a hole he 
founa in the ground. Within half-au-hour he caught a big- 
headed, long-tailed fieldmouse, and ten minutes later from the 
same hole a large short -tailed mouse. The common house 
mouse has apparently deserted the aviary. 
Xo. 5 : Pairs each of Speckled Conures ; Diuca Finches ; Diamond 
Doves ", Canaries ; cock Madagascar and hen Black-cheeked Lovebirds ; 
cock Goldfinch and hen Sikhini Siskin ; and two pairs Taha Weavers. 
Here Canaries are so far the only birds to bring off 
young, but Diuca and Sallron Finches, transferred here from 
