46 
Starting mi Aviary. 
some wild raspberry canes were also growing there. The 
area of this site was 20ft. by 18ft. 
Eai-ly in the spring (191 3) I erected my aviary. I 
had a house built, four feet wide, the whole width of the liack, 
which is 20rt.; this has a span roof, which rises about four 
feet above the top of the flight, and was match-boarded within 
and thatched without; an open doorway was left in tlie middle 
of the front of this house to allow the birds free ingress and 
egress at will. The open flight was seven feet high and 
looked quite an imposing place when finished. I tlien wrote 
to our Editor askinu' bis aiivice re birds : and he kindly sent me 
a list of "Freely Imported Species" suitable for such an 
aviary, also indicating the accommodation capacity of it 
and the species most likely to live together in amity. 
Like most novices I was most anxious to start, and on 
April ] 4th 1 put in a pair of Zebra Finches and two pairs 
of Canaries (Norwich Crests), that had been previously kept 
in a cold room; I presume I should have been rightly served 
had I found six corpses the next day, but I did not. Two 
days later I put in another pair of Zebra Finches, which I 
procured from one of our members; and here permit me to say 
that 1 think Zebra Finches are really my favourites; they 
are always so bright and jolly, and such regular little Imsy- 
bodies. Then I procured pairs of "White-headed Mannikins 
(not particularly interesting these), and Spice Finches (the 
song of the latter is very comic). AVithin a .week both pairs of 
Zebr;i Finches and one j^air of Canaries were nesting, and 
I iincreased my stock with pairs of Black-headed Mannikins 
and Red -billed Weavers. The latter I find both interesting 
and amusing — the cock is always building, while (he hen strolls 
is now and again to inspect what he is doing, and mostly 
condemns it, so that he has to start afresh. 
Thus far I had made my purchases from amateurs, 
but I now liogan to try dealers, and have found that there 
are dealers and dealers, as I expect most have done, how- 
ever, they say it is a good thing to l>uy your own experience. 
My first transaction was not a happy one, I bought 
in one lot pairs of Grey Java Sparrows, Cutthi'oats, Grey 
Waxbills, Silverbills, Grey and Green Singingfniches, Bronxe 
Mannikins, Conibasous, and Green Avadavats — these were all 
