72 
Forevj'ii Birds. 
a special aviary, not necessarily a laruc one, in icseniljlc as near as 
possible, a little bit of their native liaiiiits — instance Mr. Tesche- 
niaker's success with the Giant Whydah {('/irni 'j)ro<'no) last season : 
yet that there is no need, for those nnal)le to do this, to give up in 
despair is amply proved by Mrs. Annin.uson l)reedin,L! almost con- 
cnrrently both the Red-collared Whydah ( Pciil liclria (irdciix) and 
the Pin-tailed Whydah {Vidua princi))alii>), in an ordinary aviary, 
containing a varied and numerous series of birds, the only natural 
growth of which consisted of a few evergreen shrubs in tubs. 
The oliservant eye will iiotice many of the l)irds' diiliculties and 
will seek to circumvent them, and many a {^i-eat triumph will 
come the way of the aviarist, who is only able to sive his birds 
quite ordinary accommodation. Whatever the accommodation 
we are able to fjive, all should seek to gather coi-rect data and to 
observe carefully as far as may be possible, all the following facts, 
viz. : — 
Tile colour of eyys ami number of clutcli (at the same time I 
would not risk the loss of said clutch to obtain this). 
Period of Incubation. 
Method of feeding youn.u, witli tlieir dietai'y. 
Aye at which the fledj>lin.ys leave the nest. 
Nestling i)lumaii'e. 
Age and manner l)y which adult plumage is attained. 
A book should be kept of such records, it is unmjc to rely <»i 
iiieiiiory alonr. 
III. The keeping of species for (iENbral Breeding 
Purposes : This grouj) will in-obably form the largest number 
of aviculturists, ami certainly not one of the least important. The 
surroumling circumstances are much the same as the i)rece(ling 
section, much the same data should be sought afti-r, and very 
careful records kept, not merely once, i.e., the initial instance, but 
over a numl)er of years, so that the initial facts may ))e confirmed 
or modified according to the knowledge gained, — herein lies the 
importance of this sections' work, which shall elevate it from the 
mere hobby or craze to an actual cult. 
IV. The Domestication of Foreign Species : Practically 
nothing has been done as yet in this direction, yet it should prove 
of great interest ; very probably at no lengthy time new varieties 
would appear ; however, at this stage, I do not care to enlarge to 
