My Aviary and Its Inmates. 
103 
him nut suddenly in so cool a place, but birds that have been 
acclimatized are all the better for the low temperature. 
The most essential thing for the birds is fresh air, and I 
allow them the outdoor flights from about the 10th of May to the 
last of October. 
I feed the seed-eating birds on canary seed, hemp and sun- 
flower and more or less dried wheaten bread, which I purchase 
by the quantity for chickens at 1.75 dol. per 100 lbs. They also 
have green food from the garden. The insect eaters are fed on 
ordinary mocking-bird food, Alirahani's preserved yoke of egg, 
which I am obliged to import, and minced raw meat. I presume 
the total feed bill would average close to 10 dols. per month. 
My gardener looks after the aviary and I have no regular 
keeper. My principal losses have been due to placing the wrong 
kinds of birds togethei-, resulting in their killing each other, par- 
ticularly at breeding time ; and to ever-eating and consequent 
fatty degeneration ; while a few are occasionally lost from injuries 
caused l)y sti-iking their heads when frightened, particularly at 
night. On the whole, however, the losses are no greater than 
with chickens or any other domestic fowls. 
Now, as regards the inmates, in the first flight there are, at 
present, three Cockateels (these nest readily in confinement), a 
pair of Crimson- winged and a female Red-rump Parrakeet, besides 
three Green Love-birds. In the second : Dominican Cardinals. 
Java Sparrows and a few Canaries. In the third : a pair of Lead- 
beater Cockatoos. In the fourth : Zebra Finches, Mannikins, 
Weaver Birds and a lot of other small Finches. The Zebra Finches 
have bred so abundantly that tliey outnumber the others three to 
one. 
In the fifth : Budgerigars, or Australian Grass Parrakeets, 
of which I have bred a large number. For breeding places I first 
used cocoanut husks, imported from E. W. Harper, Wolverhamp- 
ton, England, and latterly have been using the No. B logs made 
by Mr. Herman Scheid, Buren i., Westfalen, Germany, which can 
be imported for about .oOc. apiece. 
In the sixtli flight there are a pair of Blue Mountain Lories, 
two Green Cardinals, an Indian Shama, and a lot of other small 
birds. The Blue Mountain Lories are spiteful with other pai'rots 
but they do not seem to pay much attention to the smaller birds. 
In the seventh : A pair of Rosellas and a male Ring-neck 
