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/li'ifiiHural Experiences. 
Avicultural Experiences. 
By R. SuGcin . 
There is every prospect of birds benig more freely 
imported in tlie near future, particularly the Senegal Finches, 
and, as most of our aviaries are thinly populated we shall be 
making' purchases, therefore, a few experiences may be helpful 
to some qf our inexperienced members. 
Take the VVaxbills and I'loecine Finches generally, which 
include the Orange-cheeked, Clrey, Golden-breasted, Cordon 
Bleu, Lavender and Fire Finches; also many of the Weavers 
and Whydahs, etc., which we (.ould always obtain before the 
war for a modest amount. The bulk of these birds are shipped 
from Dakar in the P>ench Senegal, to Marseilles, and from 
there distributed to London and the various continental cities. 
I understand that from being shipped at Dakar to, say, reaching 
London — a matter of a month -they never see any grit, and it 
it common knowledge that these birds will not long survive 
without grit in some form. 
We purchase some of these birds from a dealer, put them 
into a cage with food and water, sand or grit on the bottom of 
the cage, and think all is well. I have done this repeatedly. 
Now the trouble begins. If we watch these new arrivals we 
shall find that they first have a good long drink, then attack the 
grit, of which they will consume a tremendous amount. Their 
systems are run down, and in very many cases they are in a 
more or less advanced stage of septic fever, mainly through 
over crowding, eating fouled seed, and drinking contaminated 
water. The grit taken in abnormal quantities further irritates 
the birds, and is the cause of very many deaths, which I am sure, 
by a long series of experiments can be avoided. 
My method (we, of course, may differ in details) is to 
place new purchases in a cage, the bottom covered with moss, 
fibre or hay; give them rain water with a few drops of Dineford's 
magnesia or pinch of Epsom salts (rain water always preferred), 
a dish of sand, which is left in for a few minutes only; above all. 
