20 
HINES ON CAGE-BIRDS. 
not seen one for years, or I would liave liad a fine sliow of Gold- 
finches * Even if you buy Britishers at a bii-d shop, you cannot be 
certain that you will not be dragged into court and fined for having 
recently-caught birds in your possession ; but I am afraid you will 
have to risk that. And remember that, with the exception of the 
few birds which frequent our gardens and parks, the extinction of 
the avifauna of this country must soon result, from the incessant 
destruction of woods, commons, the reclaiming of marsh lands, and 
the substitution of bricks and wire fences for the beautiful products 
of Nature. The real cause of the reduction of bird life in Great 
Britain is the destruction of cover and nesting sites, with the food 
necessary to its sustenance. In the old days, when every man and 
child throughout the year waged perpetual war upon the feathered 
tribes, our country swarmed with bird life, for the features of these 
islands then encouraged the migrating myriads to settle here. Now 
they pass over us as over a barren and inhospitable land. 
Perhaps, on the whole, the best way now lo secure British birds 
is to answer one of the advertisements in Ihe 1 Gathered W orlds adopt 
the deposit system, and await the result. I fear I cannot suggest 
anything better. 
As regards foreign birds, there is still some hope, though the 
rules of steamship companies and the partial introduction of close- 
times into our colonies have rendered the importation of birds a 
little more difficult than aforetime. There is still a goodly array of 
foreign material to be had at moderate cost by those who will take 
the trouble to ransack the bird shops of our' towns ; and, with a 
little previous study, it is sometimes possible to secure even rare 
and interesting birds without much expenditure of capital ; only 
you must be awake, and know what you are buying, or you may 
chance to get left. To give three shillings for an “Auckland 
Nightingale” under the impression that you have secured a, rare 
songster from New Zealand, and then to discover that your bird is 
a common Ortolan, with no song worthy of the name, is dis- 
heartening. 
If possible, know your birds, and have some idea of their market 
value, before purchasing. It is true that the value of impoited 
birds decreases greatly when the market is overstocked, just as 
it increases when the reverse is the case. Well, T suppose I need 
hardly suggest that a dozen Avadavats at five shillings (even if half 
of them should die) would be better worth having than one pair at 
the same price ; still, if the market is not glutted it is better to pay 
the higher price than to go without your birds. On the other hand, 
when it comes to a question of ten shillings or ten pounds (as I 
believe has occasionally been the case in the matter of purchasing a 
Parrot), I should recommend you to hesitate over the higher price 
before giving it, though I should simply button up my coat and 
decline the purc hase. 
* Soon after the publication of this observation in The feathered World 
a bird-catcher brought me three young birds, two of which I still have. 
