TUI 
INTBOBUOTION. 
Fortunately there is a mode of keeping these interesting birds intermediate 
between that of confining them to a cage, and permitting them to range at 
freedom through the country round, namely, in a bird- room, or a good-sized 
aviary, appropriately furnished with an adequate number of rotten logs of 
wood : in the latter situation they can be seen almost to as great advantage 
as when flying freely abroad, and infinitely better than when shut up in a 
cage; they will also, at least many of them, breed freely in an aviary, and 
to study and observe their domestic habits, adds very materially to their 
owner’s pleasure, and forms, in many cases, the chief incentive for keeping 
Parrakeets at all. 
In the following pages we have entered into full particulars of the treat- 
ment necessary for preserving Parrots in health, and have expatiated at 
some length upon the strange and unnatural prejudice that yet lingers in 
some high quarters against allowing them water: we have also given ample 
details of the various modes of nidification peculiar to the different species, 
and pointed out the course of treatment necessary to induce them to per- 
petuate their kind in captivity, which most of them are ready enough to 
do — so ready, some of them, that under the most adverse conditions they 
will occasionally lay their eggs, and even rear the young. 
It is by no means a long time since that to breed Parrots, or Parrakeets, 
of any kind, in this country was looked upon as a thing impossible ; but 
to-day we find Budgerigars, Cockatiels, Red-rumps, Turquoisines, and some 
other species nesting as freely as our Domestic Pigeons, and bringing up 
large families with much less fuss than our Canaries: the experience thus 
gained should tempt connoisseurs to try some other kinds, the different 
Lories for example, and the smaller sorts of Cockatoos. 
In Germany, where bird-keeping has been pursued as a study, if not as 
an avocation, for very many years, amateurs and aviculturists have succeeded 
in rearing almost every kind of Parrot hitherto imported; but with us the 
pursuit is yet quite in its infancy, and we believe that the species bred in 
this country might be counted on the fingers, if not of one hand, certainly on 
those of both hands; but every year adds to our knowledge of the delightful 
family of the Psittacidee, and in the course of a few years more we hope 
that we shall not be so very far behind our Teutonic friends in this respect. 
As we have said elsewhere, we do not believe in the “Diseases of Birds”, 
concerning which so much is usually said in books treating of the subject 
we have in hand. Bechstein notwithstanding, we are of opinion that birds 
in their wild state seldom suffer from any ailment; hunger, cold and old 
age are the foes they have to combat, excepting, of course, predatory birds 
and beasts; and in captivity, these, with the exception of old age, which 
will find us all out at last, should we escape the attacks of every other 
enemy, should not enter into our calculations at all. In a properly regulated 
aviary our birds should never die. except from age or accident. Draughts 
and unnatural food are what too often kill captive birds, and both surely 
can be avoided. 
