John WilcocJc—Some Aims and Ideals in Aviculture



91



dry. Then I placed turves on the floor of the aviary and kept them

just moist, arranging for ventilation low down to prevent mould

growing. A large tray of wet soil changed often, would doubtless

give the same result, and be safer. I also sprayed the outside of the

trunk, and the wood mould forming the nest bottom, with rain water

occasionally. I aimed at producing normally dry conditions, not

the abnormally dry conditions ruling in a well-constructed shelter.

Of eight young reared every one was a really fine specimen. Perhaps

we ought all to be using wet and dry bulb thermometers in our aviaries,

ascertaining just what degree of humidity is desirable. Probably

very little is necessary, but that little may be important. In a wet

summer perhaps we need take no precautions, the humidity of the

.atmosphere being sufficient, but anyhow I think that sometimes we

do not get as good breeding results from a hot dry summer as we had

hoped, and over-dryness of the conditions of our shelters, where the

eggs and young are, may be the cause. However, a number of people

keeping careful records would soon prove whether there is anything

in the theory or not and systematic experiments by a number of people

may show that, below and above a certain range of humidity, the

young of various species are adversely affected.


[Just a digression. Has any one noticed that the Kosella has

a definite sense of smell, and uses it ? A nesting log newly placed

in the aviary is scrutinized carefully by the bird smelling it all round.

It is well known that birds generally have a very poor sense of smell

{bird photographers can ignore it altogether in their work). Perhaps

the whole genus is similarly gifted. If so, aviculture may here make

a small contribution to science, if the fact is not already recorded.]


Do our adolescents get all the accommodation they ought to have ?

It is, of course, a very important period of their lives, as it is with

all living things. With many birds it is advisable to remove the

young when they become independent; with some it is essential.

Do they then go into cages, with dry seed as sustenance, and, if so, is

it not likely to negative much of the result of the thought and care

and work that has been put into the breeding aviary. If an adult

bird requires a certain amount of space to be fit to propagate the

species, then the incarceration of a young bird at a critical period of



