Correspondence



171



entrance hole where the aviary shelter communicates with the flight and starts

busily preening the feathers of her rump. The Golden-back takes up his

position just behind her and a little to one side and, holding his head low,

keeps it close to hers, uttering sibilant noises and occasionally making a quick

lunge at her as though to bite, though without doing so, an action which also

forms part of his normal display. Occasionally, though not very often, the

hen will interrupt her pretended toilet to give his head a brief nibble. The

curious thing is that this particular form of display only seems to take place

in the doorway above mentioned and never in any other part of the aviary,

not even at the entrance to the nest.


Although the Worcester’s lays two or three clutches of eggs each summer

and sits patiently she has unfortunately never hatched a young one.


Tavistock.



THE SCHONBRUNN ZOO


I hope if you ever go to Vienna that you will visit the bird-houses at the

Schonbrunn Zoo. You may get some ideas as they are well worth a visit.


All the birds of prey, Eagles, Vultures, etc., of every species live together

in an enormous aviary, where they have absolute freedom of flight and

exist in perfect amity. Many were nesting. There are huge rocks and sham

ruined castle walls and big trees—a perfectly wonderful exhibition.


In another very large aviary are all the Owls imaginable and far more

in different species than in our Zoo ; likewise all the Hawks in another aviary

by themselves. Then every kind of Tit is shown in a large aviary with

growing trees—firs, Scotch firs, etc. : Bearded Tits, Long-tailed Tits—every

possible kind I have ever heard of and all in one aviary.


In another aviary I saw Hoopoes, Crested Wrens, two kinds of

Wagtails, ordinary and French Partridges, Woodpeckers, and Nuthatches,

well kept and in natural surroundings—in some cases with a small running

stream. I was immensely interested.


Then the Crane class : Egrets, Storks (one pair building), Carrion Crows,

Magpies—all together.


Please make use of this letter.


E. A. Stonor.



A LOVEBIRD PROBLEM


I wonder if you would publish this letter in the next Avicultural

Magazine in the hope that someone may be able to help me. I have got

a Masked Lovebird—a cock—over five years old. In October I noticed him

one day in the aviary not well. I took him in and was quite sure he was

dying ; however, after giving him brandy he quite recovered and was sitting

up on his perch cleaning his feathers when he suddenly fell off, losing the

power of both his legs. Ever since he has lived in the bottom of his cage

sitting on a duster. He is in perfect feather but eats no ordinary food, only

millet spray or digestive biscuits mashed up and off a spoon. About two months

ago I began letting him out of his cage and since then he has spent the day

flying round the drawing-room. He can perch (or, rather, sit on his breast¬

bone) on anything level; and he can hang on to anything by his beak. When

he is out he eats some plain canary seed and white millet, which is left on

a window ledge for some Budgerigars, and lately he has made tremendous



