THE



Avicultural Magazine


THE JOURNAL OF THE

AVICULTURAL SOCIETY



Fourth Series.—V ol. XI.—No. 8 .—All rights reserved. AUGUST, 1933.



MY TROPICAL AVIARY


By G. H. Gurney


A short account of my recently-constructed tropical aviary may

be of interest to other members and induce them to start something

of the same sort. A very small outlay, not necessarily using very

great heat, will furnish an old greenhouse or disused conservatory,

and with a little ingenuity a delightful and uncommon aviary may

be made. My house, a photograph of one corner of which accompanies

this article, was constructed out of a small greenhouse, which had

formerly housed a dull array of ordinary pot plants. Extra hot-water

pipes were added, and tall tropical plants planted. It is some 24 feet

long by 15 feet wide : to this I added a long extension of brick and

glass, built at right angles to the main house. The glass sides I painted

with a rough representation of a tropical forest, with dense foliage and

trees ; this blocks out the adjacent aviaries and houses, which could

be seen through the glass and spoilt the effect. The illusion is further

increased by the tall-growing tropical plants, planted on three sides

of the house, palms, dracaenas, and a banana tree, seven or eight feet

high, while the roof is covered with exotic creepers and the curious

pitcher plants ( Nepentes ); this gives additional shade for the birds. Two

rather large tree trunks covered with moss and lichen, on which are

planted some scarlet Nidulariums, help to give a further tropical effect.



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