E. W. Chaplin—Avicultural Recollections



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the bird’s sudden death, since he appeared to be in perfect health until

very shortly before the end.


Taken all in all, I have found the keeping of Softbills a truly

fascinating hobby. While their care entails more time and effort than

that of Hardbills, their delightful song and charming tameness have

repaid me many times for the effort I have made to provide as clean

and comfortable surroundings for these insectivorous birds as possible.

I have become so attached to my Softbills that I shall not want to

part with them so long as it is at all possible for me to care for them

properly.



AVICULTURAL RECOLLECTIONS


By E. W. Chaplin


My avicultural efforts have always been on so small a scale that

I have never felt that an account of them at any one time would prove

of sufficient interest to justify the space required for an article in the

Magazine. The same applies at the present time, and it is only with

the idea of putting a little hope into the faint heart of Captain E. H.

Barclay and of possible waverers who may read his very lugubrious

article that I venture to give my experiences.


I am not one of our magnate members, able to buy a bird first

and ask the price afterwards. I have very carefully to count the

cost and what I regard as a treasure they probably place amongst

the “ also-rans ”.


In my juvenile days I usually had a few foreigners in cages, and

being then fully convinced that their greatest need was as much heat

as possible my fears for their early deaths were seldom ill-founded.


My first open-air venture was with Golden Pheasants. I had seen

them advertised in the Exchange and Mart at modest prices, and

I made up my mind to have some. Eirst I put up an aviary for them.

This was about 18 feet long by 9 feet wide and 9 feet high. The wire

netting that I used was, I suppose, about £ in. mesh, anyway, it was

small enough to keep out rats and sparrows, but not mice. I buried

wire netting all round to the depth of about 1 foot. Soon after I started



