G. H. Edwards—Yorkshire Aviaries



7



a cup of tea and told me it was “ six o’clock, and time to be around and

about! ”


I located the source of the night cries in a beautiful aviary in the

garden. The aviary was the home of scores of Waders. In it were

bushes, grass and stones, and a pool of informal design shaped roughly

in the form of a map of Great Britain.


The Oyster Catchers—there were several of them—are easily

domesticated. They are very pretty in their black and white plumage,

and long orange beaks. The eyes are truly beautiful—crimson irides,

and orange eyelids.


Swaysland, writing of the Oyster Catcher states that: “ Some


years ago,” i.e. previous to 1901, “ a flock was kept in the grounds of

the Royal Pavilion, Brighton, where they attracted a great deal of

attention ... I well recollect an Oyster Catcher in the West of England

that lived for many years in a fowl yard ; it was quite tame and

associated with the fowls and pigeons in the most friendly way ...”


The Lapwings are very desirable aviary birds. Their short quick

walk which invariably ends in a period of deliberation and thoughtful

survey of the turf, is very charming to watch. They make delightful

pets, and are easily satisfied in the matter of food. At Nawton, they

are fed mainly on scalded biscuit meal. I intend making an aviary

for waders myself, as it is quite simple to make a shallow pool—-2 or

3 inches deep—a few waders will amply repay the trouble spent.


There were several other waders including Dunlins, Tringa alpina,

and many other of the Sandpipers, and the interesting Ruff, Machetes

pugnax, which, by the way, is polygamous. They are very playful,

but easily got into a bad temper in the breeding season. There were

several females present. The hen, or Reeve, is very much like the

Ruff when the latter loses his ruff. A Wigeon, Anas penelope, was the

only member of the duck family in the aviary. Wigeons are by no

means as shy, in the wild state, as most waterfowl, and they very soon

settle down under domesticated conditions. One can very soon gain

the confidence of these Ducks and, by the way, their principal food

is—grass.


A Golden Pheasant cock added a touch of bizarre to this pleasing



