J. Delacour—American Aviculture



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of four selected as Honorary Lady Members of the British Ornithologists’

Union.


The wonderful collection of captive and semi-captive birds at

Woburn was a source of great interest to her, and she kept a certain

number of special pets such as Sunbirds and a very favourite Ooscoroba

Swan. Her splendid work for hospitals during and after the War was

well known, as her activity and skill as a sportswoman.



AMERICAN AVICULTURE


By J. Delacour

III. California


On 14th November I left Chicago at 6.30 a.m. by air, and before

7.30 p.m. I was at the Sacramento Aerodrome, a journey which takes

over three days by train. Mr. W. Leland Smith was waiting for me,

and took me to his home at Fair Oaks.


Most of the Californian Pheasant-breeders live in the Sacramento-

San Francisco region. In the Sacramento Valley, climatic conditions

are similar to those in the South of France : a mild winter, but often

damp and sometimes as cold as 15°, and a very hot, dry summer.

They seem to suit all sorts of Pheasants, as well as Pigeons and Doves.

Mr. Leland Smith has an orange and flower ranch as well as an im¬

portant bird-farm. He breeds Game birds in large numbers, all sorts

of Pheasants—American Quails, Chukor Partridges, many species

of wild Pigeons and Doves, including Crowned and Victoria’s Gouras,

and a few small birds, Parrots, and Waterfowl. He has well over a

hundred aviaries, most of them very roomy and without artificial

shelters, but shaded by century-old evergreen oaks. The soil is sandy.

Like most Pheasant breeders in California, oats, barley, afalfa, etc.,

are sown and grown inside the aviaries during the winter to provide

green food. Fruit is always plentiful and cheap in California.


Mr. Smith owns the finest collection of Pheasants in America,

where nearly all the rarer species are represented, the gems of which

are several pairs of the White Eared-Pheasant and a pair of Chinese



