236 N. Wharton-Tigar—Garden Party at Foxwarren Park


GARDEN PARTY AT FOXWARREN PARK


By N. Wharton-Tigar


One of the great assets of the Avicultural Society is the invitation,

extended to all members in May every year, by Mr. and Mrs. Ezra

to visit their country home at Foxwarren Park.


This year we had a particularly lovely day. The weather was perfect

.and we all very thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. On arrival Mr. Ezra,

always tireless in his efforts to show visitors his many feathered

treasures, himself conducted us to his aviaries. We walked through

shady garden and woodland paths, catching glimpses here and there of

Jungle Fowl and Chukar Partridges, now well established in the home

woods. Passing many beautiful old trees, we came to a long range of

aviaries, all planted with very large shrubs and conifers. This is a

paradise for birds in these large enclosures, their every comfort is

studied, and it is not surprising that every year our President is able

to claim the Society’s medal for birds bred for the first time in captivity.

All are in superb condition and one could spend hours here and not hope

to see all the inmates. I have for several years much admired a Scissor-

tailed Tyrant, a most graceful and lovely bird from South America.

Many Wood Swallows flying about looked beautiful, and I noticed

the Blacksmith Plovers and Bichenow’s Weavers that Mr. Ezra bred

for the first time last year ; also several species of Magpies, particularly

the Formosan Blue Magpie.


Presently, proceeding further, we came to a new acquisition—the

Mountain Bluebird, a glorious pair in an aviary to themselves. It

would be impossible to imagine anything more lovely, and it was

difficult to tear oneself away ! There are also pairs of the Western Blue¬

bird, almost as beautiful. Passing the well-equipped Parrakeet and

Parrot aviaries, I noticed among many beauties the exquisite Princess

of Wales’s Parrakeet from Australia, the most beautiful of all, a species

that is bred here every year.


Now we are conducted through more lovely gardens, skirting hard

tennis courts we pass back through the kitchen garden, where tempting

beds of strawberries soon ready to pick make one’s mouth water.

'Coming to one of the many large trees our host takes down at random



