THE TRADE IN AUSTRALIAN BIRDS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1341, 14 September 1886, Page 2

THE TRADE IN AUSTRALIAN BIRDS

A correspondent of an exchange writes: —lt Is not generally known that a large trade in Australian birds la carried on in London. Mr Gard, a well known bird exporter, recently sailed from Adelaide for the old country with a large consign* ment of shell parrots and zebra sparrows. Upwards of 5000 of these feathered voyagers were contained in six large cages, and Mr Gard expected to get them Home with a very small percentage of loss. The bit da were as thick as bees in a hive, the rows of perches being placed about three inches apart, and each cage held about 500 pairs. The exporter has sent Home as many as 35,000 in one season, with an average death-rate of leas than 1 per cent. The birds sell at Home as high as half-a-guinea a pair, but Mr Gard disposes of them to dealers, who vend them in shops and public places, a large portion going to the continent: On the present occasion Mr Gard will make an effort to have his shipment of Australian birds placed In the Sooth Australian Court of the exhibition, where they will no doubt attract a large amount of attention. Among them he has a pair for which he asks £SO, as the male blid is a rara avis, being a shell parrot whose plumage Is a beautiful yellow, ai pare in tint as a Belgian canary’s.