A FLOATING AVIARY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 36, 12 February 1931, Page 8

A FLOATING AVIARY.

85 CANARIES ON VERONICA. "STOWAWAYS" ON VOYAGE. The Veronica resembled a floating aviary on arrival this morning. •' Members of the crew have a total of 85 canaries which they rescued from captivity following the earthquake. All the birds have taken well to their temporary home and when the many cages were placed in the sun this morning they chirped and sang merrily. Many are quite tame and fly out of their cages and alight on the fingers of their proud owners. One grimy stoker, after' finishing his Watch below, attended to sixteen of his pets before he thought of having his own breakfast. "Dozens of dogs and cats came aboard after the first big. shock," said one of the petty officers' this morning. "They seemed to know that it was the only safe place thej-e for a while anyway.) We fed them all on scraps and we had a difficult job to get them off the ship before we left." Two cats and a black Pomeranian puppy, however, managed to gtow away and have now been adopted as permanent pets on the sloop. "Woofit," the Philomel's pet dog, wandered over to the Veronica shortly after, she berthed and renewed acquaintances, with the crew. "Woofit" wa* at all anxious to make friends with the black puppy. >' . Only a few wild animals are now required at the Devonport naval base to constitute a menagerie, for at present there is as donkey rand a number of sheep in the yard, and a dog and some cats on the PMlam«l.