Feathered Beauties

Four or five years ago, Mr Theo Bolton, of Somertons Road, Hexton, one of the district's largest poultry-keepers, developed an interest in game birds. So absorbing did Mr Bolton find his hobby that his aviaries are now almost a tourist attraction in the district. They cover over 2000 square feet and house 30 varieties of pheasants, finches, and parakeets. Special attractions in this feathered family are a kiwi and three peacocks.

"Photo News" cameraman spent over an hour in the cages to get these pictures. Except for silver pheasant at right, birds did not seem to mind glare of flashlights.

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A Crimson Rosella Australian Parrakeet

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Silver Pheasants are either friendly or vicious

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A beautiful Chinese Golden Pheasant

Exotic birds in Mr Bolton's collection come from as far afield as Africa, India, and Australia. Great beauty of their many-hued plumage is lost in black-and-white reproductions on these pages. Peacocks, not included here, are best seen in September, when their tail feathers are a spectacular sight. The care and feeding of so many different varieties requires skill and knowledge (brush-tongued rainbow lorykeets, for example, must have barley food or semolina), but such things come easy to Mr Bolton, who is no stranger to feathers. He runs 1500 birds on his poultry farm, produces as many as 30,000 chickens in a year.

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Mr Bolton with the kiwi

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Tail feathers grow up to five feet long on this variety of Asian pheasant

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This silver pheasant has a wing spread of three feet