USTIN Middlemiss's article in the August 17 was a sharp reminder of how precarious the cage bird fancy is. Austin has announced that he will probably be giving up his birds. Having had the privilege of knowing Austin for many years, I know how hard the decision must have been. Austin is one of the most knowledgeable of bird fanciers; not only with canaries and British but in all aspects of ornithology. I have had the pleasure to compete against him on the show bench, to work with him in a college environment and to form part of the North of
