On Ihr Kcpp'nig of Soft -Bills in Gages. W?^ 



Editor's v;ilua1)lo sjiace, and will theroforo deal with this, 

 hnportaiit qucsfion in another article. 

 CAGES. 



A\'itli icyaid to cages for Soft-liiils, g(>nerally speaking 

 tliesc cm never be too large. They should allow the ])irds 

 plenty oi' looni for exorcise. 



In my oj)inion a ])ir(l keeps in niudi bettei- hrallh if, 

 besides the juni])ing from i)erch to perch he has I'oom to 

 make use of his wings, and can indulge in a "flight from side 

 t,o side of the cage, and they do. For this reason an of)Iong 

 sha])e is best, and to protect the bird against draughts the 

 box pattern cage is generally adopted. The top of the cage 

 should be made of some soft material to prevent birds from 

 damaging their heads, as when freshly caught, and also during 

 the migratory periods, they are very apt to Jump up against 

 the top during the night, and if the top of the cage is made 

 of hard material bad results will follow. 



Feeding vessels should always be inside the cage, and 

 had best be made of glass, as such are easily kept clean. 



.4 bath is a sine-qua-non, and this should hang outside 

 in front of the cage to prevent the cage from getting wet 

 inside. 



The perches should be placed well apart and be of 

 different thicknesses, and of soft wood, either willow, elder-: 

 berrj, or lime and be easily removable for cleaning pur- 

 poses. Nearly all soft-bills have rather tender feet. I 

 •therefore cover the perch they mostly use, and rest on during 

 the night, with rubber tubing, so as to rnake same more 

 elastic. 



The trail should b.' of ,yood depth and had best be 

 made from zinc, and for covering material I prefer leaf mould 

 mixed with moss litter or cocoanut fibre, fine soil from the 

 garden and a little silver sand. There is always some live 

 live food in the leaf-mould or soil, and besides it is soft and 

 therefore better for the birds' feet than sand alone. When 

 mixing this, I put in a few drops of terebene, which not only 

 makes it nice and sweet, but also acts as a sanitary deodoriser. 



As all soft-bills are large feeders, great attention as 

 to cleanliness must be paid to the cage bottoms or trays. 

 Qnce a week they should be thoroughly cleansed and scalded, 



