204 My Indio/n Consignment. 



bars and easy soldering it really is better to make, at any 

 rate the patterns, one.self, and these slides are very easy if 

 a fair number are made at the same time. I hardly fancy it 

 would be of general interest, as it is I think I have gone 

 into detail too much, or I should be only too glad to go into 

 full detail with rough sketches and method of procedure. But 

 to get on, the tins are held in place with right angle screws 

 or simple turn-down wire. By this method I make seven tins 

 do the work of twelve, no mean saving of labour, and my 

 sliding jim saves me from anxiety as regards escapes. The 

 small holes are covered by a bit of tin soldered to the angle 

 screw. These tins provide food and water; for live food 

 a small tin is hung inside between the other tins; into this, 

 mealworms, etc., are shoved through the wire by means of 

 small surgical forceps. The latter are invaluable, especially 

 for those with female belongings, who are kind enough to take 

 a hand, but who have no special love for mealworms and 

 still less for the etceteras. 



The remainder of my fronts and partitions are of punched 

 bar front. Each compartment has a small door and I am 

 liberal with the punched bar, as coolies are very fond of 

 trying (succeeding only in one's absence) to lift cages with 

 their Angers through the wire near the side. I lost my dear 

 old pair of Hanging Parrakeets in this way on the way down 

 out of a cage made in England. This and another which were 

 supposed to be made somewhat after an ancient pattern of 

 mine were the chief worry on the way home. Weak wiring 

 and huge doors opening all the way up accounted for several 

 escapes. The catch would have allowed for several more 

 had I not wired up the doors only opening them to give 

 baths. The perches (made from an ancient jim of mine but 

 spoilt out of recognition) came out only too easily but were 

 the very mischief to put back till I i fixed them up. The 

 trays (beautifully enamelled) stuck and the tins stuck, and 

 nothing was interchangeable. The various catches only caught 

 when they were not wanted to. Finally the perches were 

 splintery and every bird in those cages became afllicted 

 more or less with sore feet, the only cases I had. By closing 

 up I managed to do without these cages, 'and I gave them"; 

 to a steward, I ought really to have thrown them over- 



