GAGES AND GAGE-MAKING 



51 



they wish to make the front, free from knots, 



the precise length of the body of the cage 



from outer edge to outer edge, 



f},^^^ and the exact thickness. That 



Wire 



Fronts, ^^r the top bar nnist be | of an 



inch broad, that for the bottom 

 li inches, and tlie third i)iccc for the 

 middle cross-bar should be ^ of an inch 

 broad. Fit the top cross-piece immediately 

 imder the top of the box, cutting slots in 

 the sides and centre partition (if a fixed 

 one) to receive it. The slots should not be 

 too wide or too deep ; it is easy to take off 

 a shaving, but not so easy to put one on, 

 and these cross-pieces and bar must fit close 

 and tight, and be flush with the front edge. 

 Fix tlie bottom piece in the same manner 

 1 inch from the bottom of the front. This 

 will leave a space of 12.j inches between 

 the two. Now let the middle cross-bar in 

 neatly, and exactly square, 4| inches above 

 the bottom piece, and having ascertained 

 that everything fits just as it should, and 

 that nothing requires altering in any way, 

 take out these three pieces, and having 

 marked off on one of them with a pair of 

 compasses the position of the wire-holes 

 I of an inch apart from centre to centre, 

 clamp the three tightly together, and mark 

 them across with a pencil and square, 

 drawing the line through each point with 

 the greatest care, for on this depends the 

 accuracy of the wiring. Nothing looks 

 more unbusiness-like than a badly-wired 

 cage, and the operation is really so simple 

 that there is no excuse for doing it other- 

 wise than with the greatest exactness and 

 regularity. Having set off the s}iaccs. run 

 a line down the centre from end to end, and 

 prick the wire-holes on the cross-lines at the 

 intersecting points, using for the purpose 

 a bradawl one size smaller than No. 15 or 

 No. 16 gauge tinned wire, and either short- 

 ened to J an inch in length or loaded with 

 pieces of leather till but that portion of the 

 bradawl remains. This ensures a uniform 

 depth of hole, but after a little practice 

 there will be no need to adoj^t the leather 

 guide on the bradawl, the mere placing of 

 a finger on the blade of the bradawl at the 

 given dejDth will be sufficient. This, of 



course, only ajiplies to the top and bottom 

 cross-bars ; the middle bar nuist be bored 

 right through. Anyone can prick a hole, 

 but to bore it perpendicularl}' is another 

 matter ; and it must be remembered that, 

 in pricking tlic middle cross-j^iece, the awl 

 nnist be kept perfectly upright, or the 

 wires will enter the upper surface appar- 

 ently in the right direction and come out 

 on the lower in another, when it will be 

 found that the more they are coaxed the 

 more they will not go where they are wanted. 

 But a little care Avill prevent any irregu- 

 larity of this kind. The bradawl should be 

 pressed gently as it is twisted to bore the 

 holes, so as not to split the wood. In 

 pricking the holes in the bottom cross- 

 l)iece, it is better not to make any in the 

 middle, on the portion over which the door 

 will stand. It may seem unnecessary to 

 call attention to such a trifling matter, 

 but superfluous holes are the very jilaces in 

 which insects take up their abode. In the 

 event of the Canarj' parasite — to which we 

 shall by and by have to refer — getting into 

 the cage, these unnecessary holes will all be 

 found crammed with them. It is therefore 

 wise to leave no holes. 



A quicker method of marking off these 



cross-bars for boring is to make a simple 



wire gauge. A piece of hard 



„,."!'' wood, such as ash or even oak. 



Wire Gauge. „ . , , 1 1 i 



about 1 toot m length, should 



be planed down to about | of an inch in 



width and i an inch in thickness ; on this 



sjxices should be marked off on one of the 



edges with the compasses ij of an inch 



apart, just as if it were being prepared 



for a cage-front ; a boring should then be 



made at each mark, in the middle, with a 



bradawl to the depth of g of an inch. In 



each hole should be inserted a short piece of 



wire a size larger than the bradawl with 



which the hole was bored, so that tight 



ness is ensured, the end of which should 



project i of an inch. When each projecting 



wire has been filed to a point, a simple yet 



efficient gauge is available for marking the 



cross-bars for wiring. All that has to be 



done is to stand it, points downward, on 



the edge of each of the cross-bars and give 



