NESTS AND OTHER APPLIANCES 



6i 



bottom of one flight-cage touching the top 

 of the one below it, and again there is no 

 harbourage between for insects. Should, as 

 sometimes happens, a colony of mites 

 form on the top of one of the flight-cages 

 the advantage of this system is at once 

 apparent. A sharp look-out will soon 

 reveal the pests, and with the space between 

 the cages they can be destroyed without 

 much difhculty. 



With such a stack of " flights " before 

 him, the wisdom of adopting uniformity 

 in size and arrangement of jiarts will now 

 be ajiparent to the fancier. Seed-hoppers 

 and water-vessels will be seen to be in rows, 

 one above the other, and apart from the 

 pleasing efl'ect to the eye, the convenience 

 of the whole will be manifest in many 

 ways. 



For single and double breeding-cages the 



use of the rack described in comiection 



with the sketch of a room 



7 , on page 44 is far iireferable to 



Advantages ... , 



of the Rack, hangmg them on the wall. 



In the first place the possi- 

 bilitv of insects congregating between 

 the back of the cage and the wall 

 is prevented, for when stood in a rack 

 a space of about an inch can be allowed 

 between the cages and wall. The cages 

 can also be arranged in a much more 

 uniform manner in the rack, for tlie 

 regularity of the hanging is dependent 

 upon the unevenness, or other\vise, of 

 the chinks between the bricks, wherein 

 the nails have to be driven. An illustra- 

 tion of one of these racks ready for 

 standing the cages in is given on page 60, 

 together with sectional and other dia- 

 gi'ams . 



Bird-rooms should be thoroughly cleansed 



and renovated once a year, in the early 



spring for preference, just 



^ ® . , before the birds are paired 

 Question of i. i t 



Cleanliness. "P lof breedmg. The walls 

 andceilings should be distem- 

 pered, and tables, drawers, and any other 

 accessories sci'ubbed down in the same 

 manner as the housewife carries out her 

 spring-cleaning. Have a real turn out. 

 The cages should all be taken into the yard 



and given a thorough good scrubbing inside 

 and out. AVhcn they are dry any that 

 may be getting bare should be re-cnamelled 

 or painted both inside and out. It is a 

 good plan to re-enamel or paint them all 

 over every second or third year, but in 

 an}^ case they should be washed everv 

 spring before breeding commences. Much 



MICRO-PHOTOGRAPH OF RED NUTE. MUCH 

 ENLARGED. 



(Photograph supplied by Mr. S. Dean.) 



slavery is thereby avoided during the 

 breeding season in attempts to keep 

 down the insect pest, and precautionary 

 measures secured against the attacks of 

 epidemics. 



AVhen cages have become greatly soiled 

 during the breeding season, as they so 

 often do, from the droppings of the 

 yoimg birds, it is always advisable to 

 scrub them out directly after the breeding 

 season, esjjecially if it is intended to keej) 

 birds in them during the autumn and 

 winter. 



Nest -boxes play an important part in 



the economy of the breeding-cage, and 



the contrivances and arrange- 



^®®*" ments for them varv greatly in 

 Boxes. c ' 



actual practice. Square wooden 



boxes are largely used in some districts 



even now, and some breeders maintain 



that they are warmer for the birds than 



