66 



CANARIES, HYBRIDS, AND BRITISH BIRDS 



Tin Nest= 

 Pans. 



TIN NEST-PAN. 



inuc'li about, it as we do, and, it may be. 

 a little more. 



On this page is given an illustration of a 

 tin nest- pan, which has rendered good service 

 in days gone by : some 

 breeders, indeed, use it even 

 now. It is eup-shaped, with 

 a zinc bottom, perforated for j)ur])oses of 

 ventilation. It is attached to an u])right 

 back, j^recisely similar in construction to 

 the old-fashioned sconces in vogue before 

 the days of gas, which, 

 containing a spluttering 

 candle, were hung against 

 the wall to render the 

 darkness visible It is 

 suspended against the 

 back of the cage, on a 

 sti'ong ilat-hca.dcd tack 

 or nail, di'iven in at a 

 \cry acute angle ; the 

 hole ill tiic tin is sii.-ipcd 

 like an in\ertcd keyhole, 

 through the enlarged eye 

 of which the head of the nail passes, the 

 narrow t-ut allowing the tin to fall on the 

 shank. The inclined position of the nail 

 generally alTords sullicient grij) to prevent 

 the nest being pulled to one side by the 

 bird. This will constantly happen if the 

 tin be suspended on a screw, as there is 

 then notiiiug but the friclinn of the nest 

 against the back of the cage to |)revcnt its 

 oscillating freely, unless the head of the 

 screw be sent well home so as to bite the 

 edges of the slit, in which case it sometinus 

 bites too much, and it is not easy to lift 

 the nest olT ;iii<l on. 



Some breeders use these tin nests un lined, 

 but they are much better lined with soft 

 felt |)i'ocurabIc at any saddlers. 'J'hei-e 

 are two kinds of this felt, white and brown ; 

 the white is the better of the two. but is 

 a trillc more e\pensi\c lliaii llic bi-uwn. 

 which is h.-irdcr and iiincli timglicr. 'I'iic 

 latter is an excellent ([ualit}-, howe\cr, 

 for some birds never leave it alone, even 

 while sitting, but peek away at it till tiic 

 Ijottom of the ncsl is completely |)erforale(l. 

 The tougher kind is also to be had black ; 

 the texture of the material is the same. 



We have no choice as to selectit)n, but the 

 white looks cleanest, and has a comfortable 

 appearance about it suggestive of warmth. 

 The felt should be cut into circidar pieces, 

 as shown in the accompanying diagram, 

 according to the size of the tins : the dianicter 

 of the felt nuist be nuich greater than that 

 of the tin, to allow of its being pressed into 



FELT LINING FOR riN NHST. 



the euj). Hush with the lop edge. Kach 

 piece must then be split into two, like a 

 nndlin. It will be found that the white 

 will sjilit easily, but the brown i-ecpiires a 

 good pull. In order to lit it into the tins, 

 a deep angular-shaped |)iecc must be cut 

 out of the edge: this should not he cnt 

 too large at first, but if the IVll will nol 

 lit smoothly wilhoul any ridges the notch 

 can be enlarged till the desired sha])e is 

 obtained. The remainder can be cut to 

 |)attcrn. \\ v lia\i' always I'ounil one dce|) 

 notch to be amply sullicient, as the stulT 

 is very easily workcfl into shape in the 

 tins. It must be lii-ndy secured 1)\- a few 

 stitches of stout thread |)asscd through 

 the pcrl'oral(Hl zinc bottom, as the hens 

 will pull away at it in a resolute mannci', 

 sometimes biting through the thread and 

 Inniiug the \)vi\ out on to the Moor. 

 ()ur rc:isoii for iii;iking only one notch 

 is that tlierx' is only one rent to close, 

 and so the less chance is alToi'dcd for 

 insects to lind their way into the stulT. 

 When a lot of these felts have been cut 

 they should be threaded on fine strings, 

 according to size, and hung u]) lor use. 

 The}' will all be wanted before the season 



