INDOOR AVIARIES 



79 



clement in the formation of egg-shell. 

 This need not be crushed so small as to 

 become dust : that will accumulate quickly 

 enough without any assistance ; but if 

 pieces of a crumbly natiu'c are accessible 

 to the birds, they will not fail to avail 

 themselves of them, and with beneficial 

 results. This should be renewed at very 

 short intervals, say weekly, or at most, 

 every two or three weeks. When the birds 

 have picked it over and it begins to get 

 soiled it may still serve as a covering for 

 the floor, but nothing fvu'ther, for it is 

 virtually dirt, and it is well to remove it 

 from the aviary altogether. In sweeping- 

 it up there is no occasion to flourish a long 

 handled brush and create as much terror 

 as possible amongst the occupants. It 

 should be done gently and quietly, and 

 then the birds will take no notice of either 

 brush or sweeper. It is, in fact, only 

 necessary to use a broom at intervals when 

 the aviary is being given an extra clean- 

 out, as a square-mouthed shovel, spade, 

 or scraper, will, in the ordinary way, 

 remove all that is necessary. 



It will soon be seen, too, that the supply 

 of fresh sand will be as eagerly looked for 

 as a supply of fresh food, and every bird 

 in the room will be down on the floor in 

 a moment to turn over the fresh stuff 

 and take in a supply with which to assist 

 his little mill to grind its seed. 



In country places, where they can easily 



be obtained, thin clover-sods will be a 



great acquisition, and almost every 



over= pj^j-i- qJ them will be turned to some 

 good purpose. All work and no 

 play does not suit a Canary any more than 

 the youth in the legendary poem, who is 

 reported to have been made very dull by 

 the process ; and birds are as fond as other 

 creatures of amusing themselves. Nothing 

 entertains them more than picking and 

 pulling to pieces something of this kind, 

 which they will do with manj^ a resolute 

 tug. It is this attention to little wants, 

 which may not perhaps be absolute neces- 

 saries, that goes far to make up the sum 

 of their happiness. 



The subject of feeding will afford matter 



for special consideration. It is no part 

 of the fitting-up of an aviary, though the 



receptacles for food and water. 

 The Food ^^,g ^j^jj^^ ^^^^^ ^Q ^Q ^^.j^,^ j^ 

 Supply. 



We do not advise the scattering 



of much seed on the floor, as a great 

 portion of it would by that means be 

 wasted. Canaries do not scratch and search 

 for their food like the gallince, or feast 

 till the dish is empty and then pick the 

 bones. Throw a handful of corn to poultry 

 among loose gravel, and not a single grain 

 will be allowed to hide itself ; but the 

 natural habits and instincts of the Canary 

 do not lead it to search in this way, and 

 unless the quantity of seed thrown down 

 be very trifling, it will only be trodden in 

 and hidden luider the sand, to be scraped 

 up with droppings and soiled sand. We are 

 satisfied that sweet seed, supplied to the 

 birds in a receptacle which protects it 

 from the contamination of dust and 

 the birds' droppings, is a preventive of 

 disease. All seeds, except those which are 

 given in very small quantities, should be 

 placed in self-supplying hoppers, by which 

 plan there will 

 always be f 

 food at com- ,.f- 

 mand. and the 

 waste will be 

 reduced to a 



VO:;: 



m 1 n 1 m u m . 

 AMiat is scat- 

 tered from the "'"" 



, P 11 • SELF-SUPPLYING SEED-HOPPER. 



hopper falls m 



one place, and may be collected and sifted 

 without so much probability of its being 

 crushed and trodden into the floor. All our 

 sweepings go to the poultry ; but the fact of 

 having povdtry to pick over waste food is 

 no reason why food should be wasted. 



We show a handy form of self-supplying 

 seed-hopper on this page. The top part of 

 the front is of glass, so that the state 

 of the sujiply can alwaj's be seen. These 

 seed-hoppers are generally made of zinc 

 or wood, some are of mahogany. It will 

 be observed that there is a hole in the 

 back at the top by which the hopper 

 can be hung up. It should be hung in a 



