THE OUTDOOR AVIARY 



89 



it is best to let such a house have eitlier a 

 concrete floor or one of boards raised 

 six or ejffht inches frnm the oround, as a 

 preventive of damp. 



Below we give an illustration of a very 

 usefid outdoor aviary different in shape, 

 yet simple in construction. 

 A Simple 'j-'j^g flight sides and roof are 

 Outdoor , . , ii • 



Aviary cntu'ely open, with nice, cosy 



covered - in sleeping quarters 

 attached. The wooden framework of the 

 flight is covered with lengths of close 



t 



ti 



fyr 



\3 



■1 





A SIMPLE OUTDOOR AVIARY. 



galvanised wire, or |-inch mesh wire netting 

 may be used instead. The joints of the 

 framework may either be mortised and 

 tenoned into each other or fixed by strong 

 angle-irons securely screwed over each 

 joint. Our illustration shows the frame- 

 work of the flight fixed with these angle- 

 iron plates. The strength of the frame- 

 work must be regulated according to the 

 size of the aviary, but it is always well to 

 have the woodwork suffieiently strong. 

 This to some extent guards against much 

 warping, especially if well-seasoned wood 

 is used. Our illustration also shows the 

 lower portion of the flight, built of brick 

 to a height of about two feet. Match- 

 boarding could be used instead of brick, 

 though, of course, it is not so durable. 



Some aviculturists prefer a single door 

 to their aviary, and for their convenience 

 we show this flight built in that manner. 

 The porch and double doors could, if de- 

 sired, easily be adapted to such an aviary. 



Although the illustration shows this 

 flight with an o]ien wire roof, there is 

 nothing to prevent its being built with a 

 covered roof if it is preferred. It is simply 

 a matter of continuing the boarding of the 

 sleeping quarters over the flight instead 

 12 



of covering it with wire. It can be made 

 weather-proof with a covering of good 

 tarred felt, corrugated iron, or sheet zinc 

 — one of the two latter for preference. 

 The little extra expense which would be 

 incurred at the outset would be more than 

 saved in the end, to say nothing of the 

 labour in attending to the roof at intervals 

 when felt is used, or the boards simply 

 tarred. 



The sleeping quarters, or house, as will 

 be seen, is a wooden structure closed in 

 all round, the roof being covered with 

 corrugated iron or sheet zinc. There is an 

 entrance into this house from the flight, 

 which can either have a door to close when 

 the weather is cold and damji, or be left 

 without one. This apartment can be made 

 very comfortable for the birds even with- 

 out a door if it is well sheltered. If pre- 

 ferred, a door can be made into the sleeping 

 quarters from the outside, either at one of 

 the sides or at the end : but a house which 

 has the entrance to it from the flight is, 

 as a rule, much more cosy. The interior 

 fittings can be arranged to the builder's 

 own taste. 



Our next illustration shows the form of 



outdoor aviary, known as a " !ean-to," 



of which a w^all or wooden 



fence forms the back. Thev 



A Lean=to 

 Aviary. 



are not at all difficult to erect, 

 and are put together and jointed in a similar 

 manner to those with which we have just 



A LEAN-TO AVIARY. 



dealt. Where a good wall or fence can 

 be utilised as a back a great saving can 



