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Practical Bird-Keeping. — IV. Parrakeets.



angles to the width of the trench, and the soil filled in and

rammed. With this protection, providing there are no old drains

below the site, the aviary may be regarded as safe.


Warming.


Jf only the hardy species of Parrakeets are to be kept, and

these introduced during warm weather, it will be unnecessary to

provide artificial warmth during the winter months, providing

the aviary is in a sheltered position and has been properly con¬

structed. As a rule, however, the amateur is not content to keep

only the hardy kinds, but wishes to keep those from such habitats

as the Northern parts of Australia or Tropical America, and this

being so it is necessary to provide artificial warmth during the

English winter. For newly-imported birds also, some slight

warmth is necessary until they become acclimatised, even though

they belong to species whichare quite indifferent to cold when once

established. It is, therefore, desirable that an efficient warming

plant be included in the specification of an aviary for Parrakeets.


If the aviary is divided into several compartments it would

be a good plan to be able to warm say half, that is, there would

be three of the inner portions warmed in an aviary of six com¬

partments.


Regarding the type of apparatus most suitable. Hot-

water pipes, heated by a coke or anthracite boiler provide the

most economical and safest means of warming. A row of two

four-inch pipes, one the flow and the other the return pipe,

should be found quite sufficient. The boiler should be outside

the aviary, in a small shed at one end, where it can be stoked at

night without disturbing the inmates of the aviary. If possible

the pipes should run along the front of the building, just below

the doors into the flight, or the flow pipe may be carried above

the doorways and the return below them. The pipes should be

protected by a removable wire-netting guard.


There are many good boilers on the market. The present

writer used a “Horseshoe” boiler, which was quite successful,

but there are others equally good. One word of advice regard¬

ing the boiler may be added, namely, that it is false economy

to have a very small boiler, as in order to properly warm the

pipes it is necessary to drive a small boiler so fiercely that it



