on the transport of birds.



39



as passengers and crew who go near the cages to look at the birds

are likely to be severely hurt unless ample protection is provided.


For small birds a wooden door should be made at the back of

the cage level with the wire flooring, and it should be large enough

to admit the hand and arm and also the food and water dishes. It

is best for the door to be let into slots so that it falls back by itself

and cannot he left open by mistake ; some arrcngement should be

made whereby all doors can be fixed and cannot fall open when the

cages are being moved ' about. For all larger birds it is best for

the door to he in front of the cage by arranging for part of the slats

to be fixed together and he movable upwards, care being taken that

this door runs easily and smoothly, as sometimes it may be neces¬

sary to close it quickly and without exertion. I think all swing

doors are dangerous, as many birds escape owing' to the impossi¬

bility of closing them quickly, and if they have a spring this interferes

with one’s freedom of action inside the cage.


(2) Food and Water.


Dishes should be provided for both food and water; fairly

heavy shallow earthenware ones can be bought anywhere and will

be found useful for this purpose, but, as has been mentioned, care

must be taken that the doors are wide enough to enable them to be

placed where required without tipping them up. They must not be

placed under perches and must be cleaned out once a day at least,

especially the water dishes, as birds bathe in them and the water is

soon splashed about and dirtied.


Seed-eating and fruit-eating birds should not he placed in the

same cage, so that generally one food dish is sufficient, but for

fruitarians it is useful to attach pieces of banana, &c. to the front of

the cages by means of wire hooks. I have found it best to cut up

all fruit into fairly small pieces, as some birds like tanagers and

others very quickly eat off the exposed part of the fruit and are apt to

get a fatal inflammation of the eyes owing to the acidity of the fruit

juices if they insert their heads into the deeply hollowed out part of

say half an orange. Otherwise the feeding should be looked after

in the same way as in a bird-room, only, if possible, with greater

care. Fruit, bread, milk, raw meat, fish, rice, and vegetables can

always be obtained on board ship in any quantity, but all bird seed,



