on coming and going.



205



the longest time on record, but seven is more the average duration

of endurance.


The size and shape of the box must be determined by the

kind of bird sent. “ Bournville” cocoa boxes are one kind that I

find very useful. The box must be deep enough for the bird to

stand comfortably upright when on the perch, but not high enough

for it to fiy or jump upwards to hurt its head. In the case of very

nervous birds that will try to do this I use a box without a lid,

covering the top with canvas or hessian tacked down, so that the

bird cannot injure itself. The canvas must not cover only the top

but must come right down the ends and sides. Once I was sending

away some restless doves, and knowing no better I cut my canvas

only a little larger than the box top. In a short time the birds had

almost burst it off with jumping up—the canvas fraying—and I had

to pack the box over again before it was safe to send them.


The box should he ventilated by sawing the Y-shaped pieces

off the top corners, not opposite to each other (to avoid a draught),

or the lid may be nailed on in the pieces leaving a little space

between, but as the label will partly cover this the side ventilation

is better. If your lid is in two pieces, nail on the first half before

slipping the bird inside. Be sure to remove all splinters and pro¬

jecting nails, and hammer down all points that may come through

ever so little. Fold a piece of brown paper the size of the bottom

of the box to line it, then put your perch across, nailing it with

nails through the outside. Be sure it is a suitable thickness so that

the bird can grip it, and place it just above the cage bottom so that

there is no fear of the bird getting wedged underneath. A handful

of seed should be put inside the box and a place made for the soaked

bread. You may either tack in a chip pill box, or shape a strip of

cardboard thus I I (half cutting through where you bend it) and

tack it at each end. In any case be sure and do not put the bread

in loose , it will become dirty and uneatable, and may give the bird

cold. When getting a travelling box ready I put the piece of bread

to soak before doing anything else, then by the time the box is

finished the bread has taken up enough moisture to retain sufficient,

even when the surplus water is squeezed out.



