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roofed portion, and open flight, and is entered by a separate

inner door of wood and wire.


From each end of the passage I cut off 6k ft., that at the

eastern end for a small seed-room, and at the western end for a

small extra aviary (each 6 ft. by 6£ ft.) The latter has a window

at one end, and a wood and wire door (the remaining part of this

division being also wood and wire) opening into the passage.

The seed-room is fitted with shelves for numerous articles, with a

curtain hanging in front ; there is also a bin made with five

divisions for seed and brushes, rails for cloths, and everything

needed for keeping the aviary in order. Like the small extra

aviary it has a window at the end ; and an outer wooden door gives

entrance into the whole aviary. The seed-room is separated

from the passage by a wooden division, and a wood and wire

door. The passage is lighted by two windows, and has three

large store cages let out on its north side.


The idea of having the passage so arranged (with the seed

room at one end and the small aviary at the other) was that if

need be the passage could be used as an extra aviary, the seed-

room acting as a kind of double door, and so making the chance

of a bird escaping a very small one.


Of the five aviaries in front, all have inner doors of wood

and wire, the three centre ones opening into the passage, and the

two onter ones into the seed-room and small aviary.


The shelters have wood and wire doors opening into the

flights ; and wooden shutters, if needed, fasten over the wire part

of the doors, so that they can be entirely closed in winter and the

shelters kept very warm. The birds are able to get into the

shelters (after the doors are shut) through small holes, one in

each aviary, with a ledge on each side which will hinge up if

necessary. Each shelter has a window ; in the three centre ones

in the front part, in the two outer ones at the ends.


The glass roof is rather over five feet wide, and is glazed

with ground glass, and covered inside with wire netting. In

summer I found it got so hot that I was obliged to stretch an

awning over it (as will be seen in the photograph) for the birds

seemed to feel the heat very oppressive. By this means I kept it

quite cool, and on a wet day it is a great advantage to have an

open part of the aviary that is dry under foot. My first idea was

to have this roof of metal, but I found glass was not very much

more expensive, and I think it is a great improvement to having

all the flights entirely open. The open part of the flights has a

fiat roof of half-inch wire netting, all the netting throughout



