78 .' Pkacticai. Bird-Keeping. 



That and the daily bath of fresh water; wliereas the feet of birds 

 I have kept in an aviary with a cemented floor have not been in a 

 satisfactory state, though I kept the floor well gravelled. 



An earth-floor to an aviary can be made rat-proof by a 

 small-meshed wire netting bottom to the aviary, two or three 

 feet below the ground. The easiest way of placing such an 

 aviary in position is to dig out the earth to the size of it, and 

 sink the aviary in, filling in the earth that has been dug out, 

 up to the level of the ground. The earth can be raked over 

 every day, and fresh earth added, and patches of grass laid in 

 part of it, forming a happy hunting ground for worms. 



I am quite sure that the more of natural surroundings we 

 can give the birds the healthier they will be. And we owe them 

 this if we deprive them of freedom. 



