Cages and Cage-making. 



21 



Fig. 9 represents a London-made breeding-cage. It is 

 divided into three separate compartments viz., a cage, 

 breeding-loft, and a nursery, the breeding-loft being sub- 

 divided into two compartments by a wired partition. I can- 

 not say that I am greatly in favour of the construction and 

 arrangement of these cages. They appear to me cumbersome, 

 and are somewhat difficult to clean out and whitewash, and I 

 think the dimensions generally used will admit of improve- 

 ment; nevertheless they have their admirers. The space 

 set apart for the birds to breed in is, as already men- 

 tioned, divided into two compartments by means of a wired 

 partition; two small doors are placed at the end of the 



Fia. 9. LONDON-MADE BREEDING-CAGE. 



cage to give easy access to clean them out, and to remove the 

 eggs, as is usually done, until the third egg has been laid, 

 when they are replaced, or to examine the young brood, or to 

 search for parasites as the case may be. The nursery is 

 placed below the breeding-loft, and has a two-fold object 

 first, to keep the young birds from interfering with the 

 mother bird during incubation; and, secondly, to prevent the 

 parent birds, when so disposed, from plucking their progeny ; 

 and as these cages are used principally for breeding the London 

 Fancy and Lizard canaries, this arrangement is very necessary. 



