68 OUR HOME PETS 



in size, I placed two dishes with a standing 

 perch between them. A bird does not like 

 to fly directly to the bath, nor does he wish 

 to alight on a table. He always prefers a 

 perch, where he may pause to consider. To 

 make one that should be portable and at the 

 same time firm, so as not to tip over or 

 even shake when an impetuous bird bounced 

 on to it, was my problem, and this is what I 

 made and have used for years : 



I took a tin box, perhaps three inches high 

 and four inches in diameter. Through the 

 top of the cover at each end I punched a pair 

 of holes, each pair being separated about an 

 inch. Then across the top, so that it came 

 between the two holes of each pair, I laid a 

 rather large perch, and fastened it securely 

 by passing copper wire through the holes 

 and over the perch and twisting it tight on 

 the under side. To make the whole thing 

 firm and steady, I filled the tin box with 

 pebbles, and then put on the tight -fitting 

 cover with its foot -long perch. Of course 

 this was made very wet every day, and had 

 to be carefully wiped dry. This contrivance 

 was also useful in many places in the bird- 



