130 OUR HOME PETS 



When all were in I went quietly around 

 and removed door perches and unhooked the 

 strings from the cage doors, letting the latter 

 hang from their staples. Then I hooked the 

 loops at the other end of the strings all back 

 in their places at my desk. Thus to fasten 

 them open in the morning, I simply gathered 

 up the ends next the cages, and slipped each 

 into its place on the door. I have described 

 this in detail, as I have everything else about 

 my arrangements, because I have been so of- 

 ten begged to tell exactly how I managed my 

 bird-room. 



The birds in, I left them to their own devices 

 till bedtime, when I had more work to make 

 them comfortable for the night. If it were 

 warm weather, and there were any mosquitoes 

 about, I wrapped every cage in mosquito-net- 

 ting, which I kept of appropriate size. In cold 

 weather each cage was carefully protected with 

 a woollen cover, usually some old shawl, a thin 

 blanket, or a worn piano cover. 



It will readily be seen from this true account 

 of my daily work which, moreover, does not 

 half tell the story that keeping birds healthy 

 and happy in a room is by no means child's 



