126 Song Birds. 



bar screwed to them, leaving only just room to stick 

 in the branches between it and the wall. This plan 

 too lias, no doubt, been found to answer well, as it 

 is given by Mr. Brent in the Cottage Gardener, the 

 instructions in which I always find work well. 



My own fashion for any kind of aviary is trees,, 

 because, living in London, I like at least to make 

 believe a wood ; and it is pleasant to feel that in 

 a " bird's-eye view" it may even be deemed a forest. 



6. Having a room like this affords great oppor-. 

 tunities of taming and playing with the birds : while 

 for those who have a weakness for * ' keeping things 

 in their proper places," a glass door into the next 

 room gives a pretty view of the various antics played 

 while keeping the birds quite separate. 



7. In such a room, however, we must beware of mice ; 

 they utterly spoil any food they touch for the birds 

 that have to eat it ; indeed, I believe it is even made 

 very injurious by them ; and as people cannot actually 

 keep both cats and birds unless the cat is a genius, 

 like one of ours, who knew that the birds were 

 *' friends," and let them perch upon him, and even 

 peck his ears great care is needed to guard against 

 such inroads. 



8. At building time, too, one must keep a strict 

 look-out amongst the birds themselves, watching 

 them when they are going on as usual, not when just 

 Hurried bv the entrance of some one into their abode , 



