AVIARIES, BIRD-ROOMS AND CAGES. 39 



\YHKX TO PUT BIRDS IN. 



Previous to putting the birds outside they should 

 be kept for some time in a perfectly cold room with 

 plenty of ventilation. The hens in particular should 

 have as much space for exercise as convenient. Then 

 when there are signs of warm weather appearing, say in 

 the latter part of April or beginning of May, the healthy 

 hens may be put into the flight. This should be done 

 in the early morning of a bright sunny day, when by 

 roosting time they will have become somewhat used to 

 the place, and pass a fairly comfortable night, which 

 they probably would not have done if put in later. The 

 hens must be left some time to get thoroughly used to 

 their strange surroundings before we think of turning 

 in their partners; this must'on no account be thought 

 of before the weather is quite settled and warm, because 

 as soon as we do so the hens will in all likelihood go to 

 nest at once, and then, if cold, bleak weather comes 

 about, we shall experience trouble with egg-binding and 

 probably lose several hens. 



Nesting boxes and pans must be put up in all likely 

 and even unlikely spots; if the interior of our aviary 

 has been made at all decorative we shall no doubt have 

 already thought of the requirements of the birds in this 

 respect. The rounded portions of Virginia cork, and 

 the various crevices, can with a little ingenuity be 

 shaped into the semblance ,of natural nesting sites. A 

 bunch of heather at the bottom, covered with a little 

 moss, will induce the birds to take to such spots; and by 

 fastening a few rough twigs up to corners of the 'walls 

 of the building we get very natural positions for the 

 nests of the Finches. 



We must on no* account turn in our cock birds until 

 we rind that the hens are on perfectly good terms 

 with each other. Repeated quarrelling between two 

 birds must be put a stop to by the removal of the chief 

 offender, or we shall find in all probability that later 

 on two hens will select the same nesting site, and then 

 in spite of their being of the gentler sex, it will be war 

 to the bitter end. There is then only one remedy, and 

 that is the removal of one or other of the couple. She. 

 should be placed in solitary confinement for a week or 

 so, and may then be returned, Avhen in all probability 



