6 INTRODUCTION. 



practically indispensable. His pet birds will be 

 delighted with the opportunity for stretching their 

 wings, and a marked improvement in health and vigour 

 will be found in all its inmates. 



During many years of bird-keeping I have con- 

 stantly had to seek for hints on the planning and 

 constructing of buildings suitable for the purpose of 

 housing birds. Many have been made, many rebuilt 

 and improved upon, and some have proved rather costly 

 experiments. Therefore I feel confident that these few 

 chapters on that subject will be found useful by many 

 likely to have the usual difficulties to contend with. I do 

 not profess to possess any technical skill in this direction 

 beyond an average aptitude for using ordinary tools. 

 What I shall describe are methods that have actually 

 been used by myself and others, and that are still in use. 

 Some of the methods of construction may not equal the 

 standards taught in the present-day technical schools, 

 but these same methods have been found quite good 

 enough for their purpose, and have been adopted in 

 preference to others on account of their simplicity and 

 strength, two very desirable qualities from the average 

 man's point of view. 



