CHAPTER XVI. 



CAGES AND THEIR MAKING. 



YEARS ago, when first I commenced in the delightful 

 hobby of bird-keeping, one was able to purchase two 

 or three patterns of cages only, all of which were more 

 or less unsuitable, and have since had to give place to 

 cages constructed with more thought for the purpose 

 for which they are intended and consideration for the 

 comfort of the inmates. 



The old "London breeding cage" held sway for 

 a number of years. It was designed expressly for 

 breeding purposes, the main portion being for the use 

 of the adult birds, with two small nesting places at one 

 end, near the roof, and a " nursery" underneath these, 

 the latter divided from the main part by a wire and wood 

 slide, the old birds feeding the young ones thorough 

 the wires of this slide. 



The London breeding cage had many faults, chief 

 of which being the many crevices and corners wherein 

 the red mite bred by thousands. The nesting boxes 

 were not easy to get at, and it was not until the end of 

 the season that one was able to give this part of the cage 

 a thorough clean out. Another great fault lay in the 

 small size of the nursery. 



It is a rather curious fact that the improvement in 

 design and utility of the breeding cages came from the 

 bird-breeders themselves, and not from the bird-cage 

 makers. Indeed, some time elapsed before one was able 

 to induce a maker to make anything but the old- 

 fashioned article. All sorts of excuses were put forward 

 for not doing so, and it w r as not until they found bird 

 fanciers preferring to make their own cages that any 

 effort was put forward by the trade to cater for the 

 Fancy properly. 



