68 BIRDS 



Few North American birds, for obvious reasons, are 

 included. Every one should thoroughly familiarize himself 

 with the bird laws of his own state, and regard them re- 

 ligiously. In cases where state permits have been granted 

 for the carrying on of special work with native species their 

 care may easily be deduced from that described for closely 

 related foreign forms. 



Cages and Aviaries 



Two methods of housing birds, the aviary and the indi- 

 vidual cage, are in general use. The former is usually 

 chosen by those who go in for collections, but the smaller 

 cage is necessary for special cases, and is of course most 

 commonly used by persons who keep only a bird or two. 



In the aviary birds may be expected to live and breed as 

 well. Conditions may be made to approximate very closely 

 those under which the bird lives in the wild state, and a 

 really well-planned aviary leaves little to be desired as a 

 bird home. 



The aviary may be of any dimensions, from the larger 

 buildings and flying-cages which house large collections to 

 single enclosures of wire netting. There are in America 

 a growing number of private collections, some of which 

 are magnificently housed. In such cases, the bird house 

 should be well built of wood, brick or concrete, with the 

 light supplied from ample skylights. These should be 

 made to rise, thus furnishing the ventilation needed in hot 

 weather. Ample walking space should be left for the at- 

 tendant and for visitors, and the remainder divided into 

 as many large flight-cages as permissible. These cages 

 should be fitted with numerous branches, to serve as perches 

 and hiding-places, and a few nest boxes as well, although 

 much breeding seldom is done under such conditions. If 



I 



