Packing Show Cages. 



2b'3 



coming off. Dry in front of the fire. That is one way ; but sometimes the cages are painted, and 

 then, when they become dirty, they can be washed, and will do for several shows. Take one pound 

 of white-lead, one ounce of " dryers," and a little blue (it will be about as much as will cover a 

 shilling). Mix the whole up with turpentine, ivithout any oil ; it will then dry dead or flat, which 

 is so necessary to give effect. Care is needed not to have the colour too blue or too light, and it is 

 best to try a little on a piece of wood, as it looks much lighter when dry than it did in the basin. 

 Before being done either way, new cages painted for the first time should have a coat of size, 

 made by dissolving two ounces of glue in a pint of boiling water, and adding about a quarter 

 of a pound of whiting. With this the cage should be first " sized " inside and out ; and, when 

 dried, sandpaper the surface smooth : the wood will not then absorb the paint or whitewash. 

 Cages which are first given two or three coats will last several seasons, washing the inside gently 

 with a little warm water, and the outside with a bit of rag and a drop of linseed oil ; but this 

 presumes that when done with they are wrapped in paper and packed away, so as to be kept 

 clean for the next show. Too many put their cages away in any corner, where they have to be 



hunted up, and are found more or less dusty, to the great detriment of the birds. When a cage 

 wants a thorough cleaning, the front or back must be taken off. 



The show-cages being clean and ready, the birds are transferred to them, and water-tins hung 

 on outside. Seed-vessels are useless, a better plan being to throw about equal quantities of seed 

 and sand on the floor of the cage: a little egg-food and maw-seed in addition help to secure a good 

 feed before starting. Carefully see also, now, while time permits, that the labels are properly fixed 

 to the top of each cage, checking all by the schedule ; and then leave the birds, if you can, for a 

 couple of hours to settle down. You are then ready for packing, the mode of which will depend 

 upon the cages. Belgian and Coppy cages are often put in a bag of coarse linen made to fit, and 

 drawn with a string round the top ; then a stick is placed through the rings on the top, which are 

 tied to the stick, say four in a row, and make a handy package. The Norwich, Coventry, or similar 

 cages are often packed in wrappering. They are first put face to face in pairs, with two pieces of 

 paper between them (the paper being large enough to turn over a bit and thus prevent draught), 

 each pair being tied round the middle with string. Then three pairs, like Fig. 6(^, may be placed 

 end to end on the wrapper, which is sewed up tightly by the aid of a packing-needle, leaving 

 a corner or ear to carry by. The square-topped cages can be similarly packed in two tiers, thus 

 getting as many as eight or even twelve cages together. A much better plan, however, for all 



