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Mv bird-room is very small, meaning only 14ft. by 8ft. It is on the

first floor, which I consider to be rather an advantage, as it is more out of

the reach of cats and draughts, and (being close to my bed-room) more

accessible the first thing in the morning and the last thing at night, than it

would be if it were on the ground floor.


In order to exclude cats, and prevent the escape of any bird which

may slip out of one of the av'iaries, I have covered the outside of the window

with wire netting. The whole of the window-frame is covered with one

sheet of netting, so that the sashes can be raised or lowered as freely as if

no netting were there. With the same object in view, I have made an

inner door to the room, consisting of a light wooden frame covered with

netting ; this I keep closed when the outer door is left open for ventilation.

Of course, window and door are never left open at the same time; but

during the summer, either door or window is always left open, both day

and night; however, I close the window at night, except in the very hottest

weather. In winter, the room is heated by one of “ Clarke’s Syphon Gas-

stoves,” which I have found to be both effective and fairly economical. The

light from this stove is sufficient to enable the birds to feed during the

evening, and at about ten o’clock I cover it with a shade, which allows just

sufficient light to enable the birds to avoid injuring themselves against the

branches of trees, if they should be seized by a panic. In winter, I draw

thick curtains across the window at night, which greatly assist in maintain¬

ing the temperature. A “ Boyle’s Ventilator ” in the chimney-breast, a few

inches below the ceiling, permits the vitiated air to escape from the room,

while its ingenious construction effectually prevents the entrance of a cold

down-draught. As my system of heating with “Clarke’s Stove” is

practically a hot-air system, I find that in very cold weather this ventilator

allows a too rapid escape of the hot air ; I have, therefore, made an apparatus

by means of which the front of the ventilator can be opened or closed at

will, b}' a cord. I11 winter, I endeavour to keep the temperature near to,

but slightly below, 60 degrees; as a matter of fact it is often much lower

than this, but so long as it remains above 50 I am satisfied, and prefer a

well-ventilated room at 52 0 to a stuffy one at 58°. Very occasionally, in

severe weather, the temperature will fall below 50°, but I endeavour to

prevent this. I am perfectly aware that almost all foreign birds will survive

in a much lower temperature; but it is not natural to them, and they are

not happy in it. Experiments made to ascertain the minimum amount of

heat which will suffice to keep life in a bird, see n to me no more humane

than experiments made to ascertain the minimum amount of food upon

which it will continue to exist.


In this room I have built five aviaries, and have no space for any

more. Two of these are quite small, one being built over the other—these

are really little more than large cages. The other three reach from floor to

ceiling, which makes them upwards of nine feet in height; they are about

three feet deep, and in length measure respectively 4ft., 5ft. and 7ft. These

aviaries are entirely “home-made,” and are constructed of a light wooden

framework, covered with galvanized wire netting (half-inch mesh). The

framework I made of “slate-battens,” which are narrow strips of deal

measuring about 2in. by iiu. (in section). For door-frames and some other

parts, I used “ tile-battens,” which measure about iin. by iiu. To prevent the

seed-husks from blowing about the room, I have enclosed the lower part of

the aviaries with half-inch boards to the height of 9 inches from the floor.

In the upper part of the aviaries, to the depth of nearly 2 feet from the

ceiling, the netting is replaced by thin boards—this renders the upper

portion of the aviaries much more private than it would otherwise be, and

in that part I hang the nest boxes. This plan of boarding the upper part

of the aviaries, I adopted by Mr. Swaysland’s advice, and I consider it a

most important improvement in aviary building; in a well-lighted room it

does not render the aviaries dark, as might be imagined.


For perches I use large branches of trees; the birds much prefer

these to planed perches, and they have a better appearance. I think they

prevent quarrelling, as each bird can secure a twig to itself; for when on a



