A small Aviary for beginners.



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be able to work from these drawings so that little time may be

wasted, which means a saving to your pocket.


I first constructed my house, which is the covered part ;

it measures 6ft. from back to front, is 4ft. wide and 7ft. height

at back and 6ft. at front. In front I left space for a window,

which is fas you will see from the photo.) about 2ft. by ift. 6iu.

This house was constructed of gin. by gin. posts with gin. by

iiin. cross bars and covered with Jin. tongned and grooved

sheeting.


When the house w 7 as nearly finished I set it down firmly

in its place, on a good bed of clinkers from the greenhouse

furnace, then added more clinkers, made and laid down a thick

cement floor. I also put cement round the outside to keep water

and vermin from getting in. At the side of this house I left

space for a door leading into the flight, which is clearly seen in

the photo, also a small hole for the birds to get in and out

during the winter, when I keep the door shut.


By this time you will be ready to start the flight, which I

made 12ft. long by 6ft. deep, 6ft. high in front and 7ft. high at

back. This w r as made of gin. by gin. posts tarred and driven

firmly into the ground, the cross pieces and rafters are all gin.

by i£in. I covered the roof four feet over the flight up to the

middle post, thus giving a good outside shelter on wet and

stormy days. I also carried a roof along the back of the open

part, but only 14m. deep, to protect nesting-boxes, etc. The

back was made of Jin. tongued and grooved sheeting. All roofs

and outside of house were covered with roofing felt and w ? ell

tarred.


The floor of the flight was made of clinkers well hammered

down, then covered with cement, having a fall towards the front

of a few inches, so as to allow of the water running off, it also

makes cleaning very much easier.


I now covered the flight wdth half-inch wire netting, and I

must here mention an idea w^hich I put into practice and found

most useful in preserving the wdre, for I noticed that the netting

in our Tennis Club just lasted about three years, when it would

be pretty well rusted away in spite of the galvanizing, I thought

I would try varnishing, so I got some fairly good quick-drying



