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TTBAA Hole 
12 
MY FOREIGN DOVES AND PIGEONS. 
working of the well, such as the pipes getting 
stopped up, it is so much easier to open it out if a 
stone covers the top. 
In my own case the soil is very sandy and the 
water drains quickly, and so a dumb well answers 
admirably, but I do not know how it might 
answer where the soil was clay and heavy. It is 
very seldom on a light soil that a dumb well has 
to be opened, so it is neither an eyesore nor an 
inconvenience. 
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NS 2 AVIARY 
Be sure and have your pipes leading into it large 
enough; mine, in this aviary I am describing, 
were laid too small. The water from the fountains 
does not run fast enough to flush them, and now 
and then they get choked with sand and husks 
from the aviary floor and have to be cleaned out. 
I daresay if the water were turned on at its full 
pressure the pipes would keep all right, but as we 
use the town water, and pay for every gallon in 
the garden that is consumed, the too liberal use of 
it is a consideration. 
The boiler in this aviary is under one corner of 
the floor in the larger half. It has had to be re- 
newed once in ten years, possibly the boiler might 
have lasted longer, but it was cracked and leaked, 
and in consequence of this the water supply tank 
had to be more frequently filled up, and the result 
was a poor supply of heat. It seemed therefore 
the cheapest economy to have a new» boiler 
altogether. The heat from it not only well warms 
the pipes, but heats the tiled floor directly above it, 
and J find the delicate birds have soon found this 
out, and in the winter time sit on this part of the 
floor to warm themselves. 
The little stoke-hole that supplies the fire for 
the boiler is outside at one end of the aviary, and 
is sunk below the aviary level some three or four 
steps, a pent roof of galvanised iron keeps the rain 
from the outside of the grate. The fire (if stoked 
properly) after being mended late in the afternoon 
should last all night and well into the next 
morning. 
Both for this aviary, and another one I will 
describe later, ] burn a small coke (about the size 
of a large walnut). It is very smokeless and gives. 
a great heat, but at the same time it is expensive. 
However, as we have neighbours’ gardens on each 
side of us it is almost a necessity to have a smoke- 
less fuel, as on no account would I wish my birds. 
to be an annoyance to anyone. 
When I first put up this aviary I had the floor 
sodded. It looked very pretty, and the birds loved: 
the grass, but I soon found it unpractical, for it 
was impossible to keep it clean and wholesome, so. 
I substituted grey tiles, and these are much more 
sanitary. They are well sprinkled with red sand, 
and this does not seem to harm the birds in any 
way, though I have heard it is not good for them.. 
No doubt river sand would be better, but this would 
considerably add to my many expenses, which 
already are quite sufficient. 
The hot water pipes were put in this aviary some: 
time after it had been built. The first year I 
heated it with an oil stove in one of the porches. 
All went well for some time, but one night the 
lamp went wrong, and next morning—(New Year's 
Day, of all days in the year)—I found half my 
birds dead on the floor. The inside of the aviary 
was covered with black soot, and the surviving 
birds a pitiful sight, dirty and terrified. Anyone 
who has gone through an experience like this will 
understand how disheartened 1 felt. I would 
almost have been thankful to anyone who would 
have taken the aviary and birds out of my sight 
for ever. 
Many of the victims were old favourites J had’ 
had for years, and it was sad work collecting the 
little still bodies, so full of life only a few hours. 
