and Aviaries 205 



lay their eggs in some hollow of a branch or tree trunk 

 upon soft chips of rotten wood. 



And other birds, too, such as blue robins and 

 small finches, will appreciate these logs, and carry 

 nesting materials into them. 



The entrance hole must be five or six inches above 

 the inner base, where the eggs will be laid, or even 

 more. Foreign pigeons and doves, building frail and 

 open nests, require some open foundation, except stock 

 doves, which prefer a hollow tree trunk. 



Circular basket lids can be securely fastened to 

 beams and eaves, and slender sticks and fir twigs, as 

 well as heather, will be used by the birds to construct 

 their nests on them. Garden brooms can be firmly 

 wired to the walls in the corners of the roosting-house, 

 with the centres hollowed out, the broom pointing 

 upwards. 



Some hay and moss placed in these receptacles 

 may tempt Virginian nightingales, cardinals, &c., to 

 build their house on a firm foundation. But necessity, 

 being the mother of invention, will no doubt, as it 

 arises, produce many an ingenious and original idea 

 to each one in turn who embarks upon the sometimes 

 disappointing yet fascinating pursuit of breeding birds 

 in captivity. 



