Our  Canaries 
73 
AN  OUT-DOOR  BIRD-ROOM  AND  RESULTS. 
A  more  fitting  conclusion  of  this  chapter  cannot  be  given  than  the  following 
notes  from  an  out-door  enthusiast,  Mr.  A.  Thomas,  of  Loftus-by-the-Sea, 
giving  a  brief  description  of  his  bird-rooms  and  the  results  obtained  in  them. 
"  For  fanciers  wishing  to  breed  Canaries  out  of  doors,"  writes  Mr.  Thomas, 
"  I  will  give  a  description  of  my  bird  houses.  The  first  house  is  9  feet  by 
7  feet  wide.  The  sides  are  7  feet  high  up  to  the  wall  plate,  with  a  span  roof. 
The  sides  and  ends  are  made  in  sections  and  bolted  together.  The  floor 
stands  one  foot  six  inches  above  the  ground,  so  that  cats  can  get  underneath 
to  keep  away  the  mice.  The  door  is  2ft.  6in.  by  6ft.  high,  with  a  fanlight 
over  the  top.  The  roof  is  made  in  two  parts.  The  front  side  has  a  window 
5ft.  long,  by  3ft.  wide,  resting  on  the  middle  rail.  I  nailed  laths  on  the 
bottom  edge  of  the  floor  joist  and  boarded  in  between,  then  filled  in  with 
sawdust,  and  boarded  on  the  top  with  one  inch  floor  boards.  I  prefer  a 
second  roof  hinged  together  at  the  top,  and  resting  on  feet  at  the  bottom,  to 
be  lifted  up  in  summer  to  keep  the  house  cool,  and  shut  down  in  winter  to 
keep  out  frost.  I  have  a  chimney  in  three  inches  square.  The  whole  of  the 
framework  is  covered  with  finch  match-boarding,  then  covered  with  felt ;  and 
the  inside,  floor  included,  I  covered  with  oilcloth." 
A  NEW  WING. 
*'  This  house  I  found  too  small,  so  I  added  another  house  to  the  end, 
5ft.  by  7ft.  long,  with  a  porch  3ft.  square.  In  this  house  I  prepare  cages,  and 
store  cages  that  are  not  in  use.  I  have  ventilators  of  fine  wire  gauze  at  the 
top,  and  shutters  over  these  to  close  in  cold  weather  or  fogs,  as  sometimes 
we  have  fogs  from  the  sea  in  April  and  May.  I  have  shutters  to  the  window 
in  winter  to  keep  out  frost.  A  canvas  on  the  floor  makes  it  look  neat,  and  it 
is  easily  kept  clean.  This  house  I  shall  board  inside,  and  stuff  the  middle 
space  with  slag  wool,  cleared  of  dust,  as  I  think  it  will  prevent  any  cold 
getting  through. 
"I  have  found  I  can  breed  as  many  Canaries  in  this  house  as  I  could 
indoors,  and  I  have  never  had  one  go  wheezy.  The  frost  got  in  and  froze  all 
my  water  glasses  last  winter,  yet  the  cocks  were  in  full  song  and  the  hens  in 
good  form  all  through  the  winter.  I  do  not  use  heat  of  any  kind.  Canaries 
are  far  more  healthy  without  it.  I  once  tried  heat,  and  all  my  birds  went 
into  moult  just  before  breeding  time,    I  never  tried  it  again." 
THE  ROUTINE. 
In  these  rooms  the  birds  are  bred  in  cages  instead  of  flying  loose  altogether, 
and  for  the  following  notes  about  the  general  routine  work  and  management, 
and  the  results  in  actual  practice,  we  are  still  further  indebted  to  Mr.  Thomas^ 
who  writes  under  a  later  date,  "  My  breeding  cages  I  make  2ft.  long  by  ift. 
