156 
Birds and Floioers. 
again I must caution you to have the wires kept 
sufficiently close together. The slide of course 
will go in between those of the common width, 
and you must remember that it is very likely the 
cage will mostly be used without the slides. Master 
Tommy and some small Kedpoles gave me abun- 
dant instruction as to all the holes birds can find. 
We used to find so often that they were perched 
outside their house. Another “ naughty-bird-liole” 
is the place intended by cage-makers for hanging 
on the seed-tins. Of all things I advise you, to 
forbid these holes in any cage you order ; they 
make many cages absolutely useless for small birds 
— they are so very fond, if they can, of squeezing 
through them, and even if it be only into the seed- 
glass, it is very doubtful if the bird can turn round, 
to get out again. Many accidents, too, have hap- 
pened from drowning in the water-glasses. 
If you must have seed and water-things to form 
part of the cage itself, I think that drawers or 
tours are the best things to use. Some people,, 
too, have tiny cages made in a separate piece, 
which they fit on the place where a door unhooks, 
and which contain food and water, and are glazed 
all round. It is not a bad plan often to have a 
pane of glass to form one side of a cage. 
