330



Dr. M. Amsler—Labour Saving in the Aviary



With a properly made net, constructed on these lines, it is the rarest

experience to have a bird injured in catching up, a frequent necessity

in the keeping of birds—and in my opinion one of the most disagreeable

duties connected with our hobby.


So strongly do I feel on this point that I have at last found time

to fit each one of my aviaries with a little box-like affair some 2 feet

long which hangs on the wires—in this I can place the food pans.

I have a movable wired front with a trap-door, which fits all the

boxes and all one has to do is to pull a string when the required bird

or birds enter the box. At one end of these trap boxes there is a small

opening through which captured birds can be driven into a cage,

so that no handling whatsoever is really necessary.


The only drawback to this method is that it takes time and that

it is necessary to keep the birds without food for an hour or so before

“ setting ” the trap.


Every aviary should, in my opinion, have a water fountain and

a seed hopper as adjuncts to the usual water and seed vessels. If

by any chance either of these two are overlooked you have the assurance

that your birds will not go short for that day.


The best hoppers and fountains are home-made from clear or non-

coloured wine bottles, such as are used for white wines. Two brackets

are firmly fixed to a piece of strong deal, about 18 inches by 6 inches.

The lowest bracket is merely a platform to take the water or seed vessels.

The next one above this is shaped to take the shoulder of the bottle

so that its mouth comes not nearer than J in. from the bottom

bracket and at the top of the board is fixed a strong wire ring which

fits the base of the bottle and keeps it in a vertical position.


To clean the inside of the bottle when used for water it is occasionally

necessary to shake it vigorously after pouring in a little water with

some coarse sand or gravel. When used as a seed hopper it is best to

fix up a shallow box or tray just below the contrivance, for some

birds, especially some of the Parrakeets and Budgerigars will empty

a whole bottle out of sheer devilry, also it must be remembered that

birds have to learn to use these hoppers—this they very quickly do

but in the event of using them to the exclusion of the ordinary

open vessels, one must always remember to place one or two ordinary



