Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1877-02-28
Home. for the Birds.

Homes for the Birds.
Several years since we were SO situ-
ated as to be able to rear from the nest
some of our native birds, and the ex-
perience SO obtained gave us ideas
which may be useful and interesting to
our readers. The occupation is not only
most delightful, but is useful as we'll.
Pleasant it must prove to all, and use
full to many. In no way can an incipi-
ent naturalist better acquire correct
ideas of the habits of many of our
feathered friends, and aside from its
usefulness in this respect, a more pleas
ant engagement. and more sympathetic
aud affectiOnate pets. it would be hard
TO find. OF course, time and place are
important factors, which oppose them
selves to many who may be desirous to
start on a venture. One must be ru-
raj inhabitant. in the firstplace; no sue
cessful private aviary could be kept up
in city, fresh air, sunshine, and near
ness of healthy food being requisites.
Time to devote to our birds, particu-
larly while growing, is especially nee
essary. We have sometimes given food
to very young birds as often as every
hour of the day. This is, perhaps, not
absolutely essential, but the aim should
be to follow nature as closely as possi-
bic, and parent birds in their native
state devote almost their whole day to
progeny when quite young, excepting
perhaps the two hours of MONDAY heat.
You must remember that you stand
wholly in loco parents to the nestiings,
aud should make yourself entirely IA
miliar to them. AS TO the construction
of the abode, naturally it depends on
your allotted space. OF course the
larger the better. The sides and top
of the aviary should be of wire netting,
that of half inch square much the best;
the shape square, built on a wooden
platform, elevated an inch or more
from the floor of the room, and placed
on wooden castOrs so as to be movable
for purposes of cleaning away the dust
which will accumulate underneath it.
The platform or floor should extend
beyond the sides of wire foot at least
we are speaking of an aviary seven
or eight feet square-to catch sand and
feathers that are scattered about; the
floor should be covered with sheet zinc,
and coarse sand strewn upon this to
the depth of an inch. 1t seems to us
hardly practicable in so small an affair,
costing not more $40, to make arrange
ments for nesting. and more elaborate
provision would be necessary for such
an undertaking. No deciduOus trees
can be kept alive in an indoor aviary,
as the birds will soon strip them en-
tirely of their leaves. We should sug-
gest a full branched, leafiess tree of
small size, for centre piece, and as
many evergreen shrubs, arbor-vitie,
spruce. etc, as possible, both within
and without upon the projection of the
platform, to give seclusion and places
of eonceaiment for the inmates. a low
door. say four feet in height. should be
cut on one side for ingress and exit.
Now, with what birds can we popu-
late their future home? Those most
easily reared are such as we see most
abundant about us-the robin, bluebiId
wood thrush, brown thrasher or red
thrush. golden winged woodpecker,
Baltimore oriole, red winged blackbird,
bobolink, and various birds of the finch
tribe. All of the above are reared from
the nest with little difficulty. While
young, the greater variety of food given
the birds the better they will thrive.
For the thrushes some portion should
be animal food. Worms and minced
meat together, with biscuit crackers
soaked in milk or water, Indian meal,
fruit and vegetables in season, straw
berries, cherries, young green peas, etc.
For the orioles, bits of ras;ns, figs, green
peas and fruits. Prepared mOcking-
bird food can be purchased at any drug
gist's, and is a good diet for almost any
bird. During the winter, worms and
fruit are scarce or wanting, and at this
season your birds may be fed ON mine
ed meat, Indian meal, the prepared
food and canary seed, for any fnches
you may have, as indigo birds or song
sparrows; raisins and figs should never
be wanting. The bluebirds, thrushes,
hi-holes, make the most congeDial pets,
and often in years gone by have we
stood the delighted center of an inter-
esting circle of the above birds, per-
forming in most approved fashion the
office of parents to them. woodpeckers
creeping up the quasi tree-trunk, our
body. bluebirds sitting jauntily on
shoulder, head or arm, robins and
thrushes clinging to whatever fOothold
they could reach. and with quiyering
wings and plaintive appeal beseeching
for mouthful of their morning fare
Forest & Stream.