Morris tribune., 1881-10-06
THE AVIARY.
Suggestions OH the Selections of Birds.

/
breast of every lover of birds, and very
strong wish that it were possible for them to
possess such source of pleasure. And
yet there is hardly house 80 constructed
but that an aviary can be built in it at a
trifing expense, and with but little outlay
in the matter of space.
A window with moderately deep ledge
around which cage can be made is the
place, and the expense of space is hardly
more than two or three feet, measuring
from the side of the wall. At any wire
workers can be found or ordered, the wire
net work, which can be put in place in a
short time, and the aviary is an accom-
plished fact.
But it is rather out of the province of
the bird -fancier to suggest as to the car
penter's or wire workers trade, and he will
content himself with the statement that an
aviary five feet high, four feet wide and
two and half feet deep. has been built In
one apartment house, in New York city at
a cost not exceeding SIS, including cups
and tays.
To make such selection of birds as
shall thrive we'll together, live without dis.
cord and not require such variety of food
as is necessary for one and injurious to
others is far more difficult than to build
| y,
house may be.
In making the selection the question of
food for the different birds should first be
taken into consideration for hard billed
birds, if they get the opportunity, will eat
food prepared for soft bills, thereby work
ing themselves much in jury.
| Although 1t is done in some aviaries, 1t
is ill advised to put together the two class
es of birds known as hard and soft bills,
since the food for each class is 80 widely
different. 1t is better to have a smaller
assortment of birds, if it is not possible to-
have two aviaries, rather than run the risk
| Of allowing some of the inmates to kill
| themselves with that which is necessary
| to sustain life in others.
Hard billed birds are generally known
as those whose bills are especially adapted
for the cracking of food, such as the
| numerous family of fnches, innets,
siskins, canaries, Java sparrows, bobolinks,
nonpareils--known by some as the painted
inch-bluebirds, redbirds, and grosbeaks,
| thrushes, larks. warblets, and starlings
| may be classed Under the head of soft
| billed birds.
To keep these two classes of birds to-
gether where the food for each is necessari-
| ly within reach of all, is an attempt in
| which very few are successful, and when it
| is possible by careful watching to keep all
| in state nearly approaching perfect health,
! injury is done to their song, if in no other
| way. 1t is both the safest and pleasantest
| course to keep the classes separate. Some
very beautiful collections may be made of
| either; there is really no necessity of max
| ing them inmates of the same home.
A very pretty collection on small scale,
with large amount OF music, is one made
up of the following hard billed birds, and
| that it is successful one is evident from
| the fact that no death has occurred among
them during the two years they have been
| together.
A pair of wax-bill finches, and two of
their cousins, amandavas; two red-breasted
| grosbecks, two nonpareils, one blue bird,
and two love- birds; two male and four fe-
male canaries, and pair of yellow birds.
The cost of such collection, if bought
| at the proper season, is from thirty to forty
dollars, and from no music box that was
ever made can suen liberal amount Of
happy melody be obtained.
The care of them is very light A dish
| of rape. one of canaly and one of millet
seed is all that is necessary in the way of
| food, with perhaps the exception of a let
| tuce leaf each day during the summer.
Four cups for bathing purposes, and two
| for drinking water, and the contents to be
changed night and morning, make up the
| list of their modest wants, in return for
| which they sing all the day, while the gros-
| beaks continue the melody until far into
the night
If one has space for larger aviary,
| very beautiful collection of billed
| birds may be made as follows: two cardinal
and two red-breasted grosbeaks, a pair each
of the wax-bill paradise and amandava
| finches. two siskins, two linnets and a gold
| finch. For the more common birds add
two Java sparrows, two nonpareils, and six
female canaries. The cost of such a col
| lection should be about double that of the
one previously mentioned.
! It is not we'll to put the bullfnch into an
aviary, unless he be an uneducated, stupid
bird, and even then the collection is better
without him. If he is able to whistle
tune, it Is quite liable to be injured by
placing him with numbers of other birds,
and all that Is most pleasing about him
| is best shown when he is in a cage by
himself.
Avoid the purple finch, as he is very
quarrelsome fellow, and will breed trouble
in the best-regulatei aviary. The tontit
belongs to another class of bad citizens, and
to let him loose among we'll ll-behaved birds
is to introduce them to murderer, since he
will often kill his cage-mates.
| For small collection of soft billed birds,
at the cost of fifty dollars or less, the fol-
lowing will thrive we'll together: two black
birds, one nightingale, three Baltimore
orioles, two yellow breasted chats, a cat
bird, two blue robins, and one South Amer
ican tropical. For such a collection two
cups of mocking bird food, one of chopped
| 80. h1,l
lean beef chopped fine, and of course plenty
sary.
| If one prefers to make the food himsel
rather than use the prepared mocking- bird
food, paste, made fresh each day lis thus
described by one of the oldest bird dealers
in New York city:
Take of stale -four bread two -fifths; soak
we'll in,water. and then press theegreater por-
ton of the moisture out; two-ffths Of bar
ley or oat meal, and one fifth of hard boiled
egg chopped fine. Mix with milk and water
to the consistency Of a'paste."
Meal-worms should also be given occa-
sionally. with plenty of green food, and
such fruit as sweet apples, cherries, and
berries.
A large and expensive collection Of this
class of birds can be made after the style of
| one now In the possession or q Dlrd-rancler
in Philadelphia. 1t consists Of two night
ingales, two blackbirds, and three wood
arks, four Baltimore orioles, two yellow
breasted chats, two South American
troopials, two cat birds, and three blue
robins, two black caps, two fauvettes. one
bablllard, two starlings, and two skylarks.
No mockipg- bird should be put into the
aviary, unless one has more than he can
conviently keep separate, since the imme-
diate companionship of other birds is liable
to make him dull, and careless as to his
| singing.
The thrush family are Objectionable
birds in an aviary. despite the volume Of
song the great majority of them have, be-
cause of their slovenly habits. If this food
be where thrush can get at it readily he
will soil his house more in Eve minutes
than dozen other birds would in week,
and he sets very bad example to the
others. It is far better to keep most of the
thrushes in cages by themselves, and then
they cannot teach the other boarders bad
habits. OF course there are some members
of the family less Objectionable than others
| u AZ ~lr- A.