The outside dimensions of the rustic aviary shown by Figs. 111 and 112 are—length, 3 ft. 2 in.; width, 1 ft. 6 in.; height, 1 ft. 10 in.

Hazel sticks, with the bark on, should be used, the straightest obtainable being best for the frame; if at all crooked or bent, the sticks can be straightened by steaming, or, if not too dry, by the heat of a spirit lamp.

Four uprights, 1 ft. 5½ in. by ⁵/8 in., are first cut; then six rails, ½ in. thick, are made, with the ends shaped as shown in Fig. 113, to fit the uprights, measuring 2 ft. 10 in. inside the hollow ends when finished. Four of these should be laid on the bench side by side, and marked with a pair of compasses for the wires, which are ⁵/8 in. apart. They are then drilled, the holes being bored right through the two sticks for the top rails, but only half through the bottom rails. If the stuff is not too hard, the holes may be pierced with a well-sharpened brad awl.

The uprights are now secured to the rails with 2-in. wire nails, driven so as to avoid the holes (see Fig. 114), and glue is applied at the joints. The bottom rail is flush with the lower ends, the next one being placed ½ in. above it; the third is ¼ in. from the top ends. These form the front and back frames, and should be quite square and out of winding. The rails for the ends, also six in number, measure 1 ft. 3 in., and are bored and fixed to the uprights to correspond with the others in exactly the same way.

The two rails supporting the tree perches are placed about 7 in. from the ends. Before they are fixed, however, the tree perches must be arranged. These should be cut from the limb of a leafless tree, in winter, in order to retain the bark. Suitable pieces may be prepared by cutting off badly placed twigs and fixing them where required. They are then put on the perch rails, employing the same joint as the rails and upright, but securing with a strong screw.

When all is ready, the perches are fixed in the framework (see Figs. 115 and 116), and narrow strips of ¼-in. board are fitted between the lower rails of the back and ends, to be faced with split stuff, put on diagonally as shown in Figs. 111 and 112. The best plan would be to take a sufficient quantity of material to the nearest sawmill to be divided by a circular or band saw; the material must be free from grit, or objections will be raised against cutting it.

A stain, made by thinning down brunswick black with turps, should be at hand to stain the wood before fixing on the split stuff, which is secured with fine panel pins.

The wood bottom is 3 ft. 1½ in. by 1 ft. 5½ in. by ³/8 in.; it is planed both sides, and secured in place with screws. The top side is treated round the margin, as shown in Fig. 115, and the under side as shown in Fig. 117. The centre of the design of the under side, covering a space of 2 ft. 3 in. by 8 in., is worked first; it is worked from the centre outwards, each strip being mitred as shown. The marginal strips are pieces of split cut slanting at the ends where they fit other pieces, and flush with the edge of the wood bottom, which is surrounded with the same stuff.

The wiring is all straightforward work. The wires are passed through the top rails to those below and clipped off level at the top. Six feeding-holes are required, one in the centre at each end, and two at the back and front close to the perches. The top ends of these wires are pushed up through the rails; the circular ends are slightly sunk and fixed with small staples. Six wires are omitted from the middle of the front to allow for the door. The cross-wires, which should be of a stronger gauge, are then put in. In the back and ends it is immaterial whether they are put inside or out, but at the front they must be inside. The six wires above the door are inserted in twos, being returned in the same manner as the lower ends of the door wires (see Fig. 118), and soldered to the cross-wire, which is afterwards bound to the others with thin pliable coil wire. In making the sliding door, the returned ends of the wires are soldered to the base wire inside, so that the ends may fit round the wires of the doorway; the top ends fit round those above the cross-wire, and when the door is in place a scroll-piece is soldered on outside (see Fig. 111).

Eight corner-pieces of the split stuff are put on close against the wires, being secured to the uprights and rails with pins. Two pieces of ¼ in. board are next got out for the top, measuring 2 ft. 10 in. long, 4 in. across the centre, and slanting at the upper edge to ¼ in. at the ends. The design is worked on these in split, the boards being kept in place with pins driven through the top rails, and the back and front connected at the top point by a length of wood of 2-in. by 1-in. section (see Fig. 119). The roof-pieces, 1 ft. 5½ in. by 1 ft. 7¼ in. by ¼ in., are nailed on and covered with split stuff, as shown by Fig. 120.

A sliding bottom or tray is required for cleaning purposes; this is of ¼ in. board, and is nailed to the strip that fits between the rails in front; other strips about 1 in. wide are nailed on the upper side at the extreme ends and back edge to form a tray for the sand, runners being put in against the lower end rails. The front strip is treated with the split, and to draw out the tray, the door may be slightly raised to admit the fingers to push it forward from the inside. Two additional perches put across from the wires, and fixed with staples, give strength to the front and back.

The aviary is now gone over with fine glass-paper, all white places being touched up with the stain and nicely varnished, with the exception of the perches. The aviary will stand on a table, but may be hung from the ceiling if desired. For hanging purposes, four screw-eyes are put in the top, two on the ridge, about 3 in. from the front and back, and one towards each end, placed midway to catch the rails. The four ceiling hooks should screw into the joists, the aviary being suspended with chains.