Cages for the lesser and smallest of the parrots, which are kept singly as speakers - also for the Alexandrine Parrakeets and the Undulated Parrakeets - should resemble in all the arrangements the pattern cage of the "Ornis Society," of which an illustration has been given, with this difference, that the smaller the bird, the lighter should the wire frame be, the narrower the space between the wires, and the thinner the wire used; also, for those kinds which do not gnaw, the socles and the drawers may be of wood, because parrots are known to belong to those birds which do not make much dirt. On the other hand, the wooden drawers are inconvenient for the bathing, and, therefore, a close grating must always be placed under them, instead of a floor, upon which the bath should be placed while the drawer is taken out. The space left open by the absence of the drawer must be closed by means of a trap door. In these cages it is more convenient if the door closes by sliding down along the wire bars. The drinking vessels should always be of glass or porcelain. The ordinary flower-pot saucer of stone ware, or, preferably, of porcelain, is the most suitable bathing vessel for all kinds of parrots; or a common spittoon may be used. As these parrots do not alone climb, but, as a rule, like to fly and hop, the cage must have three perches, one high up, and the other two in the middle.

Many amateurs wish their speaking bird to appear as an ornament in the household decoration, and have, therefore, the most splendid cage possible. In consequence, one sees many thoroughly unpractical cages, either round or of cylindrical, conical, or turreted form, made of brass plate or wire. Apart from the fact that such cages cramp the bird, or, at least, give it by no means sufficient space and comfortable quarters, many dangers lurk in them. The metal, as is well known, forms verdigris if not kept most carefully cleaned and dry; and further, the stuff used for cleaning endangers the health and life of the bird.

Cages of iron wire, either tinned or overlaid with zinc or other metal, may also form a pretty ornament for the room, and may, if wished, be painted according to fancy. Care must, however be taken to use a hard and quickly drying lacquer, and that the bird is not put into the cage until the colour, which must, of course, be quite free from poison, be perfectly dry. Of late a colourless lacquer has come into use, with which the shining brass may be washed over, and then dried so hard that the parrot's beak is not able to scratch it off, and, at the same time, the brass cannot form verdigris. If the unnatural round shape be set aside and the cage be built in the "Ornis" or some other practical shape, brass may be chosen as the material. If this metal be used without the lacquer and the cage requires cleaning, the bird must always be taken out during the operation, and not put in again until the polished bars have been thoroughly rubbed dry and clean with a soft linen cloth. Most cleaning stuffs, especially the so-called oxalic acid, are very poisonous.

Many amateurs prefer, instead of a cage, to have the parrot kept on an open stand in a ring or hoop. The arrangements of this kind known at present are, unfortunately, on the whole, quite as unpractical and useless as many cages; indeed, they may, as a rule, be considered an article of luxury. They are to be had of different kinds, and the worst of them are made entirely, even including the perch, of the hardest polished wood. What was said before on this point may here be repeated - the perch must always be easily replaced.

The simplest parrot stand is a frame of about the height of a man, consisting of a column of hard polished wood, with a knob on the top, and below, above the foot, a contrivance about twenty-six inches long and twenty inches broad, in which is placed a movable drawer, the floor of this being thickly strewn with sand, as in the cage. On the sides of this are fixed the food and water vessels, while on the column a stair-like climbing pole of about six inches in width is attached, reaching up to the upper perch, about twenty inches long. The perch must not be too high, but passes at about the height of 5ft. 6in. through the column. At the ends of this perch the food and drinking vessels may be placed more conveniently than below. The vessels must always be most securely fastened, because the parrot sitting free thus employs itself all the more busily with them. They are most suitably arranged as drawers pushed into a leaden case, open at the top, the projecting edges of which, bent inwards, hold them firmly.

More frequently one sees parrot stands with hoops or rings (Fig. 2). With the exception of the perch, they are, as a rule, made entirely of metal. Respecting the material and the form, taste and fancy may here reign supreme, so long as two chief conditions are fulfilled - firstly, that the hoop is roomy in proportion to the size of the bird; and, secondly, that the drawer (as described above) is arranged below the perch. The parrot stands which do not satisfy the two last demands I exclude as altogether useless. Those luxurious stands which, instead of answering these practical requirements, are furnished with fish globes, and even a cage for a smaller bird, are not only far from comfortable for the occupant, but, on the contrary, really involve cruelty to animals. The hoop for a parrot of the size of the Jacko must have a perch 2ft. long, and the arch must be about 20in. At the sides are placed the food and water vessels, concerning which and the perch the previous remarks hold good. I must mention the following advantages which I consider as essentials, although they are often neglected : First of all, every such stand should have an arrangement for climbing, by which the bird can get down to the drawer, so that it can daily, for at least an hour, paddle about in the sand, and satisfy an instinct of which I shall speak again later on. If such a contrivance be wanting the bird is made miserable, and it is by no means sufficient for it to have a firm seat above the hoop, for I consider this to be absolutely necessary in all cases, even when the hoop does not swing so loosely as to be set in motion by a slight touch. The natural motion of climbing is always much missed, and by the introduction of the upper perch an endeavour should be made to supply it as far as possible. The parrot stand shown in the illustration is so arranged that by means of two screws it can be lowered even to the foot, in order to render it possible for the bird to reach the drawer with the sand. The chain may also be lengthened by half, if it be made from light metal, so that the parrot may not be hindered in any way from walking over the whole space of the floor of the drawer, This stand has no special upper perch. If the bird wishes to climb, and the chain is long enough, it can easily clamber on to the upper arch of the stand. The chain, then, must be not only long enough, but it must have a swivel in the centre, so that the bird may turn in any direction and not get entangled. There may also sometimes be a perch screwed on to the arch at the top, and, finally, the chain may be so arranged that, when the parrot is again seated quietly in the hoop, the half may be removed, so that the foot has not to bear the whole weight continually.

Fig. 2. - PARR0T STAND.

The owner, according to his judgment, may take off the hoop and hang it in the open air, or on the branch of a tree; but there must always be a spring fastening on the hook, so that the parrot may not itself loosen the hoop and fall down with it.

The most important, and, at the same time, the most difficult matter, is the chain and the leg ring by which the parrot is fastened to the stand or hoop. All the parrot chains at present known in the trade are unsuitable. The choice of metal for it is, above all things, critical. Copper, brass, silver, and others are dangerous, owing to the formation of verdigris, and, like iron, are almost too heavy, so that such a chain annoys the bird by its great weight on the foot. Aluminium, which has lately been introduced, offers too slight a resistance to the beak, and would be cut through by it as by pincers. Upon these rocks are wrecked the hopes of finding any other suitable metal. There is yet a greater difficulty with regard to the foot ring, for it presses with the hard edge on the place where it is fixed - that is to say, on the side of the foot where the chain hangs down - and causes painful indurations of the skin, or else rubs it sore, and the fastening can scarcely resist the restless activity and really artist-like skill of the parrot in the use of its beak. Moreover, until the bird has become accustomed to the stand, it is likely to free itself, and do all sorts of mischief in the room, or, perhaps, escape, never to be seen again.

There is nothing further to be said now than repeat the invitation which I have already addressed, in my above-mentioned "Manual of the Care, Training, and Breeding of Cage Birds," to those who are skilled in this matter, to consider how to obtain suitable foot chains and rings in which all these evils are avoided, which are thoroughly firm and secure, and, at the same time, so light that they do not painfully burden the bird. It is certainly best, when a speaking parrot is accustomed to the hoop and ring, that it should never designedly be left unchained. For this there are many reasons, and there is, at least, always the danger lest the bird, getting a sudden fright, or otherwise being disturbed from its rest, might fly away through the open window, even if it had sat in the same room for ten years or more.