2" pottery mug

[bigd]

Has anyone seen one of these before? I've been wondering what it is

 

[appliedlips]

It is a pottery bird feeder,the hole would have had a wire through it attaching it to the cage.Cool find!

 

[tigue710]

me and Ben been digging a lot of those... I figured they were candle snuffers, and we been going on that. Bird feeders huh? cool...

I've dug clay, brass and even a wooden one...

 

[CWBookAuthor]

I've also had them identified as whiskey samplers. I'm sure that they were used as bird feeders, but they could have been used as samplers of liquors.

They're keepers, either way.

Mike

 

[diggerjeff]

i was told that these were used to hold nesting material in a canary cage.

 

[capsoda]

Yep, For holding twigs and straw in finch cages. You can't lay the nesting mateials on the floor of the cage because they get fouled with poop and the birds won't use them.

 

[appliedlips]

That makes good sense,I just know I have seen them attached to Victorian bird cages and have dug them with other early 1900 stuff.

 

[capsoda]

Hey Doug, My aunt filled hers (made of glass and plastic) with seed she called treats when they weren't being used for nesting materials. The birds only nest once or twice a year and the rest of the time it was treats time.[] She also hung some strange broom stuff from the top of the cages that the birds nibbled at and then would use for nesting. Don't know what it was though.

 

[bigd]

Hmmm very interesting...Thanks for your info guys I was told i was possibly a crucible

 

[capsoda]

Nope, As a gold slinger I can guarrantee you that aint no crucible.