Triple automaton “Singing Birds” in a hexagonal cage on a wooden pedestal with a box and trade die E. Masson (Rueil)Sold

All three machines are mounted using taxidermy technology: genuine skins with feathers from exotic and European songbirds are stretched over mechanical cases, real bird legs and horny beaks are installed - this is what gives the figures the documentary authenticity characteristic of the Parisian school.
The bird on the crossing is a male scarlet tangar (Piranga olivacea) / “red finch”: cinnabar-red head, throat and chest with blackish-brown wings and tail and a light horny beak; captured in a characteristic singing pose with its head thrown back and beak open.
The bird on the left on the bottom is a yellow finch, like the serine / canary finch (Serinus spp.): yellow crown and buffy-yellow body with dark mottled back and wings.
The bird on the right on the bottom is the same type of yellow-variegated finch, with a darker, much worn feather and a yellow “cap” on the crown.
The automaton is made in the form of a domed hexagonal cage made of brass rods with twisted corner posts, reinforced with embossed decorative belts; The finish is a polished brass ball with a movable ring-handle, a signature detail of Bontems type designs. The cage is mounted on a hexagonal pedestal made of polished wood with a profiled cornice, decorated with gilded bronze overlays: rosettes on the edges and a cartouche garland on the front side. There is a drawer in the base for storing the key; the installation is carried out using a steel key with an oval head through a hole on the front face. On the side of the bottom of the cage there is a hinged service lid-valve for access to the mechanism.
Inside the cage, on a brass crossbar and on the bottom with the original tinted surface, there are three mechanical singing birds mounted using taxidermy technique. When the mechanism is started, the birds “sing”: they turn, flap their wings and tails, open their beaks; the sound is produced by a cam-controlled bellows mechanism hidden in the pedestal.
Marking
On the front side of the pedestal there is a brass trading plate: “APPAREILS AUTOMATIQUES de tous systèmes / E. MASSON / RUEIL (S.‑&‑O.)” (“Automatic devices of all systems. E. Masson. Rueil, Seine-et-Oise department”). The fee indicates a salesman/service shop that offered machines from various Parisian manufacturers; The design of the item corresponds to the products of the Parisian school such as Bontems.
Condition
The item found to be intact requires restoration measures:
Check: rods with uniform patina and darkening; chased belts with gilding wear; completion saved.
Birds (taxidermic montage): the plumage is significantly worn out: in the two lower birds the feathers are caked, with losses; the red bird retains a readable color, but also with abrasions; original paws and beaks are preserved.
Bottom: The tinted surface is very worn, with stains and scree.
Pedestal: wood with cracks, chips and signs of shrinkage; bronze overlays preserved, gilding with wear.
Contents: box in working condition; There is a winding key with an oval head.
Mechanism: requires professional prevention/restoration.