The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-01-27
CARE OF CANARIEs.
How the Little songsters Can be Keep
I'm Coed Health.

In regard to birds moulting, most birds
shed their feathers in the months Of Sep,
TENDER and October, and, though ii is per.
fectly natural for them to do so, still the
operation is accompanied with slight
disease. They should be fed on soft
paste, and as they are not well covered
with feathers, great care should be taken
to keep them in warm comfortable place.
out OF draushts Of air. Witbthese precau.
tions bird will fully moult in from four
to six weeks. Should bird not shed his
wing and tail feathers readily II Is well to
pull them out, pulling, however, only one
at time.
Occasionally birds limb will be cover
ed with scales, particularly an old birds.
The best way to remove them is TO moisten
the limb with quite warm milk, and q
slight rubbing with the thumb and fore
finger back and forth will cause them to
peel of. Care should be taken, however,
not to break the under.skin. Swollen and
sore limbs are greatly relieved, and after
ward a permanent cure effected, by bath
ing the effected parts with diluted tincture
OF arnica.
1t often happens that birds claws
grow very long and require cutting. This
Is particular operation. Care should be
taken not 10 cut up into the blood veins,
which can easilp be seen by holding the
birds claw in front Of a strong light, and
then not cutting within sixteenth OF an
inch Of the red vein.
There is an impression In the minds OF
most people that the only use for cuttle-
fish is as bill-sharpener, but this Is wrong.
The cuttle.fish is mollusk caught in the
China Sea, and is largely used by all man.
facturers OF tooth powder, its salty parti-
cles readily removing the tartar. All
seed. eating birds are fond OF this, Its salty
taste seeming to give them q relish for
food.
Birds. when proper care are taken OF
them, are rarely attacked with disease. II
owners OF these pets would first see that
the cage is kept perfectly clean, and well
supplied with plenty OF gravel or gravel
paper for the bird to peck upon, and that
the seed is Of the very best quality, and
that they are fed and given bath at a reg
ular hour, daily, then birds, II kept from
draughts Of air, and no sugar candy, figs,
raisins or cake fed them, they will sing
from ten to eleven months out OF the year.
The poor German families keep birds for
many years, but wealthy people are apt to
kill them with kindness.
In cold weather they should be kept in
a room where thetemperature is even, and
where the heat Is not over sixty.five or
seventy degrees during the daytime, nor
below forty.five TO fifty in the night II
no fire is kept up during the night, in very
severe wintry weather newspaper should
be secured over and around the top and
outside OF the cage, from bedtime 10 sun
rise, to keep the bird safely comfortable.
At no season OF the year should it be for
gotten that they must not be placed in a
draught. Asthma or sudden cold at
tacks them often when the cause Is not
suspected.
In winter time give them all the sun
light you can during the day. 1nsummer
keep them shaded from the direct rays OF
the sun. In the frosty season avoid keep
ing them where it Is too hot, in your
room where the cage hangs, or you will
find they get easily STUFFED up" and
wheezy in their notes, in consequence Of
the over.heated air they are forced to
breathe near the ceiling.
Canary or grape seed is the best every
day or staple food you can supply them
with. Avoid too much hemp seed. A
very little Of this latter, and not too often.
II they get husky in voice, prepare paste,
half and hall, Of very hard boiled grated
egg and arrow root, with busting OF cay-
enc pepper aud dry cracker occasionally.
Vary this with the seed food, and in the
drinking cup place a bit OF sulphate OF
iron, or dozen drops OF par
egoric, for three or four days at time.
This will relive them shortly. Keep. the
cage clean. Letthe birds have the fresh
daily bath at all seasons. Feed regularly,
and avoid the draught OF cold air we have
mentioned, and they will do well continu-
odsly nineteen times in twenty.