The Russellville Democrat., 1880-03-18
CARE OF CANARIES.
How The Little songsters can be Kept ir
 Good Health.


 In regard to birds .moulting, most bird shed their feathers in the months c September ard October, and, though is perfectly natural for them to do SC still the operation is accompanied with ; slight disease. They should be fed oi soft paste, and as they are not well cover ed with feathers, great care should b' taken to keep them in warm comfort able place, out of all draughts of air With these precautions bird will fully moult in from four to six weeks. Should a bird not shed his wing and tail feathers readily, it is well to pull them out, pull ing, however, only one at time.
 Occasionally a birds limb will be covered with scales, particularly an old birds. The best way to remove them is to moisten the limb with quite warm mllk, and a slight rubbing with the thumb and foreinger back and forth will cause them 10 peel off Care should be | taken, however, not to break the under. skin. Swollen and sore limbs are greatly relieved, and afterward permanent cure effected, by bathing the rffected parts with diluted tincture of arnica.
 It often happens that a birds claws grow very long and require cutting, ThIs is particular operation. Care should be taken not to cut up into the blood veins, which can be easily seen by holding the birds claw in front of a strong light, and then not cutting within at least a sixteenth of an inch of the red vein.
 There is an impression On the minds of most people that the onlp use for cut tie fish is as bill-sharpener; but this is wrong. The cutie fish is a mollusk caught in the Chinese sea, and is largely used by all manufacturers of tooth-pow- der, it's salty particles readily removing the tarter. All seed-eating birds are fond of this, its salty taste seeming to glve them relish for food.
 Birds, when proper care is taken of them, are rarely attacked with disease. Ii the 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 up- on. and that the seed is of the very best quality, and that they are fed and given bath at regular hour, daily, then birds, if kept from draughts of air, and no sugar, candy, figs, raisin, or cake fed them. they will sing from ten to eleven months out of the year. The poor Ger man families keep birds for many years, but wealthy people are apt to kill them with kindness.
 In cold weather they should be kept in room where the temperature is even, and where the heat is not over sixty. five or seventy degrees during the daytime, nor below forty-fve to fifty in the night. If no fire is kept up during the night, ill very severe wintry weather a newspaper should be secured over and around the top and outside of the cage, from bedtime to sunrise, to keep the bird safely comfortable. At no season of the year should it be forgotten that they must not be placed in Ia draught. Asthma or sudden cold attacks them often when the cause is not suspected.
 In winter time give them all the sum- light you can during the day. In sum mer keep them shaded iron, the direct rays of the sun. In the frosty seas on avoid keeping them where it is too hot in your room where the cage haYgs, or you will find they get easily "stuffed up" and wheezy in their notes, in conse- quence of the over-heated air they are forced to breathe near the ceiling.
 Canary and rape seed is the best every uay UT stapie you Cin SuPPiy tHclu "itu. Avoid too much hemp seed. A very lit tie of this latter and not tho often. If they get husky in voice, prepare paste, half and half of a very hard boiled grated egg and arrow-root, with dust ing of cayenne pepper and d-y cracker occasionally. Vary this with the seed food, and in the drinking cup place bit of sulphate of iron, or dozen drops of paregoric, for three or four days at a time. This will relieve them shortly Keep the cage clean. Let the birds have fresh daily bath at all seasons. Feed regularly and avoid the draught of cold air we have mentioned, and they will do well continuously, nineteen times ill twenty.