The Whitefish pilot., 1912-11-07
THE CARE OF CANARIEs.

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drink from their bathing-tub if pro-
vided with a filled drinking cup and,
unless they have been frightened by
chilled or too cold water, will balthe
every day.
Do not make the error Of thinking
that bind sings better in tiny cage
than in a large one granted he sings
more but it is not a contended song.
Another error: mated birds do not
lose the beauty of their voices: on
the contrary their voices are richer
and fuller if they have been kept
clean during incubation. Canaries
may be mated and bred whenever
there are no extremes of weather;
from February until June and from
| September until November are ex-
cellent times. If strong singers are
, wanted, the mother bird should be
cider than the father. The cage of
nesting birds should be placed On. a
solid support in a room of even
Temperature out of drafts and in
plenty of hight.
All birds flutter when they are
taken by hand from the cage. have
used tio OF netting sewed to
small hoop and fastened to a han
die two feet long (lilZe butterfly
metz to drop gently over my birds
when their playtime is at an end If
the door of the cage is opened and
the bird is permitted to hop out vol
UNFAIRLY, he will not be alarmed. My
birds looked askance at their swing
until tied it with stout strings to
the side of the cage. No bird can
resist the lure OF bit of Irvine raw
cling, and in five minutes two of
the birds were in the swing, picking
at the string.
Brass cages are better than paint
ed ones, for they do not readily har-
Dor vermin, and admit of thorough
cleaning. This must be done fire.
Quently, as the BRASS collects verdi
girls If food is placed between the
bars and left for a time.
Most Of the ills Of canaries can be
prevented or cured by the proper
food. Any standard brand of seed is
safe to use; if, however, your bird
wastes its seed, OR refuses to eat but
one or two varieties, buy the bulk
seed and mix it to suit the bird.
Hemp-seed is commonly considered
fattening and heating, but do not
find it Injurious. A piece of cuttle-
bone should be provided for the
birds to sharpen their bills on; it
is saline and gritty, and tones their
system. Fine gravel is a necessity
and should be spread on the floor of
the cage a fourth of an inch thick
1t keeps the bird s feet as we'll as
their digestion in order.
The birds bill of fare may contain
any of the following tiItbits: In sum-
mer, chickweed, plantain-spears,p pep
per-grass, sorrel, and damdeMon-
leaves (the Last are splendid tonic
for molting birds), Strawberries, ap-
pie, and ether fruits; in winter ,ap-
pies, figs, celery, and, in the late aft
erncon, lettuce, which makes the
bird drowsy; spinach is good, and
sweet red pepper should be always
hanging in the cage. This should be
fed at molting time, as it makes tn
plumage a deep orange color. When
too many sweets have been indulged
in, feed hard-boiled egg-yolks mixed
with cracker-crumbs
If the cage and perches are kept
smooth and clean the birds feet
will seldom need attention; if the
perches are rough, they may be made
smooth with sandpaper; but if the
nails grow long in spite of this, they
must be manicurcd. Hold the foot
toward the light, and you will see
tiny veins running toward the ends
OF the nails. Do not trim close to
these veins, and leave the nails long
enough to grasp the perches firmly.
If your bird mopes and ruffles his
feathers and twitters complainly, it
is almost sure evidence that he has
lice. At night cover the cage with a
white cotton cloth, and early in the
morning examine it in strong
light: you will see the tiny mites
that have crept en- it in the night
scald the cloth and dry it, and put
1t over the cage every might until
the pests are gone, though the cloth
will not remove all Of them. Fill a
cheese-cloth bag with powdered sui
phur, and hang it from the middle
OF the cage SO the bird will be dust
ed with it as. he flies about it. Clean
the cage every morning with scald-
ing water. but do net use lye in
the water, as it is impossible to
rinse it thoroughly, and should a
trace of It be left the bird will pick
it off and die.