TREATMENT OF CANARY BIRDS. 147 



and fragments of nests ; and where I had antici- 

 pated a fine harvest of young Canary birds, all 

 was ruin and desolation. I immediately removed 

 the delinquent, and two or three of the most 

 furious of the combatants; but the mischief was 

 done; this naughty female had imbued them all 

 with her wicked spirit, and they fought and 

 quarrelled, and quarrelled and fought, forsook 

 their nests, or fought over them, until they broke 

 the eggs in them; and from the whole I do not 

 believe I had ten young birds. 



A cage, to breed a pair of birds comforta- 

 bly, should not be less than eighteen inches 

 long. To each corner, opposite the door, pretty 

 near the top, put a ring of common cage wire; 

 take two of those little baskets which are 

 imported from Germany every season, and after 

 putting in a little tow or oakum, (the last is a 

 good preventive against those little red mites) 

 to fill them up, as they are made rather 

 deep, line them inside with a piece of new 

 woollen flannel, (which is better than the cot- 

 ton,) sew it well through the basket with linen 

 thread, and make it smooth inside ; it will then 

 be something like a teacup; then fit the rings in 

 the cage to the nests, and make them fast by 

 turning the ends over and driving them into the rail 

 of the cage. Let the nests go pretty well down, 



