TREATMENT OF CANARY BIRDS. 153 



gether to the male, and lay again in the other 

 nest. The male will feed them regularly, and 

 also his mate, whenever she calls him, which 

 she will whenever she does not feel disposed to 

 leave her nest. He will attend to his duty dili- 

 gently, and the young are sometimes safer, under 

 the charge of the male than the female, especially 

 if she is a young mother. I have often gazed 

 with pleasure on the male, after having a fine 

 brood of young left under his charge. He would 

 first hop gently on the nest, and survey them all 

 over, with delight sparkling in his eyes ; and 

 when, on his uttering a low note, they would 

 raise their heads and open their mouths, over- 

 joyed he would quickly ohey the call, fly down to 

 the bottom of the cage, take two or three mouth - 

 fuls, then fly up and put it into one of two of 

 their little throats, then down again, and when 

 they were all satisfied, and he would take care 

 that there were none unfed, he would hop on 

 his roost, and pour forth strains of melody, which 

 seemed to me to say: "Now I have done my 

 duty I am happy ; I will now sing my best song." 

 When the young begin to eat alone, and pick 

 about the bottom of the cage, take an equal part 

 of hemp and rape seed, and bruise it in a mortar, 

 or on a table with a rolling-pin ; put it in a sau- 



10 



