14 Mr. A. D. Bartlett on the Mode of prepa?'inff 



feathers covered with filth, which they woukl do if the tail was 

 its entire length. Have placed about the room, and on the 

 floor of it, a few of the small cages, with the doors open and food 

 ready in the cages. In this way the birds can go in and out, 

 and feed, and thus get accustomed to the cages before the doors 

 closed upon them. By this treatment they are never much 

 reduced, or in any way weakened, which is sure to be the case 

 if they are put into small cages when fresh caught. 



It is always a little difficult to get birds to feed immediately 

 after their capture ; but the above method has been found to 

 answer admirably. It is of the greatest importance that they 

 should not pine or get weak, as they seldom, or perhaps never, 

 quite recover, but frequently linger for months, and such birds 

 would be quite useless for the purpose intended. 



Experience, during a long course of experiments undertaken 

 with the view of ascertaining upon what food these birds might 

 be best kept in perfect health and good condition, has led me to 

 recommend the use of a much larger number of ingredients than 

 is perhaps absolutely necessary. But, taking into consideration 

 the chances of any accident or delay that may happen on board 

 ship, it is well to know, by a fair trial, what can be used without 

 risk. x\.t the same time it is certain that the more the food is 

 changed and varied the greater are the chances of success in 

 keeping the birds in good health, taking into consideration the 

 nature of their food in a wild state, varying as it must at different 

 periods of the year. 



In the foregoing remarks allusion has been made to the cages 

 intended to convey these birds ; and to this part of the subject, 

 which requires especial notice, I have again alluded below. With 

 respect, also, to cutting the wing- and tail-feathers, which would 

 of course render the birds unable to fly (for a time only, as all 

 birds moult these feathers at least once every year), the advan- 

 tages of this painless operation will be readily seen, as it not 

 only prevents injury to the bird, as before stated, but if the bird 

 escape from its cage it is unable to fly, and is therefore easily 

 caught and replaced. 



The following list of articles used as food, and the mode of 

 preparing the same, it is hoped, will be found sufficiently simple 



