BIRD NEWS 



11 



THE CANARY 



PRACTICAL NOTES ON GENERAL 



MANAGEMENT AND 



BREEDING. 



No. 3. 



The flight perches must be ar- 

 ranged, not so far apart that the 

 bird finds it "too far to hop and 

 too close to fly" from one to the 

 other. Try also to avoid an overhead 

 perch) which is generally accepted as 

 a roost by the bird), so placed that 

 the droppings foul a perch un.ler- 

 neath. The reason for this precau- 

 tion is self-evident, and doubly im 

 portant if there is more than one 

 bird in the cage. Never place the 

 perches so that the bird in turning 

 round finds it compelled to injure its 

 tail against the wires. This leads to 

 much broken plumage and is ever 

 the trademark of a careless or ignor- 

 ant owner. 



The use of the trapezee perches 

 or rings, we leave to the taste of 

 the fancier and the bringing up of 

 the bird. They may constitute a va- 

 riety of perch but it is questionable 

 if they are useful and they certainly 

 are not attractive. In this connec- 

 tion we may — en passant — remark 

 that we do not much favor the spiral 

 springs by which cages are suspended. 

 The motion is unnatural, and the per- 

 petual uneasniess is distressful to the 

 bird. The canary is a percher, and 

 you will notice that its congenrs in 

 the wild state rarely perch up the 

 fine and "jerky" twigs, but select 

 the firmer and more rigid twigs and 

 branches. Finches /seldom indulge 

 in the acrobatic feats so largely em- 

 ployed by insect-eating birds, such 

 as creepers or tits. 



Sanitation in the cage — i. e., the 

 bird home — is just as vital for the 

 health of the inmate, as is domes- 

 tic sanitation essential for its mas- 



ter's health and comfort. Cleanli- 

 ness is compulsory. There is a 

 great cruelty in a foul cage. The 

 droppings, generally more or less 

 moist, adhere to the perch, the birds' 

 feet are scalded thereby and pain, 

 cramp and permanent injury ensue. 

 The cage should be cleaned out at 

 least once a day, not necessarily 

 throwing away all the sand or gravel 

 with which the bottom is strewn, but 

 removing the surface droppings and 

 seed husks. Once a week the new 

 "soil" should be placed in the cage, 

 and at the same time the perches 

 should be thoroughly cleansed, 

 scalded, and carefully dried. Damp 

 perches are injurious. See that the 

 perch in cleansing is not in any way 

 splintered. For this reason the not 

 uncommon custom of scraping with a 

 knife is not to be commended. A 

 fibre nail brush is much more effect- 

 ual and at all times safer. 



The canary is a seed eater in the 

 fullest acceptation of the term. It 

 however, easily lends itself to bad 

 habits, and will develop an acquired 

 appetite for many extras which are 

 oftentimes the cause of very serious 

 results. Cleanliness in food is an es- 

 sential, especially for caged speci- 

 mens. Birds in aviaries, owing to 

 their greater opportunity for exer- 

 cise and fresh air, can afford to be 

 less circumspect in the quality, but 

 even here care needs to be exer- 

 cised. 



The quality of the seed should be 

 the best. The difference in price be- 

 tween first class and poor seed is 

 so trifling that even from a mere 

 monetary point of view it should 

 not be considered. In canary seed 

 always select a good, plump kernel, 

 bright to the eye, and never greasy, 

 nor wrinkled. It should be sun- 

 dried, but never fire or kiln dried 

 as this destroys the flavor, also the 

 nutriment value of the seed. Can- 

 ary seed is, of course, the funda- 

 mental seed in canary management. 



