BIRD NEWS 



THE BIRD MANICURE. 



It is foi'tunate that amongst other 

 requirements the birds have no hair 

 to cut nor to be "put up in style." 

 As far as head gear is concerned it is 

 only in the Crest or Crest-bred that 

 any consideration at all has to be 

 given. If the Crest feathers obstruct 

 the free vision it is well, especially 

 before breeding commences that the 

 sides of the Crest be snipped off to 

 above the upper margin of the eye in 

 such a way as to give the birds the 

 fullest benefit of the light. 



The beak and claws are points of 

 some importance in more senses than 

 one. They will frequently be found 

 much overgrown, particularly in 

 birds past the second moult, and 

 even in last season's birds the claws 

 often have points as sharp as pins, 

 although the claws themselves are 

 quite short, and in no way over- 

 grown. These sharp points are a de- 

 cided menace to the safety of the 

 eggs when the birds are breeding, 

 and are frequently the cause of the 

 eggs being "pin-holed" or pierced 

 v/ith small holes during the period of 

 ilncubation quite accidentally and 

 without malice on the part of the 

 birds. To cut them is quite a simple 

 matter, if you get a very small pair 

 of scissors. A pair of sharp nail- 

 scissors are excellent for the purpose. 

 Do not, however, try to do it with a 

 pair of large, clumsy scissors, as it 

 is most difficult under such circum- 

 stances to avoid taking off just a lit- 

 tle too much, and great care is re- 

 (luired to avoid snipping off a claw 

 and part of another toe at one snip. 



To do it properly, take the beak 

 first if it has a sharp point on the 

 upper mandible projecting a little 

 yvay beyond the extreme tip of the 

 lower mandible. Hold the bird in 

 the left hand, place the first joint of 

 the forefinger underneath the beak, 

 so that the lower mandible rests just 



on, or in, the bend of the joint, then 

 place the thumb firmly on the front 

 part of the top of the head. This 

 will keej) the beak closed, and held 

 firmly in position on the forefinger. 

 Now slide the nail-scissors over the 

 sharp point on the upper mandible 

 until you feel them touch the tip of 

 the lower mandible, and snip off what 

 is between the blades. To finish neat- 

 ly, wipe the side of the scissors, 

 which is furnished with a small file, 

 across each side of the tip of the 

 beak to remove the sharp edge which 

 may be left after cutting. The man- 

 dibles will now be found to fit nice- 

 ly, and if these instructions are care- 

 fully carried out, you will never cut 

 a beak close enough to cause bleed- 

 ing, and the whole operation is ab- 

 solutely painless — as painless, in fact, 

 as cutting your own finger-nail. 



Still, the necessity for cutting 

 birds' beaks can be almost entirely 

 avoided by keeping them always pro- 

 vided with a piece of culltefish to 

 peck at. Do not expect to see a 

 large piece come off. The tip of what 

 appeared to be a vastly overgrown 

 beak is but a tiny morsel when cut 

 off. 



Ti'iiiiiniii» tile Claws. 



Having trimmed the beak, turn 

 the bird round and lay it with its 

 back on the palm and its head to- 

 wards the wrist. Hold it firmly with 

 the three fingers across its breast, 

 and keep the thumb and forefinger at 

 liberty. With the thumb and fore- 

 finuger of the right hand withdraw 

 one foot at a time and place it in 

 position between the thumb and fore- 

 finger of the left hand, so that the 

 whole foot is held securely with only 

 one claw at a time — the one that is 

 tobe trimmed — projecting from the 

 fingers' tips. Hold the claw in front 

 of a strong light, and you will clearly 

 see how far the blood circulates down 

 the claw. If the feet are washed 



