ioO Reefing of SuftbUls in Cages. 



pl;eiasant one to deal with, and that is aihnents. But if you 

 follow out my instructions as to feedhig you need not antieiiiate 

 much trouble from ailments— of course, accidents will happen. 



There is no better indicator oi a bird's health than 

 its excreta; when normal, this should be comj)act and whitish; 

 if greenish, thin, and watery, it shows that the bird has either 

 caught a cold or its food has disagreed with it; in that case 

 I have always found, if applied immediately on being de- 

 tected, that a few drops of sulphite of iron (1 in 10 of water) 

 either added to the food, or put into the drhiking water, will 

 put matters right. If on the other hand the droppings are 

 hard, and the bird has trouble in passing them, then either 

 some liquid magnesia or a few drops of sulphate of soda (i 

 in 10 of water) will effect a cure. 



Water is often the cause of trouble. It should never 

 be given icy cold, but always with the chill olf. Sometimes it 

 may be too hard, especially for new arrivals; a few drops of 

 magnesia will rectify this. . 



Some trouble may be experienced after moulting 

 during the birds natural migratmg period — in August and 

 September. Instinct teaches them, as insect food becomes 

 scarcer, at the end of the summer, to migrate to southerly, 

 climes, where the rainy period has set in, and in consequence 

 insect life is abundant. Particularly during their first season 

 of caged life the desire to be on the whig and go south is 

 very strong in some birds, and although they keep perfectly 

 quiet during the day-time, they become restless during the 

 night. Migration takes place during the nigiii, and as the 

 birds will flutter about their cages at night time, the inside 

 of the cage, except for the perches, should be fi'ee from any 

 obstacle, and the top of soft material, as already advised, 

 so that they cannot hurt themselves. You can do nothing to 

 stop this nightly fiuttermg except to keep the room dark, 

 and as the unwonted exercise leaves them somewhat ex- 

 hausted ha the day-time, supply extra nourishing food to keep 

 up their strength. With some birds this nocturnal unrest occurs 

 again in spring during March — April, corresponding with their 

 migratory flight when returnmg to our shores from the sunny 

 south, but then it is ox shorter duration, and requii'es very 

 iijttle extra attention, if the birds are strong and healthy. 



