The Canary. 15 



also is apt to bring on diarrhaea if eaten in any quantity. 

 Watercress I consider too pungent, though many advocate its 

 use; I much prefer dandelion, which is bitter and strength- 

 ening. Marigold blossoms and nasturtium blooms Canaries 

 are very fond of, and they may be given to them freely, 

 unless it be wished to keep them pale in colour. Saffron, as 

 I have said, imparts to the birds fed on it a delicate lemon 

 tint that is very attractive; but cayenne pepper alone has the 

 power of producing that deep orange shade that provoked so 

 much astonishment and controversy among fanciers when it 

 was first made use of a few years ago. 



It is not generally known that cayenne pepper [Capsicion 

 fastigiatimij, if kept in a damp place and well exposed to light 

 and air, will, after a time, lose its pungency, while retaining 

 its colour, and power of dyeing Canaries red, and it should 

 never be used unless so prepared, which will take some months, 

 during which time it will require to be stirred every other 

 day, and must be spread out on an earthenware dish, or tray, 

 as wood or cardboard are apt to absorb too much of the 

 colouring ingredient it contains. It is to be given mixed with 

 bread-crumbs, and moistened with milk, during the moulting 

 season, to such birds as it is wished to colour; and if chiefly 

 fed on it, they become more or less red, as those fed prin- 

 cipally on green food, assume a distinctly greenish garb, and 

 those that are dieted on bread and milk, become nearly white : 

 it is pleasing to have a number of birds of different shades, 

 and interesting to watch how the yellow plumage of the 

 common Canary becomes, under the influence of the food given 

 to it, as the case may be, either white, or red, or green, some 

 being much more readily influenced than others by the nature 

 of their diet. 



The Canary is subject, as might be expected from its long 

 domestication, to a variety of ailments, most of which are 

 more easily prevented than cured: draughts kill more Canaries 

 than anything else, and should be sedulously avoided. If a 



