68 



CANARIES, HYBRIDS, AND BRITISH BIRDS 



on which the old l)irds may stand to feed 

 the yoimo-. As the .vire braekel and nest 

 ai'e entirely separate, the nest ean he hlted 

 out of tlie l)raekct witiiout the sh.niitest 

 diliieulty when necessity arises to attend 

 to tlie e<i;<>s or youii"'. 



We cannot say tliat these nests are 

 entirely free I'roni the inseet-]iest. hut. 

 inasmuch as they olTcr the least amount 

 of shelter, insects are not found in them 

 in such nnndiers as in the ordinary nesting 

 contrivances. 



There is one ditliculty to contend with in 



breedinu- domesticated birds, such as the 



Canary, which does not occur 



Slovenly ;„ (.,„uiect ion with wild birds: 

 Hens. ,11- 



this arises when tlie lien is 



uiven to slovenliness in building her nest. 

 In tliose circumstances she will often lill 

 the nest with all manner of rubbish that 

 is within her reach, and that may have 

 accumulated in the cage. This must be 

 removed from the nest by the breeder, or 

 otherwise the hard substance would be 

 liable to damage the fragile shell of the 

 eggs while the hen is sitting, and so render 

 them useless. It is well known that there 

 are many British birds who make no nest 

 at all. but simply lay their eggs in a 

 depression in the ground; but the shell of 

 such eggs differs entirel>- in strength and 

 thickness from those of birds like the 

 Canary, whose general instinct is to build 

 a nest wherein to deposit their eggs. 

 We can only ron<-hidc. Iherefoi'c, that the 

 hen Canaries which build slo\cnly nests, 

 or no nest ;it all, arc of a slovt'iily dis- 

 ])osition. l''or these hens a nest must be 

 shaped out as a means of protection for 

 the eggs. It is. howc\er. useless to at tempt 

 t(( form a nesi for them until the\' ha\e 

 l.'iiil Ihcii' Inll clulch of eggs. Should Ihe 

 nest be placed in the cage before this lime, 

 the hens, in nine cases out of ten. will 

 inunedialely |)nll il lo pieces. This, how- 

 ever, will not happen when Ihe full com- 

 plement of eggs has been laid, as the hens 

 are then broody, and desirous of sittiiii;- on 

 their eggs in the nest. 



All that is necessary to make a good 

 nest is a little doe-hair placed in the nest- 



Egg=Drawers 

 and Troughs. 



]ian. It should be shajK-d out with the 

 lingers, and finished olf by making the 

 inside smooth and tirm. This is best done 

 by twisting a hot boiled fowl's egg round 

 and round a few times. If the eggs are 

 then placed in the nest and returned to 

 the cage the hen will immediately take 

 possession and commence her duty con- 

 cerning them. 



AVe have digressed a little, and allowed 

 ourselves to tres})ass slightly on wiuit is, 

 strictly, in the province 

 of " general manage- 

 ment." but we have found 

 it diHicult to say all we wished about the 

 various kinds of nesting apparatus without 

 doing so in some degree. 



We find, on referring to our inventor}-, 

 that there are not many api)lianccs left to 

 describe : and we may as well dispose of 

 the most important of those which remain, 

 and then dismiss this portion of our subject. 

 It is well not to have anything to make, 

 or to get, at a time when it is wanted for 

 immediate use — a fact the truth of which 

 we all of us experience at some time in our 

 lives. 



Kg.g-drawers, or troughs, must be our 

 next consideration. These are shallow 

 pans in which is su]i])lied the egg-food. 

 There are various kinds : some are made of 

 tin. others of glass, and others again of 

 white glazed earthenware. Tliose of tin 

 we do not 

 care for, in- 

 asmuch as 

 e g g-f o o d , 

 being of a 

 moist na- 

 ture, does 

 nol keep 



sweet for so 

 long a time 



in a tin vessel as it does in one of glass or 

 c.irl henware. We t herel'oi-e rci onimend t he 

 bleeder to use either tiie cart henware or glass 

 I rough, or drawer, for this ])uri)ose. One of 

 the mo.st handy of these for use in a cage of 

 which the doors are all wire, and slide up 

 and down, is illustrated herewith. 'J'liis 

 drawer is made of white glazed ware, is of 



I. Aid llhNWAKK F.GG-FOOU 

 DKAWKR. 



