70 



CANARIES, HYBRIDS, AND BRITISH BIRDS 



EGGSIEVE. 



pensive method of S'^'i"S egp-food where 

 a hirire number of birds was kept, and led 

 to the adoption of another that was less 

 extravafjant. This plan was to cut the 

 co-^ into slices after it had been shelled, 

 and mince it up fine with a knife on a clean 

 piece of board kept for the ])urpose. By 

 this method the c^tr was given in smaller 

 quantities, and one etjjj served more pairs 

 than when it was merely cut into (piarters. 

 Experience led to still greater improve- 

 ments, and 

 a very sim- 

 ]ile but ef- 

 f e c t i v e 

 utensil was 

 adopted for 

 the p r e- 

 ])aration of the food. This was the egg-sieve, 

 as it was sometimes called, or the egg- 

 box. It consists of a wooden frame about 

 3 inches high, and 8 or 10 inches stpiare, 

 with a top of perforated zinc through which 

 hard-boiled eggs are squeezed by pressure 

 with the blade of a dinner knife or a small 

 wooden spatula. It is a most simple and 

 effective contrivance for accomplishing the 

 pur]K)se desired, doing more thoroughly in 

 a few seconds what could scarcely be done 

 in half an hour mulcr the old system of 

 cho])i)ing, though the egg when thus 

 manipulated is still always spoken of as 

 "chopped" when referred to in the dietary. 

 It is better to cut the egg up into slices, 

 so as to relieve the perforated zinc of a great 

 deal of ])ressure which would otherwise 

 have to be exerted to force the uncut egg 

 through. 



An adjunct to Ihc egg-sieve is a board 

 to place underneath it. on which to receive 

 what is ])asscd through, for the |)urj)ose of 

 mixing —one clamped at each end to pre- 

 vent war|)ing will be found most service- 

 able. 



There is now an even more ra|)id 

 means than the sieve by which to pre- 

 pare our egg-food — an egg-mill. 'l"hc 

 type illustrated is a mill which has a 

 {•ylindcr perforated with holes of dilTcr- 

 ent sizes, and toothed. The shelled egg 

 is placed whole in the receiver on top. 



EGG-NULL. 



The 

 Bath^Cage. 



with the required amount of biscuit, whole, 

 or broken just sulliciently to go into the 

 aperture. The ram is 

 I)laced on the top, 

 the handle of the mill 

 given two or three 

 turns, and the egg 

 and biscuit will pass 

 round the cylinder 

 and be ejected on to a 

 board which is ])laccd 

 ready to receive it. 

 The whole jjrocess 

 docs not occupy nujre 

 than a cou|)lc of 

 minutes. The food 

 may, of course, need 



just a little more blending with the |)oint of 

 a knife, after it has passed through the mill. 

 The bath-cage is a sine qua non, and can 

 be purchased in a variety of shapes. It is 

 ]n-actically a small cage, the 

 bottom of which forms a 

 trough a})ont 2 inches dee]), 

 and may be had either in the form of a 



zinc trough wired over, or with a wooden 



bottom containing 



a zinc or eartlien- 



ware basin. This 



bath-cage has a 



wooden top and 



bottom and four 



u])rights, and i^ 



wired in the form 



of a cage, with one 



side entirely ojien. 



Two strong hooks in front serve to attach 



it to the ojien 



doorway of 



the i)ird's 



cage. Ill the 



illiist ra t inn 



of the buth- 



cagc gi\'cn. a 



proj e c 1 1 n g 



wire from 



one of the 



uprights will 



be observed 



which comes 



in front of wooden batm cage. 



/I.NC nATH. 



