io8 CANARIES, HYBRIDS, AND BRITISH BIRDS 



(]iiite well. Init had not laid on just the extent we are loth to acknowledge. From 



morning tiiey thought she ought — with not being allowed to lose sight of her nest 



disastrous resvdts, entirely due to their own and eggs, she has e\ery inducement to sit. 



follw and will Trequcntly become really broody 



Is it necessary to point out the import- and begin to sit -with the first egg. The 

 ance of entering the bird-i'oom ([uietly ? chances ol' her wishing to do so are in- 

 As regards a clumsy, noisy manner of t^rcast'd on the appearance of the second, 

 opening and shutting doors, some jicrsons and if she should really begin to sit in 

 have a gift that way : ])ut if that gift be earnest, the residt is simply that the 

 practised on the bird-room door, the con- young ones are hatched at intervals instead 

 sequences will be '"claw-holed "" eggs, of sinudtaneously ; the elder rapidly outgrow 

 Quiet, and the entire absence of everything the younger and literally smother and starve 

 like iluster, are essentials demanded of thcin. They get the lions share of the 

 visitors. (Gesticulation may be the soul of food, reach uji above their younger nest- 

 oratory, but we object to having our birds mates, and thus kcc|) in ad\ance of the 

 pointed at with an uiubrella. smaller, later hatched ones, which are 



The removal of the eggs as laid is a often found crushed Hat on the bottom of 



practice on which Ihere is some difference the nest. 



of o|)inion. Our own mind \Ve arc aware that some breecU-rs who 



Should Eegs ],.|s long Ijcen fulK' made never interfere with the eggs assert that 



be Removed? ' ' • .1 ■• f 1 ^ 1 



11]) on the matter, and our it makes no diiicrence m tiie tmie 01 liateli- 



advice is to do so iii\'ariably. Ivory, bone, ing. This we do not admit, and are 

 or china eggs, obtainable from any l)ird- ])erfectly satisfied that where such may 

 shoji, should be substituted when the hen's have liccn the case it has resulted from 

 own egg is removed from the nest. Not the hen ikiI lia\ing V)egun to sit as was 

 that it is absolutely necessary, but somx supposed. We do not call sitting Tor an 

 hens arc oifended if their eggs are removed hour, or two hours, and then coming olf 

 without dummies l)eing substituted, whilst the nest lor as long a time. sittiii<i. any 

 others are {piitc the reverse. It is licttcr. more th.'in |)layiug with buildiiiu stiilT is 

 however, to use the dunmiy eggs in all building: ami it is on'y when this last- 

 eases, and reiuosc them when the real and loose. on-and-olT sort of sitting has been 

 eggs arc returned to the nest. indulged in and has been mistaken lor 

 The iMiK ariiuiueiit wt- ha\c e\'er heard geiinine business that the hatching has 

 adduced in las (iiir of allowing a hen's own been siiuultaneous. and the possible e\il 

 eggs to reniain is that th<is<' of wild birds results lia\c been a\crred to lie a myth, 

 are iiiilnuehed till the lull eoniplenient has No one who practises the k't -alone system 

 been laid. Jhil there is not the slightest can say that siniiilt.-iiieous hatching is 

 analogv between the two eases. The wild the general rule: and that is Just our 

 bird does not lieeoiue broody until slu- point. We rnll\ adiiiit that it may. and 

 has laid her complcnienl , and eoiise(|uenl l\ does sonietinies occur, under the con- 

 does not e\'cn remain near her nest : :ind ditions and eu-eiiuist;iiiees we lia\e de- 

 wc do not think any schoolboy e\-er scribed; but il ought (ihxdiis to liajipt'ii. 

 found one or two or e\<'n three eggs in a and that can only be ensured by reuio\ing 

 nest which should 011 the ascrage contain the eggs, and then setting the hcu as we 

 four from which he had occasion to disturb would a broody [owl. 



the p.ireiit bird. Hut a Canary conlined Our inodc of procedure is this: we 



in a l)ox eighteen luchcs scpiarc can scarcely number or letter all our cages, and ha\'e a 



l>e said to be in a natural sl.ile: indeed. shallow ti'ay dixided into eoiu- 



soiiic of h(l- atler proeeediims would almost R-ecord partnieiiK. like a sci'dsmau's 

 suiijiort the theory that her nature has " box. Icltered in a {■orrcspond- 



been modified bv eireuuist auces to an ing wav, as shown in the .•icconi|iany- 



