IK) 



CANARIES, HYBRIDS, AND BRITISH BIRDS 



Time of 

 Hatching. 



or not. AnotluT h'dihI ])laii, wlicrever 

 possible, is to jnit tjieiii under a hen oJ' a 

 different variety to that which laid them. 

 There is then no difficulty in distinguishing 

 the young birds from the foster-parenfs 

 young when reared. 



This is amply sufficient to exjilain our 

 system of marking, so far as regards the 

 point of practice we are 

 detailing. We remove the 

 eggs, then, one by one, till 

 there are three in the tray, and on the 

 evening of the third day \vc replace them. 

 The hen then goes on to her nest at night, 

 lays her fourth egg in the morning, and at 

 once commences to sit so closely that the 

 date of hatching may lie reckoned from that 

 fourth morning with certainty : they usually 

 hatch on the thirteenth day counting 

 from the evening when the hen was set. 

 The reason why we rc])lace three eggs, and 

 date from tlie fourth, is because, though live 

 is a common munlx;r. and six not luiusual, 

 four is an a\'erage nest. If a fifth egg he 

 laid it nnist take its chance ; but the 

 fancier soon gets to know the peculiarities 

 of his hens in this respect, and acts accord- 

 ingly. Before setthig the hen we generally 

 make it a rule to clean out the cage, or at 

 any rate to give it a rough scrape and su])))ly 

 some fresh sawdust or sand, for it will be a 

 fortnight before it can again be disturbed. 

 l)eyond removing any excreta which may 

 accunudatc during incubation. 



'i'hc hen will have tiiiich more confidence 

 if not disturbed dia'ing incu])ation. Sonic 

 hens arc so ncr\-ous, although good mothci's. 

 that the nioiiicnt an altciii])! is made t<i 

 clean out their cage, cither while they arc 

 sitting, or when the young are a few da\s 

 «)ld, they will rush olT their nest in such 

 an excited in;iiinrr lli.at llicy bring either 

 eggs or young out with tlieni. The tem- 

 perament of the birds slmuld be studied, 

 and action taken accurdingly. If thev 

 are too llustcrcd when the cleaning opera- 

 tion is attem))lc(l. Iln-u sim])ly rcnio\c 

 (piictly .-uiy collcctinii nf excreta, and U'l 

 tiie proper cleansing wait till the nestlings 

 are older. I\Ian_\^ a fine nest of youngsters 

 has thus l)cen saved. 



\\c should have remarked, in sjjcaking 

 of the sand required for the cages, that 

 it should be sanil — gritty 

 sand, and not earthv mat- 



The Sand 

 Question. 



ter, capafile of being com- 

 pressed into small lumps. All birds are 

 not alike, but some are apt to get very 

 dirty feet, aiul if the sand be of a binding 

 nature, they will l)e continually gathering 

 it up under their toes in a ball, which will 

 eventually grow so large as to ineon- 

 ^'enience the bird seriously, and nmst be 

 removed. It is easily managed Ijy moisten- 

 ing the ball with water, but no rough usage 

 must be attemjjted. See also that the 

 claws are cleaned at the same time, for 

 it is more than likely that each M'ill have 

 a small ti|) of dirt attached to it, and when 

 such is the case, it is evident a hen cannt)t 

 have much command over them, and is 

 very likely to injure her eggs in conse- 

 cjuence. It is possible, too. that the bird"s 

 feet may be permanently injiu-cd, with the 

 loss of a claw or two into the bargain. 

 iNIuch of this c'logging of the feet is avoided 

 if rough-cut pine sawdust he used on the 

 bottom of the cage, and sand provided in 

 the manner suggested on j^age 9!). The 

 sawdust not only gives off a ])leasant 

 odour, but dries up the excreta as it is 

 drop])ed, thus keeping the liird's feet 

 I'Ican and in good condition. 



Kgg-lood and green food should be 



(liscoiitinucd while the hen is sitting, 



and seed oiil\ he gi\en, 



1?°^ ^°l^ A verv small ' (luantitv of 



Sitting Hens. ' ■ 



ego-food can he included 

 in the bill of fare at inlcrxals of three or 

 four da\s (liu'ing incubation without any 

 bad cITccts. if tli<' allowance be i)ut sulli- 

 cient to be eaten u|)(|uickly. It should not 

 exceed about a (|iiarlrr of a teaspooiiful. and 

 if the wcatlu-r is chilly a i)inch of maw-seed 

 may be added to it. If egg-food is given 

 every other day while the hen sits inactive 

 on her nesi her health is sure to sulTer from 

 such stinudating food, fhit apai't from 

 Ihis (|U(stion of licallh il is ccrlaiii that a 

 liberal su|)ply of egg-food to a sitting hen 

 has a tendency to bring her on to lay again 

 before her \-ouni>' bi-ood can manage for 



