HATCHING AND REARING 



123 



drawback, and that the young birds are 

 even exceptionally fine and strong ; yet, 

 just at this age, a sickly, jaundiced colour 

 comes over the flesh, and brood after brood 

 will die, jjlumj) and fat, and with their 

 crops quite full. AVe are apt to say they 

 have died from surfeit ; but up to within 

 a few hours of death every function has 

 been healthy and the digestive powers 

 unimpaired, and we are rather disposed to 

 think the cause lies in another direction, 

 probably in that we hinted at — some 

 obstruction in the feather-forming functions 

 which at this time are called into action. 



Other youngsters waste away until they 

 are gaunt, miserable objects, and these 

 cases may be the result of surfeit as well 

 as of the feather trouble. This wasting 

 arises from no neglect, but is evidently 

 an internal ailment, for which we can 

 prescribe no renredy other than an entire 

 change of food for the parent birds directly 

 the colour of the young ones changes as 

 described, or wasting sets in. In such 

 cases a little bread soaked in scalded milk 

 and given when cold to the birds, instead 

 of the egg-food, is excellent, if the old 

 birds will feed the young upon it. A 

 couple of days free feeding on this, with 

 maw, canary-seed, and a little German 

 rape — but no hemja or green food — we 

 have repeatedly found will bring things 

 back to their normal state. It is only by 

 this means that one can try to save them, 

 as thej' are too young to administer drugs 

 to direct. Such a case may not, of course, 

 occur in one's experience for years, but it 

 is well to be prepared as to the best means 

 to adopt should such a misfortune arise. 



It may be said that we have presented 

 the life of the young Canary as consisting 

 of a series of struggles against 

 adverse circumstances. We 

 are glad if our object has been 

 so clearly understood — that is just what it 

 is. We have before said it is easy to sail 

 with the tide, and anj'one can float down 

 with the stream. The difficulty is to steer 

 clear of the rocks and shoals, and we 

 know there are plent}^ of them. We have 

 endeavoured to point them out distinctly 



Nest 

 Accidents. 



with all their bearings, and we mistake 

 greatly if the experienced fancier does not 

 recognise them as places where he has 

 either come to grief, or escaped shipwreck 

 by a good look-out and careful navigation. 

 There may be other dangers ahead, but 

 we will not now anticipate them and meet 

 trouble half-way. We must, however, call 

 attention to a very common accident which 

 will happen in some nests. It is that of 

 the young ones being pulled out by the 

 hen in hopping out or flying off the nest. 

 It is well, when this occurs, to examine 

 the hen's claws, and if they are verv long 

 just to shorten them with sharp scissors, 

 taking care not to cut so close as to induce 

 bleeding. Some hens are naturallv clumsv 

 and habitually do this sort of thing ; all 

 such should be furnished with a deeper 

 nest than ordinary. It is quite possible, 

 when not suspecting such a mishap, that 

 the young thing in the cage-bottom may 

 be overlooked ; but with a knowledge of 

 these and like contingencies, the breeder 

 gets into the habit of keeping a sharp look- 

 out. This accident generally occiu-s when 

 the birds are very young, and consequently 

 additionally liable to suffer from exposure ; 

 but so long as there is a spark of life left 

 in the little naked thing, there is every 

 chance of its recovery. This can be 

 speedily effected by placing it on the warm 

 palm of the hand, covering it with the 

 other hand, then gently breathing on it 

 through one side of the closed hands. As 

 soon as it begins to move freely and wriggle 

 about, pop it imder the hen. and it will 

 soon be all right again. 



Crest and Crestbred hens are very liable 

 to pull young birds out of the nest with 

 them, even when leaving it in a quiet 

 way ; their bodies are so heavily feathered 

 that the little mites get nestled up amongst 

 the long feathers, and so are carried over 

 the side of the nest. Very close watch 

 should be kept on the cage-bottom when 

 these birds are rearing young, especially 

 during the first week. 



It is worthy of note that, kind and 

 attentive as is the cock while the newly- 

 hatched birds are in the nest, he seems to 



