MOULTING ON COLOUR-FOOD 



T55 



and forcing it down its tiiroat. Tlie results 

 produced might be strictly in harmony 

 with natural laws, just as natural results 

 follow a dose of strychnine. Remember 

 that the Canary has been a domesticated 

 bird for centuries, is dependent upon us 

 for everything, and has no chance of show- 

 ing us, by any voluntary act of its own, 

 Wiiat it would cat. diink. and avoid, if it 

 had the opportunity of unlimited selection. 

 For generations we have followed the tra- 

 ditions of our forefathers, and have acted 

 as if we believed that canary-seed was 

 created only for the Canary, and the Canary 

 for canary-seed, and that to supply it 

 with anything else of which it is fond, 

 and wliich does it good, is — the meaning- 

 less term over again — unnatural. Unusual, 

 we admit, but most certainly not un- 

 natural. 



Suppose a Canary to have escaped into 

 a conservatory, and to be observed feasting 

 on some berries growing there 

 Is Colour= jj^ profusion, acrid and 

 feeding i i 4. 



Legitimate? poisonous to ourselves, but 



of marked benefit to the 

 bird, improving its health, and. by the 

 action of certain properties inherent in 

 them. beautifying its plumage — what 

 lunatic would call such food inmatural, 

 and such results unnatural, because, among 

 other reasons, these berries hapjiened not 

 to asree with ourselves ? The force of 

 this and ]>revious arguments will be seen 

 presently. 



Our original proposition we put into 

 the form of the question : '■ Is feeding 

 the secret of colour ? '" We now answer : 

 " ^es." And we have anticipated some of 

 the olijections which migiit aiisc by asking 

 the questions above jjropounded — ques- 

 tions which we think require no reply. 

 It is altogether foreign to the subject 

 to stay now to inquire hozv the colour is 

 affected ; indeed, no philosophical reason 

 has yet been assigned, though no doubt 

 it will ultimately be shown to result from 

 the deposition of colouring matter m the 

 cellular tissue through the action of the 

 blood. It is perfectly immaterial whether 

 it be brought about in this wa\ . or whether 



it be due to the de\'elopnient of colour 

 native to the bird, though latent, by calling 

 into vigorous exercise existing functions. 

 So long as the agent employed is no more 

 than the active principle of a natxu-al 

 diet, the jjroccss is strictly natural from 

 beginning to end. and is not to be con- 

 denmed as unnatui'al simply because it is 

 the development of a phenomenon which 

 has been liidden from ovu" view by force 

 of circumstances for centvu'ies. 



It has been openly proclaimed by some 

 that there is no difference between colour- 

 feeding and an outward apjilication of dye 

 to tiie feather ; that the one is simply 

 an outwai'd application and the other 

 [)asscd thrf)ugh the system of the bird 

 with a view to j)roducing the same effect. 

 If that were the case then tlie practice of 

 colour-feeding woidd be fraurlidcnt, which 

 in no circmustances can it be ])roved to 

 be. It is a well-known and established 

 fact beyond disjiute that iron is an ex- 

 cellent tonic both to luan and beast, and 

 it has also been proved beyond dispute to 

 have an enriching effect on the colovu- of a 

 bird's plumage, and we believe also on the 

 coats of animals, in districts where iron- 

 ore abounds. Would anyone even suggest 

 that l)irds or other live stock taken from 

 such districts were fraudulently improved 

 in their colour ? How then is a distinction 

 to be made ? Is it not just as legitimate 

 to give a captive bird iron, or other 

 tonic, when it is jiroved that such tonic 

 im])roves the bird's colour and ]3luniagc 

 when at liberty ? 



Then still further proof of the effects of 

 these tonics is to be observed in the 

 Canary's egg. The yolk of an egg from 

 a bird given an iron tonic in its drinking 

 water or food is nuich richer in colour 

 than the yolk of an egg from a bird not 

 so treated. This can easily be proved 

 by jiractical experiment. The yolk is 

 still further enriched— almost to blood-red 

 — if colour food be given as well as the iron. 

 This we have proved beyond doubt, having 

 examined the yolks o\' many eggs from 

 birds we have kept under the conditions 

 cited. 



