22 GERMAN BREEDERS. 



Were you to visit one of the large breeding estab- 

 lishments in Germany, you would observe a quantity 

 of rooms arranged very much after the style of the 

 sleeping-apartments of a hotel. Each of the rooms 

 is properly furnished with light, ventilation, a quan- 

 tity of small trees, feeding-boxes, water for bathing 

 and drinking, and on the sides of the room a quan- 

 tity of nests, and the floor covered with fine sand to 

 the depth of three or more inches. In this room 

 are placed twenty or more male birds, and three 

 times their number of females ; and from this large 

 feminine family every male chooses his mate, — and, 

 reader, don't blush, for some of them choose even 

 three and four mates, — all of which will hatch their 

 young peacefully, and live one large, happy family 

 together. 



The young birds (males) are taken at the age of 

 six weeks, as they can then crack seed (and we will 

 here remark, that, when they are fully feathered, they 

 commence to warble ; that is, they fill their throats 

 in the same manner as an old singing-bird : and this 

 is the only way that male birds can be told from 

 females when so very young), and placed in large 

 cages, say twenty-five birds to a cage, and kept in 

 rooms holding about twenty such cages until they 

 are through moulting ; for a young bird, as soon as 

 he is in full feather, commences to moult, or shed 

 his body-feathers : his tail and wing feathers he 

 sheds the second season. This moulting process 

 requires about six weeks ; after which they are taken 

 away from the sound of all singing canaries, into a 



