Hints on the Rearing and Keeping of Birds 



Frequent baths will do much toward keeping birds clean and 

 healthy ; every day or two they should be given, but it will be 

 noticed that during the period of moulting the bath will be but 

 little used. 



Never put young birds, no matter how young they may be, in 

 any artificial nest that differs essentially in texture from their own ; 

 for example, a young crow or catbird should have sticks and not 

 soft rags or cotton, but a young phoebe may get along very well 

 in a cotton nest. The reason for this is that some birds require 

 greater development of the leg muscles than others, and when 

 quite young they keep their feet in constant motion, grasping the 

 small twigs that form the inside of the nest ; in this way they 

 develop and strengthen the necessary muscles of the leg. When 

 unnatural conditions have prevented this exercise, I have known 

 the birds to become partly paralysed and die, and I have no doubt 

 that the absence of suitable rough material was the direct cause. 

 Nature is very wise in regard to her children, and you will do 

 well to follow her example whenever you are at a loss. 



Should young birds become droopy, a little diluted whiskey 

 or paregoric put in their mouths with a medicine-dropper will 

 generally restore them to normal condition. 



Cage-fighting invariably takes place sooner or later ; as a rule 

 it only lasts a day or so, but if persisted in cover the cage with 

 fine wire mosquito netting, so that the bird may not be able to 

 get his beak through. 



At night the cage should always be covered, otherwise the 

 birds wake at amazingly early hours ; this applies more particu- 

 larly to fledglings, as their waking means they must be fed, and it 

 is riot always pleasant to have to get up at daylight to minister to 

 their wants. 



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