Finches. 127 



I gave phosphorus afterwards, with good results, to the 

 birds which appeared to moult with difficulty. 



Mr. Kidd recommended a very small quantity of 

 raw beef, scraped, and moistened with cold water, once 

 a week during moulting, and other bird-fanciers give 

 spiders and ants' eggs ; and perhaps these may be use- 

 ful now and then, as most birds are partial to insect 

 food. Meat can hardly be required for seed-eating 

 birds. I have heard of its doing them great harm 

 when continually given, by fevering their little bodies 

 to such an extent as to cause their feathers to fall off, 

 and exciting in them carnivorous propensities, which 

 made them attack their companions. Hard egg or 

 stale sponge cake would be much better for these birds 

 when they require very nutritious food. With this may 

 be mixed a pinch of good Cayenne pepper, extensively 

 used now to enrich the colour of the birds. There is 

 no doubt that it has a marvellous effect upon their 

 plumage when given in large quantities, but the stimu- 

 lation must be repeated at every moulting, or they 

 suffer extremely from its withdrawal, and I think it 

 must have an injurious effect upon the constitution in 

 time. It is said to affect the voice of singing birds, 

 and is to be avoided when the quality of the song is a 

 matter of importance. It is, however, useful, mixed 

 with bread and milk, for asthma. For surfeit or inflam- 

 mation, or to an egg-bound hen, if very ill, two drops 

 of castor oil might be given with good effect ; brown 



