CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE. 



afford is space : where a room or aviary can be 

 fitted up with all requisite accommodations 

 perches to resemble trees and branches, grass, 

 moss, and other plants, patches of gravel or sand, 

 secluded places for nests, a trough of clear water, 

 &c. the birds will thrive, breed, and be cheerful ; 

 but such accommodations can rarely be afforded. 



Placed in this state of comparative confinement, 

 no birds can possibly thrive unless great care is 

 bestowed in furnishing them with food and fresh 

 water daily, keeping their habitation very clean, 

 and placing them in a cheerful situation in a par- 

 lour, where they can enjoy the light. 



The food of cage-birds is very various. I. Cana- 

 ries, goldfinches, and siskins, live only on seeds ; 

 2. quails, larks, chaffinches, and bullfinches, feed 

 on both seeds and insects ; 3. nightingales, red- 

 breasts, thrushes, and blackbirds, take berries and 

 insects. Rape-seed, hemp-seed, and poppy-seed 

 are the favourite feed with the first class. To 

 many enumerated in the other classes, cheese, 

 crumbs of bread, barley-meal, cabbage, &c. are 

 particularly palatable. Bechstein thus describes 

 two kinds of paste extensively given to cage-birds : 



'To make the first paste, take a white loaf 

 which is well baked and stale, put it into fresh 

 water, and leave it there until quite soaked 

 through ; then squeeze out the water, and pour 

 boiled milk over the loaf, adding about two-thirds 

 of barley-meal with the bran well sifted out, or, 

 what is still better, wheat-meal ; but as this is 

 dearer, it may be done without. 



' For the second paste, grate a carrot very nicely 

 (this root may be kept a whole year if buried in 

 sand) ; then soak a small white loaf in fresh water, 

 press the water out, and put it and the grated 

 carrot into an earthen pan, add two handfuls of 

 barley or wheat meal, and mix the whole well 

 together with a pestle. 



'These pastes should be made fresh every 

 morning, as they soon become sour, particularly 

 the first, and consequently hurtful. For this pur- 

 pose, I have a feeding-trough, round which there 

 is room enough for half my birds. It is better to 

 have it made of earthenware, stone or delf ware, 

 rather than of wood, as being more easily cleaned, 

 and not so likely to cause the food to become stale.' 



Canaries are described as the chief pets of the 

 parlour. Being originally from a warm climate, 

 they are tender, and must be kept in rooms of an 

 agreeable temperature ; if exposed to cold either 

 in rooms or the open air, they pine and die. In 

 dry weather in summer, their cage should be 

 hung in the open air, or at least i'n the sunshine. 

 If the apartment is kept too hot, they will moult 

 at an improper season, and this must be avoided. 

 Only one male should be allowed in a cage. 

 Females for breeding are the better for having a 

 large cage, as it affords them space for exercise. 

 The greatest care must be taken to clean the 

 cage, of whatever dimensions, and to scatter a 

 little fine sand on the bottom of it. Each should 

 be provided with three cross-sticks as perches ; 

 a small glass-trough for water, fixed outside, at the 

 extremity of one of the sticks. The water must 

 be changed daily, or even more frequently. 



Some persons, from mistaken kindness, offer 

 pieces of rich cake and other inappropriate food 

 to canaries, arid the little creatures being fond of 

 these things, do themselves a great injury by 

 eating of them. 



672 



The breeding of canaries requires additional 

 accommodations. The breeder must have a large 

 cage, into which the pair of birds is put about the 

 middle of April. At the upper part of the cage, 

 at one end, boxes for the nests are placed, with 

 holes to go out and in by ; and in the centre of 

 the cage, near a perch, a network bag is hung, 

 filled with cotton, wool, moss, hair, and other soft 

 materials, for the birds to use for their nests. 

 The female alone builds : and in about ten days 

 after pairing, she lays the first egg. She 

 ordinarily lays six eggs one every day; but 

 each egg is to be taken away as laid, leaving an 

 ivory one only ; and when she has done laying, 

 replace all the six. The period of incubation is 

 thirteen days. When the young are hatched, 

 finely minced egg and bread should be placed 

 near the feeding-trough, to enable the parents to 

 carry suitable food to their young. Canaries will 

 mate with siskins, linnets, several of the finches, 

 and other allied birds, producing in many in- 

 stances highly esteemed mules. Similar treat- 

 ment suits the siskin, of which there are several 

 varieties, as the black, white, and speckled. 



The skylark requires a roomy cage, at least 

 eighteen inches long, nine wide, and fifteen high ; 

 the bottom should have a drawer, in which 

 enough of river-sand should be kept for this 

 scratching-bird to be able to roll and dust itself 

 conveniently. It is also a good plan to have in 

 a corner a little square of fresh turf, which is as 

 beneficial as it is agreeable. The top of the cage 

 must be of linen, since, from its tendency to rise 

 for flight, it would run the risk of wounding its 

 head against a covering of wood or iron wire, 

 especially before it is well tamed. The vessels 

 for food and drink must be outside, or a drawer 

 for the food may be introduced in the side of the 

 cage: sticks are not necessary, as the lark does 

 not perch. 



The starling, if well treated, soon becomes 

 exceedingly familiar, and may be taught to whistle 

 various airs, and pronounce words and short 

 sentences with accuracy. 



Parrots, paroquets, cockatoos, and macaws, 

 all possess beautiful plumage of green, crim- 

 son, yellow, or grayish tints. They are chiefly 

 from South America, and require the warmth of 

 a dwelling-house to keep them alive in this 

 country. All possess harsh voices, and would on 

 that account be considered a positive nuisance by 

 most persons, except for the oddity of their being 

 able to repeat certain words. They are allowed 

 a large cage, formed of strong wires, with thick 

 round bars to perch upon, and a ring at top 

 to swing from by their hooked beak. All the 

 parts must be of tin, for they would soon peck 

 wood to pieces. 



The food offered to parrots, macaws, &c. is 

 chiefly bread steeped in milk, nuts, or any other 

 simple article. Care must be taken never to give 

 them anything containing salt or pepper. 



The cockatoo is generally esteemed as of milder 

 temper than the parrot. For ornamental pets, 

 paroquets many of which are not much larger 

 than the common house-sparrow are gener- 

 ally preferred ; and though not quite so showy in 

 plumage as the macaws, lories, and cockatoos, 

 yet their tints are often extremely beautiful, and 

 they never become offensive by screaming, which 

 is too often the case with their larger congeners. 





