68 The Canary Book. 



placed in the cages ; it will be found advantageous to name 

 them, or simply to call them number one, two, and so on, for 

 distinction and future reference; keep a separate register of 

 their pedigrees, &c., at least of those deserving of mention 

 elsewhere. Having done this, make a box, say one-and-a-half 

 to two inches deep, with as many divisions as there are pairs 

 of birds; make each division from two to two-and-a-half 

 inches square, and label them so as to correspond with the 

 numbers upon the cages; in these compartments may be 

 placed a quantity of bran or sawdust, and the eggs should 

 be placed in them, small end downwards. See Fig. 44. 



SINGLE PAIRS: How TO MANAGE. If it is decided to 

 breed the birds in single pairs, that is, a cock to each hen, 

 then I would recommend the use of a "two-coupled" cage 

 for each pair: remove the slide, and let the birds have 

 the entire space to breed in. After the hen begins to 

 sit, the cock may be left in, but it will then be necessary 

 to observe him pretty closely; if he is very troublesome 

 to the hen, or breaks an egg, close the slide at once, 

 separating the cock from the hen. If, however, he conducts 

 himself with becoming propriety during the process of incu- 

 bation, he will, in all probability, do so afterwards, although I 

 have known instances of cocks when too fresh destroying the 

 progeny even after having fed them for several days; when 

 this happens remove the male bird at once, and do not allow 

 him to be placed beside the hen again until the young birds 

 are at least three weeks old. Whenever a cock eats the eggs, 

 the best cure for this very unnatural practice is to give him 

 one or two eggs that have been sat upon for a fortnight, 

 and have proved unfruitful; they are then rotten, and verr 

 rarely fail to effect a cure, although, if too many are given 

 they are apt to make a bird ill. 



The hen will, in all probability, have commenced to lay again 

 at the end of three weeks; this, however much it might be 

 regretted could not, under the circumstances, possibly be avoided, 

 for if the cock is what may be termed a cannibal, there is no 

 alternative for if he be placed beside the hen sooner he 



