Breeding and Management. 69 



will assuredly kill the young birds; and even at the age of 

 three weeks I have seen cocks of this nature attack them in 

 a most savage manner. When I observe it I remove the 

 cock at once, and merely run him beside the hen periodically 

 say twice a day for one or two hours together usually in 

 the morning and evening, which is the best time, until she 

 has laid three eggs, when it is not necessary to do so longer. 

 If the hen should lay before the cock is replaced, the eggs 

 will, of course, be fruitless; but should the hen lay an egg 

 when the young brood is, say, twenty-one days old, and the 

 cock is put in at once, the third, fourth, and fifth eggs will 

 be, as a rule, fruitful. In this case either the eggs must be 

 given to another hen, or she must have two or three arti- 

 ficial eggs for a few days to keep her sitting until it is 

 certain that the young nestlings are able to feed themselves ; 

 but unless a hen is a good sitter there is a danger in the 

 latter plan of her forsaking her eggs ere she hatches, as by 

 its adoption it causes her to sit much beyond the usual 

 period of incubation, which is from thirteen to fourteen days, 

 or in some rare instances even fifteen. If, however, the hen 

 has laid, say, two eggs before it is discovered that she has 

 done so, let her have her own way that is, let her lay her 

 batch and sit as she pleases; she will, if a good mother, 

 come off the nest and feed her young regularly until they 

 can take care of themselves, but should she be observed 

 sitting too closely, and neglecting her nestlings or fledgelings, 

 remove the eggs and nest altogether. When the young birds 

 are one month old there is no danger of losing them, and 

 they may be confidently removed to a cage by themselves, 

 taking care to place the food, &c. (egg and bread, fresh 

 greens and water), so that they may be found readily. 



In Lancashire, bird-breeders take a piece of thin wood, 

 about two inches broad, and fasten a narrow lath in front of 

 it, and two pieces of wire to the back; with these wires they 

 fasten it to the front of the cage opposite the door, inside, 

 and place upon it a quantity of moist food, such as egg and 

 biscuit moistened with water or milk. This is generally done 



