n8 



The Canary Book. 



ought on this account to be kept in separate cages after 

 they begin to moult. A large fir cage, lightly built, and 

 divided into eight, ten, or twelve compartments, can be made 

 to answer the purpose required at a small outlay. It may be 

 black varnished outside if desired; the dimensions of a cage 

 of this sort need not exceed llin. square for each of the 

 several compartments, and Sin. from back to front. Tin 

 hoppers and drinking troughs, japanned, could be made to 

 hang on the front of each compartment. For a singing bird, 

 the drawing-room cage shown in Fig. 47 will be found 

 appropriate. 



FIG. 47. DRAWING-HOOM CAGE. 



LINNET AND OTHER MULES. Brown or grey linnet and 

 canary mules can be obtained in the same way as goldfinch 

 and canary mules. Care should be taken, however, to procure 

 young linnets, if obtainable; they are easily distinguished, 

 when newly caught, by the absence of red colour on their 

 heads, and also by the fact that the head in young birds is 

 more profusely covered with black spots than in older birds. 

 The russet colour of their backs, too, is spotted with dark 

 brown and reddish white; these birds are known as grey 

 linnets. The older or more matured birds, when first caught, 

 are very red on the forehead; the remainder of the head 

 being reddish ashen grey, spotted on the poll with black, and 



