124 The Canary Book. 



had fresh water given twice or thrice a week, regularly cleaned 

 out once a week, and received a fresh supply of river sand at 

 the same time. I bred a nest of birds early in the spring 

 of 1859, between a Belgian Canary and a Lizard, and 1 pre- 

 sented one of their offspring to an intimate friend for a singing- 

 bird: it was living in 1875, and in excellent health. It was 

 fed on simple food; in fact, very similar to that given to the 

 three birds previously mentioned. 



APOPLEXY. There are several kinds of this fearful disease. 

 There is the atrabilious, cataleptic, hydrocephalic, &c. They 

 are, nevertheless, all of them of such a tendency as to lead 

 to a fatal termination in the lives of birds, as it would be 

 physically impossible to subject these minute objects to a 

 process of treatment similar to that resorted to in human 

 beings. Prevention is the best substitute for cure. The most 

 fruitful source of this complaint in birds is luxurious living, 

 and intemperance in diet. Male canaries which are permitted 

 to revel in Mormonism to any extent are likewise prone to 

 it. If you are present at any time when a canary drops 

 from its perch in a fit, and lies struggling at the bottom 

 of the cage in apparent agony, lift it gently out and carry 

 it to an open window, bathe its head with cold water, and 

 if there should happen to be any spirit of ammonia (harts- 

 horn) at hand, or to be procured readily, dilute a little of 

 this with cold water, and let the bird inhale the vapour. 

 Should it revive, keep it cool and quiet for some time, and 

 afterwards give it some laxative medicine. You might give 

 it two drops of castor-oil to begin with, and about dr. of 

 Epsom salts might be put in its drinking water. The diet 

 of the patient should be of the simplest and plainest descrip- 

 tion, more especially if the bird is of a full habit of body. 

 There is likewise a species of apoplexy which is produced 

 by the effect of the sun's rays this is called coup de soldi. 

 I have known birds hung in a window where the sun has 

 poured upon them during the hottest days in summer, but, 



