The Canary Book. 



and thereby sow the seed of hereditary disease. I know it is 

 very galling, and even tempting, when you possess a magnificent 

 specimen of this variety affected with one or other of these 

 direful complaints, and have to forego the pleasure which you 

 had doubtless looked forward to ere the disease presented itself in 

 outward form, but for all that it is a real necessity, if you want 

 to produce healthy progeny, with vigour and action; you must 

 brook the disappointment manfully, and I am sure you will never 

 regret your conduct in after years. You had far better termi- 

 nate the existence of a bird of this kind in the most humane 

 manner possible, a thousand times over, than be led to so rash 

 an act as to couple it with a healthy partner and breed from it. 

 as the disease would be sure to show itself sooner or later, in 

 most, if not all, of the birds bred from such parents. 



When you are selecting birds to breed from, it will be well to 

 bear in mind that two-years-old cocks are preferable to one-year- 

 old birds, and their produce are generally stronger and more 

 robust. In fact, I think it desirable not to attempt to breed 

 with male birds the first season, for they often fail to impregnate 

 the eggs, or most of them, and it unquestionably weakens their 

 constitutions, which is a material consideration. I do not object 

 to breed with one-year-old hens. 



BEARING. A great many bird fanciers will tell you that 

 Belgian canary hens are " bad breeders," that is, bad nurses, but 

 they seldom consider how much they have themselves to blame 

 for this apparent want of maternal affection ; their over-anxiety 

 or curiosity frequently leads them to meddle with the birds 

 during the process of incubation, or shortly after the eggs are 

 hatched; indeed, I have known some men so foolish as to 

 disturb a hen every fifteen or twenty minutes whilst she was 

 busy hatching; forcing her off the nest each time merely to 

 ascertain whether she had hatched another egg. How such men 

 can expect birds to perform their duties satisfactorily, under 

 such circumstances, is more than I can say. The majority oi 

 canary hens, without distinction of class, instinctively becomr 

 jealous at this particular time, more especially for the first few 

 days after they hatch ; and if the curiosity of fanciers incites 

 them to such acts of indiscretion they must not express dissatis 



