230 The Canary Book. 



the birds take to them much more readily than they do to dishes 

 made of earthenware or clay. 



PACKING FOB SHOW. Whenever you send Belgian canaries 

 to a show, be careful to wrap them well up and make them as 

 cosy as possible. I would advise you to have green baize or 

 scarlet flannel covers made to put over the show cages, and 

 to pack them in boxes or cases specially made for this purpose, 

 each to contain four, .six, or eight birds; but I think one to 

 hold six is quite large enough to move about with freedom 

 and ease. The cases can be made with light wood, skeleton 

 frames, and covered with canvas or thin oil-cloth, or some similar 

 material; the advantage of using the latter is their lightness, 

 as they cost less in transit. The carriage of birds to and from 

 exhibitions is often a considerable item, and amounts to a good 

 round sum at the end of the year if you send a dozen or twenty 

 birds to every show of importance during the entire season. 



TREATMENT BY SECRETARIES. You will find it of advantage 

 to write to the secretaries of shows to ascertain whether the 

 hall or room in which the show is intended to be held is warmed 

 by the use of fires or stoves, and whether your birds can be 

 received a day or two before that on which the birds are to 

 be judged; but probably it would not be advisable to do this 

 if the antecedents of the secretary and committee are unknown 

 to you : but where you can rely upon any individual immediately 

 connected with an exhibition, it will be found commendable 

 to adopt this plan, for if Belgian canaries are exposed during 

 cold weather and become chilled on their journey to a show, 

 they are certain to lose their best form, and the result is 

 very frequently unsatisfactory both to the judges and exhibitors. 

 All birds newly come off a journey should have warm water, and 

 not cold, given them to drink, and you should request secretaries 

 to be careful always to give your birds a supply of this about 

 the same temperature as you would drink tea, as soon as they 

 receive them; never forget to send along with the birds a supply 

 of fresh egg and bread, with a sprinkling of maw seed among it, 

 to be given them as soon as they reach their destination. The 

 same treatment must be observed as soon as they reach home 



