28 Song Birds. 



crumbs of stale bread, or of perfectly plain biscuits, 

 water- cress and groundsel, should be their staple 

 food only Bullfinches do better with a good deal 

 of rape and Canaries, generally, require a little more 

 hemp. In small cages, or open seed-boxes, the 

 hemp should never be mixed with the other seed, 

 as the bird will plunge in his head and dash out 

 all the rest in search of it. 



8. The coarse river sand impregnated with iron, as 

 shown by its reddish tinge, is a great preserver of 

 most birds' health, as they swallow a good deal of it, 

 as well as enjoy walking and scraping in it. 



A rusty nail in the water glass, or a thread of 

 saffron, is very often useful ; it is especially so in the 

 autumn during the time of moulting, when greater 

 warmth and greater quiet, as well as more nourishing 

 food, are proper for the bird, which may be considered 

 an invalid. The food should also be softer, hemp 

 seeds being bruised ; and plenty of green food should 

 be given, with some plantain, commonly called rat's 

 tails. A hard-boiled egg chopped up is very good, 

 when the bird seems to eat but little ; if his appetite 

 is good, there is not much cause to be uneasy for 

 him : often, indeed, birds do little but eat and sleep 

 while moulting, at which time they do not sing. A 

 few insects or ants' eggs, if they can be obtained (as 

 they can be in London), are particularly welcome to 

 most kinds of birds. 



