17 



sometimes she cannot stand on her 

 legs for a few days after she has 

 layed. The want of exercise is the 

 cause of it. Castor oil, before she 

 lays, will give great relief, and cause 

 the bird to lay more freely. A hand- 

 ful of groats morning and night will 

 make a wonderful difference to the 

 young birds. Sometimes a young 

 one in the nest will grow much larger 

 than the others. I should advise my 

 readers to kill the small one. 



Should you have several birds in 

 the nest, all about the same age, the 

 best plan is to pair them as near of 

 a size as possible. This must be 

 done before the birds are feathered, 

 otherwise it will be the cause of the 

 old ones forsaking them. Generally, 

 when the young ones are uneven, 

 the largest bird gets most of the 

 food from the parents. 



The commencement of April is 

 the time to breed, unless the weather 

 be cold, in which case postpone it 



