3$ THE CANARY. 



body. Put .a dry white cloth with some creases in it 

 over the cage at night, and if there are insects some 

 will be found in the creases or on other parts of the 

 cloth in the morning. To destroy all the vermin 

 about the bird remove the hollow top from the body 

 of the cage ; wash it out and put some of the German 

 Insect powder in it and leave it in it, fastening the 

 top again to the cage. Take the bird in your hand 

 and dust the powder all through his feathers 

 thoroughly, using your ringers, not a bellows, to do it 

 thoroughly. Two applications made within four days' 

 time are sure to exterminate all the pests. If the bird 

 is in a wooden cage change him to another cage, scald 

 the wood work with water having soda in it, and var- 

 nish all the wood work two or three times, and dry 

 the varnish to a hard condition, before again using 

 the cage. Young insects are black; the older ones 

 full of the bird's blood are red. 



THE MOULTING SEASON with birds a year old or 

 more is regularly some parts of August, September, 

 or October, and generally lasts from six to eight 

 weeks, or, with very old birds, sometimes longer. The 

 operation is a weakening process, and this is why the 

 bird should then have extra strengthening food, and 

 a comfortably warm place, say 70, out of all draughts, 

 with the cage covered at 6 p. M. Give the egg mix- 

 ture daily, or a half teaspoonful of Holden's Song 

 Restorer. A bird in good health should moult only 

 once in a year, and in those months ; birds moulting 

 at other times have colds, and should be treated for 

 colds. 



