FOOD OF TAME BIRDS. 9 



live insects can no longer be found, these flies must be mixed 

 with the paste, hereafter described, which may be regarded as 

 a general or universal food, and given to the most delicate 

 birds, such as nightingales, provided ants' eggs or meal worms 

 are now and then mixed with it. 



RECIPE FOR THE GENERAL FOOD. In proportion to the 

 number of birds, white bread enough must be baked to last 

 for three months. When it is well baked, and stale, it must 

 be put again into the oven, and left there until cold. It is 

 then fit to be pounded in a mortar, and will keep several 

 months without becoming bad. Every day a tea-spoonful for 

 each bird is taken of this meal, on which is poured three 

 times as much cold, or lukewarm, but not boiling, milk. If 

 the meal be good, a firm paste will be formed, which must be 

 chopped very small on a board. This paste, which is very 

 nourishing, may be kept a long time without becoming sour 

 or sticky ; on the contrary, it is always dry and brittle. As 

 soon as a delicate bird is brought in, some flies or chopped 

 worms should be mixed with the paste, which will attract it to 

 eat. It will soon be accustomed to this food, which will keep 

 it in life and health. 



Experience teaches me that a mixture of crushed canary, 

 hemp, and rape-seed, is the favourite food of canaries ; gold- 

 finches and siskins prefer poppy-seed, and sometimes a little 

 crushed hemp -seed ; linnets and bullfinches like the rape-seed 

 alone. It is better to soak it for the young chaffinches, bull- 

 finches, and others ; in order to do this, as much rape-seed as 

 is wanted should be put into a jar, covered with water, and 

 placed in a moderate heat, in winter near the fire, in summer 

 in the sun. If this is done in the morning, after feeding the 

 birds, the soaked seed will do for the next morning. All of 

 them ought to have green food besides, as chickweed, cabbage 

 leaves, lettuce, endive, and water-cresses. Sand should be 

 put in the bottom of the cages, for it seems necessary for 

 digestion *. 



Amongst those of the second class, the quails like cheese 

 and the crumbs of bread ; the lark barley-meal, with cabbage, 

 chopped cress, poppy-seed mixed with bread crumbs, and in 



* See Rennie's " FACULTIES OK BIRDS," Chap. V., for experiments on the 

 subject. TRANSLATOR. 



