166 THE CANARY. 



linen, and afterwards with a darker cover. The air which is to be taught 

 should be performed five or six times a day, especially in the evening and 

 morning, either by whistling, or on a flageolet, or bird-organ ; he will ac- 

 quire it more or less readily, in from two to six months, according to his 

 abilities and memory ; if his separation from the other birds is delayed 

 beyond the fourteenth day, he will retain some part of his father's song, 

 which he wiU always intermingle with his acquired air, and consequently 

 never perform it perfectly. The opinion of some, that the grayish canaries 

 have more facility in learning than the yellow or the white, is unfounded, 

 their only advantage over those of a different hue being that they are gene- 

 rally more robust and vigorous. I have not either found that the true No. 

 3 suits them better than No. 1 or No. 2 ; these latter, on the contrary, 

 have appeared to me to please them best. 



There is too much trouble and risk in allowing canaries to go in and out 

 of their cages for it to be worth the trouble of teaching them this. Not- 

 withstanding all my attention, and the care which I have taken to follow 

 exactly the prescribed rules, I have never succeeded ; and the cleverest 

 bird-fanciers have assured me that it should never be attempted but when 

 they have young ones, and above all, there must be no canaries in the 

 neighbouring houses, which might entice them away. Indeed it is no easy 

 matter to accustom a bird to go and come. There, as in many other ca'ses, 

 conclusions in regard to the species have been drawn from individuals. It 

 is certain that very few tame birds easily acquire this trick, and as I show 

 in their histories, with respect to others, probabilities are too often stated 

 as truths. 



DISEASES. Birds which seldom enjoy the benefit of fresh and pure air, 

 prisoners destitute in their confinement of the means of exercise, must be 

 particularly subject to the common diseases which have been named, and 

 also to many other peculiar ones. The following are some of the disorders 

 incident to canaries. 



1 . Rupture, or Hernia ; this is very common among young birds, and 

 is a kind of plethora, which produces inflammation in the bowels. The 

 symptoms of this disease are, thinness, the skin of the belly transparent and 

 distended, covered with little red veins surcharged with blood, the bowels 

 are black and knotted, and descend to the extremity of the body ; there 

 are no feathers on the diseased part ; the invalid does not eat, and dies in 

 a few days. Too nutritious, or too much food, being the cause of the 

 disease, the only remedy is a very severe regimen, and even then it can be 

 cured only in its first stages. The diseased birds must be immediately re- 

 moved, and fed with nothing but lettuce or rape-seed, in very small quan- 

 tities. A bit of iroii should also be put in the water, and everything be 

 done to invigorate and purify them. It is very rare for young birds which 

 are brought up by their parents to suffer from this disease, as they never 

 over-feed them. In bringing up by hand this moderation should be imi- 

 tated, and they should neither be over-fed nor pampered. 



2. The yellow gall in the head and eyes, arises from ovei* heat ; a 

 cooling diet is therefore the only remedy. If the tumour has grown to the 

 size of a grain of hemp-seed, it must be cut off, and the wound be anointed 

 with a little fresh butter, or bathed with urine. 



