CANARIES. 41 



Another and frequently fatal cause arises from hanging the bird in the hot, 

 blistering sun. In such a case smelling-salts are required in addition to the 

 sprinkling of cold water. The diet must be carefully regulated ; and plain seeds, 

 alternated with crackers and milk, should be the food. Tonic should be given daily. 



Cramps are caused by filthy cages, or from confining the bird in a cage much 

 too small for him : they may also come from indigestion. They may be cured by 

 adding a few drops of laudanum to the drinking-water. If in the legs, which may 

 be noticed by the nervous contraction of both members, the best cure is, to immerse 

 the legs in warm water, and hang the cage in a warm place. 



Bathing too frequently will cause birds to have cramps, and a third attack is sure 

 to prove fatal. One bath a day, or a bath on alternate days, is frequently enough. 



The Pip is a small swelling which appears on the bird's rump. It may be easily 

 cured by gently opening the swelling with a sewing-needle. A little cold cream 

 should be afterwards gently rubbed over it. Feed the bird on mild food for a few 

 days. 



Surfeit in old birds is indicated by a slight eruption on the body, and an extend- 

 ing baldness on the head. It is caused by an abrupt change in food, or by continued 

 plain diet. Add a few grains of Epsom salts to the water, and give a daily feeding 

 of green stuffs. A little lemon-juice added to the drinking-water is also very bene- 

 ficial. The head should be rubbed with any simple ointment. 



Pimples, or Obstruction of the Rump-Gland. This is a gland which 

 forms part of the structural economy of every .bird, and is intended for secreting 

 the oily substance required to render the plumage supple, and impervious to wet. The 

 bird presses this gland, which is situated just above the rump, with its bill, and the 

 oil oozes out ; if this is not done frequently, the opening is apt to get clogged : 

 and, there being no vent for the increasing contents of the gland, it gets hard and 

 inflamed. If you see your bird sitting about with its tail bent downwards, and often 

 turning its head to peck at the hinder part, where the feathers will most likely appear 

 ruffled, suspect that this is the case ; and if, on examination, you find it so, rub the 

 gland with some fresh butter and sugar mixed together, at the same time clearing 

 and enlarging the aperture with a needle or sharp knife. Some persons cut off the 

 gland altogether, but this is a bad plan ; for, although it effects a cure, it deprives 

 the bird of a useful organ, for want of which at the next moult he will probably die. 

 Bechstein recommends a salve of litharge, white lead, and olive-oil, to remove the 

 obstruction ; and Tscheiner, another German naturalist, states that this evil may be 

 remedied by puncturing the gland, compressing it frequently, bathing the bird with 

 a syringe, and plucking out some of the tail-feathers. In the renewal of the feathers, 

 accumulated fat is absorbed, and the gland sufficiently relieved to resume its func- 

 tions. 



Yellow Gall is indicated by a small ulcer or a number of them around the head 

 and eyes. If the bird has been fed on plain food, change to something more nourish- 

 ing. The ulcers should be cut, and anointed with any simple ointment. The follow- 

 ing remedy for this complaint has also been successfully tried. Make a strong solu- 

 tion of sugar of lead with rain- water, saturate the ulcers thoroughly, and bathe the 

 parts, wherever sore, three or four times per day. This will effect a cure in from 

 four to seven days. 



