298 THE CANARY. 



tliers ; the more indeed that the birds be kept from the cold air 

 whilst moulting the better, for I have known many valuable birds 

 lost, by being stopped in their moult, through taking cold. 



" When a bird begins to drop its feathers, I strongly recom- 

 mend that the cage be covered over with baize, or flannel, so as 

 to keep it quite warm, by which means the bird will throw off 

 its old plumage, and get its new much quicker and handsomer 

 than when it is allowed to moult in an open cage ; the sooner 

 also that a bird gets through its moulting the sooner it will be in 

 song, which ought to be an inducement for the keepers of singing 

 birds to adopt the plan recommended above." 



We may add to this the recommendations of WILLIAM KIDD. 

 " When a Canary moults, which is generally in July or August, ac- 

 cording to the heat of the weather, all you have to do is to keep liim 

 quiet and free from draughts. Being a cheerful, lively bird, there is 

 no need to have him covered up, but do not let him be unduly 

 excited ; give him a very small quantity of raw beef, scraped and 

 moistened with cold water, once a week, occasionally a little yolk 

 of a hard-boiled egg, and now and then a piece of sponge-cake, 

 and ripe chick-weed in full flower. Nature will do the rest, and 

 present your pet with a handsome new suit, that shall keep him 

 spruce, and last him a full year. Mind and trim his claws when 

 they are too long ; use sharp scissors always, a knife never. In 

 handling him, let him be as passive as possible, so that your hand 

 may not press unduly on any part of his little body. After the 

 first operation he will understand all about it, and cheerfully 

 submit to be trimmed." The moulting time is, of all others, the 

 most critical and dangerous period in the lives of Canaries ; 

 therefore it is that we are inclined to quote somewhat largely 

 what the best authorities have written on this head. H. B. HIEST, 

 in his Book of Cage-Birds* says : " The time at which young 

 birds, to whom it is most dangerous to moult, commence is when 

 they arrive at the age of six weeks, and it continues for a couple 

 of months. The symptoms of its approach may readily be seen. 

 The birds become sad and sleepy in appearance, and sit 

 upon their perches, or the bottoms of their cages, with their 

 heads under their wings, for the greater portion of the day, while 

 the floors of their cages are covered with small pen feathers, 

 which they shed during all the time until the new ones appear. 

 They likewise eat very sparingly, and only of that description 

 of food which they most prefer, which should always be supplied 

 to them. 



" Great care must be taken at such time to give them the richest 

 kinds of food, such as hemp-seed and sponge-cake, with a lump 

 of loaf sugar for them to peck at occasionally. One of the dead- 



* Philadelphia, 1843, 



