CANARY BIEDS. 35 



a few hemp-seed, more in winter than in 

 summer, as it is oily and heating. There 

 have been many opinions on the subject of 

 giving birds hemp-seed. It certainly does 

 tend, homoeopathically, to shorten the dura- 

 tion of their lives ; but still, strange though 

 true, they cannot live without it. It warms 

 their stomach, and possesses an oleaginous 

 peculiarity of flavor, which mixing with the 

 other food, forms a good general diet. It 

 must be given sparingly. It is greyish 

 brown outside, and has a hard shell that 

 the birds when weakly, or quite young, 

 are not able, to break; it should therefore 

 be slightly cracked before being given to 

 such birds. It is white inside, and tastes 

 like a nut. The birds are so fond of it 

 that they will take it from the hand when 

 they will not any other food. 



Eape-seed is a round blackish-brown lit- 

 tle seed with a bright yellow kernel, looking 

 like the yelk of an egg. 



Canary-seed is the produce of Canary 



