CANARY BIRDS. 43 



soap suds into all the crevices and corners, 

 for in these places lurk the little minute 

 vermin which destroy more birds in the 

 breeding season than all other causes put 

 together; for the same reason also, never 

 allow the nest boxes to be made out of the 

 corners or any other part of the breeding 

 cage, nor be fixed to it ; but have moveable 

 boxes to hang on hooks or nails, as you 

 cannot by any possibility keep them free 

 from these destructive vermin, unless you 

 can take out the nest boxes, and wash them 

 clean inside and out; burning the dirty 

 nests ; and giving them a fresh clean box 

 and nest also. 



It is a good plan to cover the floor thickly, 

 at first, with sand, and then, if absolutely 

 necessary, the top can be raked off ; a slide 

 is preferable to a drawer, which is open to 

 the very grave objection that it affords a 

 harbor for insects to lodge. You should 

 have two slides, which is simply a smooth 

 board, that they may be cleaned and dried 



