CANARY BIRDS. 45 



gether should be put for a week into a small 

 cage, before being removed to the large 

 breeding-cage. If a male is to be mated 

 with two females, the females should be 

 previously confined in a small cage, till 

 they have learned to agree. In this case, 

 the breeding-cage should be divided into 

 two parts, by a partition, in which is a 

 communication, closed by a sliding-door. 

 The male is first put with one of the females 

 into one of the compartments, with the door 

 of communication shut. "When she has laid, 

 he is to be taken away and put into the 

 other compartment with the second female. 

 When she has also laid her eggs, the door 

 may be left permanently open, and the male 

 allowed to pass from one to the other, and 

 they will not be jealous of each other if they 

 were old friends. In a room full of canaries, 

 the proportion of males to females should be 

 one to two, or even three. Each male will 

 at first select a mate, with whom he will 

 always continue on the most affectionate 



