CANARY BIRDS. 55 



intended for young canaries should stand 

 until it becomes sour, as sour food is as inju- 

 rious to them as to young infants. 



The chief occupation of the male now, for 

 some time, consists in supplying the young 

 with food, which he takes almost wholly 

 upon himself, probably with a view of allow- 

 ing the female to rest after her fatigue. 



If, in consequence of any accident, it 

 should be necessary to feed the young birds 

 by hand, the best food is wheaten bread, or 

 biscuit grated fine, mixed with rape-seed 

 crushed small. A little of this food, moist- 

 ened with yelk of egg and water, should be 

 given to each bird, by means of a quill, ten 

 or twelve times a day. About four quill- 

 fuls will be found sufficient for a meal. A 

 lady says, " four living nestlings are a com- 

 mon thing with us, but then we are not too 

 helpful to the parent birds, but let them 

 alone. Once the hen died, and the male 

 seemed perplexed as to how he was to act 

 nurse, so we undertook to help him, and by 



