CANARY BIRDS. 57 



and with the point of a wooden skewer feed 

 them every hour, to keep up their strength. 

 If the old hen or cock should feed them, 

 you need not. Oftentimes the cock will 

 bring them up, although the hen may have 

 forsaken her little ones; do not, therefore, 

 keep them out of the breeding-cage, but 

 give the cock every opportunity to supply 

 them with food from his fostering mouth. 

 In case he does not do it, they may be taken 

 entirely away, and brought up by hand ; 

 keeping their nest covered with flannel to 

 prevent cold. 



Sometimes, when the eggs are irregularly 

 hatched, particularly under a young mother, 

 she feels so anxious for the eggs not hatched, 

 as to refuse to leave her nest to feed the 

 young ones that have already come to life ; 

 and thus the poor birds get starved. To 

 prevent this, take care everything enticing 

 in food, as egg and crumbs, fresh greens, 

 etc., is provided and given over night. Then 

 watch, to see if the hen feed, or the cock 



