132 The Canary. 



came to the conclusion that she could not lay, or in 

 other words, was egg-bound. This, as we have said, 

 was a dangerous state of things, and necessitated an 

 immediate remedy, for if not speedily relieved, inflam- 

 mation would set in, and death must inevitably ensue. 

 Mere alterations in diet, as often recommended in such 

 cases, we knew would not only be useless, but highly 

 dangerous, seeing that the malady might run its course 

 ere these could possibly produce any effect. Accord- 

 ingly we adopted a very simple and efficacious plan 

 which rarely or ever fails to produce the desired result, 

 viz., a little castor-oil applied in the following manner. 

 Taking a penny camel-hair paint brush, and working 

 it into a point, we dipped it into some castor-oil, and 

 gently inserted it gradually up the vent of the bird, 

 applying a little outside as well, over the part affected 

 to allay any inflammation which might exist, and at 

 the same time putting a drop or so in its beak. The 

 next morning we found an egg safely deposited in the 

 nest, which of course relieved us of all further anxiety 

 about the case. We have since tried the same plan 

 on several others, and invariably with the same result. 

 Indeed Mr. M tells us, so sure a remedy is it, that 

 no one need lose a bird from this cause ; we can, there- 

 fore, confidently recommend it to others, whose birds 

 may be affected with what is generally considered a 

 very serious, and often fatal disease 



The next disorder that came under our notice was a 

 very insidious one, of which we knew not for some time 

 either the existence or the cause. For a long time we 

 observed two of our Belgian birds, who, compared with 



