134 The Canary. 



that Judy quite though't the first we did would never 

 recover, and pleaded hard for the rest going undone. 

 I myself had some misgivings as to the result, but the 

 warm flannel and comfortable fire soon dried their satu- 

 rated feathers, so that before night we might say of 

 each "Richard was himself again/' The next day the 

 birds became quite cheerful and lively, and our only 

 regret was that we had not discovered the disorder, and 

 applied the remedy before. We have since repeated 

 the application to every bird in our aviary after the 

 breeding season was over, when we found some of the 

 nest boxes to be swarming with these living pests, and 

 with very manifest advantage and success. Instead of 

 using a brush, however, we found it easier and quicker 

 and more effectual, to dip the bird bodily into the solu- 

 tion at once, taking care as before that none might get 

 into its beak or eyes, and then into a basin of warm 

 water as before. All birds, it is said, are infested more 

 or less with these nasty vermin, but generally manage 

 to keep them down by frequent bathing and dusting 

 themselves in sand. This I can imagine to be true, 

 for all the other birds at this time were clean and 

 healthy, and in good feather, having bathed daily 

 throughout the winter. These, however, had been in- 

 dolent and inactive, seldom or ever either bathing or 

 pluming themselves, even in the finest weather, thus 

 proving beyond the shadow of a doubt that in birds, 

 as well as in human beings, idleness and dirty habits 

 will inevitably bring on misery, and disease, and death. 

 To be healthy, we must be both cleanly in our persons 

 and active in our bodies; these combined will give 



