2i6 BIRDS 



It is necessary to watch for feather-pulling, a common vice 

 among young birds. Any offenders should be promptly 

 removed, as the habit is contagious and difficult to eradicate. 



As the birds progress, the Qgg food is gradually elimi- 

 nated, and the youngsters fed in the usual manner for adults. 

 When four or five weeks old, the young cocks will begin to 

 twitter and can thus be distinguished from the hens. At six 

 or eight weeks they begin to molt, only the body feathers 

 being renewed. The flights and tail feathers are not dropped 

 until the following year. 



The breeding birds will commence to molt in July or early 

 August and should then be separated for the season. 



Breeds 



As already stated, the German Canaries are of but two 

 sorts, the Common and the Roller, alike in color and appear- 

 ance, and distinguished only by their song. On the other 

 hand, the English birds are much varied in form and not 

 particularly brilliant as songsters. The Belgian Canary 

 offers still another differentiation in shape. 



The Common Canary, the familiar bird of our homes, is 

 simply the wild bird more or less modified in color and song. 

 It occurs in green, yellow and cinnamon, both clear or self, 

 and mottled. Little attention is paid to color by breeders, 

 the only requirement being a loud, full song. This is the 

 usual Canary of commerce, and the one which offers the best 

 investment for the prospective producer for the market. It 

 furnishes the great bulk of the birds which reach us from 

 Germany, and now is being bred here in some numbers. 



The Roller averages somewhat smaller than the Com- 

 mon Canary, and generally is self-green or heavily varie- 

 gated, although clear yellows occasionally are seen. The 

 charm of the bird lies in its wonderful song, quite unlike 



