248 CANARIES 



lazy. It is wise when'training birds by the use of the organ 

 to give them a Httle tit-bit after each lesson, just one or 

 two hemp seeds, or a small piece of sponge cake. This 

 will make them associate lesson and reward, and lead to 

 their becoming better performers. Some are very quick 

 at learning, others need the exercise of a lot of patience. 

 It is not wise to teach more than one tune. 



Young birds easily and quickly acquire bad habits. 

 Therefore they must be watched, and should one start 

 singing bad notes it must be removed immediately, 

 or all the others in the room will quickly pick up the 

 wrong notes, and all become much lessened in value. 

 It is song and song alone that gives value to one Roller 

 over another. The best singers are found amongst 

 those who commence singing with closed beaks. 



For ten days or a fortnight after their removal from their 

 parents their food should be the same as that given whilst 

 in the breeding cage. Afterwards the egg-food may be 

 gradually reduced until at the time they are eight weeks 

 old they are on seed only, except that egg-food may be 

 given once a week as a change of diet. The staple article 

 of diet will now be dry summer rape, with occasionally 

 a httle maw, hemp, lin, or lettuce seed. 



Breeders who are engaged in the production of the high- 

 est-class performers have small singing boxes provided 

 for each bird, and during the whole of the training period, 

 that is from the age of ten weeks till six months, the little 

 songster is not allowed to see what goes on in the world 

 around him. Professional breeders make a strong feature 

 of this singing box, and in the training of the best class 

 of bird it seems to be absolutely essential. In no other 

 way can a bird be trained to become a champion at 

 contest singing. When the object is to produce a number 

 of sweet-singing birds without any exceptional accom- 

 plishments, then they may be moulted in a flight cage 

 with a good old cock near them to train their voices in the 

 way in which they should go. 



Feeding the Singing Canary. 



Our great opera singers have to be very careful in the 

 choice of their food, or else the delicate vocal chords be- 

 come ruined. So with our song birds. The staple food 



