62 Canaries and Cage-Birds. 



It may be said that we have presented the Hfe of the young Canary as consisting of a series of 

 struggles against adverse circumstances. We are glad if our object has been so clearly understood: 

 that is just what it is. We have before said it is easy to sail with the tide, and any one can float 

 down with the stream. The difficulty is to steer clear of the rocks and shoals, and we know there 

 are plenty of them. We have endeavoured to point them out distinctly with all their bearings, and 

 we mistake greatly if the experienced fancier does not recognise them as places where he has either 

 come to grief, or escaped shipwreck by a good look-out and careful navigation. There may be other 

 dangers ahead, but we will not now anticipate them and meet trouble half-way. We must, however, 

 call attention to a very common accident which will happen in some nests. It is that of the young 

 ones being thrown out by the hen in hopping out. It is well, when this occurs, to examine her 

 claws, and if they are very long, just to shorten them with sharp scissors, taking care not to cut so 

 close as to induce bleeding. Some hens are naturally clumsy, habitually doing this sort of thing, 

 and should be furnished with a deeper nest than ordinary. It is quite possible, when not 

 suspecting such a mishap, that the young thing in the cage-bottom may be overlooked ; but with 

 a knowledge of these and like contingencies, the breeder gets into the habit of keeping a sharp 

 look-out. This accident generally occurs when the birds are very young, and consequently 

 additionally liable to suffer from exposure; but so long as there is a spark of life left in the 

 little naked thing, there is every chance of recovering it, which can be speedily effected by 

 breathing on it. As soon as it begins to move, pop it under the hen, and it will soon be all 

 right again. It is worthy of note that, kind and attentive as is the cock while the newly- 

 hatched birds are in the nest, he seems to forget all his duty to the sprawling thing on the 

 ground. Perhaps it represents to him in that position something to play with and something to 

 eat, for he will frequently bite off the extremities, the toes, tips of the wings, and the little beak. 

 We have known this occur in the nest ; there is something very repulsive in such cannibalism, 

 and one can really scarcely feel kindly disposed to a bird after such a display. 



We have done our best in suggesting the various means to be employed to keep things in a 

 healthy state and prevent mishaps, but there is a point beyond which we cannot go, even with the 

 exercise of all the skill we can command, and a not very extended experience will soon indicate 

 that line to the breeder. It then becomes a mercy to destroy such young ones as we know we 

 cannot possibly save. It seems cruel to kill a little, blind, helpless fledgling, but it is more cruel 

 to allow it to linger on in weakness, till the end we can foresee comes. It destroys the pleasure 

 we derive from keeping animals to rear sickly, puny specimens. Our utmost energies should 

 always be given towards alleviating sickness when it overtakes anything in our charge, but the same 

 wisdom which dictates the policy of destroying the weakly young of rabbits, dogs, or any other 

 animal we desire to rear in the beauty of its strength, will tell us when it will be a kindness to put 

 a whole nest out of the way, if we can see no reasonable chance of rearing it. It is one of the 

 disagreeables of the position, but we must accept it, and, by prompt action, make it as little 

 painful as possible. 



And what is the sum of all we have advanced .' Is it that the bird-room, instead of being the 

 pleasant place we described it, is nothing better than an hospital, and the occupation of Canary- 

 breeding one in which half the pleasure is lost in trouble and vexation .' Not a bit of it. Disap- 

 pointment lurks at the bottom of our best pleasures, and vanity and vexation of spirit have ever 

 been found to wait on many legitimate enterprises. Difficulty and opposition act as a stimulus to 

 endeavour, and it is best to know we have these things to grapple with. The Canary-room is a little 

 world of itself, and we can no more expect to find it free from cares and ills than the great outside 

 world, in which we have to take things as we find them, and do our best to make as much sunshine 



