TEB 16 1917 



CANARIES: THEIR CARE AND MANAGEMENT. 



CONTENTS. 



Introduction 3 



History 4 



Varieties 5 



Cages 7 



Care of cages - 9 



Food 10 



Bathing 11 



Molt 11 



Color feeding 12 



Breeding 14 



Sex and age 16 



Vermin 17 



Care of feet and bill.. 18 



Broken limbs 19 



Loss of feathers about head 19 



Diseases 19 



Respiratory troubles 19 



Intestinal complaints 20 



INTRODUCTION. 



Among tlie birds kept for household pets none is so common or 

 so well known as the canar3^ So simple are its requirements in the 

 wa}^ of food and care that it needs little attention, and because of 

 its pleasing songs and interesting habits it is a universal favorite. 

 Keadily adaptable to cage life, canaries display little of the fear 

 shown by wild birds in captivit}^, and the ease with which they may 

 be induced to nest and rear young adds to their popularity. 



Canaries have been domesticated for several hundred years and, 

 though more common in western Europe and the United Sta!tes than 

 •elsewhere, have been carried over practically the entire civilized 

 world. In England and Germany there are hundreds of canary 

 breeders and many avicultural societies. Several periodicals dealing 

 solel}'^ with cage birds are published there, and in the larger cities 

 bird exhibitions are held annually. In the United States there are 

 comparatively few fanciers as yet, so that, though numbers of 

 canaries are reared here, a large part of the stock is secured from 

 abroad. More than three and one-quarter millions of canaries have 

 been brought into the United States during the last 10 years, an 

 average of more than 300,000 birds each A^ear. Most of these have 

 come from German}^, but some are imported from England. 



Canaries seem to thrive in any climate where not exposed to too 

 severe weather conditions, and in spite of the long period they have 

 been protected and held in captivity they are capable of enduring a 

 surprising degree of cold when hardened to it. In England it is 

 not unusual to find them in outdoor aviaries throughout the year. 

 They seem able to establish themselves again in a wild state under 

 favorable conditions. In 1909, a brood of domestic canaries was 



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