74 TREATISE ON 



to this, many fine birds have been lost. We our' 

 selves had a nest of young swallows, who knew 

 our step so well when we went to feed them, that 

 they were always ready, at the door of a small 

 room where they were kept, to welcome our ap- 

 proach, and flew, the best way they could, to the 

 breast or hand to be fed ; but, by not securing 

 them properly, they were at last all crushed by 

 the opening of the door in a careless manner. We 

 mention this to show how necessary it is to secure 

 all young birds properly, till they are caged or 

 able to feed themselves. The best food for young 

 larks is loaf bread, grated down, and boiled in 

 milk till it is pretty thick, to which add one-third 

 part of bruised rape-seed that has been boiled foui* 

 hours in pm-e water. After the water is strained 

 off, make the whole into a thick paste, and with 

 this feed the young birds every two hours. Each 

 bird may get from three to five pieces, about the 

 size of a small pea, on the end of a stick made for 

 the purpose ; and, occasionally, they may get a 

 few small pieces of butcher-meat. After a week 

 they may be put into a larger cage, in the bottom 

 of which there ought to be dry hay, which must 

 be changed every day, and, in thi'ee weeks or a 

 month, the larks will be ready for the cage and 



