16 Farmers' Bulletin 1327. 



fancier. The external characters denoting sex are not easily de- 

 scribed. In nearly all cases a male may be recognized by his pro- 

 ficiency as a songster, but occasionally female birds also possess a 

 clear, full song. When in breeding condition the sex may be deter- 

 mined readily by examining the vent. In males it is protuberant, 

 while in females it does not project below the level of the abdomen. 

 By daily observation the canary breeder is generally able to distin- 

 guish the sexes through slight differences in carriage and manner- 

 isms not apparent to one not familiar with them. 



In judging age the feet offer the only characters easily seen, but 

 even these can not always be relied upon. Birds a year old or less 

 usually have the skin and scales covering the feet and tarsi smooth 

 and of fine texture. In older birds they appear coarser and rough- 

 ened. Very old birds usually have had the claws trimmed until they 

 appear blunt or rounded rather than sharp and pointed (see p. 19). 



Canaries have lived many years when cared for regularly. Dr. 

 C. W. Richmond, Associate Curator of Birds in the United States 

 National Museum, relates that two birds, hatched in the same brood 

 and kept entirely separated after they left the nest, lived 18 years, 

 dying within a few weeks of each other. Another case is on record 

 in which a canary was known to be at least 34 years old when it 

 died, and even this advanced age may have been exceeded. Usually 

 with advancing years birds molt irregularly or lose part of the 

 feathers entirely. Often their eyesight is impaired. It is said that 

 canaries that have not been paired live much longer than those 

 allowed to breed. 



VERMIN. 



Canaries are affected by two forms of external parasites. The 

 larger of these, a bird louse 2 known usually as the gray louse, is an 

 insect with a slender, elongate body and a large head armed with 

 strong jaws. This pest feeds upon the feather structure of the bird's 

 outer covering, and though it does not suck the blood of its host, its 

 sharp claws irritate the skin and cause discomfort to the bird. The 

 eggs of the gray louse are attached to the feathers by a gum and are 

 not easily removed. The young insects resemble the adults and in a 

 few weeks after hatching are fully grown. They are best combated 

 by blowing insect powder (pyrethrum) into the plumage of the 

 affected bird with a small bellows or blower. This treatment should 

 be repeated two or three times at intervals of a week to insure the 

 destruction of any young lice hatching in the meantime. 



The other parasite of canaries is a small mite, 3 a minute spiderlike 

 creature that when fully grown is barely visible to the unaided eye. 

 Its natural color is whitish, but nearly always it is filled with blood 

 sucked from the body of the unfortunate bird harboring it, so that 

 it appears bright red. These mites are nocturnal, and except in cases 

 of severe infestation are seldom found upon the body of their host 

 during the day. They are often found in the slits at the ends of the 

 perches or in the round piece of metal forming the support at the top 

 of the ordinary wire cage. In wooden cages they hide in cracks, nail 

 holes, or crevices, and their presence is betrayed upon close examina- 

 tion by minute white spottings. If unnoticed, they multiply rapidly 



a Docophorus communis Nitzsch, Order Mallophaga. 



3 Dermanyssus avium De Geer, closely allied to the chicken mite D. gallinae De Geer. 



