12 Farmers' Bulletin 1327. 



breakdown, though if the bird lives, a supply of nutritious, easily 

 assimilated food and careful protection during the next molt may 

 result in improvement. 



A great change in temperature or a sudden chill may check the 

 progress of molt and occasionally cause serious trouble. If a bird 

 shows signs of distress, it should be placed at once in a warm, pro- 

 tected place. Ten drops of sweet spirits of niter and a few shreds of 

 saffron added to the drinking water are beneficial. 



COLOR FEEDING. 



That the color of canaries may be deepened or intensified by cer- 

 tain foods given during the molt is well known and has attracted 

 much interest. Turmeric, marigold flowers, saffron, cochineal, an- 

 natto, mustard seed, and other agents rich in natural color are often 

 used for this purpose, ordinarily in combination with red pepper 

 as a base. For a long time methods of preparing and feeding color 

 foods were kept secret, but now they are outlined in many manuals 

 on canary feeding. 



In selecting canaries for experiments in color feeding preference 

 should be given to strong, vigorous, male birds. During digestion and 

 assimilation the concentrated food used puts more or less of a strain 

 upon the system, and birds that are old or constitutionally weak may 

 not thrive, or may even succumb under the treatment. Color food 

 may be given young canaries at the age of 7 or 8 weeks to produce a 

 deep color at their first molt. Birds with color that is naturally full 

 and rich should be selected. Those having greenish markings or 

 those descended from a male parent well marked with green are 

 preferable. Pale birds seldom color well. 



A standard color food may be prepared as follows : To the ordi- 

 nary egg food (one hard-boiled egg chopped fine with an equal 

 bulk of bread crumbs or unsalted cracker crumbs) add a teaspoon- 

 ful of ground sweet red pepper. Mix until the food shows an even 

 reddish tint throughout. Care should be taken to see that the supply 

 of 'ground sweet pepper used is fresh and clean and that it is not 

 artificially colored. Each bird to be experimented upon should 

 receive one small teaspoonful of the prepared food daily. The 

 quantity of pepper in the mixture is increased gradually, until two 

 heaping teaspoonfuls are used. Addition of a little brown sugar 

 and a few drops of pure olive oil is beneficial, and a small quan- 

 tity of hot red pepper gives a better flavor. The food should be pre- 

 pared fresh each day, and in mixing allowance must be made for 

 variation in the size of eggs used. 



Some breeders increase the proportion of sweet red pepper until 

 4 teaspoonfuls are added to the usual quantity of egg food. Half 

 a teaspoonful of this concentrated food is allowed each bird. This 

 method may be used during a short, quick molt. The usual supply 

 of seed must be kept in the cage, for canaries can not subsist on the 

 color food alone. 



Those who do not care to use such an elaborate preparation in 

 color feeding may substitute pieces of the common sweet red peppers 

 sold in fresh vegetable markets for the bits of lettuce ordinarily given 

 as green food. Canaries eat these readily, and from the effect of this 

 food eaten during molt become noticeably deeper and richer in color. 



