17 



birds a good handful of hemp or rape seed every day, which will warm and 

 make them comfortable, and greatly assist by such warmth to cast the featl^er. 



Some birds that are rather delicate will not blow their flights and tails kindly, 

 which will be seen on examining them, and they will be Ibund covered with a 

 sheath or cylinder to the very tip or extremity of what should be the feather, 

 giving it the appearance of a thin skewer ; when this is perceived it is a sign of 

 weakness, and the bird should be kept warm if it coidd be spared from the loft, 

 and the feather will blow freely, as warmth assists the feather in blowing, so cold 

 and dump weather will make the husk or sheath tough, and prevent its drying 

 and scaling off as it will do in hot weather, and the feather will perish. It the 

 bird cannot be spared from the aviary or loft to be kept warm, so that the feather 

 may disengage itself j the husk should be peeled off as far as it is tolerably dry, 

 and care must be taken that the feather is not pulled out, as the one that succeeds 

 it (if any does succeed) will be worse than tlie one so drawn, and most likely be 

 nothing more than a mere stump or perished feather, care must also be taken 

 not to make it bleed. The best way I have found out in endeavouring to moult the 

 birds, was to imagine that I was fatting the birds for the spit, believing from 

 observations that a bird would not die of moulting, provided it was fat ; on the 

 contrary, I am certain that a poor lean emaciated half-starved bird cannot 

 by any possibility throw its feather, and the only way I ever found out to cause 

 it to moult, was to get it in high condition, and then it moulted without any 

 further irouble of mine, and I believe that I could never get the birds so fat as 

 when I gave them wheat; be this as it may, if you want to get your birds well 

 through the moult, get them as fat as you possibly can, and a little saffron in their 

 water is likewise very beneficial. 



OF VERMIN. 



These birdSf like every other kind, have their peculiar species of vermin, the 

 most troublesome are a sort of louse, not unlike in colour those found upon 

 persons of filthy habits, but of a different shape, being nearly round, and about 

 half the size, they run incredibly swift, and on turning up the feathers en the 

 belly of the bird, disappear in an instant, they harbour in the short feathers on 

 the underpart of the rump close to the quills of the tail feathers,; but are to be 

 found in greater abundance on the belly, near the vent, where the bird cannot 

 very well reach them, and if the bird is very foul the roots of the feathers will be 

 clotted with nits or eggs, and swai-ms of these insects will run away in every 

 direction the moment the feathers are turned up ; they also inhabit the neck, where 

 they likewise deposit their eggs in great abundance, being there perfectly safe, 

 from destruction till they arrive at maturity, when they descend to the belly-part 

 for sustenance. Birds with wry, crooked, or hooked beaks, are most subject 

 ■ to these vermin, being from those defects less able to destroy them, and should 

 therefore be particularly attended to. 



The best remedy, beyond all doubt, is the unguent, mercur., commonly called 

 blue ointment, rubbed, on the parts, but not in such quantity as to affect the bird, 

 a small portion is sufficient ; this should not be rubbed about the head or neck, 

 but only on the belly, and the clotted or nitted feathers pulled off, which will clear 

 the way for the application of the ointment, and by the next day he will not be 

 able to find any vermin of that kind upon the birds. They should be examined 

 every now and then, as the nits in the neck which were not affected with the 

 unction will be continually coming to life, and create a new brood, and over-run 

 the birds again very shortly, therefore, as often as any signs of vermin appear, 

 rub a little of the ointment on the belly to receive them, which will infallibly kill 

 all that touch it, by these means the Fancier will always keep his birds clear. 



This is particular necess!\ry for the hens, as many of them suffer,, and are 

 exhausted so much by this little blood sucker that they will not breed, but upon 

 B 



