158 



MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK 



and strewn daily with fine gravel or 

 sand. Cleanliness is very necessary. 



Fresh water, both for drinking and 

 bathing, should be supplied daily. Plenty 

 of nutritious food should be given. Feed 

 the egg and cracker mixture daily in ad- 

 dition to the seed and some green food, 

 such as lettuce or dandelion or bits of 

 sweet apple. 



As soon as the male is observed to be 

 feeding his mate, nesting material or a 

 ready-made nest should be given to 

 them. In about eight days after mating 

 the female will begin to lay, and will 

 deposit one egg daily until the whole 

 number are laid, seldom less than four, 

 occasionally six or even seven. The 

 period of incubation is fourteen days. 



The male will assist in feeding the 

 young ; plenty of soft food should be 

 supplied them. The egg and cracker 

 mixture should be customary diet, on 

 this they will thrive. They should also 

 have plenty of succulent green food, 

 such as lettuce, chickweed, etc. In 

 about three weeks the young birds will 

 be able to leave the nest. They will 

 soon learn to feed themselves if plenty 

 of soft food is kept before them, and 

 will soon eat the birdseed. When some 

 four weeks old the males will be noticed 

 swelling their throats, as if attempting 

 to warble. The birds will be in full 

 feather when six weeks old, but soon 

 thereafter begin to cast their body 

 feathers, and two months may elapse 



before they are in perfect plumage 

 again. During this period they should 

 be carefully preserved from draughts, 

 and fed the egg mixture daily, together 

 with rape seed which has been softened 

 in water, and a little crushed hemp seed, 

 not forgetting greed food. 



A young male's capacity to sing de- 

 pends upon good breeding. He inherits 

 this, but if he sings well it is by imi- 

 tation. If you expect your young birds 

 to become good singers you must place 

 near them as good as songster as you 

 can buy or borrow. A little money 

 spent for a fine singer that can act as 

 instructor to the young will be well re- 

 paid. 



Bird fanciers in Germany put their 

 canaries to school immediately after the 

 moulting season is past, the birds being 

 then about three months old. A large 

 number of young males are placed in a 

 half-lighted room, connected with an 

 apartment above by an opening in the 

 ceiling. In the upper room are placed 

 the choicest singers that can be com- 

 manded — nightingales, larks, etc. — which 

 act as instructors to the young birds. 

 The young canaries soon learn the les- 

 sons so carefully set for them and in a 

 few months become expert musicians. 



These two articles on both English 

 and German canaries should be helpful 

 to canary breeders and either of the 

 writers will be glad to answer questions 

 or supply stock to enquirers. 



