wheezy and ill; whilst the cocks have retained 

 their good health. Constipation is the chief cause 

 of this, brought on, very often, by the bad judg 

 ment of the breeder. Many (particularly persons 

 in the bird trade) over-task their poor birds, begiu 

 ning perhaps in February and ending in Septem- 

 ber. They are never content unless a hen has 4, 5, 

 or 6 nests; in fact ruining their bird's consti- 

 tution, and rendering many of her young that 

 year, poor and weak. Then what follows? The 

 hen's health is undermined ; and as the cold weather 

 comes on, disease shows itself in the form of con- 

 stipation, wheezing, &c. which, if they do not 

 kill, make it quite distressing to keep them. I 

 know a man who had no fewer than 6 nests and 

 2 1 birds from one pair ; but then he was a dealer, 

 and cared not what became of the hen. Next 

 year he mended her up for the time being, sold 

 her, and let some poor unlucky buyer try his 

 skill in curing the disease which he had sown! 

 In my experience, I have found the remedies 

 mentioned by you, greatly relieve all sufferers, — 

 particularly boiled milk, and bread and milk 

 (without moist sugar, which many parties are in 

 the habit of using.) Warmth, I may say, is the 

 main thing ; and in the freshness of spring, some 

 hens will rally up and breed pretty well; but 

 they are mostly troubled with an habitual con- 

 stipation. I may here state, that I hope each 

 " Fancier" who is skilled in the different subjects 

 that appear; will contribute his stock of know- 

 ledge to the public fund; and hearing that you 

 intend bringing out, in your paper, your original 

 popular treatises on "British Song Birds," I 

 trust as chapter after chapter come out, they will 

 cause such a discussion on what each has ex- 

 perienced, among " Professors," as will at once 

 render " Kidd's Journal " interesting, instruc- 

 tive and indispensable to the Lovers and Keepers 

 of Pets and Cage Birds. — E. C, Liverpool. 



An Ailing Goldfinch — My pet Goldfinch has 

 been suffering severely from illness, which has 

 caused his plumage to suffer much damage. How 

 shall I act, to restore its beauty? I have also a 

 number of Canaries, from which I purpose breed- 

 ing. Please, also, to give me all needful instruc- 

 tions about this. — E. T. H. 



[As your Goldfinch gains strength, let him oc- 

 casionally fly about your room, first placing a 

 wire-guard before the stove to prevent his de- 

 struction by fire. Give him some watercress, 

 also a hemp-seed or two, and let him bask in the 

 sun as much as possible. We shall have "lots " 

 to say about breeding canaries, by and by. All 

 yet is in good time.] 



Nightingales and Robins. — My old Nightin- 

 gales, strange to say, are not yet in song* I 

 really do think a good frost, at this season, would 

 bring them out — especially as the sun now shines 

 brightly* The habits of these birds much re- 

 semble those of the robin, and he* we know, al- 

 ways sings best and loudest in frosty weather. 

 In connection with this, I will mention what to 

 you may be an interesting circumstance. About 

 three years ago, a boy brought to my servant 

 some nightingales' eggs. There being the nest 

 of a robin in the garden, I immediately changed 

 the eggs: on the very day after, they hatched! 



For a whole week the youngbirds were proceeding 

 admirably, when a brute of a cat [it seems all 

 tell "one tale" about this ill-fed, half-starved, 

 " wandering minstrel "] took the whole nest at 

 once ! I cannot help thinking that this would be 

 the most efficacious mode of rearing nightingales 

 with the least trouble. — J. B. 



[You are quite right about the Robin ; of all af- 

 fectionate, domestic, loveable " dears " this is 

 the one above the rest. It will feed, even in 

 confinement, the young of any birds, as we have 

 experienced often to our infinite delight. We 

 shall record all this in due season.] 



Cats regarded as "Vermin." — The public are 

 indeed largely indebted to you, Mr. Editor, for 

 so kindly coming forward to deliver them from 

 the army of mischievous cats, who nightly com- 

 mit such havoc upon our gardens, our pantries, 

 and, in the season, upon our chickens and other 

 live stock. Surely, if these animals were better 

 fed, and better attended to, they would never 

 stray as they do to such long distances. No 

 person would wantonly destroy any of them, but, 

 in self-preservation, they must in some way be got 

 rid of; and your remedy is a very simple one, 

 as it is unattended by pain or suffering. I have 

 already disposed of nine, and my pigeons are all 

 the happier for it. — Yours obliged, I. P., Tot- 

 tenham. 



[The above is one of so very many communi- 

 cations received on a similar subject, that we 

 really are pleased to have been " useful " in this 

 matter. Our w ell-known disposition, and love of 

 animals, quite shelter us from the charge of cruelty 

 as regards Cats. We only wish we could visit 

 the offences of these poor creatures upon those 

 who are the cause of their offending, and conse- 

 quent punishment. The fact is patent, that on 

 an average every house contains three cats. What, 

 let us ask, can be the use of these? and what is 

 the consequence of it? The presence of one 

 single cat will suffice to keep all mice at bay ; the 

 excess of cats, therefore, is useless, and a public 

 nuisance. That cats are, for the most part, 

 half-starved, is too well known to be contradicted; 

 a " dab " of cat's meat, transfixed on a long 

 skewer, and the value of one half-penny, generally 

 sufficing for the whole lot ! This is, we are told, 

 " to make them sharp, and cause them to get 

 their own livelihood." Exactly so, and this is 

 why these poor animals stray so far into their 

 neighbors' grounds to steal what they can in 

 the way of cold meat, chickens, rabbits, &c. We 

 have, ere now, had the " morbid satisfaction " of 

 seeing a large cat disappear over our own lofty wall 

 — made lofty by us on purpose to shut these vermin 

 out — with a valuable live chicken in her mouth ; 

 and this act has been repeated, by the same cat, 

 five tinies in a single fortnight ! We sent in to 

 the neighbor who owned the cat, and very ci- 

 villy requested it might be kept at home, or Ave 

 should be under the necessity of shooting it. The 



reply Was — "Blaze away, and— !" We 



suppress the finale. We did not " blaze away; " 

 but we were compelled to " remove " the cat. 

 We feel quite sure that if cats were properly fed 

 and attended to, like other animals, they would 

 not stray away; neither should we be obliged to 

 lie awake all night to listen to their nocturnal 



