27 



Imsks for something not to be found. These actions show the 

 presence of Consumption, against which all medical remedies seem 

 useless. 



Heart disease gives no time for the application of remedies. 

 The bird may be singing vigorously in the morning and be found a 

 stiffened corpse at noon. 



One of my own personal experiences may be instructive, showing 

 as it does that the most simple change in the treatment of sickly 

 birds would sometimes be efficacious, if only one could hit upon the 

 right thing in time. 



One day, when tired of seeing a hen Canary always trying to get 

 through the wires of her cage, puffing out her feathers and constantly 

 looking for something she could not find inside, I opened the door 

 and let her fly into the garden. She had just strength enough to fly 

 to the fence a few feet off ; after looking about with half closed eyes 

 she descended to the gravel path, and immediately began pecking 

 about in it. Half an hour of this occupation evidently gave her an 

 appetite, for she returned straight to her cage to eat and drink. I 

 then granted her another spell of liberty in which she repeated her 

 performances. As soon as she was again liberated, the next day, she 

 went thiough the gravel hunt as before, and followed this up by 

 fairly vigorous flights round the garden. I kept the local Sparrows 

 from molesting her — they generally are the death of escaped cage 

 birds — and eventually succeeded in restoring her to perfect health 

 by supplying her amply with sweepings from the path— the one 

 thing needful. I have since then avoided the use of pretty looking 

 fine sand, and would rather use garden mould than deprive my birds 

 of sharp coarse grained grit in some form or other. 



A homely, handy medicine, which I have often used with success, 

 and would not fail to recommend, is boiled cow's milk. This may be 

 used in cases where a mild aperient has become necessary. A gill of 

 this as the only liquid, and a plain biscuit soaked in it as the sole 

 food substance during ten consecutive hours purges the system, 

 takes down the fat, and reduces the ardour of unmated males 7 

 sufficiently to admit of a gradual return to the ordinary feeding. 



HEAT. 



Minor troubles accrue as the breeding season advances. The birds 

 are at that period very busy hatching and feeding, and may suffer a 



