VERMIN. 



77 



shoulders, and upper part of the back, be thinly rubbed over 

 with glycerine, over which some insect-powder is blown by 

 means of a goose-quill. The powder is quite harmless as 

 far as the bird is concerned, and may therefore be strewn 

 into the whole of the plumage only. Care should be taken 

 that it does not penetrate into the eyes, nostrils, or the 

 beak ; the bird may also be carefully pencilled over with 

 tincture of insect-powder. A weak solution of carbolic acid 

 (one part of carb. to 100 parts of water) may also be used 

 for brushing over the parts which are infested by vermin ; 

 then, on the next day, the bird gets bathing-water, the cage 

 is either changed or cleansed by scalding with hot water, 

 and is then placed on another spot. In order to ascertain 

 whether a bird has bird-lice, the places mentioned before 

 should be inspected. This will be done by blowing the 

 feathers upward, so that the small, red insects will be dis- 

 cernible to the naked eye. The cage may also be covered 

 with a white linen cloth over night, and in the morning the 

 mites will be more or less numerously found upon the cloth. 

 The brushing over of the cages with petroleum, benzine, or 

 turpentine, should be omitted, because the smell of all these 

 remedies is excessively repugnant to the birds. It has also 

 'been tested that the plan of providing hopping-twigs made 

 of cane, affords no relief, because, although, on beat- 

 ing these out every morning, bird-lice will be found 

 upon them, yet too many will still be left upon the 

 bird. As most of the mites hide themselves during the 

 day in crevices and slits and only touch the birds in the 

 night, moreover, breed in these hiding-places, it is of the 

 greatest consequence to have only metal-cages and to keep 

 them as well as the drawer extremely clean. The poles should 

 be tipped at both ends with a drop of linseed-oil or liver-oil, 

 as every fatty liquid is deadly to the mites ; but the oil 

 must always be speedily removed by scalding, lest it be- 



