DISTURBANCE. 



89 



birds, also serves for the necessary exercise of the beak, but 

 great attention will still be required, for I find such male- 

 factors are usually incorrigible and generally incurable, and 

 if they be not banished from the breeding-cage without 

 mercy, perpetual disturbance, loss, and annoyance, will be 

 the result. Brandner recommends that the tails of the 

 young be brushed over with liquid gum-arabic. This will 

 have the effect of glueing the tails together, and later, when 

 the young are able to defend themselves, the gum will be 

 removed while the birds are bathing. The young will, be- 

 sides, be put into another cage, which will be placed in the 

 bird-room, or fastened on the outside of the hatching-cage, 

 so that the male may continue to feed them, while the 

 female cannot injure them. If a bird is seen to tug or peck 

 at some fixed thread, at the nesting-linen, etc., the object 

 should be speedily removed so that the bird may not con- 

 tract the habit of destruction or fritter away his time. It 

 may be easily observed how some birds are quite indefatig- 

 able in this, and how, for hours and even days, they will 

 continue to pluck although convinced of the uselessness of 

 their labour, and how, on account of this, they will neglect 

 building, nesting and hatching. Such distractions should 

 not be permitted even in the case of single songsters. 



Disturbance. — Birds in the hatch coop, as well as 

 single singing-birds in cages, but particularly the cockerels 

 kept in covered cages, should never be frightened by a hasty 

 entrance or scared by rapid movements, for these delicate 

 creatures, if frightened, are easily subject to convulsions 

 and other accidents ; for this reason it should also be 

 avoided, as far as possible, to seize or handle a canary ; 

 while feeding or watching them, one should never allow 

 oneself to be betrayed into any ebullition of temper, by 

 their naughtiness, losses, etc. The introduction of strangers 

 into the bird-room should further re avoided while the busy 



