94 



CANARY BIRDS. 



cages and lodged in a well-heated room, the cages being 

 hung above, or beside one another. 



As a rule, at the Hartz, such young birds as are destined 

 for sale are kept in covered and shaded fledging-cages, while 

 those which are intended for one's own use, are placed in a 

 wooden partition contrived on purpose. 



Recognition of the Sexes.— According to Lenz, 



young birds belonging to the bright yellow breeds, may, 

 even while yet in the nest, be distinguished, as regards 

 their sex, by the fact that the males have around the eyes 

 and the beak rings of a darker colour, which are clearly per- 

 ceptible, and this mark will remain decisive even after they 

 are fledged. Among the pale-yellow or greyish-green birds, 

 no doubt, the male is easily recognised by the high 

 colouring around the beak, at the forehead, the cheeks, and 

 the throat, as well as by the vivid colour of the back. This 

 holds good before and after the first moulting. After that 

 time, the male has a double and the female a single, some- 

 what broad, white ring around the throat. In order to find 

 this out, the head of the bird will be pressed down upon 

 his breast. According to the brothers Miiller, the males 

 may be further distinguished by the greater strength and 

 breadth of their nether beak • and also by their more slender 

 shape, their broader head and tail, their longer legs and 

 their bolder bearing. As for the rest, one may, if one 

 possesses some experience and the necessary perspicacity, 

 judge from the fact that the male is always more slender, 

 and also more thick-headed and broader-tailed ; that it has 

 longer legs, that its plumage is dense, and that, around the 

 eyes, it is rather more vividly coloured. For the unexperi- 

 enced purchaser, however, the distinction based upon mere 

 ocular inspection will always be a difficult matter, especially 

 with bright yellow birds, where even expert dealers are not 

 always sure of the correctness of their judgment. The 



