100 



CANARY BIRDS. 



of the same stock, i.e., with precisely the same kind of 

 song, as teachers over a great number of young birds. The 

 whole company, i.e., the family, will then mutually improve 

 each other until a wonderful collective performance is 

 reached. Care should be taken, however, that one of the 

 teachers be not inferior to the others, because the young 

 always adopt the inferior, and therefore easier rolls ; and 

 each family should be kept entirely separate. Further, I 

 urgently caution my readers against placing a proficient 

 Hartz-bird as teacher among young birds of an inferior 

 descent, for the latter will, in no case, learn anything worth 

 mentioning, but they will, on the contrary, corrupt the old 

 and valuable songster. In conclusion, it should not be for- 

 gotten that each young bird must, in the second year after 

 moulting, be again brought to the same teacher, or to 

 another of a precisely similar family, for by the third year 

 only will the young bird be an efficient and reliable singer. 

 The most valuable breeding birds will also make the most 

 proficient teachers. 



Darkening the Gages.— When the apprenticeship of 

 the young birds is completed, and they have become accus- 

 tomed to the small cages, that is, about four to six weeks 

 after fledging, they should be gradually accustomed to 

 " shading," " covering," or " darkening " of the cage. The 

 latter is covered with a green or white cloth, so that the 

 upper part, or the front only, remains open, or the door 

 of the singing-box or the cupboard is gradually shut so 

 that the bird cannot see the others of his tribe nor be 

 deterred from " studying " by any absorbing influence ; then 

 the fourth side also will be gradually covered up and the 

 resting-place of the bird will be more and more darkened. 

 On the face of it, this may appear to be a great cruelty, but 

 a closer observance of the bird will show that the vocal 

 artist is very comfortable and devotes himself contentedly, 



