110 



CANARY BIRDS. 



food (hemp or egg-mixture), but keeps them still apart so 

 as to augment their desire, and only when the longing has 

 reached a very high degree, the bullfinch will, by the door, 

 be admitted into the division occupied by the female, whom 

 he will endeavour to force into copulation. In this manner 

 impregnated eggs may be obtained which may then be 

 hatched and raised by other birds. 



Other kinds Of Bastards.— In a like manner, bas- 

 tards have been raised from mountain-linnets, " lemon " and 

 " hemp " finches, field sparrows, etc., etc. A number of 

 foreign finches are also qualified for bastard-breeding. 

 Numerous breeders have already obtained bastards between 

 canaries and the grey " girlitz," or the grey " noble " finch. 

 Mr. Bodicker of Stettin has bred some from a gold siskin or 

 American goldfinch and canary hens. Lately some parti- 

 cularly handsome bastards have been repeatedly bred from 

 the black-headed siskin of the West Indies. Besides these, 

 the yellow-fronted "girlitz," the " Hartlaub " siskin, the 

 Cape canary, and many kindred birds, even the "Nonpareil" 

 and the Indigo bird, are adapted for this sort of breeding. 



Diseases. — Every canary, but particularly the Hartz- 

 bird, is, when the care for his health is neglected, threatened 

 by numerous diseases, and the reason for this is, that the 

 manner in which the cultured bird is kept, entirely differs 

 from the natural mode of the living of the wild bird. Pro- 

 fessor Reclam says correctly that our yellow friend is the 

 only scrofulous room-bird. The white rice-birds, bred in 

 immense numbers, the Japanese gulls, of small size, then 

 the " wavy-wing," the Zebra-finch and other ornamental 

 finches, are, however, not much less subject to this disorder 

 than the canary. Only the most conscientious care in every 

 respect will ensure the well-being of the bird, and he will 

 then repay us by the pleasure and profit derived from his 



