Diseases. 69 



recovered from the attack, will attempt to sing, but without 

 result, although it will go through all the usual move- 

 ments exercised by birds when singing. It will open its 

 mouth, distend its throat, and move its body, but no sound 

 will be emitted. Those birds which partake of animal food 

 should have a little suet given them, and seed-eating birds 

 should have a supply of lettuce and linseed. 



Moulting. — One of the principal causes of complaints 

 in birds is Moulting, a process in Nature to which all birds 

 in health are liable at least once a year. During this 

 period they need special care and attention, and a constant 

 change of diet, plenty of fresh air, and as much room for 

 exercise as possible ; hence, it is best to moult them in a 

 fly or flight cage, or an aviary when this can be conveniently 

 done. They should be supplied daily with fresh water, 

 and with fresh sand every week or ten days, as the latter 

 aids the birds in digesting their food, and fresh sand or small 

 gravel always has a power of attraction which they seem 

 unable to resist. They should likewise be liberally supplied 

 with water in which to bathe during warm, dry weather, but not 

 in cold or foggy weather. A bath assists them very materially, 

 both in shedding their feathers and in promoting the growth 

 of the new ones ; and most birds in sound health and of a 

 robust constitution gladly avail themselves of this privilege, 

 and those birds which bathe regularly during the process of 

 the moult are invariably much handsomer, and more cheerful 

 in disposition than those who do not make use of the bath. 



In the moulting season the utmost vigilance is necessary, as 

 the birds must be kept entirely free from draughts of cold 

 air, as nothing can be more pernicious or prejudicial to their 

 health than to expose them to sudden changes of tempera- 

 ture. Damp is likewise very objectionable, and a bird hung 

 in a damp place will be liable to an attack of Asthma — one 

 of the worst maladies to which birds are subject. An even 

 temperature is best, and when the weather is cold a slight 

 covering should be placed over the cages whilst the window 

 of the bird-room is open for the purpose of letting in fresh air. 



What is most to be dreaded is a check in the moulting 

 process, and this is known among dealers and some fanciers 

 by the not very euphonious term of ''stuck in the moult." 

 It is brought on by cold, or a sudden change in the 



