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to suffer from sore feet, and even those that are fairly well 

 attended to occasionally suffer pain from this cause, getting 

 their feet clogged up with excrement or other matter, which 

 in a short time hardens, and gives them much pain. To 

 prevent this, careful and frequent attention to their wants 

 is essentially necessary. Their cages should be cleaned out at 

 least once a week, and the perches taken out and scraped. 

 These should be made of hard wood, such as mahogany, as dirt 

 adheres much more readily and firmly to soft wood perches. 

 The sand with which the cages are strewn, if damp, should 

 be dried before being used. This can easily be done by 

 placing it on an old worn-out tea-tray, and putting it on 

 the top of an oven, or on a kitchen fender in front of a 

 good fire. 



Before an old bird has finished moulting, his legs should 

 be ''scaled." By this term, used by bird-dealers, is meant 

 the removal of the thick scaly substance which grows 

 on the front part of the leg ; but it is necessary to exercise 

 caution in performing this operation, so as not to break the 

 skin. Before cleaning a bird's feet which have become clogged 

 with dirt, they should be first immersed in water to soften 

 the substance ; for, if it is forced away without adopting this 

 precaution, it will be likely to produce a sore, and thereby 

 cause the bird a good deal of pain and discomfort, and 

 might tear off a claw, and consequently cause a permanent 

 injury. When the feet are sore, they should be steeped in 

 warm water, and then a little Goulard's Extract should be 

 applied with a camel's hair brush or a feather. After the 

 soreness is removed, they may be anointed with a little 

 olive oil, which will act as a protection to them. 



SoEES OR Wounds. — Cleanse the sore or wound by fomen- 

 tation with warm water. If there is inflammation or irritation, 

 add a teaspoonful of Goulard's Extract to the water, and 

 continue as before. If the wound is angry, and suppuration 

 is likely to ensue, apply Friar's Balsam or compound 

 tincture of myrrh with a feather, and when there are signs of 

 healing, dress with spermaceti ointment. 



Surfeit. — This complaint is caused in most cases by giving 

 the bird too much rich and stimulating food, though it 

 may be produced through feeding too exclusively with one 

 description of food, without giving a change of diet, or by 



