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British Cage Birds. 



General Eemarks. — These birds will breed in an aviary, 

 if placed by themselves, and provided with an evergreen in a 

 tub, and supplied with all the materials used by them in 

 building their nest. They can be taught to come and go in 

 and out of a room or aviary, and when once they become 

 accustomed to the place, and those who attend to their wants, 

 they will not leave. Various methods are adopted for teaching 

 them to do this ; the old birds can be secured by bracing 

 the male bird, or putting him in a cage inside the aviary, and 

 by pulling a few of the flying feathers from the wings of the 

 hen, so that she cannot go far away ; then the young birds 

 are allowed their liberty; but the place for egress and ingress 

 must be made easily accessible. A perch should be placed 

 inside and outside of the aperture ; the male bird, if caged, 

 should be hung near it, where he can be seen ; a small window 

 is probably the best. The hen, finding she cannot fly away, 

 will not attempt to leave, and the young birds will return 

 at the call of their parents, or to get food. 



In trying an experiment of this kind, care must be taken 

 that no cats or children are in the neighbourhood, as 

 they might chase or frighten the birds ; even a dog will 

 cause them much apprehension. Success greatly depends on 

 favourable circumstances and quiet. In the spring, however, 

 it will be better not to give them their liberty, or some of 

 them may be allured away by wild birds of their own species. 

 After a few weeks they will go and return with as mach 

 confidence as Pigeons. They breed readily with Canaries or 

 other birds of the finch tribe, bat these hybrids are not by 

 any means handsome birds. They make excellent foster- 

 parents, and are most reliable in this respect. By some 

 naturalists this bird is termed the Green Grosbeak. The 

 males and females mostly separate in winter, and it will be 

 found that the greater portion of those that migrate are male 

 birds. They are very sociable, and will congregate with any 

 birds of the finch tribe. 



Diseases and their Treatment. — The Greenfinch is a 

 remarkably hardy bird, and is seldom on the sick list. Some- 

 times these birds are afflicted with purging, when a little 

 prepared chalk should be given to them, mixed with a 

 piece of white bread and scalded rape seed and milk, as 

 previously described. When they are observed to be costive, 



