CAGE AND SINGING BJRDS. 
31 
Sore Feet are generally caused by want of proper at- 
tention to cleanliness : they should be at once seen to, or 
they will become incurable, and endanger the life of the 
bird. It is best to bathe them in lukewarm water, so as to 
remove all impurities ; if there are any wounds, anoint them 
with fresh butter, or salad oil, repeating' the application until 
they are healed. Every year the thick scales in front of the 
legs become loose: they should then be removed, but so 
carefully as not to break the skin. 
Tympany consists of a puffing of the skin over a part or 
the whole of the body. The distension has a transparent 
watery look, and the remedy which naturally suggests itself 
is undoubtedly the best, viz., a slight puncture by means of 
I a needle. The fluid is soon got rid of, and the bird is- 
usually as well as ever directly after. The cause of this 
complaint has not been at all clearly ascertained. 
Twirling or Giddiness. — This should, perhaps, be con- 
I sidered rather as a bad habit than a disease, but it some- 
times leads to serious results, therefore every effort should be 
! made to counteract it. Seed-eating birds are more especially 
^subject to this affection, frequently turning over and falling 
! off the perches, though not in a state of insensibility as ki 
! epilepsy. It seems that the birds twist their necks so far 
back as to overbalance themselves; occasionally they twirl 
round two or three times before they fall. As soon as this 
bad habit is noticed, cover up the top of the cage, so that 
nothing can be seen beyond, to cause a stretching upward 
and backward of the neck of the captive. 
Parasites. — Birds that are infested with lice or mites are 
I rastless, and may frequently be observed, especially at night, 
I picking about various parts of their bodies. Those parts 
inhere the vermin are most likely to lurk should first be 
syringed with water in which a little quicksilver has been 
I allowed to remain for some hours, or with a weak infusion of 
I tobacco : some recommend fumigation with this herb, but 
I the inhalation of it by the bird, which can hardly be pre- 
vented, must prove prejudicial. Frequent bathing, great at- 
jtention to cleanliness, both as regards the cage and its 
linmate, and a daily supply of fresh dry sand, are also neces- 
sary to effect the ejectment of these troublesome visitors. A 
cage of which they have once taken possession is, however, 
