CAGE AND SINGING BIRDS. 
17 
le a cloth whose corners cii'8 turned up, over little branches well 
al' covered with leaves. The ants, in order to protect the egg's 
ie I from the heat of the sun, quickly remove them under the 
ip shelter which is prepared for them. In this manner they aro 
t easily obtained free from dirt and from the ants too. It is a 
0 good plan to dry these eggs, in order to store them for the 
,e winter, and this may be done by putting some sand into a 
m frying pan, laying the eggs on it, and placing the pan over a 
[1 slow lire, keep it there until the sand is so hot that the finger 
ft I cannot be borne in it; stirring should be continued daring the 
■r I process ; when it is finished, eggs and sand may be put away 
;t i together in a jar. 
1 : This is how to procure a store of 
3 I MEAL WORMS. 
, Into an old jar or box put some pieces of leather — part of 
J a worn-out shoe will answer the purpose — or some pieces ot 
I thick brown paper ; fill up the receptacle with a mixture ot 
' barley-meal and bran, or indeed farinaceous meal of any kind 
^ will do. The miller or baker from whom you procure this 
will be able to supply you with a handful of meal worms, 
I which throw into the mixture ; tie down with a cloth, and put 
j the whole by for five or six months; if the covering is 
i moistened occasionally, the live stock within will increase all 
I the faster. Stale ship biscuit, moistened and put into a 
I covered vessel in a warm place for a few weeks, will also 
j afford a supply of these worms. 
FLESH MAGGOTS. 
Take a stale fish, piece of meat, dead cat, dog, or any small 
animal, and hang it up in a shady place, until it becomes 
maggoty ; then place it in a box or tub half filled with earth. 
In a week or two the maggots bury themselves in the earth, 
and may be dug up as wanted ; the maggot preserve should 
be kept in a cool place ; tlio birds will not eat this kind of 
food until it is cleaned; this is best done by putting the 
worms to crawl in bran for a short time. 
The various species included in the fourth and fifth of the 
above classes, are called soft billed, in contradistinction to 
c 
