Our  Canaries 
37 
may  be  required.  A  small  German  appliance,  made  on  the  cylinder  and  piston 
principle,  with  a  perforated  end,  is  also  a  very  good  substitute  for  small  breeders. 
A  few  nest  eggs  are  useful  to  have  at  hand,  and  an  egg  cabinet  or  tray 
is  essential  in  large  stocks,  and  useful  in  all.  This  is  simply  a  shallow  box 
of  wood  about  an  inch-and-a-half  deep  and  of  any  size  to  suit  the  number  of 
pairs  of  birds  kept.  It  is  sub-divided  into  small  compartments  two-and-a-half 
or  three  inches  square,  so  that  a  box  two  feet  square  will  have  about  twenty- 
five  divisions.  Each  division  is  numbered  to  correspond  with  the  breeding 
cages,  and  when  a  little  more  than  half  filled  with  loose  bran  are  used  as 
receptacles  for  the  eggs  when  removed  from  the  nests  during  the  period  of 
laying.  Of  course  the  eggs  from  each  cage  must  be  carefully  transferred  to 
the  division  in  the  cabinet  bearing  the  number  corresponding  with  the  number 
on  the  cage.  This  is  a  point  which  requires  some  care  to  avoid  mistakes  being 
made  in  the  pedigree  of  the  birds. 
DON'T  OVERLOOK  THE  BATH. 
An  adequate  supply  of  baths  and  bath  cages  are  essential.  In  a  general 
way  a  bath  cage,  containing  a  china  bath,  suspended  on  the  open  doorway  of 
the  living  cage  is  the  ideal  form  of  bathing  for  caged  birds.  It  ensures  the 
minimum  of  wet,  and,  consequently,  insanitary  conditions  in  the  living  cage. 
Some  birds,  however,  will  utterly  refuse  to  enter  a  bathing  cage,  and  if  there 
are  any  obstinate  individuals  of  this  class  it  is  well  to  be  provided  for  them 
with  a  few  baths  small  enough  to  pass  inside  the  living  cage  and  stand  on 
the  floor.  This  should  be  done  just  before  cleaning  out  the  sand  tray,  or  other- 
wise the  sand  tray  should  be  drawn  out  and  a  sheet  of  thick  paper  slid  in  its 
place  whilst  the  bath  is  in  the  cage.  Either  method  enables  the  wet  dispersed 
during  the  ablutions  to  be  quickly  removed  with  the  least  amount  of  trouble. 
THE   BREEDING  ROOM. 
Last,  but  not  least  as  an  invaluable  aid  to  intelligent  pedigree  breeding, 
a  place  should  be  found  on  the  bird-room  table  or  cabinet  shelf  for  a  copy 
of  The  Stock  Book,  published  at  yd.,  by  Cage  Birds,  which  is  of  a  simple  and 
reliable  character  so  as  to  be  understood  by  the  youngest  novice,  and  brings 
scientific  pedigree  breeding  within  the  easy  grip  of  all.  A  vade  ineaim  for 
collecting  the  facts  is  one  of  the  same  publisher's  "Breeding  Charts,"  issued 
at  the  proper  season  when  it  will  be  required  for  use.  One  or  more  of  these 
Charts,  as  may  be  necessary  for  the  number  of  pairs  kept,  should  be  hung 
upon  the  wall  during  the  breeding  season  in  a  convenient  position  for  the 
required  facts  to  be  filled  in  from  day  to  day  as  they  happen.  In  this  work 
leave  nothing  to  chance  or  memory,  but  jot  down  each  record  whilst  it  is  fresh. 
So  much  for  the  main  accessories  of  the  diverting  pastime  of  canary 
breeding.    The  next  prime  consideration  is  the  place  and  manner  where  the 
