Our  Canaries 
26 
NEEDFUL  APPLIANCES. 
To  assist  in  the  cleaning  process  a  few  simple  appliances  will  be  found  most 
serviceable.    Even  the  fancier  in  a  small  way,  with  only  a  few  pairs  to  attend  to, 
will  find  the  tools  mentioned  a  great  saving  of  time  and  labour,  besides  makmg 
the  work  a  pleasanter  task  and  enabling  it  to  be  carried  out  more  efficiently.  The 
large  breeder,  with  a  much  greater  array  of  cages  to  get  through,  will  find  some 
such  aids  to  expedition  an  absolute  necessity,  unless  he  is  able  to  devote  a  very 
considerable  proportion  of  his  time  to  his  hobby-a  state  of  affairs  which,  un- 
fortunately, falls  to  the  lot  of  a  few  rather  than  the  majority.    A  narrow  scraper 
which  will  pass  easily  through  the  opening  in  which  the  front  of  the  sand  tray,  or 
turn-rail,  as  the  case  may  be,  fits,  fitted  with  a  long  thin  handle  which  will  reach 
into  the  farthest  corner  of  the  cage,  is  useful  for  raking  out  the  overflow  of  sand 
and  husk  from  the  trays,  and  scraping  loose  any  droppings  that  adhere  to  the 
floor     A  wire-handled  brush  of  a  similar  description  to  sweep  the  bottom  of  cage 
clean  just  prior  to  sliding  m  the  tray  finishes  the  job  without  the  necessity  for  so 
much  as  opening  the  cage  door.     These  brushes  may  now  be  purchased  from 
most  large  dealers  in  fanciers'  requisites,  and  are  made  specially  suitable  for  the 
purpose.    Scrapers  may  also  be  bought  for  a  few  pence,  or  can  easily  be  made  by 
any  handy  man  out  of  a  nine  inch  strip  of  hoop  iron,  narrow  enough  to  pass 
through  slit  in  the  cage  front.    A  small  scraper,  similar  in  shape  to  the  one  used 
by  painters  for  removing  old  loose  whitewash,  forms  an  excellent  tool  for  removing 
droppings  from  the  sand  trays,  and  is  easily  constructed  out  of  a  scrap  of  thin  sheet 
iron,  or  a  worn  and  discarded  painter's  scraper  would  still  be  of  good  service  in 
this  sphere  of  action.    A  sash  tool  or  large  paint  brush  is  useful  to  brush  off  dust 
into  the  dust  pail,  and  thus  avoid  blowing  it  about  in  the  air  to  carry  any  possible 
harmful  germs  to  a  fresh  locality.    This,  by  the  way,  is  an  apparently  trifling 
detail  which  fanciers  would  do  well  to  caltivate  as  a  precautionary  measure  of 
hygiene,  viz.,  never  to  blow  the  dust  from  cages  or  any  appliance  into  the  air. 
Always  brush  it  into  the  refuse  pail  for  removal  elsewhere,  or  wipe  it  oflf  carefully 
into  a  duster  and  scatter  as  little  as  possible  into  the  air.    A  few  small  pamt 
brushes  will  also  be  found  of  the  greatest  use  in  a  variety  of  ways. 
THE  ESSENTIAL  FITTINGS. 
The  essential  fittings  of  an  ordinary  cage  in  which  a  bird  is  kept  for  song, 
show,  or  stock,  may  with  advantage  be  limited  to  the  seed  and  water  vessels 
thus  reserving  as  much  as  possible  of  the  inner  space  for  the  exclusive  use  of 
the  bird,  and  reducing  the  possible  harbouring  places  for  insect  pests  to  the 
lowest  quantity.  The  seed  vessel  on  small  cages  should  be  either  of  glass  or 
a  small  wooden  box  with  glass  front.  The  former  permits  of  the  most 
scrupulous  cleanliness,  and  at  the  same  time  possesses  the  same  advantage  as 
the  glass  front  of  the  other  type  is  meant  to  give-that  it  is  readily  seen  at  a 
