Our  Canaries 
91 
of  no  importance,  which  is  placed  along  the  fender,  tilted  a  little  towards  the 
fire,  and  is  intended  to  lay  the  birds  on  when  wrapped  in  the  drying  cloths 
until  ready  to  be  tranferred  to  the  cage.  Lastly,  but  by  no  means  least,  see 
that  everything  is  perfectly  clean,  including  the  perches  and  inside  of  the 
drying  cage,  and  the  floor  of  the  cage  covered  with  a  piece  of  clean  dry 
flannel  or  a  layer  of  clean  sawdust ;  and  have  a  pair  of  very  clean  hands  to  start 
with.  Have  the  drying  cage  nice  and  warm,  and  the  cloths  all  placed 
conveniently  around  the  fire  to  keep  hot  and  dry,  and  be  handy  to  take  hold 
of  as  and  when  required. 
A   DRYING  APPARATUS. 
The    somewhat   extensive   list  of   washing    appliances  may  be  curtailed 
a  little,  and  the  result 
made  easier  and  more 
successful  rather  than 
otherwise  by  the  use  of 
a  specially  made  drying 
apparatus.  This  has  the 
advantage  of  being  port- 
able and  always  ready 
for  use  in  any  position, 
and  does  away  with  the 
necessity  for  blocking  up 
the  domestic  hearth  and 
fire  with  drying  board 
and  cages.  Proper  drying 
of  the  plumage  is  almost 
as  important  a  factor  of 
success  as  the  preliminary 
ablutions,  and  when  used 
with  discretion  the  ap- 
paratus in  question  will 
bring  about  the  ideal 
drying  conditions  with  a 
minimum  amount  of 
trouble  and  attention.  Such  an  apparatus  has  been  invented  and  used  by  one  of 
our  leading  exhibitors,  who  recently  published  its  description,  which  we  give  here 
for  the  benefit  of  fanciers  generally.  With  a  small  amount  of  ingenuity 
anyone  can  construct  a  similar  appliance. 
With  this  article  in  use  after  the  final  rinsing,  the  bird  is  carefully 
dabbed  over  with  the  sponge  which  is  squeezed  as  dry  as  possible  from  time 
to  time,  in  order  to  extract  as  much  moisture  as  possible  from  the  plumage. 
THE  DRYING  APPARATUS,  DESCRIBED  ON  PAGE  92. 
