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Our  Canaries 
and  the  bird  is  then  rolled  in  a  warm  drying  cloth  and  transferred  at  once 
to  the  archway  running  through  the  middle  of  the  hot  water  tank.  This 
tank,  it  is  needless  to  say,  should  be  filled  with  hot  water  at  the  commencement  of 
the  proceedings,  and  the  heat,  sufficient  for  all  parts  of  the  apparatus,  is 
afterwards  maintained  by  the  small  spirit  lamp,  which  is  shown  underneath. 
The  chief  virtue  of  the  apparatus  lies  in  the  novel  hot  water  tank,  specially 
designed  to  dry  the  birds  in  the  best  possible  manner. 
The  owner's  description  of  the  drying  apparatus  is  as  follows : — Dimensions 
as  given  in  sketch ;  wooden  sides,  with  door  in  each ;  wooden  top,  with  piece 
of  perforated  zinc  let  in  for  ventilation ;  glass  front  and  back ;  zinc  hot-water 
tank,  with  arch  opening  or  "tunnel"  running  right  through,  for  purposes 
of  the  preliminary  drying.  A  piece  of  very  thick  felt  is  laid  on  the  "  tunnel " 
floor,  and  the  heat   is    supplied  (or   maintained,  rather)  by   a   spirit  lamp. 
WHEN  ALL  IS  READY. 
Having  completed  all  the  preparations  the  fancier  may  now  proceed  on 
the  lines  adopted  by  that  well-known  exhibitor  and  popular  judge  of  Canaries, 
Mr.  J.  C.  Barnes,  of  Sheffield,  who  writes : — "  I  fix  the  drying  cage  on  a 
small  stool  with  the  wire  facing  the  fire,  at  a  distance  from  which  the  birds 
will  feel  a  fair  amount  of  warmth.  They  must  not  be  too  near — where  they 
are  likely  to  dry  too  quickly.  If  too  near  the  fire,  you  will  have  the  feathers 
curling  very  much,  and  apt  to  dry  harsh.  Two  ordinary  basins  will  be 
required  to  wash  the  birds  in,  one  for  washing  and  the  other  for  rinsing 
purposes,  a  piece  of  soap  containing  as  little  soda  as  you  can  secure,  also  a 
badger-hair  shaving  brush,  or  a  camel-hair  brush,  either  of  which  will  answer 
the  purpose  admirably,  as  they  are  very  soft  and  will  not  injure  the  bird's 
eyes  like  other  kinds  do.  For  drying  cloths  I  prefer  pieces  of  old  bump  sheet, 
or,  better  still,  old  silk  handkerchiefs.  These  I  place  over  the  oven  door  to  get 
nicely  warm  for  putting  the  birds  in  when  I  have  washed  them.  I  next  get  a 
jug  and  fill  it  with  cold  water.  This  I  use  to  reduce  the  hot  down  to  about  80 
degrees,  which  is  about  the  proper  heat  for  washing  purposes.  You  have  now 
two  lots  of  water  ready  (one  for  washing  and  the  other  for  rinsing).  It  is 
necessary  to  hold  the  bird  firmly,  yet  not  tightly.  Birds,  as  a  rule,  naturally 
struggle  a  little  while  undergoing  the  process,  so  be  as  gentle  as  you  can. 
"  I  generally  take  the  subject  in  my  left  hand,  with  its  head  between  my 
thumb  and  finger,  the  tail  lying  along  my  wrist,  and  its  back  upwards.  I 
then  dip  all  of  it,  except  the  head  part,  into  the  warm  water  for  a  second  or 
two,  allowing  the  feathers  to  soak.  I  commence  to  wash  the  tail  first,  well 
rubbing  in  the  soap ;  then  I  do  the  back  and  sides.  After  these  are  finished, 
I  turn  it  over  and  wash  the  throat  and  under-part  of  the  neck,  proceeding 
along  the  breast  to  the  neck  again ;  I  then  turn  it  back  to  the  position  I 
had   it   in  at  the  commencement  to  do  the  head  and  neck,  not  forgetting 
