94 
Our  Canaries 
that  birds  will  not  bathe  the  morning  after  they  have  been  washed,  but  they  will 
do  so  on  the  second  day." 
ANOTHER  METHOD  OF  PROCEDURE. 
The  plan  adopted  by  that  veteran  fancier,  Mr.  W.  Shakespeare,  of 
Kentish  Town,  who  probably  enjoys  the  distinction  of  being  the  only  avine  valet, 
in  that  washing  and  preparing  birds  for  exhibition  is  taken  up  as  a  profession, 
varies  to  some  extent  from  the  more  usual  method  as  described  so  well  in 
the  above  notes.  We,  therefore,  are  permitted  to  give  the  following  summary 
of  Mr.  Shakespeare's  method.  "In  the  first  place,"  he  writes,  "you  want 
a  sharp  fire,  clean  cloths  for  drying,  and  the  drying  cage  ready.  The  one 
I  use  is  about  i6  inches  long,  g  inches  high,  and  lo  inches  wide,  with  wire 
top  doors  opening  one  each  way  from  the  middle,  and  it  fits  on  a  zinc  tank 
which  holds  about  a  gallon  of  hot  water.  Also  three  bowls  for  water  and 
two  sponges.  I  use  the  water  in  the  first  bowl  fairly  warm,  the  second  a  little 
cooler,  and  the  third  one  only  slightly  warm.  Hold  the  bird  in  the  left  hand, 
on  its  back,  and  well  saturate  its  feathers  before  commencing  to  operate. 
When  ready,  commence  on  the  breast,  then  wash  under  the  wings  and  the  tail, 
holding  the  tail  against  the  side  of  the  bowl  to  wash  it.  Then  begin  under 
the  throat  and  neck,  and  gradually  work  right  down  the  bird  to  the  tail  again. 
Now  hold  the  root  of  the  tail  and  wings,  and  turn  the  bird  over  on  its  stomach 
and  wash  the  back,  wings  and  tail ;  then  wash  the  head,  neck  and  sides  of 
face  and  the  nostrils,  and  work  down  the  bird  to  the  tail  again.  Then  commence 
to  rinse  it  well  in  the  second  bowl  of  water,  and  finish  the  rinsing  in  the 
third  bowl.  Now  dry  it  well  with  cloths  and  put  it  in  the  drying  cage,  and 
leave  in  the  same  room,  if  possible,  till  next  morning. 
THE   FINISHING  TOUCHES. 
"  I  recommend  the  birds  to  be  washed  about  three  days  previous  to  showing. 
The  last  day  before  you  take  them  to  a  show,  groom  them  up  with  a  little 
glycerine  on  a  soft  silk  handkerchief.  When  starting  washing,"  he  concludes, 
"  you  must  be  firm,  but  by  no  means  nervous."  Then  he  adds  the  cautious  advice 
in  making  the  initiatory  preparations  to  see  that  the  feline  member  of  the 
household  is  securely  confined  in  the  cupboard— a  bit  of  wholesome  advice 
which  will  pay  well  for  its  careful  observance. 
We  must,  however,  caution  the  beginner  to  proceed  very  warily  in  attempting 
the  grooming  with  glycerine,  or  disaster  is  certain  to  follow.  The  work  requires 
an  ability  that  can  only  come  of  much  experience  to  do  it  successfully,  and 
the  novice  should,  therefore,  experiment  for  a  time  on  birds  not  intended  for 
exhibition,  in  order  to  acquire  the  adept  skill  necessary  for  carrying  out  this 
form  of  preparation,  and  also  to  observe  its  various  effects  when  correctly 
performed  and  when   overdone.     A   small,   soft  silk   handkerchief,   old  but 
