114 
Our  Canaries 
After  the  birds  are  weaned,  besides  the  egg  food  I  give  them  crushed  hemp 
seed  and  a  milk  sop  once  a  week  until  they  begin  to  eat  canary  seed,  when 
I  discontinue  the  hemp  and  gradually  reduce  the  egg  food  until  I  feel  satisfied 
the  birds  can  do  without  it." 
CATERING  FOR  THE  GIANTS. 
In  writing  of  the  Lancashire,  Mr.  J.  Garner,  of  Hazel  Grove,  says:  
"The  method  of  feeding  of  our  early  breeders  was  about  the  same  as  it  is 
at  the  present  time.  They  had  to  rely  upon  new  laid  eggs  and  home  made 
bread,  which  many  breeders  now  cannot  find  anything  to  equal.  We  were 
not  blessed  in  those  days  with  such  patent  foods  the  fancier  now  has  to  select 
from,  and  perhaps  we  have  got  into  a  groove  and  do  not  like  to  come  out 
But,  still,  I  consider  the  old-fashioned  way  the  best." 
FROM  ROCHDA'  TOWN. 
Yet  another  experienced  breeder  of  the  variety,  Mr.  William  Adams,  of 
Rochdale,  sends  us  details  of  his  method.  "  For  feeding,"  he  writes,  "  I  use 
new  laid  eggs,  home  made  bread,  and  maw  seed,  mixed  well  together  with 
hemp,  rape,  groats,  and  dandelion.  In  fact,  anything  they  will  eat  I  supply 
it  ad  lib.,  but  am  careful  as  to  its  being  fresh.  They  are  the  best  judges  of 
what  suits  them.  I  generally  wean  them  at  three  weeks  old,  gradually  with- 
drawing egg  food,  a  little  crushed  hemp,  rape,  and  crushed  Canary  seed  until 
I  get  them  on  hard  seed  at  six  weeks  old.  Their  staple  food  afterwards  is 
the  same  as  the  old  ones.  My  seeds  generally  consist  of  best  Spanish  canary, 
hemp,  rape,  maw,  groats,  inga  (a  little),  and  during  the  moulting  period  I 
generally  mix  albs,  of  linseed  in  14  lbs.  of  the  seed  mixture." 
A   USEFUL  MENU. 
The  dietary  favoured  by  Mr.  T.  H.  Melhuish,  of  Cardiff,  for  his  stud  of 
high-class  Yorkshires  would  also  form  an  admirable  menu  for  non-breeding 
birds,  providing  due  care  is  taken  to  limit  the  extras,  in  the  way  of  mixed, 
oily  seeds  and  soft  foods  during  the  summer  months,  at  which  time  also  the 
supply  of  green  food  should  be  increased.  The  object  is  to  prevent  over- 
stimulating  these  birds  at  a  season  when  all  the  natural  forces  are  extremely 
susceptible  to  any  exciting  influence.  "Keep  the  seed  boxes,"  writes  Mr. 
Melhuish,  "filled  with  a  mixture  of  three  parts  Canary  to  one  part  summer 
red  rape.  I  do  not  favour  Canary  only.  Experience  has  proved  to  me  they 
do  better  on  these  two  sorts.  If  you  cannot  get  a  good  sample  of  ready  mixed 
seeds,  use  these  proportions : — hemp,  2lbs.  ;  groats,  ilb.  ;  linseed,  ilb.  ;  white 
millet,  lib. ;  gold  of  pleasure,  ilb.  ;  maw  seed,  lib.  ;  and  give  one  teaspoonful 
per  bird  on  the  sand  tray  twice  a  week.    Green  food  when  in  season — water- 
