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Our  Canaries 
On  this  I  feed  in  the  morning,  adding  at  night  a  tablespoonful  of  boiled 
German  rape.  In  addition,  ripe  chickweed  is  supplied  three  times  daily  in 
very  small  quantities,  until  the  young  are  ten  days  old.  After  that  age,  if  the 
chickweed  can  be  got  thoroughly  ripe  and  dry,  I  supply  them  with  it  three 
times  daily.  Another  splendid  seed  for  rearing  is  the  white  heads  of  dande- 
lion. When  ripe  this  seed  is  unsurpassed  for  both  young  and  old  birds. 
When  the  young  leave  the  nest  I  gradually  reduce  the  green  food,  until  at  the 
age  of  five  weeks  they  get  no  more." 
•TWIXT   NEST  AND  MOULT. 
"I  crush  canary  and  hemp,  adding  German  rape,  white  maw  and  gold 
of  pleasure,  mix  all  together,  and  they  learn  to  pick  this  mixture  very  soon. 
It  must  be  sparingly  given  at  first,  as  the  young  are  very  apt  to  over-eat  them- 
selves, with  the  result  that  the  stomach  gets  out  of  order,  and  at  this  stage 
of  life,  which  is  from  five  to  seven  weeks,  I  have  lost  many  a  promising  bird, 
before  learning  how  to  treat  them.  Milk  sops  I  find  best  if  they  begin  showing 
a  paleness  in  the  legs,  which  is  the  first  indication  they  are  going  off  condition, 
and  this  for  three  or  four  days  generally  brings  them  right.  When  I  want  to 
keep  up  the  strength  of  the  bird  I  give  a  little  egg  food,  adding  a  small  quantity 
of  salicylate  of  bismuth,  which  prevents  them  eating  too  much,  cleanses  the 
stomach  and  bowels,  and  generally  keeps  them  in  condition." 
ON   FEEDING   IN  GENERAL. 
Writing  on  the  Norwich  Plainhead,  Mr.  J.  C.  Barnes,  to  whom  we  have 
already  expressed  our  indebtedness,  touches  upon  the  subject  of  foods  and 
feeding  in  these  terms  as  the  outcome  of  his  long  practical  experience.  "It 
may  be  advisable,"  he  says,  "to  touch  upon  the  seeds  provided  to  ensure  the 
correct  feeding  of  our  pets.  I  always  make  it  a  practice  of  procuring  the  very 
best  Spanish  Canary  seed  I  can  lay  hands  on.    This  is  used  as  a  staple  diet. 
"Next  in  order  is  German  summer  rape.  This  should  be  of  a  brightish 
red,  sweet  and  nutty  in  taste.  I  administer  this  about  twice  a  week,  in  a 
proportion,  say,  of  three  parts  Spanish  canary  seed  and  one  part  rape. 
"  Hemp  seed  I  use  pretty  freely  during  breeding  season,  for  the  parent 
birds  to  feed  with.  At  other  times  I  don't  use  much,  still,  this  can  be  given 
with  advantage  during  very  cold  weather,  being  of  an  oily  nature  and 
creating  warmth. 
"  Maw  seed  is  a  favourite  of  mine  all  the  year  round.  It  can 
be  given  in  many  ways  with  very  beneficial  effects.  Instances : — It  can 
be  mixed  with  the  egg  food,  and  is  greatly  relished  by  the  birds.  It  also 
is  a  capital  conditioning  seed  to  give  to  any  of  your  stock  that  may  appear 
a  little  down.  Again,  when  a  bird  is  loose  in  its  bowels  maw  seed  will  often 
rectify  this  ailment  as  it  has  a  soothing  and  binding  influence. 
