Our  Canaries 
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to  rigidly  isolate  every  newly  acquired  bird  in  quarantine  for  some  days  before 
allowing  it  to  go  near  one's  own  healthy  stock.  At  least  fourteen  days  should 
be  allowed  to  elapse,  but  where  convenient  to  do  so  a  month  is  more  advisable 
in  order  to  be  quite  on  the  safe  side.  Birds  probably  carry  infection  in  their 
plumage  for  a  considerable  time,  so  that  it  is  best  to  err  on  the  side  of  safety, 
if  at  all.  Where  any  reason  for  doubt  exists  it  is  a  wise  plan  to  wash  the 
bird  when  first  obtained,  and  again  at  the  end  of  the  quarantine  period,  using 
a  little  Jeyes  disinfectant  in  the  first  two  waters  on  each  occasion. 
DEFORMED  TOES. 
Deformities  of  the  toes  are  commonly  the  result  of  accidents,  due  to 
badly  shaped  or  inconveniently  placed  perches.  Sometimes  they  occur 
whilst  the  birds  are  yet  in  the  nest.    The  great  point  is  to  apply  remedial 
measures  as  early  as  possi- 
ble. Except  in  the  nest 
where  we  have  found 
mechanical  means  more 
successful  we  have  little 
faith  in  their  utility,  not 
only  on  account  of  the 
risk  of  overdoing  the  cor- 
rection of  the  deformity 
and  setting  up  another 
quite  as  bad,  or  worse,  but 
also  because  these  devices 
are  a  source  of  worry  to 
the  birds,  and  cause  them 
to  do  mischief  in  pecking 
and  trying  to  remove  the 
bands  or  ligatures,  as  the 
case  may  be.    A  variety  of 
A— strip  of  quill  for  holding  in  position.      B— Shows  toe      ^J^g  most  SUCCessful  methods 
bound  in  position. 
of  treating  various  deform- 
ities is  illustrated  in  our  sketches.  But  whenever  the  employment  of  a  set  of  thin 
perches  will  enable  a  bird  to  occasionally  grasp  it  with  its  toes  in  a  natural 
manner,  these  should  be  relied  upon  to  correct  the  deformity,  and  will  rarely, 
if  ever,  fail  to  do  so  in  the  course  of  time.  Where  this  means  fails  and  the 
deformed  toe  is  an  obstruction  to  the  bird's  free  motion,  amputation  is 
preferable  to  more  drastic  mechanical  means. 
When   claws   are   overgrown   cutting  should   be  resorted  to.      For  this 
purpose  a  sharp  pair  of  nail  scissors  is  the  best  instrument  to  employ. 
