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Our  Canaries 
The  first  season  is  far  from  being  always  the  best  except  in  the  case  of 
picked  birds ;  the  cocks,  not  having  reached  the  most  virile  condition,  are  not 
infrequently  responsible  for  clear  eggs,  and  the  hens,  unless  well  matured  and 
skilfully  managed,  sometimes  make  a  hash  of  things  generally  during  the  first 
half  of  the  season ;  which  places  the  results  of  first  season  birds  more  on  a 
par  with  those  of  the  fourth  or  fifth  season.  Of  course,  much  of  this  may 
be  counterbalanced  by  the  usual  method  of  mating  first-season  birds  with 
those  over  a  year  old.  Very  old  birds  which  one  desires  to  breed  from  should 
be  mated  with  second  or  third  season  birds  in  preference  to  yearlings. 
DEFERRED  BREEDING  OPERATIONS. 
When  dealing  with  late-hatched  birds  of  any  breed,  but  more  particularly 
when  they  are  of  a  large  breed,  such  as  Crests  or  Lancashires,  it  is  an  excel- 
lent plan  to  run  them  over  the  first  breeding  season  un-mated,  keeping  the 
sexes  quite  separate,  and,  if  possible,  out  of  hearing  as  well  as  out  of  sight 
of  each  other.  If  they  have  been  doing  the  round  of  the  shows  as  young  birds, 
this  course  will  be  of  still  greater  material  benefit,  in  that  it  will  allow  the 
birds  to  throw  off"  the  effect  of  this  exhausting  work,  and  become  thoroughly 
sound  and  mature  before  the  system  is  taxed  with  the  work  of  reproduction. 
This  is  a  sound,  economic  method  ;  by  husbanding  the  birds'  strength  in  their 
early  days,  they  are  in  the  best  possible  condition  for  producing  strong  and  robust 
off-spring  with  the  minimum  tax  upon  their  own  vital  reserves.  Many  of  our 
most  successful  breeders  are  aware  of  the  value  of  this  course,  and  systematically 
hold  over  a  portion  of  the  yearling  stock  un-mated. 
PAIRING  FOit  LIFE. 
A  less  generally  known  plan  is  to  pair  the  birds  and  keep  them  together 
permanently  all  the  year  round  afterwards.  Whether  this  plan  would  prove 
successful  with  the  mass  of  amateur  fanciers  whose  cages  and  other  con- 
veniences are  often  of  a  somewhat  primitive  and  cramped  type,  may  be  open 
to  question.  But  that  it  succeeds  well  in  some  cases  is  shown  by  the  notes 
kindly  supplied  by  that  enthusiastic  and  skilful  Belgian  breeder,  Mr.  James 
Robertson,  of  High  Harrington.  "  As  a  rule,"  he  writes,  "  I  prefer  to  keep  the 
birds  in  pairs  during  the  winter,  as  far  as  possible.  Circumstances,  however, 
do  not  always  admit  of  this.  I  never  pair  until  it  is  noticed  that  both  birds  are 
fit.  Nor  do  I  give  them  any  encouragement  by  placing  the  boxes  or  egg  pans 
in.  I  generally  give  both.  But  most  hens  prefer  the  pan  to  the  box,  with 
moss,  etc." 
THE  PLAN  OF  MANAGEMENT. 
"  When  ready,  1  begin  by  giving  a  little  egg-food ;  they  generally  take  this 
when  dandelion  heads  are  not  to  be  had,  but  when  green  seeds  are  to  be  had 
they  will  feed  on  them  alone.    I  may  mention  that  the  largest  and  best  birds 
I  ever  had  the  fortune  to  breed  never  touched  or  saw  egg-food,  nor  any  substitute 
