172 
Our  Canaries 
CHAPTER  IX. 
THE  TROUBLES  OF  THE  LAYING  PERIOD. 
E  have  already  dealt  with  the  ordinary  risks  of  egg-laying,  but  in  this 
short  chapter  it  is  our  purpose  to  consider  those  of  a  more  uncommon 
kind.  If  a  hen  lays  but  one  egg,  or  one  or  two  abnormal  eggs,  or  refuses  to  lay  at 
all  after  being  mated  for  a  month  or  so,  it  will  be  best  to  separate  her  for  a 
fortnight  and  feed  her  on  a  diet  of  plain  Canary-seed,  with  a  little  bread  and 
milk  (sprinkled  with  soft  sugar  and  maw  seed)  daily,  giving  also  a  fairly  liberal 
supply  of  dandelion  each  day.  The  whole  of  a  dandelion  plant  of  a  quite 
tender  growth  may  be  plucked  and  given  the  hen,  root  and  all,  to  pick  over. 
At  the  end  of  a  fortnight  she  may  be  tried  again.  If  the  trouble  occurs  with 
a  very  young  hen,  it  will  be  still  better  to  turn  her  into  a  large  flight  cage 
and  keep  her  unmated  until  the  following  season  ;  whilst  an  old  hen,  unless  a 
very  good  and  reliable  feeder,  should  be  discarded  incontinently.  It  often 
happens  that  a  hen  of  this  type  proves  an  excellent  foster-parent  for  other 
youngsters,  and  in  such  a  case  will  prove  a  valuable  asset  for  the  breeder  of 
high-class  birds  to  have  at  hand  for  times  of  necessity. 
EGG  EATERS. 
One  of  the  most  unmitigated  nuisances  in  the  bird-world  is  the  Canar}' 
that  devours  its  own  eggs,  or  the  eggs  of  its  mate.  The  problem  as  to  how 
to  cure  such  is  a  difficult  and  vexed  one.  Placing  a  china  egg  in  the  nest  for 
the  bird  or  birds  to  try  issues  with  and  work  off  their  superfluous  energy  upon 
in  trying  to  break  it  open  is  recommended  as  a  cure  by  some  fanciers.  Another 
plan  is  to  blow  the  contents  out  of  a  real  egg  and  refill  the  shell  with  a  nauseous 
compound  of  mustard,  cayenne,  and  a  pinch  of  salt,  mixed  to  a  cream  with  a 
few  drops  of  water  or  vinegar,  and  then  seal  up  the  hole  and  place  the  pre- 
pared egg  in  the  nest  of  the  egg-eater  for  him  (or  her)  to  sample  the  contents. 
Our  experience  of  these  tricks  does  not  leave  a  high  impression  of  their  utility, 
though  we  must  admit  our  opportunities  for  testing  them  have,  fortunately,  been 
limited,  but  others  claim  to  have  met  with  happy  results  from  them. 
A  more  reliable  and  practical  method,  however,  is  to  aim  at  saving  the 
eggs — if  they  are  of  a  good  strain  and  worth  some  trouble  to  save  them  from 
injury — and  transfer  them  to  a  more  reliable  pair  to  hatch  and  rear.  It  is 
important  to  discover  which  bird  of  a  pair  is  the  culprit.  If  it  is  the  cock, 
then  it  is  only  necessary  to  shut  him  away  from  the  hen  each  night  when  eggs 
are  expected  and  return  him  next  morning  only  after  the  egg  has  been  secured. 
When  the  hen  is  the  culprit  a  specially  constructed  nesting  receptacle  is  essential. 
This  is  easily  prepared  by  making  a  small  chip  or  cardboard  box  about  ifin. 
cube  measure,  to  slide  out  the  same  as  an  ordinary  match  box.    Cut  a  round 
