Our  Canaries 
183 
At  these  visits  of  inspection  careful  note  should  be  taken  of  the  young 
to  see  whether  they  are  being  fed  and  cared  for  properly.  If  all  is  going 
well,  the  young  should  increase  perceptibly  in  size  day  by  day,  and  should 
always  present  a  perfectly  dry,  soft,  fluffy  appearance.  If  the  downy  covering 
of  the  young  begins  to  look  moist  or  to  lie  flat,  something  is  going  wrong. 
Look  and  see  if  the  nest  is  dry  and  clean,  and  watch  the  hen  closely  to  see 
whether  she  feeds  the  young  on  returning  to  the  nest  ;  or  examine  the 
condition  of  the  young  birds'  crops  in 
the  evening.  If  the  youngsters  are  not 
properly  fed,  and  the  hen  appears  to 
partake  reluctantly  of  the  soft  food 
provided,  pander  to  her  tastes  as  far 
as  possible  ;  give  a  variety  of  foods  and 
green  foods,  always  in  small  quantities 
and  perfectly  fresh  each  time.  Also 
give  her  a  bath  each  morning  in 
which  a  little  common  salt  has  been 
dissolved — in  the  proportion  of  a 
heaped  teaspoonful  to  a  pint  of  water 
— and  in  the  drinking  water  add  in 
each  two  tablespoonfuls  for  one-half 
of  each  day  as  much  glauber  salts  as  will  cover  a  sixpence  when  pounded. 
Continue  this  treatment  until  the  hen  appears  to  be  performing  her  maternal 
duties  satisfactorily. 
HENS   "SWEATING"  YOUNG. 
Non-feeding  and  "sweating"  the  young,  as  it  is  popularly  called,  generally 
go  hand  in  hand.  The  following  notes  on  this  subject,  from  the  pen  of  Dr. 
T.  A.  Bowes,  are  of  special  interest : — 
"Is  it  diarrhoea?"  writes  Dr.  Bowes.  "Whatever  the  cause  and  whether 
or  not  there  are  several  factors  in  its  production,  the  first  departure  from  the 
normal  appearance  of  the  young  occurs  about  the  fourth  or  fifth  day  after 
hatching.  The  beautiful,  healthy,  downy  appearance  of  a  nest  of  young  ones 
becomes  broken  by  the  down  on  the  head  disappearing  and  becoming  plastered 
level  with  the  head.  At  the  same  time  the  young  are  not  properly  fed,  and 
although  they  may  rise  for  food  I  have  seen  that  the  hen  takes  no  notice, 
but  settles  herself  comfortably  on  them  again,  and  they  do  not  get  the 
necessary  meal. 
"  I  consider  that  the  essential  cause  lies  in  the  condition  and  disposition  of 
ihe  hen,  and  that  she  fails  in  her  maternal  duties.  I  have  a  hen  which,  season 
after  season,  refuses  to  feed  her  young,  and  "sweats"  them;  and  except  that 
she  is  not  active,  there  is  nothing  wrong  with  her.  I  have  also  noticed  that 
the  first  nest  may  go,  and  the  second  be  quite  right  with  improvement  in  the 
"  Keep  the  young  in  the  nest  as  long 
as  possible." 
