Our  Canaries 
noticeable  transfer  the  young  without  loss  of  time  to  feeders.  In  doing  this 
care  should  be  taken  to  mark  the  young  when  they  are  being  transferred  so 
that  no  error  is  made  in  their  pedigree,  and  also  to  foster  them  with  a  hen 
having  young  as  nearly  as  possible  of  the  same  age.  In  the  evening— just 
after  the  birds  have  gone  to  roost,  or  just  before  they  settle  down  to  roost — 
is  the  best  time  to  make  the  change.  In  the  former  case  a  light  should  be 
left,  if  necessary,  to  enable  the  hen  to  get  back  on  to  the  nest. 
MARKING  THE  YOUNG. 
If  all  goes  well,  the  young  brood  will  make  rapid  headway  after  the  first 
three  or  four  days,  and  the  quantity  of  egg-food  should  be  steadily  increased 
day  by  day,  and  a  liberal  supply  of  green  food  kept  at  hand.  Do  not, 
however,  satiate  them  with  large  quantities  at  once.  Always  aim  at  having 
a  "  clean  egg  pan  "  at  each  feeding  time,  in  the  sense  that  the  whole  of  the 
last  supply  has  been  consumed  and  the  birds  looking  out  keenly  for  more, 
and  feed  at  least  twice,  or  better  still  three  times,  daily. 
Under  these  happy  auspices  the  youngsters  will  soon  attain  a  size  when 
it  is  necessary  to  put  on  marking  rings  (if  the  owner  adopts  what  is  at  once 
the  safest  and  the  most  permanent  method  of  marking  his  birds  for  identifica- 
tion), and  to  enter  a  record  of  their  breeding  in  his  pedigree  book — viz.,  closed 
and  numbered  rings.  These  rings,  when  once  placed  on  the  leg  (providing  they 
are  of  a  proper  size),  cannot  be  removed  without  injury  to  the  bird  unless  cut 
off,  and  they  must  be  worn  by  the  birds  all  their  lives.  Each  ring  should 
bear  a  distinctive  number,  and  the  date  of  the  year.  Open  rings  which  can 
be  removed  and  replaced  at  will  may  also  be  used  and  can  be  put  on  at  any 
time,  the  best  time  being  when  the  young  are  about  to  leave  the  nest,  as  they 
will  then  be  accustomed  to  their  presence  when  they  leave  the  nest,  and  will 
not  be  so  prone  to  peck  and  worry  at  them  as  when  put  on  after  leaving  the 
nest.  The  chief  objection  to  open  rings  is  that  they  are  apt  to  be  removed 
and  mislaid  or  forgotten,  and  the  bird's  identification  in  the  pedigree  book 
become  doubtful,  or  lost. 
TIME  AND  MANNER  OF  RINGING. 
No  hard  and  fast  rule  can  be  laid  down  as  to  the  exact  age  for  putting 
on  closed  rings.  The  proper  time  covers  a  period  of  two  or  three  days 
from  about  the  seventh  to  the  tenth  day.  A  little  experience  in  ringing  a 
few  broods  will  best  teach  one  to  recognise  by  observation  when  the  young 
are  the  proper  size  for  the  rings  to  be  put  on  ;  about  the  seventh  or  eightk 
day  for  large  breeds  and  the  ninth  or  tenth  day  for  small  breeds  will  probably 
be  the  best  time,  but  a  more  definite  line  than  this  cannot  be  laid  down. 
If  put  on  too  soon  there  is  a  great  risk  of  the  rings  slipping  off  again 
into  the  nest,  whilst  if  ringing    is    delayed  a  few  days  too  long,   the  legs. 
